Núriel, widow of Castamir the Usurper, seeks to end the Kin-strife once and for all.
for @gondorweek Day 6: Minor Characters, a fic about Castamir the Usurper's wife and sons, and some strife between even closer kin than Gondor's royalty...
Rating: T | Creator Chose Not To Warn
Relationships: Castamir's Wife & Castamir's Sons, Castamir's Wife & Eldacar of Gondor
Characters: Núriel (Castamir's Wife; OC), Airesarno and Ninquo (Castamir's Sons; OCs), Eldacar of Gondor
Word count: 1.6k
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The sons of Kastamir and others of his kin, having fled from Gondor in 1447, set up a small kingdom in Umbar, and there made a fortified haven. They never ceased to make war upon Gondor, attacking its ships and coasts when they had opportunity. But they married women of the Harad and had in three generations lost most of their Númenórean blood; but they did not forget their feud with the house of Eldakar.
- The Peoples of Middle-earth: The Heirs of Elendil
So there are Elendil's descendants amongst the Haradrim. It's safe to say that by the end of the Third Age, there are lots of people in Harad who could be traced back to Elendil (and Elros) via Anárion. Besides, it's most likely that many are also the descendants Elros via marriage with the Black Númenóreans(King's Men).
One of the funnier things from the Quora Tolkien digests is that, for whatever reasons, I get a lot of answers that are very fixated on Aragorn's descent from Lúthien and will reference Legolas's quote about the line of Lúthien never failing as if Aragorn's accomplishments were entirely attributable to his ancestry and nobody in the houses of Elros or Isildur or Anárion ever failed at anything or were just kind of shitty.
It feels almost unsporting to point out Pharazôn failing so hard he got his kingdom eternally sunk into the sea, so I'll settle for Arvedui of Arthedain, who definitely failed at several things that contributed to his death. There's Eärnur of Gondor, who rode into Minas Morgul to demand single combat with a being prophesied to never be killed by a man and was never seen again. There's the super racist Castamir who kickstarted (and ultimately lost) the Gondorian civil war that devastated Osgiliath.
Oh, and for the "just kind of shitty" contingent, there's Ar-Gimilzôr, an oppressor who forced his wife to marry him despite her unwillingness, along with Herucalmo, who ruled through the authority of his wife Tar-Vanimeldë and upon her death, seized the throne from his own son. Tar-Ancalimë's husband Hallacar (who tried to outmaneuver her with dubious success at best) sucked too, along with her cousin Soronto (who tried to either supplant her as heir or succeed her and achieved neither).
Descent from Elros grants stature and abilities of varying kinds to his descendants. It does not grant success or virtue, though.
You voted against my boy and I demand recompense. A fic with Eldacar please!! Some suggestions if you like (though you don’t have to use them): his childhood in Gondor, or maybe something about the moment he found out Ornendil had been executed, or (to satisfy my bloodlust) a cool battle scene where he kills Castamir at last?
His mother, Eldacar remembers, told him stories of grace and mercy.
She told him tales of knights in white armor, with their valiant deeds and swift swords. She told him of those who were proud and strong and feared no hardship; she told him of people who, when presented with choice to kill their enemies, lifted them from their knees instead, and granted them forgiveness, and were rewarded with life long and full of blessings.
Eldacar yearned for another reward. Reward dark and bitter, but so sinfully, so fiercely desired.
"My King!" his captain yelled, pointing his hand, and Eldacar retrieved his blade from the body of the man he just killed. He followed the direction with his eyes. "There!"
An arrow whistled just above Edacar's ear, only swift reflexes saving him from sure death. He growled, sound low and dangerous.
He saw the patch of black hair on one of the hills, a flash of deep red robes, and roared.
~
When he was younger, he told Ornendil stories of heroes brave and noble, of their valour that moved mountains, and of their loyalty, so praised, and of their sacrifices, so valued.
When he got older, he wished to tell Ornendil of the beauty of the spring and the song of nightingales. When he got older, he wished he could tell his son he loved him, and valued him above any throne, above any power, above any glory available in this marred world.
He couldn't.
Eldacar couldn't even bury him.
"We hanged the boy in the middle of the city, for everyone to see," Castamir snarled, blood trailind down his chin, eyes gleaming with wild fire. In his bloodstained hands was a sword, and Castamir cackled madly as he brought it down on Eldacar.
Eldacar spat and parried the blow. Ducked down, swinged at Castamir's side.
The man was older than he, but he still had his strenght and swift movements. He blocked, attacked. "We left him there," he hissed when their swords crossed at a momentary stalemate. "We left him to rot. Your poor, precious, loyal son, made a crow's feast," Castamir pressed further, and Eldacar bared his teeth. "I will make sure you join him. I will make sure the crows of Osgiliath remain fed."
Eldacar thought back to his Ornendil, to his brave, brilliant Ornendil. Earlier, the thought would bring him nothing but guilt and tears. Now, he snarled and sprang forward.
~
When Vinitharya was a child, his mother told him tales of mercy.
When Eldacar was a father, he told his son tales of loyalty.
When Eldacar became a king, he never felt the first, yet learned the bitter, bloody, painful taste of the second.
He pushed his enemy to the ground. The steel of his blade sang a song of vengeance.
I wonder if Gondor had a Lost-Cause-ism adjacent problem regarding the Kin Strife...
Some factions, especially in the maritime provinces (nomen omen South Gondor but that's a coincidence) revering Castamir and his rebellion, spreading vitriol against people of non-Numenorean blood - especially if they're - gasp - full-fledged citizens of Gondor...
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One of my favorite parts of this game is the interaction between Castamir and Talion, where Castamir says he thought the rangers were all dead. To which Talion just agreed and then went on with the converstaion and never explains.
It occurs to me that Gondor’s civil war and Castamir’s fit was actually, ironically, pretty extraordinarily beneficial for the general political and moral landscape of the country. Not only did it confine ‘blood purists’ to at BEST shakey intellectual ground, but it also just... killed a lot of numenorean-blooded lords! Or made them flee to Umbar.Â
Where originally the councils and governing bodies were populated by numenoreans in the vast majority, all that supported Castamir’s claim to the throne were spotlighted and gouged out by the coup and bloody war that came after it. Creating a power vacuum that only middle men or their sympathisers could fill. This would have been particularly a turning point for Pelargir, that went from the centre of ‘faithful numenorean’ history and culture, to being nearly entirely run by it’s original mountain folk population.
And then any left behind stragglers who strayed more into the middle ground were still sturdily de-powered, how much clout could a family that showed no loyalty to their true King command? Castamir killed Eldacar’s son! You would sit silent and allow such a murderous, cruel and traitorous man to despoil the high seat of Gondor’s King? The shame would have been felt for generations of time. That’s probably a saying! When Gondorians talk of ‘The Shame’ as an aspect of families, they specifically mean that their ancestors supported or allowed Castamir to run riot.Â
There are comedic songs in Pelargir thanking Castamir for being the siren that called all the black hearts to drown with him in the sea! There are scholarly articles debating it’s effects! And linking it’s ebb and flow of influence with the assassination of first a King and then one of the Princes of Dol Amroth, events that again reminded people of the origin of such tragedies and allowing Gondor to settle far more into an integrated and more equal society. And OBVIOUSLY some people have to talk about YES it’s bad to hate the middle men but Eldacar wasn’t EFFECTED by his middle man ancestry, his numenoean blood ran true and shouldn’t we all be true to our roles? Etc etc but it’s not the dominant discussion and scholars who ply that concept have to tread very carefully around their many middle men colleagues who also, as all can imagine, have a great deal to say about what THAT kind of talk may lead too.Â
I don’t know why anyone would think Tolkien was against mixing races when he made his stance very clear.
In the second age, Castamir starts a civil war because the king Valacar married Vidumavi from Rhovanion. And some Dunedain, like Castamir, saw the Rohirrim as a lesser racer and didn’t want to mix numenorean blood with other races of men. But Eldacar, Valacar’s son, aged just like a normal dunedain, so the whole discrimination by Castamir was pointless. After that, dunedain started marrying non-dunedain.
About the marriages between men and elves, Tolkien made it clear too that marrying a men/elf was irresponsible since both races have very different destinies. But everytime it did happen the result was really good since the most famous/important characters in the legendarium come from men + elf couples.
Also why would Tolkien use Beren and Luthien to represent him and his wife if he thought the union between men and elves was wrong??
that's how I interpret his text anyway.
