Isildur

Isildur is the Third Age High King of Arnor [1] and Gondor. He was the one responsible for cutting off the finger that had the One Ring away from Sauron’s hand. However, he wanted to keep the One Ring for himself, which allowed Sauron’s spirit to live on.

Family

Isildur was born during the Second Age in Númenor. Isildur is the oldest son of Elendil. He has a brother named Anárion. Elendil and his sons resided on the eastern coast of Númenor, particularly Rómenna. Isildur’s grandfather is the Lord of Andúnië, Amandil. Amandil came from the bloodline of the Kings of Númenor as a branch of Silmarien’s family. She is the offspring of Tar-Elendil, the fourth Númenórean King. Isildur has four sons: Elendur, Ciryon, Aratan, and Valandil. Isildur’s bloodline survived through Valandil, who was still a small child when Isildur and his sons went to battle. His heirs helped end Sauron’s power in the War of the Ring.

Isildur in Númenor

Númenor’s first king, Elros, was half-elven, and he chose to live his life as one of the Men. Elrond, his brother, chose life as one of the Elves. As time passed, the kings of Númenor started to regret the choices their ancestors made and became hungry for more power. As a result, they were indifferent to the Elves, the Valar were not acknowledged, and they refused to worship Eru. However, there was still a small cluster of Númenóreans that remained loyal to the Valar and Eru. The group also kept their good relationships with the Elves.

In essence, this group of people was known in history as “the Faithful.” The Lords of Andúnië, the bloodline of Isildur, belonged to this group. The King of Númenor was Al-Pharazon. The King was able to capture Sauron and kept him as a captive in Númenor. Little did he know that Sauron intended to be caught so that he could corrupt the minds of the Númenóreans and eventually cause their downfall. Sauron took advantage of their hunger for power and immortality. He was able to persuade them to abandon Eru and place their devotion to Morgoth instead.

Isildur heard that Sauron planned to use King Ar-Pharazon and make him take down Nimloth, a White Tree in Númenor that came from the Undying Lands. Because of this, Isildur went to the King’s Court in disguise to steal one of the fruits from the tree so that it could be replanted. The King’s guards caught him in the act, but he was able to escape. Isildur was significantly praised for such a brave act and the fruit became a holy symbol later on. However, he was on the brink of death for months because of the grave injuries that he sustained while escaping from the King’s guards. The fruit that he stole started to sprout, Isildur was miraculously healed. Sauron’s power and influence were starting to increase in Númenor, so the Faithful decided to leave.

The families of the Faithful loaded their boats with their prized belongings, which included the Palantíri or the seeing stones. Isildur filled three ships and brought with him his wife, his son Elendur, and the sprout of the White Tree. Amandil, the grandfather of Isildur, separated from the group and sailed towards the Undying Lands in the west. He was hoping to face the Valar and plead that the Faithful be spared. However, it is unknown if he was able to fulfill his mission as no one has seen or heard from him since then. By SA 3319, Sauron convinced King Ar-Pharazon that he could take the Undying Lands. The King took his vast fleet to attack the Undying Lands. When the King reached the shore, the seas opened up and Ilúvatar hid Valinor. This caused the fleet to sink, and an enormous wave destroyed Númenor.

Isildur Arrives in Middle-earth

While Ilúvatar was punishing Númenor, the ships carrying the Faithful survived the great wave that destroyed Númenor. A strong wind sent them to Middle-earth. Elendil and some ships docked in the north. Isildur and his brother, Anárion were brought to the south. The brothers built the South kingdom of Gondor and Elendil built the North Kingdom of Arnor. Elendil was considered to be the High King for both empires, but Elendil preferred to rule from the north and assigned his sons to rule the south. They used the Palantír to communicate with each other. Isildur had the Ithil-stone.

Isildur decided to make his home in the eastern part of the Anduin, Minas Ithil. Meanwhile, Anárion chose to reside in Minas Anor, the west side of the Anduin. Minas Ithil developed into a beautiful city. Minas Ithil is in the valley belonging to the Mountains of Shadow, which is in the border of Mordor. Given its close proximity to Mordor, a reliable stronghold was constructed around the city to defend itself from the evil forces of Mordor. Isildur planted the sapling of the White Tree at the front of his home. While living in Gandor, Isildur’s wife bore two more sons: Ciryon and Aratan. Isildur had the Stone of Erech, a significant black sphere that he saved from Númenor. He brought the great stone to the top of the Hill of Erech [2].

The hill was located by the entry of the Blackroot Vale. There, Isildur met the King of the Dead (formerly the King of the Mountains). The King of the Dead swore upon the Stone of Erech his faithfulness to Isildur. However, the King of the Dead broke their commitment when he and the Men of the Mountains refused to fight Sauron upon Isildur’s request. As a result, Isildur placed a curse on them, saying that the Men of the Mountains will never rest until they fulfill their oath. The Men of the Mountains ended up haunting the Paths of the Dead because of Isildur’s curse.

The Last Alliance

Isildur and his family were able to escape during Sauron’s attack. They were also able to take with them another White Tree seedling. They took a ship and sailed to Arnor, where the kingdom of Elendil is. Upon hearing of Sauron’s attack, Elendil turned to the last High King Elf of the Ñoldor, Gil-Galad, for advice. They ended up forming the Last Alliance of Elves and Men to fight against Sauron. In the same year, Isildur’s wife gave birth to his youngest, Valandil.

He was born under Elrond’s care in Rivendell. In SA 3431, the troops of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men met up at Rivendell. From there, they marched together to war. Isildur and his three sons went with the army, leaving behind Isildur’s wife and the baby Valandil in Rivendell. Sauron’s army was crushed in the Battle of Dagorlad, which was held on the open fields on the boundaries of Mordor. With this victory, the forces of the Last Alliance were able to enter Sauron’s kingdom and take over Barad-dûr. They were able to hold Barad-dûr for seven years, but it was not easy. A lot of Elves and Men were killed, and Anárion was one of them.

When Sauron himself finally joined in on the battle, Elendil and Gil-galad were the ones who faced him near Mount Doom. The two were able to defeat Sauron, but they also both died in the fight against the Dark Lord. Elendil’s sword, the Narsil, broke during this struggle. It was then that Isildur took a piece of Narsil and used it to cut off the finger that had the One Ring from Sauron’s hand. With the separation of the One Ring from its master, Sauron’s spirit was separated from his body, and his body disintegrated. Isildur was unaware that Sauron’s spirit is very much connected to the One Ring. Upon seeing it, he was enamored and took it for himself. Cirdan and Elrond, who saw this, tried to stop them and told Isildur to throw it to the flames of Mount Doom. Isildur ignored their warnings. Isildur later wrote about the One Ring and its properties. He shared that the One Ring burned his hand, but as it cooled down, the One Ring appeared to shrink and that the markings on it started to fade. He believed that the heat from Sauron caused the markings to be visible; therefore, heating the ring will cause the markings to be visible as well. However, he had not tried heating the One Ring to see the markings once more because his love for it made him not want to mishandle it.

Isildur’s Demise

After the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, Isildur ruled over both Arnor and Gondor. He intended to rule in the north and let his brother’s son, Meneldil, rule the south. Isildur placed the body of Elendil on a tomb in the peak of Halifirien, located in the Firien Wood. He then started mentoring Meneldil about the duties of a king. Before Isildur left Minas Anor, he made sure that the White Tree seedling was replanted. The death of Isildur was known as the Disaster of the Gladden Fields. The day came when Isildur left Minas Anor to rule in the Anor.

He was accompanied by his three sons and a small troop of knights. They headed towards the High Pass to go through the Misty Mountains, passing by the valleys of the Anduin. Upon reaching the Gladden Fields, they were attacked by Orcs. The Orcs had no idea that the One Ring was with Isildur. However, it seemed like they were drawn by the power of the One Ring. Isildur’s party was outnumbered, and they were overwhelmed. Before the battle started, Isildur sent away Ohtar, his esquire, and gave him the shards of Narsil so that he could return it safely to the kingdom. The eldest, Elendur, begged Isildur to flee from the fight so that the Orcs will not get the One Ring. Elendur led the Dúnedain against the Orcs.

However, all three sons were slain in battle. To escape, Isildur wore the ring and went to the Anduin. He took off his armor so that he could easily cross the river. However, the strong current made it impossible to go across and it led him to the swamps of Gladden Fields instead. There, the One Ring slipped from Isildur’s finger, and Isildur was not able to retrieve it. When Isildur rose from the water, he was seen by the Orcs and was slain by their arrows. Isildur’s body remained in the river, unrecovered. The youngest son of Isildur, Valandil, took his father’s crown when he turned 10. He was given the title King of Arnor. However, Valandil did not claim Gondor, so the two kingdoms separated. Gondor’s realm was ruled by the heirs of Anárion. The two kingdoms reunited again during the Third Age, when Aragorn, an heir of Isildur, was crowned King. The One Ring stayed lost and buried in Gladden Fields until Déagol saw it in the Third Age.

Adaptations

Movie

The Lord of the Rings (1978)

Although not seen, Prince Isildur was mentioned in the prologue of this film. In this version, Isildur was said to cut the One Ring off from Sauron’s hand during the battle and not from an already defeated Sauron as the original version of the story says.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001)

In the first film of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Isildur appears in the prologue. He is portrayed by Harry Sinclair, a friend of Peter Jackson. In the movie, Isildur is described as the last King of Gondor. However, in the extended version of the film, Arnor and Anárion were mentioned, making it clear that he was not the last King.

Game

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Video Game (2002)

Isildur is a playable character during the prologue of the game. You get to control him on Mount Doom. When you complete the mission, it will be shown how Isildur defeats Sauron. If you complete the bonus level in the Tower of Orthanc, you can use Isildur in other stages of the game. When this happens, he will replace his descendant.

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II Video Game (2006)

Isildur is not a playable character in this video game. Still, he appears in the cinematics where he is fighting against Sauron. Isildur is mentioned in the expansion pack of the game, where he takes part in a more detailed Angmar storyline.

The Lord of the Rings Online Video Game (2007)

This video game has a flashback scene where Isildur makes an appearance. This is during the Stone of Erech, where the men of Dunharrow pledged their allegiance to Isildur. Isildur also appears later on in the Battle of Dagorlad, which happens in the High Elf introduction.​