Minardil

From Tolkien Gateway
Minardil
Gondorian
Biographical Information
TitlesKing of Gondor
LocationGondor
LanguageWestron
BirthT.A. 1454
RuleT.A. 1621 - 1634
DeathT.A. 1634 (aged 180)
Pelargir
Family
HouseHouse of Anárion
ParentageHyarmendacil II
ChildrenTelemnar and Minastan
Physical Description
GenderMale

Minardil, T.A. 1454[1] - 1634,[2] was the twenty-fifth King of Gondor.[3]

History[edit | edit source]

Mindardil ascended the throne after the death of his father Hyarmendacil II in T.A. 1621[4] who had defeated the Men of Harad in T.A. 1551.[5]

Since the end of the Kin-strife, when the sons of Castamir the Usurper escaped to Umbar, the rebels in Umbar had made war upon Gondor, raiding its coast and assailing its ships for generations.[6]

In T.A. 1634,[7] Minardil was killed in Pelargir by the Corsairs of Umbar who were led by the great-grandsons of Castamir, Angamaitë and Sangahyando.[8]

During Minardil's brief reign his Steward was Húrin of Emyn Arnen. After Minardil's reign the kings of Gondor always chose their stewards from among Húrin's descendants, and eventually the Stewardship would become hereditary within the House of Húrin.[9]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Minardil is a Quenya name. Its meaning is not glossed, but Paul Strack suggests that it means "Friend of the Tower" and is a compound of a shortened form minas of minasse ("tower") and -(n)dil ("friend").[10]

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

 
 
Aldamir
1330 - 1540
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hyarmendacil II
1391 - 1621
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MINARDIL
1454 - 1634
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Telemnar
1516 - 1636
 
Minastan
unknown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
children
unknown
 
Tarondor
1577 - 1798

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

In the entry for king Telemnar in Appendix A I (iv) of The Lord of the Rings it is stated that "Minardil, son of Eldacar," was slain at Pelargir. In Appendix A I (ii) The Southern Line Heirs of Anárion Hyarmendacil II (Vinyarion) is the King of Gondor before Minardil. In the entry for the 25th king Minardil in manuscript C of The Heirs of Elendil in The Peoples of Middle-earth it is mentioned that Minardil was at Pelargir and suspected no danger since the crushing of Harad and Umbar by his father. In the entry for the 24th king Vinyarion in manuscript C of The Heirs of Elendil in The Peoples of Middle-earth it is mentioned that Vinyarion took the name Hyarmendakil II in 1551 after a great victory over Harad. These two statements in The Heirs of Elendil seem to imply that Minardil was the son of Vinyarion and thus the great-grandson of Eldacar. It is noteworthy that Appendix A I (iv) does not mention king Aldamir and king Hyarmendacil II (Vinyarion), although both are included in the list of Kings of Gondor in Appendix A I (ii) and in the Tale of Years of The Third Age in Appendix B. It is possible that this is the reason why Aldamir and Vinyarion were overlooked in Appendix A I (iv) in the short sentence mentioning king Minardil. In the opinion of Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull "Minardil, son of Eldacar" was an error and should be changed to "Minardil, great-grandson of Eldacar".[11] Mark Fisher has the same opinion.[12]

In manuscript C it is also mentioned that the rebels in Umbar had become much mixed in blood through the admission of Men of Harad and that only their chieftains, the descendants of Kastamir, were of Númenórean race and that the leaders of the Corsairs of Umbar, Angomaite and Sangahyanda made the raid up the river Anduin, ravaged Pelargir and the coasts, killed Minardil and escaped with great booty after the had learned through spies that Minardil was at Pelargir and that he suspected not danger.[1] In the preceeding manuscript B it is mentioned that the sons of Kastamir and other members of his family established a small "kingdom" in Umbar and created a fortified haven there and that they married women of the Harad and had lost much of their Númenórean blood in three generations, but had not forgotten their feud with Gondor and had killed Minardil in Pelargir with almost the same description as in manuscript C.[13] J.R.R. Tolkien did not mention any intermarriage between the Númenórean rebels in Umbar with the Haradrim in Appendix A, despite mentioning a mingling of the blood of the Dúnedain with that of lesser Men in Gondor itself after the return of Eldacar and that those descendants of the kings, on whom the suspicion of the kings fell, who had not fled to Umbar, had married women who were not of Númenórean blood. In the second edition of The Lord of the Rings he also did not reinsert a statement about intermarriage between the Corsairs of Umbar and the Haradrim, but expanded the description of the events during the life of Romendakil II (Minalkar) and Valakar that led up to the Kin-strife.[14]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", manuscript C, The Southern Line of Gondor: the Anarioni, 25. Minardil
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile", "The Southern Line: Heirs of Anarion", Kings of Gondor, Minardil
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile", "The Southern Line: Heirs of Anarion", Kings of Gondor
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile", "The Southern Line: Heirs of Anarion", Kings of Gondor, Hyarmendacil II (Vinyarion)
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1551
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", entry for king Eldacar
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age", entry for the year 1634
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", entry for king Minardil
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", "The Stewards", first paragraph
  10. Paul Strack, "Q. Minardil m.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 28 July 2021)
  11. Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull, "Addenda and Corrigenda to the 50th anniversary edition of The Lord of the Rings (2004-5)", wayne & christina (accessed 31 October 2021)
  12. Mark Fisher, "Minardil", The Encyclopedia of Arda (accessed 31 October 2021)
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VII. The Heirs of Elendil", Commentary, Minardil
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "IX. The Making of Appendix A": (i) "The Realms in Exile", Note on the expansion of the tale of the Kin-strife in the Second Edition
Minardil
House of Anárion
Cadet branch of House of Elros
Born: T.A. 1454 Died: T.A. 1634
Preceded by:
Hyarmendacil II
25th King of Gondor
T.A. 1621 - 1634
Followed by:
Telemnar


The Southern Line and the Heirs of Anárion
Kings of Gondor: Elendil (S.A. 3320 - 3441) · Isildur (S.A. 3441 - T.A. 2) and Anárion (S.A. 3320 - 3440) · Meneldil (T.A. 2 - 158) · Cemendur (158 - 238) · Eärendil (238 - 324) · Anardil (324 - 411) · Ostoher (411 - 492) · Rómendacil I (492 - 541) · Turambar (541 - 667) · Atanatar I (667 - 748) · Siriondil (748 - 830) · Tarannon Falastur (830 - 913) · Eärnil I (913 - 936) · Ciryandil (936 - 1015) · Hyarmendacil I (1015 - 1149) · Atanatar II Alcarin (1149 - 1226) · Narmacil I (1226 - 1294) · Calmacil (1294 - 1304) · Rómendacil II (1304 - 1366) · Valacar (1366 - 1432) · Eldacar (1432 - 1437) · Castamir the Usurper (1437 - 1447) · Eldacar restored (1447 - 1490) · Aldamir (1490 - 1540) · Hyarmendacil II (1540 - 1621) · Minardil (1621 - 1634) · Telemnar (1634 - 1636) · Tarondor (1636 - 1798) · Telumehtar Umbardacil (1798 - 1850) · Narmacil II (1850 - 1856) · Calimehtar (1856 - 1936) · Ondoher (1936 - 1944) · Eärnil II (1945 - 2043) · Eärnur (2043 - 2050)
Stewards of Gondor: Húrin of Emyn Arnen (c. T.A. 1630s) · Pelendur (before T.A. 1944 - 1998) · Vorondil (1998 - 2029) · Mardil Voronwë (2029 - 2080) · Eradan (2080 - 2116) · Herion (2116 - 2148) · Belegorn (2148 - 2204) · Húrin I (2204 - 2244) · Túrin I (2244 - 2278) · Hador (2278 - 2395) · Barahir (2395 - 2412) · Dior (2412 - 2435) · Denethor I (2435 - 2477) · Boromir (2477 - 2489) · Cirion (2489 - 2567) · Hallas (2567 - 2605) · Húrin II (2605 - 2628) · Belecthor I (2628 - 2655) · Orodreth (2655 - 2685) · Ecthelion I (2685 - 2698) · Egalmoth (2698 - 2743) · Beren (2743 - 2763) · Beregond (2763 - 2811) · Belecthor II (2811 - 2872) · Thorondir (2872 - 2882) · Túrin II (2882 - 2914) · Turgon (2914 - 2953) · Ecthelion II (2953 - 2984) · Denethor II (2984 - 3019) · Faramir (T.A. 3019 - Fo.A. 82) · Elboron (Fo.A. 82 onwards)
Kings of Gondor: Elessar (T.A. 3019 - Fo.A. 120) · Eldarion (Fo.A. 120 onwards)
Non-ruling stewards are in italics