 | |
| Arnorian | |
| Gilraen | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Other names | the Fair |
| Location | Eriador, Rivendell |
| Language | Sindarin, Westron |
| Birth | T.A. 2907 |
| Death | T.A. 3007 (aged 100) |
| Family | |
| House | House of Isildur |
| Parentage | Dírhael and Ivorwen |
| Spouse | Arathorn II |
| Children | Aragorn |
| Physical Description | |
| Gender | Female |
| Gallery | Images of Gilraen |
Gilraen the Fair (T.A. 2907-3007) was a Dúnadan of the North, the daughter of Dírhael and Ivorwen, and a descendant of the first chieftain, Aranarth.
History
Gilraen was born in the year 2907 of the Third Age.[1] Arathorn II (heir to Arador, the Chieftain of the Dúnedain) sought to marry her, but her father Dírhael opposed the match because Gilraen was younger than was customary for marriage and Arathorn was a "stern man of full age".[2] Dírhael also opposed the match because he had foreseen that Arathorn would live a short life. However, his wife Ivorwen was also foresighted, and she persuaded Dírhael that a hasty marriage between Arathorn and Gilraen was necessary if Arathorn's life was to be short, saying that
[...] The days are darkening before the storm, and great things are to come. If these two wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts.[2]
Gilraen and Arathorn were married in T.A. 2929.[3] Arathorn became Chieftain of the Dúnedain upon his father Arador's death a year later, and Gilraen bore a son, Aragorn, in T.A. 2931. Arathorn was killed while riding out against Orcs with Elladan and Elrohir in T.A. 2933[2], only four years after his marriage to Gilraen.
With Arathorn's death, Gilraen's young son Aragorn became the Heir of Isildur. To protect Isildur's Heir from Sauron, Gilraen and Aragorn were brought to Imladris to live in Elrond's household, where Aragorn was known as Estel and his real name and lineage were kept secret even from him until his twentieth year.[2]
When Aragorn revealed his love for Arwen, Gilraen counseled caution. She stated that Arwen's lineage was more noble than Aragorn's, that it was not fitting for Elves and humans to marry, and that the Elvish ancestry of the Númenoreans, which both she and Aragorn shared, had come about in "another age of the world, before our race was diminished."[2] She thought that Elrond would disapprove of the match, and that his support of the Heirs of Isildur -- without which they "would soon come to an end"-- might therefore be endangered by Aragorn's love for Arwen.[2]
Sometime after T.A. 2980, Gilraen returned to her people in Eriador, after which she seldom saw her son. Her final words to Aragorn, the linnod Ónen i-Estel Edain, ú-chebin estel anim, referenced her son's childhood name Estel, or Hope: "I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself."[2]
She died less than a year later, in 3007,[4] aged one-hundred years.
Etymology
Gilraen is a Sindarin name. It means "one adorned with a tressure set with small gems in its network" and is a combination of gil ("star") and raen ("netted", "enlaced").[5] More loosely translated, it means "Netted Star".[6] It was a common name given to women of high rank among the Rangers of the North, because they used to wear such tressures.[5]
Genealogy
Portrayal in adaptations
-
Gilraen's grave in The Lord of the Rings (film series)
_-_Gilraen%27s_grave.jpg)
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:
- Aragorn and Elrond have a conversation at a memorial to Gilraen in Rivendell. Elrond suggests that she brought Aragorn to Imladris for safety from pursuit by the forces of evil. Elrond also thinks that Gilraen believed Aragorn would not escape his fate. Her memorial features a statue along with her name and an inscription of her final words written in Tengwar.
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:
- Elrond and Aragorn recite Gilraen's final words when Elrond brings the re-forged sword Andúril to Aragorn, with the words possibly taking on a different connotation from their meaning in the book.
External links
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 2907, p. 1088
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen", pp. 1057-1061
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 2929, p. 1089
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 3007, p. 1090
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vinyar Tengwar, Number 42, July 2001, pp. 11-13
- ↑ . "S. Gilraen f.". Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon. Retrieved 5 February 2022