Westernesse

In King Horn, Westernesse can be reached by sea, and is ruled by King Almair. The throne eventually passes to Arnoldin, who is a loyal companion of the narrative's hero, Horn.^[1]

Whether or not Westernesse should be identified with one or more real-world locations remains, however, a point of dispute, since the narrative contains little geographic detail, and only vaguely echoes historical events.^{[citation needed]} It has been associated with various regions in the British Isles, among which are the Isle of Man and the Wirral district in Cheshire.^[2]

Many people today know "Westernesse" as J. R. R. Tolkien's translation of Númenor, the name which he gave to one of the realms in his fictional world of Middle-earth. Tolkien, who studied Middle English texts professionally, indicated in one of his letters that he had derived his translation from the name as it occurred in King Horn: "I have often used Westernesse as a translation. This is derived from rare Middle English Westernesse (known to me only in MS. C of King Horn) where the meaning is vague, but may be taken to mean 'Western lands' as distinct from the East inhabited by the Paynim and Saracens."^[3]