Henneth Annûn Story Archive

Than you Bardess, very nice of you to say so.

Their Amah was originally the bondwoman of Lady Finduilas in my story 'The Sky Wept Diamonds'.  I began to wonder who she was and where she'd come from - and she became quite happy to tell me!  I made her a Dunedain to give her a long life and character arc with which to explore Middle-earth.  Her path crosses that of several of the canon characters, besides her own adventures. 

When she was young she accompanied her father and brothers on trading trips to the Avari of the northern Misty Mountains and beyond; she learnt to fight because the routes were dangerous.  At twenty she ran away from home and an arranged marriage. Having travelled first west to Lune, then south, she was captured by slavers who sold her in Harondor to a Haradrim healer.  She was one of his slaves, travelling the south with him for four years before she escaped. She stopped in Edoras some months earning a living as a leather-worker.  Until she returned to Harad as a guide to a young ranger from the north; she disguised herself as a Haradrim trader.  On completing the quest, they went their seperate ways; she continued as a trader and also passed information back to Dol Amroth.  She took service with Lady Finduilas as a bodyguard, and hence service with Gondor, although she had several fallings out with Lord Denethor, and eventually left as guide to Captain Thorongil on his journey south.  She was summoned back to Gondor by Lady Finduilas and after her death, at the Lady's wish, this woman stayed on as Amah to Boromir and Faramir.  She retained her trader's links and eventually became a spy for Gondor when they no longer needed her as their amah.  Post-war, she carried on her activities, acting as guide and with her knowledge of Umbar, helping King Elessar's campaign against the Corsairs.  She retired to the coast, but eventually moved back to Minas Tirith where she died some months before the King.

A few stories are written, but the majority is still in my head!