Malbeth: Difference between revisions
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==History== | ==History== | ||
Malbeth was probably a [[Dúnedain of the North|Dúnadan of | Malbeth was probably a [[Dúnedain of the North|Dúnadan of the North]] who appears to have been a royal counsellor to the [[King of Arthedain]].<ref name=guide>{{HM|Guide}}, entry "Malbeth"</ref> He fourished during the reigns of [[Arahant]] and [[Arvedui]].<ref group=note>Malbeth's Númenorean ancestry is also evidenced in the length of time between the dates of the seer's known prophecies (1864 and 1975); at the time of the second prophecy, Malbeth must had been well over 100 years old.</ref> | ||
===Last King of Arthedain=== | ===Last King of Arthedain=== | ||
In {{TA|1864}} when the son of [[Araphant]] (fourteenth [[Kings of Arnor|King]] of [[Arthedain]]) was born, Malbeth advised Araphant to name his son [[Arvedui]] meaning "''last king''",{{quote|Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dúnedain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become king of a great realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until the Dúnedain arise and are united again.|[[Appendix A]]}} | In {{TA|1864}} when the son of [[Araphant]] (fourteenth [[Kings of Arnor|King]] of [[Arthedain]]) was born, Malbeth advised Araphant to name his son [[Arvedui]] meaning "''last king''",{{quote|Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dúnedain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become king of a great realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until the Dúnedain arise and are united again.|[[Appendix A]]}} | ||
Indeed, when [[Gondor]] was left without a [[Kings of Gondor|King]], Arvedui claimed the kingship, both as a descendant of [[Heir of Isildur]] and as the husband of princess [[Fíriel]] who would succeed her father. However in this "choice" the [[Gondorians]] ruled out his claim ("the one that seems less hopeful") choosing instead [[Earnil II|someone]] from the [[House of Anárion]], so Arvedui never became "king of a great realm" and didn't change his name. Instead as Malbeth said, there was "much sorrow"; the [[Battle of Fornost]] which destroyed the North-kingdom, and was drowned in the sea soon after.<ref>{{App|A}}</ref> | |||
===Paths of the Dead=== | ===Paths of the Dead=== | ||
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Malbeth's second prophecy was also fulfilled in {{TA|3019}} during the [[War of the Ring]] when Aragorn (sixteenth [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain]]) learned from the ''[[palantíri|palantír]]'' that [[Gondor]] was being threatened from the south by a fleet of [[Corsairs]] from [[Umbar]]. He needed a route to get to them in haste, and Elrond's message ("''Bid Aragorn remember the words of the seer, and the Paths of the Dead''") told him how. | Malbeth's second prophecy was also fulfilled in {{TA|3019}} during the [[War of the Ring]] when Aragorn (sixteenth [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain]]) learned from the ''[[palantíri|palantír]]'' that [[Gondor]] was being threatened from the south by a fleet of [[Corsairs]] from [[Umbar]]. He needed a route to get to them in haste, and Elrond's message ("''Bid Aragorn remember the words of the seer, and the Paths of the Dead''") told him how. | ||
Aragorn (with [[Legolas]], [[Gimli]] and the [[Grey Company]]) travelled through the Paths of the Dead to the Stone of Erech where Aragorn blew a horn to summon the [[Oathbreakers]]. He told them he was [[Isildur]]'s heir and so they fulfilled their oath and defeated the Corsairs which helped Gondor win the [[Battle of the | Aragorn (with [[Legolas]], [[Gimli]] and the [[Grey Company]]) travelled through the Paths of the Dead to the Stone of Erech where Aragorn blew a horn to summon the [[Oathbreakers]]. He told them he was [[Isildur]]'s heir and so they fulfilled their oath and defeated the Corsairs which helped Gondor win the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]].<ref name=company /> | ||
Aragorn fulfilled again his first prophecy; after "much sorrow and many lives of men", Aragorn finally became [[High King of the Dúnedain]] who were "[[Reunited Kingdom|united again]]" where Arvedui didn't succeed. | |||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
Malbeth's name is [[Sindarin]] for "Golden Word" from ''[[mal]]'' meaning "gold", and ''[[peth]]'' (becoming lenited to ''beth'') meaning "word, voice".<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.realelvish.net/book_names.php|articlename=What do all those Names in the Books Mean?|website=[http://www.realelvish.net/ Merin Essi ar Quenteli!]}}</ref> | Malbeth's name is [[Sindarin]] for "Golden Word" from ''[[mal]]'' meaning "gold", and ''[[peth]]'' (becoming lenited to ''beth'') meaning "word, voice".<ref>{{webcite|articleurl=http://www.realelvish.net/book_names.php|articlename=What do all those Names in the Books Mean?|website=[http://www.realelvish.net/ Merin Essi ar Quenteli!]}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 14:11, 16 November 2019
This article or section needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of article quality. |
| Malbeth the Seer | |
|---|---|
| Arnorian | |
 | |
| Malbeth from The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Position | Seer |
| Location | Arthedain |
| Language | Westron |
| Birth | Around Third Age 19th cent. |
| Death | Around Third Age 20th cent.[1] |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Male |
| Gallery | Images of Malbeth the Seer |
Malbeth was a seer and royal counsellor gifted with foresight who is remembered in lore for two prophecies concerning the fate of the descendants of Isildur.
History
Malbeth was probably a Dúnadan of the North who appears to have been a royal counsellor to the King of Arthedain.[1] He fourished during the reigns of Arahant and Arvedui.[note 1]
Last King of Arthedain
In T.A. 1864 when the son of Araphant (fourteenth King of Arthedain) was born, Malbeth advised Araphant to name his son Arvedui meaning "last king",
- "Arvedui you shall call him, for he will be the last in Arthedain. Though a choice will come to the Dúnedain, and if they take the one that seems less hopeful, then your son will change his name and become king of a great realm. If not, then much sorrow and many lives of men shall pass, until the Dúnedain arise and are united again."
- ― Appendix A
Indeed, when Gondor was left without a King, Arvedui claimed the kingship, both as a descendant of Heir of Isildur and as the husband of princess Fíriel who would succeed her father. However in this "choice" the Gondorians ruled out his claim ("the one that seems less hopeful") choosing instead someone from the House of Anárion, so Arvedui never became "king of a great realm" and didn't change his name. Instead as Malbeth said, there was "much sorrow"; the Battle of Fornost which destroyed the North-kingdom, and was drowned in the sea soon after.[2]
Paths of the Dead
Malbeth's second prophecy was made in the days of Arvedui (ruled T.A. 1964 - 1974), the last king of Arthedain, in which the seer foretold Aragorn's passage through the Paths of the Dead even though the event was over a thousand years in the future:
- "Over the land there lies a long shadow,
westward reaching wings of darkness.
The Tower trembles; to the tombs of kings
doom approaches. The Dead awaken;
for the hour is come for the oathbreakers:
at the Stone of Erech they shall stand again
and hear there a horn in the hills ringing.
Whose shall the horn be? Who shall call them
from the grey twilight, the forgotten people?
The heir of him to whom the oath they swore.
From the North shall he come, need shall drive him:
he shall pass the Door to the Paths of the Dead." - ― The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"
Legacy
Malbeth's second prophecy was also fulfilled in T.A. 3019 during the War of the Ring when Aragorn (sixteenth Chieftain of the Dúnedain) learned from the palantír that Gondor was being threatened from the south by a fleet of Corsairs from Umbar. He needed a route to get to them in haste, and Elrond's message ("Bid Aragorn remember the words of the seer, and the Paths of the Dead") told him how.
Aragorn (with Legolas, Gimli and the Grey Company) travelled through the Paths of the Dead to the Stone of Erech where Aragorn blew a horn to summon the Oathbreakers. He told them he was Isildur's heir and so they fulfilled their oath and defeated the Corsairs which helped Gondor win the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.[3]
Aragorn fulfilled again his first prophecy; after "much sorrow and many lives of men", Aragorn finally became High King of the Dúnedain who were "united again" where Arvedui didn't succeed.
Etymology
Malbeth's name is Sindarin for "Golden Word" from mal meaning "gold", and peth (becoming lenited to beth) meaning "word, voice".[4]
Notes
- ↑ Malbeth's Númenorean ancestry is also evidenced in the length of time between the dates of the seer's known prophecies (1864 and 1975); at the time of the second prophecy, Malbeth must had been well over 100 years old.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, entry "Malbeth"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"
- ↑ "What do all those Names in the Books Mean?", Merin Essi ar Quenteli! (accessed 18 April 2024)
