![]() ![]() Húrin of Emyn Arnen lived quite a bit after Elendil. There would be no need to say the Stewards were not in the direct line of descent if this were the case they simply would not be in the line of descent, period. Alternatively, the families could have branched apart earlier than Elendil’s time, but that seems less likely because of the word “direct” in the Peoples of Middle-Earth quotes. In that case, the two families could be related through a woman of (or descended from) the Royal family who married into the Stewards’ family, as Michael Martinez speculates. ![]() (See Denethor in “Minas Tirith,” for example: “Even were his claim proved to me, still he comes but of the line of Isildur.”) Consider that Aragorn is descended from Anárion as well as Isildur, through King Ondoher’s daughter Fíriel yet he is never said to be of the line of Anárion, while much is made of his being of the line of Isildur. However, on closer reading I think “line” or “house” refers to an unbroken male line of descent in this context, since that was the only way Gondor allowed inheritance of the throne. 21)įaramir’s statement that the Stewards are “not of the line of Elendil” at first seems to settle the question. “These may be added, for though not in the direct line, the Hurinionath, the family to which Pelendur and Mardil belonged, were of Númenórean blood hardly less pure than that of the kings, and undoubtedly had some share in the actual blood of Elendil and Anárion.” (“The Heirs of Elendil” p. 203)Īnd a slightly different version in another draft: “The names of these rulers are here added for though the Hurinionath were not in the direct line of descent from Elendil, they were ultimately of royal origin, and had in any case kept their blood more pure than most families in the later ages.” (“The Heirs of Elendil,” p. ![]() In Appendix A, section ii “The Realms in Exile,” the Stewards of Gondor are listed under “The Southern Line: Heirs of Anárion,” in a separate section from the Kings of Gondor.įrom a draft of Appendix A in Peoples of Middle-Earth: He was never a member of the Royal House.” (Author’s note to “Cirion and Eorl,” p. “It was also Rómendacil I who established the office of Steward (Arandur ‘king’s servant’ ), but he was chosen by the King as a man of high trust and wisdom, usually advanced in years since he was not permitted to go to war or to leave the realm. “The House of the Stewards was called the House of Húrin, for they were descendants of the Steward of King Minardil (1621-34), Húrin of Emyn Arnen, a man of high Númenorean race.” (Appendix A) So it was that no claimant could be found who was of pure blood, or whose claim all would allow….” (Appendix A) –The point being that if the Stewards had a claim to the throne, they would have made it at this time. Often those on whom suspicion fell had fled to Umbar … while others had renounced their lineage and taken wives not of Númenorean blood. Their numbers had been greatly diminshed in the Kin-strife whereas since that time the kings had become jealous and watchful of those near akin. “Now the descendants of the kings had become few. For we reckon back our line to Mardil, the good steward….” (Faramir, “The Window on the West”) “We of my house are not of the line of Elendil, though the blood of Númenor is in us. I’ll start with this since it mostly comes from The Lord of the Rings and therefore has a better claim to being canonical. Lest I be misunderstood, let me hasten to say one thing before I begin: I am making absolutely no claims about anyone’s greatness, and I am not trying to prove that the families are “equal.” I only want to examine the textual evidence concerning the possibility of a blood relationship. Can we/should we accept Tolkien’s note in Peoples of Middle-Earth about the Stewards being of “ultimately royal” origin? Does it contradict the statement in The Lord of the Rings that the Stewards were not of the line of Elendil? Is Michael Martinez’ suggestion for the connection between the two families (in ‘The Men Who Would Be Stewards) plausible? The Stewards are a very high-ranking family in the land of Gondor, yet they do not have a claim to the throne. ![]()
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