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This article is about the Ruling Steward of Gondor. For the other namesakes, see Voronwë (disambiguation).

Mardil Voronwë was a noble Man of Gondor from the House of Húrin during the mid-Third Age, who held these offices:

  1. Steward to King Eärnil II (TA 2029 - TA 2043);
  2. Steward to King Eärnur (TA 2043 - TA 2050);
  3. First Ruling Steward of Gondor (TA 2050 - TA 2080).

Biography[]

Mardil Voronwë was the son of the Vorondil, a great hunter of beasts.[2][3] By his time the position of Steward of Gondor was already hereditary and Mardil received the title of Steward on the death of his father in TA 2029. His Stewardship began during the last part of the reign of King Eärnil II and throughout the reign of Eärnur, Eärnil's son.

During Eärnur's reign as king, Mardil was charged with the difficult task of restraining the desire of Eärnur to fight the Witch-king of Angmar, the chief of the Ringwraiths, who accused Eärnur after the Battle of Fornost of being afraid to fight him.

The King of Minas Morgul (one of the titles of the Witch-king of Angmar) reminded Eärnur of this and challenged him at the start of his reign in TA 2043. Although an angry Eärnur wanted to fight the Morgul lord he was restrained with difficulty by Mardil. However, when the Witch-king issued another challenge with great insult seven years later in TA 2050, Mardil could not restrain Eärnur, who then rode to Minas Morgul and was never seen again.[4]

Eärnur did not marry and thus had no children, so Mardil took it upon himself to rule Gondor. There was no one with a clear and unassailable claim to the throne, so the rule of the Stewards was a way of averting civil war. Because the fate of the King was unknown, Mardil made an oath to rule until "the King returns". This oath would be sworn by all of the Ruling Stewards. Mardil ruled Gondor with a steady hand and earned the nickname Voronwë, which means "the Steadfast" in Quenya.

During his rule, the Watchful Peace began when Sauron retreated from Dol Guldur in TA 2063 and went into hiding in the East. Upon Mardil's death in TA 2080 at the age of 120 years old, his son Eradan succeeded him as the second Ruling Steward of Gondor.

After Mardil's rule his successors stopped using High-elven names in their official names.[2]

Etymology[]

Mardil is Quenya, meaning 'Friend of the (Royal) House'[5], and Voronwë is also Quenya in origin, meaning 'steadfast'.[6]

Portrayals in adaptations[]

House of Húrin[]

   
   
   
   
Húrin
of Emyn Arnen
   
   
   
   
Pelendur
   
   
   
   
Vorondil
   
   
   
   
Mardil Voronwë
   
   
   
   
Eradan
   
   
   
   
Herion
   
   
   
   
Belegorn
   
   
   
   
Húrin I
   
   
   
   
Túrin I
   
   
   
   
Hador
   
   
   
   
Barahir
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Dior
   
   
Rían
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Denethor I
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Two daughters
   
   
Boromir
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Cirion
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Hallas
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Húrin II
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Belecthor I
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Orodreth
   
   
   
   
Morwen
   
   
Ecthelion I
   
   
   
   
Unknown
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Egalmoth
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Beren
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Beregond
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Belecthor II
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Thorondir
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Túrin II
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Turgon
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Ecthelion II
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Two daughters
   
   
Denethor II
   
   
Finduilas
   
   
   
   
House of Eorl
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Boromir
   
   
   
   
   
   
Faramir
   
   
   
   
   
   
Éowyn
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Elboron
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Barahir


Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ማርድል ቮሮንወ
Arabic مارديل فورووتشي
Belarusian Cyrillic Мардиль Воронве
Bengali মার্ডিল ভোরনওয়ে
Bulgarian Cyrillic Мардил Воронве
Catalan Màrdil Voronwë
Chinese (Hong Kong) 馬迪爾·佛龍威
Georgian მარდილო ვორნველი
Greek Μαρδιλ Βωρονβε
Gujarati માર્ડિલ વોરોનવે
Hebrew מארדיל בן האדם
Hindi मर्दिल वोरोनवे
Japanese マルディル・ヴォロンウェ
Kannada ಮರ್ಡಿಲ್ ವೊರೊನ್ವೆ
Kazakh Марділ Воронве (Cyrillic) Mardil Voronve (Latin)
Korean 마르 딘 보론 웨
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Мардил Воронвэ
Marathi मर्दिल वोरोनवे
Mongolian Cyrillic Мардил Воронүё
Nepalese मार्डिल वोरोन्वे
Persian ماردیل وورونوه
Russian Мардил Верный
Sinhalese මාඩිල් වොරොන්වේ
Tajik Cyrillic Мардил Воронве
Ukrainian Cyrillic Марділ Воронве
Urdu مآردال وورونوا ?
Yiddish מאַרדיל בֿאָראָנצע
Ruling Steward of Gondor
Preceded by
Vorondil the Hunter
Mardil Voronwë Succeeded by
Eradan
TA 2050 - TA 2080


References[]

  1. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, VII: "The Heirs of Elendil"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iv): "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion"
  3. The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter I: "Minas Tirith"
  4. The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter V: "The Window on the West"
  5. The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
  6. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Appendix: Names in the Lost Tales – Part I
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