The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Pronunciation
be'leg
Meaning
'Great' or 'large'2
Titles
Note
Beleg of Arthedain is not to be confused with the more famous Beleg Strongbow, an Elf of Doriath who lived during the First Age

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 March 2009
  • This entry is complete

Beleg

The successor to Amlaith as King of Arthedain

Kings of Arthedain

Beleg was born in Arnor's closing years as a united kingdom. When his grandfather Eärendur died, the old King's sons became divided over the succession. Beleg was fifty years old at this time, and thus it seems likely that he would have been involved to this political dispute (surely taking the part of his father Amlaith, the true heir). Ultimately the North-kingdom was divided into three, with Amlaith becoming King of the reduced realm of Arthedain.

Amlaith ruled over Arthedain for eighty-five years, and on his death Beleg became the new land's second King. During his reign, momentous events took place in Middle-earth. Towards the end of his rule, the Istari or Wizards first appeared. As King of the greatest nation of Men in northern Middle-earth, it seems likely that Beleg was one of the first to encounter them (if this is so, however, the event is not recorded).

More significant still was the secret re-emergence of Sauron, who began to take on a new form in the later years of Beleg's reign, though this was not suspected until many years after Beleg's own time.

Beleg ruled Arthedain for eighty-three years, and was succeeded by his son Mallor.


Notes

1

The date of Beleg's birth appears only in The History of Middle-earth volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth. It cannot therefore be considered completely reliable.

2

Beleg's name may be a reference to his stature, or he may simply have been named for the famous Elf of the First Age who shared this name, Beleg Strongbow.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 March 2009
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2001, 2008-2009. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.
Explore the benefits of using a personality profile to discover yourself and make the most of your career.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry