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'''Dúnedain''' (plural of '''Dúnadan''' which is the singular form) is a term used in [[Middle-earth]] for the Men of [[Númenor]] and (especially) their descendants in [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]] after the Downfall in [[II 3319]]. The Rangers of the North are the largest group of Dúnedain in Northwestern Middle-earth by the time of the War of the Ring. Their main bases of operations are the island of [[Tinnudir]] in [[Evendim]] and [[Esteldín]], in the [[North Downs]]. The village of [[Tornhad]] in [[the Angle of Mitheithel]] is home to many of the non-warriors.

The word is [[Sindarin]], and means "Men of the West", from "dún" ("west") and "edain" ("men") (edain in turn is from [[Quenya]] "atani", meaning "The Second" since Men came after Elves).

Dúnedain were considered "High Men," a race of supposedly nobler stock than the "Middle Men" that compose the other peoples of Middle-earth or the "Men of Shadow" who are loyal to the Dark Lord [[Sauron]]. The kings of the Dúnedain claimed kinship with the Half-elf Elros (brother of [[Elrond]]) and the other members of the race were granted extended life spans by the [[Valar]]. Dúnedain once commanded the greatest kingdoms of Middle-earth, but after the destruction of Arnor in its civil wars and its conflict with [[Angmar]], and after the death of the last king of Gondor, their glory has been diminished and the gifts of Númenor gradually fading.

The Dúnedain who remained in the north at the end of the [[Third Age]] were far more alike to their Númenórean ancestors than those in the south in appearance, having intermarried less freely with the "Middle Men", tall, grey-eyed, and dark-haired. The Chieftains of the Dúnedain, continuing the line of [[Isildur]] after the fall of [[Arthedain]], still enjoyed a longer lifespan than most (assuming death in battle did not find them first).

In the Third Age, most live as [[Rangers]] in the wilderness or in small, isolated villages in the former lands of Arnor. However, the Dúnedain and their allies live in hope for the eventual return of the king and a remaking of the broken royal line.

== External References ==
* ''[https://www.glyphweb.com/arda/d/dunedain.html arda]''
* ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%BAnedain wikipedia]''
* ''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers

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[[Category:Dúnedain|*]]
[[Category:Race of Men]]