Work Text:
Arnor ("King’s-land, kingly/chief land, Land of the King, noble land, Royal Land", Sindarin; a blend with or adaption of its Quenyan counterpart, Aran(d)órë) was the northern Númenórean kingdom in Middle-earth, founded by Elendil, last lord of Andúnië. He was High King of both Gondor and Arnor, though he left the governance of Gondor to his sons. Following the deaths of Elendil and Anárion in the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur became high king, though he left the rule of Gondor to his nephew. After Isildur's death, the two kingdoms were formally separated. The northern line of the house of Elendil was continued by Isildur's youngest son, though the kingdom of Arnor only lasted until TA 861, when it was split between the three sons of Eärendur. Arnor included most of Eriador, from the Lune to the rivers Greyflood and Loudwater. The area later known as the Shire was part of this realm, too. The language most commonly spoken was Westron, though at least part of the population was fluent in Sindarin. Quenya was studied as a language of lore.
Arthedain was one of the three kingdoms created by splitting the kingdom of Arnor, it lay between the Lhûn and the Brandywine in north-western Eriador. However, it also claimed the land north of the Great East Road from the Brandywine Bridge to the Weather Hills. The kingdom of Arthedain fell in TA 1974 to the forces of Angmar, though the royal line persevered.