The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Erendis lived II 771 - II 985 (214 years); she was known as Tar-Elestirnë after her betrothal in II 8581
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Erendis was descended from the House of Bëor, and married into the House of Elros
Settlements
Particularly associated with Erendis' time dwelling in her White House in Emerië
Pronunciation
tarr-elesti'rneh ('rr' indicates that the final r sound of Tar should be distinctly pronounced)
Meaning
Tar is a royal title; Elestirnë means 'star-brow', so the entire title Tar-Elestirnë translates as 'Lady of the Star-brow'
Other names
Title of

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About this entry:

  • Updated 30 September 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

A title given to Erendis after her betrothal to Aldarion. Some time before this, Aldarion had given Erendis a diamond, a gift he had brought back from his journeys to Middle-earth. Erendis had the jewel set on a silver fillet, and when their betrothal was announced, she wore the diamond on her forehead. From that time on, she was given the title Tar-Elestirnë, Lady of the Star-brow.

Erendis does not appear to have worn the fillet indefinitely - there are signs that she abandoned it after her estrangement from her husband. Nonetheless, the tradition had been set, and the later Kings and Queens of Númenor wore a fillet of this kind in place of a crown. The tradition survived into Middle-earth after the Downfall: the Kings of Arnor wore the Elendilmir, a royal jewel in the same style as Tar-Elestirnë's gem.


Notes

1

Erendis became known as Tar-Elestirnë, the Lady of the Star-brow, when she took a white gem that she received as a betrothal gift, and bound it to her brow with a strand of silver. She became betrothed to Aldarion in II 858, and it became her custom to wear the jewel over the following years. The sources are not explicit on how long she continued this practice, and Aldarion and Erendis (in Unfinished Tales) says only that, '[S]he wore it so for many years, until sorrow befell...' For this entry's timeline, we take it that she wore the jewel until her death in II 985 (a period of 117 years) though other interpretations of the text are possible.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 30 September 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

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