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Gilraen

Gilraen's grave in Rivendell

Gilraen was the wife of Arathorn II and mother of Aragorn II, the future King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom.

Biography[]

Gilraen was born in TA 2907. Her father was Dírhael and her mother was Ivorwen. Gilraen married Arathorn son of Arador in TA 2929. Her father Dírhael was opposed to the match because he felt Gilraen was too young to marry and because he had a sense of foreboding that Arathorn would not live long.

But Ivorwen counseled her husband to acquiesce, saying "If these two wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts".[1]

One year later, Arathorn II became Chieftain of the Dúnedain when his father was killed by Hill-trolls. Gilraen gave birth to Aragorn on March 1, 2931. In TA 2933, Arathorn was slain by an Orc arrow. Gilraen took her two-year-old son Aragorn to Rivendell where Elrond accepted the boy as a foster-son and gave him the name Estel, meaning "Hope".

Aragorn in Rivendell

Aragorn visiting his mother's grave in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Gilraen and Aragorn lived together at Rivendell until TA 2951, when Aragorn turned twenty and was told of his heritage by Elrond. At that time also Aragorn met Elrond's daughter Arwen and fell in love with her. Gilraen noticed a change in her son and questioned him about it. She warned Aragorn that Elrond would not easily consent to a marriage between his only daughter and a mortal Man. Gilraen feared that the line of Isildur would end, and she told Aragorn that it was his fate to wander in the Wild. She said no more to him of her fears and Aragorn left Rivendell to face many perils and hardships.

Aragorn and Arwen plighted their troth in TA 2980. A few years later, Gilraen left Rivendell and went to live alone near her people in Eriador. She did not often see her son for he continued to journey throughout Middle-earth. When Aragorn came to visit his mother, she foretold her coming death.

Gilraen died before the next spring in TA 3007. Her son Aragorn fulfilled the Rangers' lifelong goal of restoring the Kingdom of the Dúnedain when he became King of the Reunited Kingdom on May 1, 3019.[2]

Etymology[]

Gilraen is Sindarin for "netted star".

Portrayal in adaptations[]

In Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring film, Gilraen is memorialized in Rivendell as a statue.

Gilraen was a primary character in the fan-made film Born of Hope, played by Beth Aynsley.

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ጚልራአን
Arabic جيلراين
Armenian Գիլրաեն
Belarusian Cyrillic Гілраен
Bengali গিলরেন
Bulgarian Cyrillic Гилраен
Chinese (Hong Kong) 吉爾蘭
Georgian ღილრაენი
Greek Γκιλρίν
Gujarati ગિલરાન
Hindi ङिल्र​एन
Hebrew גילראינ
Japanese ギレンゲン
Kazakh Гілраен (Cyrillic) Gilraen (Latin)
Korean 길라엔
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Гилраэн
Macedonian Cyrillic Гилраен
Marathi गिल्राएन
Mongolian Cyrillic Гилраен
Nepalese ङिल्र​एन
Pashto عیلراېن
Persian گیل رائن
Polish Gilraena
Punjabi ਗਿਲ੍ਰਾਏਨ
Russian Гильраэн
Sanskrit ङिल्र​एन्
Serbian Гилраен (Cyrillic) Gilraen (Latin)
Sinhalese ගිල්රන්
Tajik Cyrillic Гилраен
Ukrainian Cyrillic Ґілраен
Urdu عیلراےن
Uzbek Гилраен (Cyrillic) Gilraen (Latin)
Yiddish גילראַענ

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iii): "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
  2. 2.0 2.1 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (v): "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen"
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