An attacking formation used by the Númenóreans and their descendants in Middle-earth. It was designed for rapid attack against an opposing force before it could properly array itself for battle. The dírnaith consisted of a wedge-shaped formation that would launch itself against the disarrayed enemy lines and break through them. Dírnaith was the Sindarin name for this tactical formation, which was officially known, in the more formal Quenya tongue, as a nernehta.
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We have very little evidence for the dating of the dírnaith and its use. It is discussed in the context of the Disaster of the Gladden Fields in III 2, and at that time it was part of established Númenórean military doctrine. Its origins and history are not described, so it is impossible to know how long the Númenóreans had been using this tactic, nor how long it continued in use after Isildur's time.
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- Updated 26 September 2024
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