Who's the greatest Númenorean 👑King ?

[Lantarion]

I say Tar-Minyatur. He was the very first, and only he and a few after him had the proper attitude towards the Land of Gift and the Valar.. After the sixth King I think things started to deteriorate.. But I haven't read the Akallabêth in a long while.

 

[BlackCaptain]

Well I was never really into all the Numenor stuff. So I couldnt tell ya... But Elros was my favorite Man dude

 

[YayGollum]

Huh. I wonder why I didn't notice this thread before. oh well. Let me see here. I gots to vote for Ar-Pharazon because he's the only one that I know any stories of. Which makes him interesting. Which makes him entertaining. Which makes him the greatest. oh well. Isn't he the only one that's still alive?

 

[Lhunithiliel]

I have voted for Tar-Aldarion.
Why?
Because I agree that he was the first to bring the "wind of change" onto Numenor.
He was the one to develop and improve sea-faring, ship-building, forestry, etc. on the island - extremely inmportant for the economy of a society enclosed on an island!; he was the one to start thinking in serious about the future development of the Numenorean civilizacion - he was wise enough as to foresee that the island could not forever remain the home of the growing power of the Numenoreans - new sourses and new "horizons" must have been found so he went out searching for them. And all he did was for the good of his people - at present (his present) and in the future - no malicious ambitions, no vain lust for power or for the "gifts of fate" of the immortals...

I personally think he was the greatest.

As for Ar-Pharazon.....Well, he was truly great but too much corrupted even before Sauron and I disaprove of his actions and of the very basic grounds of his greatness - because his ambitions, not less than those of Aldarion, were however dedicated to achieving "rotten" aims.

 

[Beleg]

I personally think he was the greatest.

On a Personal Point of View, I do agree. But only because we don't know a lot about the circumstance and the lives of other Kings.
As for Ar-Pharazon, He was the greatest, well technically he is the greatest as told by the Master himself. But sometimes his greatness is shadowed by his attribution to Sauron. Guess people don't like Dictators too much...

 

[Inderjit S]

After the sixth King I think things started to deteriorate.. But I haven't read the Akallabêth in a long while

The 'detirioration' of the kingdom so to speak began from the 12th King Tar-Ciryatan

He was a mighty king, but greedy of wealth....he oprressed the men of Middle-Earth....It is siad that he constrained his father to yield to him ere of his free will he would. In this way (it is held) might the first coming of shadow of the bliss of Numenor be seen

Line of Elros

Though you do have a point, since the Druedain began to excavate out of Numenor after Aladarion's voyages, claiming evil would come of it blah-de-bla etc, though he did pave the way for Tar-Minastir to land in time to save Lindon.

My fave. is Tar-Palantir he ruled over a inherently corrupted, evil even, though not wholly so people.

 

[Mahal]

Mine is Tar-Minastir he helped the elves trough war with Sauron and they almost got him to.

 

[Celebthôl]

Tar-Elessar, it has to be.

Aragorn from a ranger, honed his power and restored the two Kingdoms of Elendil from naught.

He also fought in more than one battle where the odds were more than just against him.

He strove with the will of Sauron and succeded,

He walked the paths of the dead against all hope and it was only his will that helled (sp) them together and came out on the other side alive,

He saved Merry, Eowyn and Faramir from certain death

need i go on?

Aragorn in my honest opinion was the best King...so other it is

 

[Scatha]

Ar-Pharazon was 'dumb' enough to fall for the words of Sauron and has only brought the downfall of the numenoreans, thus can in no way be called the greatest of their kings.

Elros was the founder of the numenorean race, who was smart enough to realise the importance of the friendship with the elves.
So this is were my vote goes.

 

[baragund]

I guess it all boils down to what definition you want to use for "great". Webster's has a number of definitions, including "remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree or extent", "of outstanding importance or significance", "chief or principal", "powerful or influential", "eminent or distinguished", and "pregnant" (I don't think that's the context here )

When one looks at the most pertinant definitions, to me it comes down to either Tar-Minyatur or Ar-Pharazon. Tar-Minyatur because he established Numenor and Ar-Pharazon because he destroyed it.

Well, if I had to pick one, I'd have to pick Ar-Pharazon. He was more instrumental in the destruction of Numenor than Tar-Minyatur was in its' creation. Numenor was handed to the Tar-Minyatur on a silver platter by the Valar.