tolkienmatters: Queen Berúthiel was a Black Númenórean and Queen of Numenor bef
tolkienmatters: Queen Berúthiel was a Black Númenórean and Queen of Numenor before her exile. She was possibly born in Umbar or a region south of it, as most of her people were. She married Tarannon Falastur, 12th King of Gondor, probably for political reasons. She is described as “Nefarious, solitary, and loveless”, which made Tarannon Falastur the first childless King. She lived in Osgiliath which she hated, after moving from Pelargir (Which she hated). She had 10 cats which she used as her spies, 9 black cats that would spy upon the people of Gondor and 1 white cat who would terrorize the black cats, The cats “with whom she conversed, or read their memories, setting them to discover all the dark secrets of Gondor, so that she knew those things ‘that men wish most to keep hidden’” (Unfinished Tales, The Istari, Tolkien). Her cats were known and feared by the people (hence why black cats are unlucky). Due to her misdeeds and malevolence she was erased from the Book of Kings and exiled on a ship to the South. The ship was last seen sailing past Umbar under a sickle moon, with a cat on the masthead and another on the prow.“He is surer of finding the way home in a blind night than the cats of Berúthiel.” - Aragorn encouraging the Fellowship of Gandalf’s navigation through Moria, Fellowship of the Ring, A Journey In the Dark -- source link