There was a tradition among certain of the nobles of Númenor to bear gems on their brows, bound there by a fine thread or fillet. This tradition dated back to at least the time of Silmariën (born II 521), whose own gem would become the Elendilmir, an heirloom and symbol of royalty among the Dúnedain.2
Such a gem was borne by the Lady Erendis. The King's Heir Aldarion made many journeys to Middle-earth, and he returned from one of these journeys with a gift for Erendis, a shining star-like diamond. When Aldarion and Erendis later became betrothed, Erendis counted this gem as her betrothal gift, and it was then (in the year II 858) that she set it on her forehead, bound by a silver fillet. From this jewel, Erendis earned the name of Elestirnë, 'star-brow', or more formally Tar-Elestirnë, the Lady of the Star-brow. She would go on to bear the gem for many years, and perhaps until her death.3
The jewel on Erendis' brow inspired the later Kings and Queens of Númenor to wear a gem in the same way as a token of royalty in place of a crown. The first Ruler of Númenor after Erendis' time was her daughter Tar-Ancalimë, so it would be natural for this first Ruling Queen to adopt the same custom, which was then transmitted to her own heirs.
After the loss of Númenor, Elendil and his heirs bore the Elendilmir of Silmariën (though this was afterward lost with Elendil's son Isildur, and another made in its place). Though Silmariën's Elendilmir predated Erendis Elestirnë, its use as a royal symbol must have been influenced by the Kings and Queens who followed Erendis' tradition. This custom would survive until at least the end of the Third Age, when Aragorn bore the Elendilmir, the Star of the North, in token of his royal ancestry.
Notes
1 |
Erendis was eighty-seven years old when she received the jewel that gave rise to the name Elestirnë. The timeline for this entry shows the period during which the title was used, rather than Erendis' entire lifespan. |
2 |
The origins of this tradition are not explained, but it perhaps had its beginnings in the story of Eärendil, ancestor of the Kings of Númenor, who was famed for bearing a shining Silmaril upon his own brow as he sailed his ship Vingilot among the stars.
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3 |
Our only source to mention Erendis' jewel - Aldarion and Erendis in Unfinished Tales - says only that she continued to wear it 'until sorrow befell'. This is rather vague, and it might simply refer to her estrangement from Aldarion (this would indeed make some sense, given that the gem was a betrothal gift). Alternatively, the 'sorrow' might have been the death of Erendis herself, but as her tale was left unfinished, we know little of the details surrounding Erendis' end.
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- Updated 3 April 2024
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