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Andrast
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Map of Andrast (MERP)
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Other name(s)
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Angast (?); Long Cape; Ras Morthil
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Type
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Cape
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Realm
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People(s)
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Names[]
- Andrast (S: Long-cape)
- Long Cape
- Ras Morthil (S: Cape Dark-horn)
- Angast - a (possible) discarded name for Andrast (from The History of the Lord of the Rings).
Geography[]
Description[]
The mountainous and windswept cape west of Anfalas and Lefnui was the westernmost point of Gondor. Perilous tides and currents around the tip of the cape made the sea passage to the North treacherous to even the most experienced pilots, but the expense of a land journey to the North resulted in regular shipping traffic along the coast. It was a rugged place characterized by bare peaks and steep-sided, green valleys. The White Mountains bent to the southwest and jutted into the sea; due to this proximity to the sea and the prevailing winds, there was a great deal of rain, especially on the western side of the mountain range. The Cape of Andrast had been claimed by the kings of Gondor since the eighth century of the Third Age, but their influence had been nominal. The locals, categorized by the Dúnedain as Orodbedhrim (though they referred to themselves as"Dunir"), were basically of the same stock as the Daen fisher-folk of Enedhwaith's coastlands. They were not very numerous – perhaps twenty thousand – and lived a semi-nomadic life as goat-herds in the mountain valleys, or as permanently settled fishermen on the coast, just as their ancestors lived during the Second Age before the arrival of the Númenóreans. They had not been touched by the mainstream culture of southern Gondor, and did not bother with who was ruling in Osgiliath or Minas Anor. Only a very few knew Westron; the others spoke only their native Daen tongue.
Whether the cape was a part of Anfalas or not was disputed, but in reality that was a matter of little practical importance, due to its remoteness and primitiveness. The Cánor of Anfalas traditionally received formal pledges of peace and friendliness from the local headmen every twelve years, and sometimes fishermen and shepherds traveled to Anfalas to trade at local fairs, but generally there was little interchange between the natives and the Dúnedain. Similarly, the border between Andrast and Drúwaith Iaur was undefined and debatable, with opinions varying from the streams Lórëló to Iaurló to Pilindhir to Rúasir. Few seemed to care about the distinction, certainly none among the natives.
The Dúnedain had not imposed themselves by force upon this area, so the locals did not harbor any notable hostility against them (unlike the Orodbedhrim elsewhere in southern Gondor). The Cánor of Anfalas had pursued a successful "live and let live" policy, never bothering with taxation since the locals had little to offer them in any case. Not even Castamir had managed to upset the relations with the natives, mainly due to his preoccupation with other matters. The Cape of Andrast seemed irrelevant from his southward-looking perspective. After the Kin-strife, the Corsairs exploited the remoteness of the cape for their own sinister purposes. Daring captains occasionally established temporary bases on its western side, from which their vessels would prey upon Gondor's northbound merchant shipping for a few months at a time. The Corsairs would then withdraw to Umbar before the authorities were able to dispatch army or navy forces to crush them. During such endeavors, there were clashes between the natives and the Corsairs, since the latter (at least, those later Corsairs that served the Cult of Melkor) occasionally raided villages to abduct slaves. Unfortunately, the locals were too poorly trained and equipped to defeat a well-armed Corsair force, especially one which had fortified itself against the threat of Gondorian military reprisal behind stout palisades.
Inhabitants[]
Men[]
Regions and Rivers[]
Enqui Iaurló Isle of the Ulond Larkanen Lefnui Lórëló Lond Feren Lond Nornin Nan Engui Nen Hwárin Nevedui Parth Iaur Parth-i-Certémar Perth Maiwin Pilindhir Ras Drúadan Ras Miulimë Ras Morthil Rast Hanadh Rast Hwarin Rast Iaur Rast Nimrais Tumbrui Ulond White Mountains
Settlements and points of interest[]
Abyss An Côsa Brâs Ancient Depths Angast Bar Morthil Cirith Aralanthir Cursed Caverns Drowned Cave E Gynd Eärcaraxe's Lair Hollowcliff Hórin's Tower Hwálond Men Drûn Men Falas Shrine to Morgoth Stone circle Tharagrondost Undersea-Grotto Water-logged Halls