From the time of Meneldil, the first King of an independent Gondor, the crown of the realm had been a simple war-helm. That helm was said to have been worn by Isildur, who was Meneldil's uncle and had been High King of the Dúnedain in Middle-earth. The helm continued in use for more than a millennium, until the time of Meneldil's distant descendant Atanatar II.
King Atanatar was known with good reason as Atanatar Alcarin, 'the Glorious' for his opulence and wealth, and he abandoned the simple helm of his forebears and caused a new Crown of Gondor to be fashioned. This had the same general form as a helm of the Númenóreans, with a high tapering shape and a pair of wings extending from its sides, but it was far more splendid. Taller than a standard helm, it was a glistening white in colour, with its wings made from pearl and silver. Set around its circlet was a ring of seven diamonds, and another shining gem shone from the peak of its high crest. This was the crown known as the White Crown or the Silver Crown.
There would be another seventeen Kings of Gondor descending from Atanatar Alcarin, and each in turn wore the White Crown. The last of these was Eärnur, a headstrong and foolhardy King who answered the challenge of the Witch-king and rode to the gates of Minas Morgul, never to be seen again. On his departure, he had left the White Crown at the tomb of his father Eärnil II, and with Eärnur leaving no successor, the Crown of Gondor remained in the Houses of the Dead over the centuries that followed.
It was not until the time of Gondor's victory in the War of the Ring that Gondor gained a new King. This was Aragorn son of Arathorn, a direct descendant of Isildur across three millennia, and thus the rightful High King of the Dúnedain. For his coronation, the White Crown was retrieved from its place among the Tombs, and he was crowned by the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins and the Wizard Gandalf.1 He would later pass on the White Crown to his own son Eldarion to be a symbol of the Kingship of Gondor into the Fourth Age.
Notes
1 |
It might seem to have been rather more appropriate to crown Aragorn Elessar with the original Crown of Gondor, the helm of his distant forefather Isildur. The fact that the older crown was not used suggests that it had been lost, or perhaps had simply succumbed to age, at some point after Atanatar abandoned it.
|
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 16 April 2023
- Updates planned: 1
For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.
Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.
Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.
Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability for a role, but aptitude can also be crucial.
SHARE
