Star of Elendil
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Star of Elendil was the name given to two white precious jewels (possibly diamonds, but this is not certain). They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and elaborated upon in Unfinished Tales.
The jewel was affixed to a fillet of mithril, which was worn in place of a crown. The first was worn by Elendil and his heirs, until it was lost. A second was then made, which was then worn by the Kings, and later, Chieftains of the Dúnedain in Arnor.
Both Stars of Elendil were called the Elendilmir, the Star of the North, and the Star of the North Kingdom. They were symbols of royalty along with the Sceptre of Annúminas; the Kings of Arnor did not have a crown like their counterparts of Gondor.
The original jewel was handed down through Silmariën to the Lords of Andúnië, thereby escaping the Downfall of Númenor with Elendil. It was lost shortly after the War of the Last Alliance. Isildur, his three eldest sons, and around 250 Dúnedain warriors were waylaid and his sons, along with most of the Dúnedain were slain by Orcs in the Gladden Fields; Isildur, who was slain by an Orc arrow shortly thereafter as he fled the battle and crossed the Anduin, was wearing the Star when he fell.
When word of this disaster reached Rivendell, Elrond's smiths produced an exact replica of the original for Valandil, the surviving son of Isildur, and it was worn by the subsequent thirty-nine kings and chieftains of Arnor, up to and including Aragorn.
The original was rediscovered by Saruman's agents while searching for the One Ring, and the King Elessar later recovered it from amongst Saruman's treasure in Isengard after the War of the Ring. Elessar held both Elendilmirs in reverence; the first because of its ancientry and potency, the second because of its lineage from thirty-nine forebearers. The King would wear the replica when he spent time in the restored North Kingdom.
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It is speculated that the original jewel contained, like the Phial of Galadriel, a tiny measure of the light of the Two Trees that once shone in the Silmarils.
[edit] Note
In Foster's The Complete Guide to Middle-earth the Elendilmir is mistakenly identified with the Star of the Dúnedain which was given to Samwise Gamgee, but this is clearly an error[1][2].
[edit] References
- ^ J. R. R. Tolkien (1980). in Christopher Tolkien (ed.): Unfinished Tales. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Footnote 33 in 'The Disaster of the Gladden Fields', p. 284. ISBN 0-395-29917-9.
- ^ J. R. R. Tolkien (1990). in Christopher Tolkien (ed.): The War of the Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Footnote 8 in 'Many Roads Lead Eastward (1)', p. 309. ISBN 0-395-56008-X.
