The Elfstone, also known as the Elessar, was a green gem set on a silver eagle-shaped brooch. It had the light of the Sun within it, and those who looked through it saw everything that was aged and withered as young once more. The jewel gave Aragorn II his royal name, King Elessar.
Origins[]
The Elfstone was made by an Elf smith in Gondolin named Enerdhil, whose skill in jewel-craft was second only to that of Fëanor. He gave it to Idril, who bore it upon her breast during the Fall of Gondolin, accounting for its escape. She gave it to her son Eärendil, who bore it upon his breast on his flight to the Undying Lands.
Two versions are hereafter recorded as to the fate of the stone:
- Gandalf brings the stone to Middle-earth as a sign that the Valar had not forsaken that land. He gives it to Galadriel but prophesies that "...it is not for you to possess. You shall hand it on when the time comes. For before you grow weary, and at last forsake Middle-earth one shall come who is to receive it, and his name shall be that of the stone: Elessar he shall be called."[1]
- The stone remains with the Valar. Galadriel longs to return once more to Valinor, but she remains under the ban of the Ñoldor. She turns to Celebrimbor and laments to him, "I am grieved in Middle-earth, for leaves fall and flowers fade that I have loved so that the land of my dwelling is filed with regret that no spring can redress. I would have trees and grass about me that do not die - here in the land that is mine."[1] Celebrimbor, who is in love with her, remakes the jewel and gives it to her. He had learned the art of Elven blacksmithing in Gondolin, where he was a friend of Enerdhil and his friendly competitive rival. Galadriel then passes the stone to her daughter Celebrían, who in turn gives it to her daughter Arwen. Galadriel keeps it once more in Lothlórien to pass on to Aragorn.
In adaptations[]
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy[]
The Evenstar given to Aragorn
In Peter Jackson's film trilogy, the jewel is replaced by the Evenstar, a silver necklace with a white stone, which is given to Aragorn by Arwen in Rivendell. This jewel was probably inspired by a jewel that Arwen gives to Frodo after the destruction of the One Ring.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tolkien, Christopher (1980). Unfinished Tales. Houghton Mifflin Harcour. Hardcover: ISBN 978-0618154043