Eldarion | |
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Tolkien's legendarium character | |
Aliases | King of the Reunited Kingdom |
Race | Men |
Book(s) | Appendix to The Lord of the Rings |
Eldarion Telcontar is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He was the only recorded son of Arwen and Aragorn, born in the Fourth Age. He became the Second High King of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor after his father died.
"Eldarion" means "Son of the Eldar" or "Son of the Elves". He was also recorded as having at least two sisters.
Eldarion was descended from several royal Elven houses, including the Three High Kings of the Elves, and from the Edain. He was a grandson of Elrond and, through his grandmother Celebrían, a great-grandson of Galadriel. He was the great-grandson of Eärendil the Mariner (Eldarion is descended from Eärendil on both sides of his family and in him the two genealogical lines of the Half-elven are reunited), through his Half-elven mother Arwen; he was also the nephew of the Half-elf lords Elladan and Elrohir. He was descended also from the great Kings of Westernesse on his father's side.
Tolkien wrote that at the time of his ascending to the throne, Eldarion was "full ripe and ready for kingship". It is known that Eldarion was given the tokens of kingship (Andúril, etc.) by his father, who then willingly gave up his own life so that Eldarion could become King.
During Eldarion's reign, Findegil served as the royal scribe (or King's Writer). In the year 172 of the Fourth Age, Findegil completed a copy of the Thain's Book, the most complete copy of the Red Book of Westmarch wherein Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee recorded their adventures. Within the context of Tolkien's work, the Thain's Book was the original source for what we know as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The copy made by Findegil was brought to the Shire and kept by the head of the Took family, the Thain of the Shire, at Great Smials.