The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Division
Culture
Raised among the Men of Gondor; later removed to dwell in Arthedain
Family
A descendant of Elendil through the House of Anárion, Fíriel married into the House of Isildur
Settlements
Raised at Minas Tirith; removed to Fornost after her marriage
Pronunciation
fee'ree-el
Meaning
'She that died'2
Titles
Queen to King Arvedui of Arthedain3

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 24 January 2022
  • Updates planned: 1

Fíriel

Queen to Arvedui Last-king

Ondoher
Artamir
Faramir
Fíriel
Arvedui
Aranarth
At least one
other son

The daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor, who was wedded to Arvedui, the last King of Arthedain. It was in part through his marriage to Fíriel that Arvedui claimed the throne of Gondor after the loss of Ondoher, but his claim was rejected.


Notes

1

We have only limited dating information for Fíriel. Specifically, we know the date of her wedding to Arvedui, III 1940, and we can also be sure that she was alive four years later because, after the deaths of her two brothers in battle, she is specifically recorded as the only surviving child of her father Ondoher.

We know the dates of birth of her brothers (Artamir was born in III 1892 and Faramir in III 1895) so Fíriel would have been born at around this time (probably in about III 1898). After III 1944, she is never mentioned again (though we can be sure that she did not escape into the far North with her husband Arvedui). She may have been slain when Fornost was captured by the Witch-king in III 1974. We know, however, that her sons survived that attack and escaped to Lindon, so it is at least equally plausible that Fíriel also made her escape, and lived out the rest of her long life among the Elves. Members of the Royal House of Gondor in this period tended to live for about two centuries and so, if she did escape the fall of Fornost, Fíriel would have lived until very approximately III 2100.

2

The origins of Fíriel's name seem to be poetic, rather than conveying anything specific about her life or nature. The name Fíriel had legendary associations with both Míriel Serindë (who gave up her spirit after the birth of her son Fëanor) and Lúthien (who literally died and returned to life).

3

Put more simply, Fíriel was Queen of Arthedain. At least, she presumably held that title, though its use is not specifically recorded.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 24 January 2022
  • Updates planned: 1

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

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2000, 2008, 2022. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
A Discus profile report contains more than sixty pages of detailed and relevant information - explore our library of sample DISC reports.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry