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by Daereth
Ibun
One of the sons of Mim the petty-dwarf.
Idril
Idril Celebrindal was the only daughter of Turgon, Lord of Gondolin,
and Elenwe. Idril was loved by Maeglin, yet she rejected him and gave
her heart to Tuor, a mortal man. Their only child was Earendil the Mariner.
Idril and Tuor were among the few who escaped the sack of Gondolin.
They came to dwell at the mouth of River Sirion, where he built his
ship Earrame. Then Idril and Tuor sailed into the West, and no other
legends tell about their fate.
Ilmare
The maid of Varda
Iluvatar
Eru, Iluvatar, Father of All, the Supreme God of Ea who was before
all else in the world came to be. From his thought Iluvatar spawned
the Ainur, and he taught them the great Music of creation, and then
brought into being the world which the Ainur had created by their joint
voices. All that happens in the world is known to Iluvatar, and although
he never showed himself before the face of Man or Elf, his power is
greater than one can imagine – so great, in fact, that even the great
deeds of the Valar in the early days of the world are like droplets
in the ocean of his might and knowledge.
Indis
Second wife of Finwe, mother if Fingolfin and Finarfin.
Ingwe
The elf of the Vanyar who dwelt in Aman upon the slope of Taniquetil,
honored as the High King of all Elves.
Irmo
Irmo (Lorien) is one of the Feanturi, masters of spirits, and the
brother of Mandos. He is the herdsman of dreams and his home, the Gardens
of Lorien in Valinor, is where all draw hope and refreshment. The fair
woods of Lothlorien received the same name were said to bear a sweet
resemblance to its Valinorean namesake.
His spouse is Este, the healer among the Valar.
Isildur
Son of Elendil and brother of Anarion; first King of Gondor, the Southern
Realm.
Isildur and Anarion were both born in Numenor to Elendil, whose father
Amandil was the leader of the Faithful and one of the King’s most trusted
advisors and generals.
Isildur was still very young when Sauron deceived the King by his
lies and became his only counselor. At about that time, when evil was
already taking hold of the Numenoreans, Isildur performed a feat which
would later win him renown and praise: perceiving that Sauron would
soon impose his wish of destroying Nimloth, the White Tree, on the King,
Isildur stole past the guard and took the Tree’s only fruit. The guard
was roused, but Isildur, receiving many wounds, made a narrow escape
through the night. Soon after this foray Sauron fed Nimloth to the fire
at Melkor’s temple.
As Sauron grew more impatient in his wish to bring Numenor and its
people to a bitter end, conceit and madness shrouded the King’s wits
and, when he ordered the gathering of the huge fleet to invade Valinor,
Elendil and his sons saw there was nothing they could do to save the
King from this blunder. They put up the sails on nine ships, and on
them they escaped the Drowning of Numenor. With them were not only their
followers, the Faithful, but also the fruit of Nimloth and the seven
Palantiri. The raging waves carried Elendil’s ships northwards, while
his sons’ small fleet was borne to the mouth of Anduin, where there
had long been fortifications of Numenorean explorers and tradesmen.
In the days of the Last Alliance of Men and elves Isildur, now co-ruler
of Gondor and Lord of Minas-Ithil, fought among his father’s army. It
was he who with the hilt-shard of Narsil, cut the Ruling Ring from the
Enemy’s finger. Isildur did not heed the warnings of Elrond and Cirdan
and kept the Ring, for it had already woven its snare around him. He
made it an heirloom of his kingdom, and would not suffer it to be harmed.
It was the Ring, therefore, that spelled his doom.
In year 2 of the Third Age, having made sure that Meneldur was ready
to supplant him as King of Gondor, Isildur set out northwards to claim
the throne of his late father.
In Gladden Fields, however, he was waylaid by an Orc-host, for he
was careless and did not set up a guard. His followers were scattered,
and his three elder sons slain. Isildur himself plunged into the waters
of Anduin, but that very moment the Ring betrayed him, slipping from
his finger. The Orcs saw him and shot him with many arrows. Such was
the bitter end if Isildur son of Elendil.
Of all his heirs, only Valandil was spared by fate, and that was because
his father had left him in Imladris.
Istari, the
An order of wizards who were sent into Middle-earth at the beginning
of the Third Age as an aid to the faltering strength and courage of
the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
It is thought that the Istari were Maiar who mostly went in the shape
of old men, bent with age but hale. Originally, there were seven of
the Istari, but the fate of four is unknown, except that they traveled
into the East, never to return. The other three, also the most well-known
of their order, however, played a significant role in the history of
the Third Age. Their names were (in order of authority and magical powers):
Curunir (Saruman), Olorin (Gandalf) and Radagast the beast-master. Radagast’s
concern lay with the creatures of the wild, and he hardly ever minded
the affairs of Men and Elves. Gandalf and Saruman, on the other hand,
spent many years wandering through the expanses of Middle-earth, learning
the lore of its peoples and helping them in their need. Saruman soon
settled down in Orthanc, and he was named Head of the White Council
and chief of the Istari because his skill and knowledge was at the time
greatest. However, Gandalf grew familiar with the Men and Hobbits, spending
much of his time uncovering the evil designs of Sauron. Gandalf never
stayed in one place, and during his travels he did not only gather knowledge,
but also friends the likes of Elronf the Wise and Aragorn the would-be
King.
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