Ancalimë

A name given in its later life to an Elven-tree that grew in Númenor. In origin the tree was a sapling given to Aldarion and Erendis as a wedding gift by the Eldar of Eressëa, noted for its white bark and the straightness of its stem. The tree was planted in the garden of Aldarion the King's Heir in Armenelos, and a pair of grey birds sang in its branches, birds that were another gift from the Elves.

As the years passed, Aldarion and Erendis grew estranged, and the Great Captain returned from one of his long voyages to find his wife gone from their home. In anger Aldarion ordered their house to be levelled, and the wood of the trees in the gardens to be cut and taken to the shipyards of Rómenna. The Elven-tree, however, he spared this fate. Alone in the garden he left it standing. The strong young tree reminded him of his daughter Ancalimë, and he gave it her name, a name meaning 'most radiant'.

If the Elven-tree Ancalimë carried any greater significance to the story of Aldarion and Erendis, that significance is not explained, and nor is the tree's fate. That Aldarion would give the tree the same name as his daughter (who would later succeed him as Ruler of Númenor) leaves the strong impression that it had some further role in their story. However, the tale that tells of the tree, Aldarion and Erendis, was never finished, so if the Elven-tree had some further part to play, that part will never be known. The last we hear of it is Aldarion's leaving it standing alone amidst the ruin of his garden in Armenelos.