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Imrahil

Location(s): Dol Amroth

Race/Species: Man

Type/Kind: Dunadan of Gondor

Title(s):
22nd Prince of Dol Amroth

Dates:
III 2955-3054/IV 33

Parents:
father: Adrahil, 21st Prince of Dol Amroth

Siblings:
Ivriniel (b. 2947)
Finduilas (2950-2988), Lady of Denethor II, 26th Steward of Gondor

Children:
Elphir (2987-3087/66 IV), 23rd Prince of Dol Amroth
Erchirion (b. 2990)
Amrothos (b. 2994)
Lothíriel (b. 2999), Queen of Éomer, 18th King of Rohan

Description:

Imrahil, son of Adrahil, is the 22nd Prince of Dol Amroth, the second highest office in Gondor after the Steward during the War of the Ring:

Table of Contents:
Description
Family Origins
Family Relationships
Talents and Skills
Language
Etymology
Notes


Description
[In] the great fief of Belfalas, dwelt Prince Imrahil in his castle of Dol Amroth by the sea, and he was of high blood, and his folk also, tall men and proud with sea-grey eyes.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 1, Minas Tirith

And last and proudest, [came] Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness riding grey horses; and behind them seven hundreds of men at arms, tall as lords, grey-eyed, dark-haired, singing as they came.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 1, Minas Tirith

[With Gandalf] went the Prince of Dol Amroth in his shining mail. For he and his knights still held themselves like lords in whom the race of Númenor ran true. Men that saw them whispered saying: 'Belike the old tales speak well; there is Elvish blood in the veins of that folk, for the people of Nimrodel dwelt in that land once long ago.'

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 4, The Siege of Gondor


Family Origins
... Prince... of Dol Amroth, a noble house of southern Gondor of Númenórean blood, reputed also to have Elven-blood from ancient days: the Elven-folk of Amroth of Lórien dwelt in the region of Dol Amroth before they sailed over sea.

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The Ruling Stewards of Gondor

The Lord of Dol Amroth had this title [Prince]. It was given to his ancestors by Elendil, with whom they had kinship. They were a family of the Faithful who had sailed from Númenor before the DownFall and had settled in the land of Belfalas, between the mouths of Ringló and Gilrain, with a stronghold upon the high promontory of Dol Amroth (named after the last King of Lórien). [Author's note.]

— Elsewhere it is said (p.260) that according to the tradition of their house the first Lord of Dol Amroth was Galador (c. Third Age 2004-2129), the son of Imrazór the Númenórean, who dwelt in Belfalas, and the Elven-lady Mithrellas, one of the companions of Nimrodel. The note just cited seems to suggest that this family of the Faithful settled in Belfalas with a stronghold on Dol Amroth before the Downfall of Númenor; and if that is so, the two statements can only be reconciled on the supposition that the line of the Princes, and indeed the place of their dwelling, went back more than two thousand years before Galador's day, and that Galador was called the first Lord of Dol Amroth because it was not until his time (after the drowning of Amroth in the year 1981) that Dol Amroth was so named. A further difficulty is the presence of Adrahil of Dol Amroth (clearly an ancestor of Adrahil the father of Imrahil, Lord of Dol Amroth at the time of the War of the Ring) as a commander of the forces of Gondor in the battle against the Wainriders in the year 1944 (pp.306-7); but it may be supposed that this earlier Adrahil was not called "of Dol Amroth" at that time.

While not impossible, these explanations to save consistency seem to me to be less likely that than of two distinct and independent "traditions" of the origins of the Lords of Dol Amroth.

Unfinished Tales, Part 3, Ch 2, Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan: Notes, Note 39

In the tradition of his house Angelimir was the twentieth in unbroken descent from Galador first Lord of Dol Amroth (c. T.A. 2004-2129). According to the same traditions Galador was the son of Imrazôr the Númenórean who dwelt in Belfalas, and the Elven-lady Mithrellas. She was one of the companions of Nimrodel, among many of the Elves of Lórien that fled to the coast about T.A. 1980, when evil arose in Moria; and Nimrodel and her maidens strayed in the wooded hills, and were lost. But in this tale it is said that Imrazôr harboured Mithrellas, and took her to wife. But when she had borne him a son, Galador, and a daughter, Gilmith, she slipped away by night, and he saw her no more. But though Mithrellas was of the lesser silvan race (and not of the High Elves or the Grey) it was ever held that the house and kin of the Lords of Dol Amroth were noble by blood, as they were fair in face and mind.

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The Line of Dol Amroth


Family Relationships
Imrahil is the son of Adrahil, 21st Prince of Dol Amroth, and grandson of Angelimir, 20th Prince of Dol Amroth:

... [Angelimir 1], the twentieth prince, father of Adrahil, father of Imrahil, prince of Dol Amroth at the time of the War of the Ring....

Unfinished Tales, Part 2, Ch 4, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn: Amroth and Nimrodel

According to the family tree in "The Line of Dol Amroth", Imrahil has two older sisters, Ivriniel (born 2947) and Finduilas (2950-2988 2), and no brothers.

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The House of Dol Amroth

Through his sister Finduilas, Imrahil is brother-in-law to Denethor II and uncle to Boromir and Faramir:

Denethor II... wedded late (for his time) in 2976 Finduilas daughter of Prince Adrahil of Dol Amroth.... His elder son Boromir (2978) was slain by orcs near Rauros in 3019. His younger son Faramir (2983) became the last Ruling Steward. His wife Finduilas died untimely in [2988 2].

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The Ruling Stewards of Gondor

According to the family tree in "The Line of Dol Amroth", Imrahil fathered three sons: Elphir (born 2987), 23rd Prince of Dol Amroth, Erchirion (born 2990), Amrothos (born 2994); and one daughter, Lothíriel (born 2999).

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The House of Dol Amroth

Through his distant kinswoman Morwen of Lossarnach, Queen of Rohan, Imrahil is related to Éowyn and Éomer; in addition, he later became Éowyn's uncle-by-marriage through his nephew Faramir, and then Éomer's father-in-law through his daughter Lothíriel:

... Morwen of Lossarnach 3... did not belong to the people of that land. Her father had removed thither... from Belfalas; he was a descendant of a former prince of that fief, and thus a kinsman of Prince Imrahil. His kinship with Éomer of Rohan, though distant, was recognized by Imrahil, and great friendship grew between them.

Unfinished Tales, Part 3, Ch 1, The Disaster of the Gladden Fields: Appendix, Númenórean Linear Measures

It is said... that in 3020 Éowyn... wedded Faramir, last Steward of Gondor and first Prince of Ithilien, in the king's house of Rohan....

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 8, The Tale of Years of the Third Age

In 3022 [read: 3021 4] (or Fourth Age 1) [Éomer] wedded Lothíriel daughter of Imrahil of Dol Amroth, and his reign over Rohan was long and blessed....

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 8, The Tale of Years of the Third Age

According to the family tree in "The Line of Dol Amroth", Imrahil is also grandfather of Alphros (3017-3115/IV 94), 24th Prince of Dol Amroth, through his son and heir Elphir, and of Elfwine, 19th King of Rohan, through his daughter Lothíriel.

The Princes Aglahad [Imrahil's great-grandfather], Angelimir [grandfather], Elphir [eldest son], and Alphros [grandson] are only recorded in these texts, as also are other members of the line of Dol Amroth in the genealogical table: Ivriniel [sister], Erchirion, and Amrothos [sons].

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The House of Dol Amroth

Éomer wedded Imrahil's daughter, and their son, Elfwine the Fair, had a striking likeness to his mother's father.

Unfinished Tales, Part 3, Ch 1, The Disaster of the Gladden Fields: Appendix, Númenórean Linear Measures


Talents and Skills
Imrahil is a skilled warrior:

Aragorn and Éomer and Imrahil... were unscathed, for such was their fortune and the skill and might of their arms, and few indeed had dared to abide them or look on their faces in the hour of their wrath.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 6, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

He is a capable military commander:

Only the charge of Dol Amroth had saved [Faramir] from the red southland swords that would have hewed him as he lay.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 4, The Siege of Gondor

But the horsemen rode eastward to the succour of Éomer: Húrin the Tall Warden of the Keys, and the Lord of Lossarnach, and Hirluin of the Green Hills, and Prince Imrahil the fair with his knights all about him.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 6, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

He motivates and encourages men in the face of danger:

Tirelessly [Gandalf] strode from Citadel to Gate, from north to south about the wall; and with him went the Prince of Dol Amroth in his shining mail. For he and his knights still held themselves like lords in whom the race of Númenor ran true.... And then one [Man] would sing amid the gloom some staves of the Lay of Nimrodel, or other songs of the Vale of Anduin out of vanished years.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 4, The Siege of Gondor

He is a judicious and reliable political leader, in striking contrast to Denethor's abandonment 5 of his duties:

'As for me,' said Imrahil,... 'for a while I stand in the place of the Steward of Gondor, and it is mine to think first of its people. To prudence some heed must still be given. For we must prepare against all chances, good as well as evil. Now, it may be that we shall triumph, and while there is any hope of this, Gondor must be protected. I would not have us return with victory to a City in ruins and a land ravaged behind us.'

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 9, The Last Debate

He is compassionate:

The Prince Imrahil brought Faramir to the White Tower, and he said: 'Your son has returned, lord, after great deeds,' and he told all that he had seen.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 4, The Siege of Gondor

[He] bent to look more closely on [Éowyn]. 'Men of Rohan!' he cried. 'Are there no leeches 6 among you? She is hurt to the death maybe, but I deem that she yet lives.'....

'Haste now is needed,' he said, and he sent one riding back swiftly to the City to bring aid.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 6, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

He shows respect to others:

Then the prince went from his horse, and knelt by the bier in honour of the king and his great onset; and he wept....

But he bowing low to the fallen, bade them farewell, and mounting rode away into battle.

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 6, The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

'... I would not have you remain like a beggar at the door.'

'Not a beggar,' said Aragorn. 'Say a captain of the Rangers, who are unused to cities and houses of stone.'

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 8, The Houses of Healing

He is a thoughtful counsellor and shrewd observer of people:

... Aragorn said:.... 'I will not enter in [this City], nor make any claim, until it be seen whether we or Mordor shall prevail.'....

And the Prince Imrahil said, 'Your words, lord, are wise, if one who is a kinsman of the Lord Denethor may counsel you in this matter. He is strong-willed and proud, but old; and his mood has been strange since his son was stricken down.'

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 8, The Houses of Healing


Language
[Sindarin] had long ceased to be a 'cradle-tongue' in Gondor, but was learned in early youth (by those claiming Númenórean descent) from loremasters, and used by them as a mark of rank....

The Peoples of Middle-Earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The Ruling Stewards of Gondor


Etymology
Imrahil and Adrahil are Númenórean (Adûnaic) names.

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 2, The Appendix on Languages: The Languages at the end of the Third Age


Notes
1Angelimir is incorrectly spelled Angelimar in Unfinished Tales:

This note is printed in Unfinished Tales..., with the unaccountable error of Angelimar for Angelimir (an editorial mistake, since it occurs twice in the text and again in the index).

The Peoples of Middle-earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 7, The Heirs of Elendil: The Line of Dol Amroth

2While The Peoples of Middle-earth repeatedly lists her date of death as 2987, Appendix B gives the more canonical date as 2988:

2988
Finduilas dies young.

The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, The Tale of Years: The Third Age

3Morwen of Lossarnach is the queen of Thengel, King of Rohan, the mother of Théodwyn, and consequently Éomer and Éowyn's maternal grandmother.
4Note that Fourth Age 1 is 3022 according to the canonical Tale of Years in The Lord of the Rings, not 3021 as in The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME 12). Fourth Age birth and death dates from PoME have been adjusted as needed; all substitutions are placed in brackets.

Commentary by Elena Tiriel

5Men came to the door crying for the Lord of the City. 'Nay, I will not come down,' he said. 'I must stay beside my son. He might still speak before the end. But that is near. Follow whom you will, even the Grey Fool, though his hope has failed. Here I stay.'

The Return of the King, LoTR Book 5, Ch 4, The Siege of Gondor

6Leech is an archaic term for healer or physician:

leechcraft — Archaic 'art of healing'.... Physicians once commonly treated patients by 'bleeding' them through the application of leeches.

The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, by Wayne G Hammond and Christina Scull, Book 3, Ch 6, The King of the Golden Hall

Contributors:
Dim Genesis 27Dec02
Lyllyn 30Dec02
Isabeau of Greenlea 10Jan03
Leonora 25Jul03
Elena Tiriel 10Feb08, 9Sep09

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