what happened to numenor

The downfall of Númenor was a catastrophic event that occurred in the Second Age of Middle-earth. The kingdom of Númenor was settled by the Edain, Middle-earths first humans, who sided with the Valar in the battle against Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. The Valar raised the island from the depths as a reward for the Edains loyalty, and the Númenóreans were originally ruled by Elronds brother, Elros. However, the 25th king of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn, became obsessed with the idea of immortality and was persuaded by Sauron that this could be gained through the worship of Morgoth. Ar-Pharazôn erected a 500-foot-tall temple to Morgoth on Númenor, where he offered human sacrifices. As a result, the Valar sank Númenor beneath a great wave, drowning all its inhabitants, including the body of Sauron, which robbed him of his ability to assume fair form. Survivors of Númenor were scattered across Middle-earth, and their bloodlines mixed with those of the humans who remained there. They established important kingdoms of the Third Age such as Gondor, explaining why Gondors Minas Tirith looks similar to Númenor.