The Ruling Queens of Númenor by Himring

| | |

Fanwork Notes


The three Ruling Queens of Númenor are not the most well-known of characters, as most of the information about them is found in the Unfinished Tales, but there are reasons why some fans, including myself, are interested in them.

When Tolkien filled in the gaps in his history of Númenor and the Second Age, he had already hinted at female succession and thus, necessarily, of Queens in the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings.  This led to the tale of Aldarion and Erendis, on the one hand, which begins to provide detail on the reasons why female succession came to be introduced and on the early life of the first Ruling Queen, Tar-Ancalimë, but increasingly devolves into undeveloped drafts and fragments, as the tale is unfinished. Even the exact form of the new law of succession is mired in contradictions in these drafts.

On the other hand, there is the complete narrative of the rulers of the House of Elros, which provides short biographies of all three Ruling Queens, but these are short indeed.  As a result, there are plenty of tantalizing gaps in the available canon material that invite filling in and expansion by fan interpretations.

There are additional incentives for giving the Queens attention. Of course, named female characters with any accompanying biographical information are not all that common in the Legendarium. Even fewer of these are shown exercising political power.  However, that does not amount to positive evaluation; it is difficult not to feel that Tolkien's attitude to the Ruling Queens is tepid at best. It is true that none of the three are implicated in the worst acts of the House of Elros and the final decline, but there are already hints in all three narratives that all is no longer well with Númenor, although the criticisms levelled against the Queens are different in each case. Whereas some fans have accordingly adopted a similarly critical view of these queens, others have attempted to defend them against perceived double standards, misogyny, or unfair criticism, and some have experimented with even more subversive approaches, which often connect with reinterpretation of the history of Númenor on a larger scale.

Regardless of the differences among the three Queens, in each case issues involving marriage and succession are attributed to them. Tar-Vanimeldë is the only one who freely chooses to wed according to her society’s expectations and even her marriage emerges as problematic. However, especially in the case of Tar-Ancalimë and Tar-Telperiën, from a fannish point of view, this apparent flaw or lack opens up possibilities of interpretation and more diverse representation. The tale of Tar-Ancalimë offers an unusual amount of canonical female interaction and female networks, and her characterization is complex enough to allow for different fannish takes: there are elements here that could support readings of Tar-Ancalimë as asexual, lesbian, or bisexual, as well as unhappily heterosexual, depending on the author’s preferences. The gender politics of Tar-Ancalimë’s tale are the most explicit and often evoke strong responses in readers. 

Tar-Telperiën is the one of the three Queens who refuses marriage categorically to the end and, although her short biography offers no hints beyond that, that similarly invites a range of interpretations.

I just mention in passing that (like other Númenóreans) the Queens may also be portrayed as people of colour, whether that reflects the fan’s personal interpretation of Legendarium lore or by free fannish choice, which further increases possible diversity of representation.

Even though the amount of fanfiction and fanart featuring the Queens and treating them in depth is smaller than in the case of  better-known and more  popular characters, it is not possible to represent the whole breadth and variety of fanworks about them in the compilation of links that follows below. I am aware of gaps in the categories I represented and I am also aware that I have not included any edits, moodboards, or meta, which is not to say that there are not good examples of these out there. Therefore, I would very much welcome additional links and recommendations in the comments to this piece.

Heartfelt thanks go to pandemonium_213 for her comments and feedback on the first draft of this collection, which were very thorough and helpful. Thank you very much also to Dawn for much help with preparation for posting.

Fanwork Information

Summary:

Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features fanworks about the three ruling queens of Númenor: Tar-Ancalimë, Tar-Telperiën, and Tar-Vanimeldë.

Major Characters: Tar-Ancalimë, Tar-Telperiën, Tar-Vanimeldë

Major Relationships:

Artwork Type: No artwork type listed

Genre: Fanwork Collection

Challenges:

Rating: General

Warnings:

This fanwork belongs to the series

Themed Collections
Posted on 30 August 2024 Updated on 27 September 2024

This fanwork is complete.

I. All the Queens

"a library of all the tears in history" by Dialux

Dialux’s story covers all three Queens; in fact, it covers the known and unknown women of the House of Elros comprehensively. Dialux’s women are usually strong and often fierce and defiant. Her take on the Queens is no exception to this.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 26,390
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chooses Not to Warn
Summary: In thirty-three centuries, twenty-five women dreamed of the sea in fair Númenor. Of these twenty-five, eighteen were crowned queens. Seven names lived on in history. Three ruled in their own right. All dreamt of death and destruction. A story of terror and defiance; a story of despair and hope; a story of seas and mountains and the women who knew the future far before they could ever understand it.

II. Tar-Ancalimë

"Tar-Ancalimë, first Ruling Queen of Númenor" by Naarisz

The art featured together with this piece is a portrait of Tar-Ancalimë by Naarisz. It is a character trait of Tar-Ancalimë that interests both artists and fic writers how torn Tar-Ancalimë is between her desire for power and control and her love for solitude and shepherding. Naarisz portrays her as Emerwen Aranel (Princess Shepherdess), carrying a sheep. How regal she looks here despite that!

Format: Art
Warnings: None

"Loving Úner" by Lyra

Lyra shows young Ancalimë in conversation with her grandmother (with plenty of misunderstandings) and already as a sexually liberated lesbian. The piece forms part of Lyra’s collection of fics about Ancalimë, Most Bright.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 4,135
Rating: Teens
Warnings: Sexual Content (Mild)
Relationship: Ancalimë/Original Female Character
Summary: Princess Ancalimë is given the sex talk and seduces her maidservants, not necessarily in that order.

"Thoughts on Tar-Aldarion's Funeral" by 2Nienna2

2Nienna2 has a thoughtful, comparatively positive take on the canonically conflicted relationship of Tar-Ancalimë with her father Aldarion.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 927
Rating: General
Warnings: Creator Chooses Not to Warn
Relationship: Tar-Aldarion & Tar-Ancalimë
Summary: Tar-Ancalimë thinks about her messy relationship with her father in the wake of his death, as well as her experiences growing up and into a female political figure, and about how she is not allowed to prepare his funeral.

"The Fire That Grew So Low" by The Wavesinger

The Wavesinger shows Tar-Ancalimë in a more serious lesbian relationship, under strain, with a sidelight on Tar-Ancalimë’s other canonical relationships and their dysfunctional aspects. This Tar-Ancalimë is apparently bisexual. One or two canon liberties are taken in order to facilitate the epistolary element. Stylistically varied, sometimes lyrical.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 3,860
Rating: Teens
Warnings: Mature Themes, Sexual Content (Mild)
Summary: Two times Ancalimë stumbled, and two times she tried to make it right again. A tale of lovers in Númenor.

III. Tar-Telperiën

"With the Tide" by Talullah

Tallulah depicts Tar-Telperiën sensitively as in an apparently stable lesbian relationship, which nevertheless is threatened by crisis, due to external pressures and conflicting goals. Tar-Telperiën’s activities as ruler are taken seriously. The author has written fic about many female Númenorean characters, especially of the earlier period, including some of which we know only the name, and does extensive world-building.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 2,495
Rating: Teens
Warnings: None
Summary: Tar-Telperiën is eager to enjoy her month of rest in the beautiful Summer of Nindámos, but something is not quite right.

"Tar-Telperiën and Admiral Ciryatur" by lesbiansandboromir

This artwork by lesbiansandboromir (Erranruin) is a rare representation of butch lesbians (AU, as Ciryatur is apparently canonically male). The work is tagged as “tolkien of colour” by the artist. To me it stands out both because of the vigour and expressed tenderness and because of the unconventional shaping of their bodies, which nevertheless successfully conveys beauty.

Format: Art
Warnings: None
Relationship: Tar-Telperiën/Ciryatur

"The “Unmarried" Queen – Deficiencies in Númenórean Scholarship" by Sath

Sath writes a charming pseudo-academic article by a female Hobbit scholar: Tar-Telperiën is discovered to be in a lesbian marriage, with an interesting sidelight on Umbar. Influenced by recent developments in feminist history.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 1,226
Rating: General
Warnings: None
Relationship: Tar-Telperiën/Original Female Character
Summary: Rosie Cotton and Samwise Gamgee's granddaughter, a scholar of short stature and lofty goals, finds an earth-shattering document being used to steady a table leg in Minas Tirith. 

IV. Tar-Vanimeldë

"Third Queen" by Houseofhaleth

Here the negative comments about Tar-Vanimeldë in her biography are interpreted by Houseofhaleth as resulting from the report of a disappointed Elvish diplomat. A revisionist take, with a negative interpretation of Elvish influence.  Tar-Vanimeldë is staging an opera in honour of Erendis.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 941
Rating: General
Warnings: None
Summary: An elven representative of Gil-galad finds the Ruling Queen of Numenor's priorities are quite different to his.

"The Decadent Queen" by Scribe of Mirrormere

In this piece by Scribe of Mirrormere (Lunarium) the negative comments in the biography of Tar-Vanimeldë are  shown to be due to the propaganda of her husband Herucalmo, who later usurped the throne. Alcarin, her son, quietly reinterprets some of these for the reader, emphasizing his mother’s strengths.

Format: Fiction
Word Count: 888
Rating: General
Warnings: Author Chooses Not to Warn
Summary: Tar-Anducal and Alcarin remember Tar-Vanimeldë differently.

"Queen 'Make-Art-Not-War' Tar-Vanimeldë" by avoyagetoarcturus (Nycteris)

Tar-Vanimeldë playing a viola da gamba. Her enjoyment of the music is shown clearly. The choice of instrument by the artist is interesting, as it is uncommon.

Format: Art
Warnings: None

Great write-up and great choice of topic for the first themed collection! I'm only just beginning to take an interest in this period and these characters so I will have to bookmark this list. 

Thanks so much for gathering and sharing this collection. I really enjoy reading characters who hover about the fringes of the legendarium and I've not read anyof these yet.

This also reminded me of your vignette of Tar-Vanimelde as a girl, a queen, and at the end of her life in Vanimelde Dances.

I read so little about this part of the Second Age, but think I will take this delightful opportunity to really dive into these Numenorean queens and broaden my (flat-earth) horizons 😁  Thank you for the collection!