The last prince of Cardolan was a noble during the demise of Cardolan.
History
Almost 500 years before his death, the Kingdom of Arnor had been divided after the death of King Eärendur in T.A. 861 into the realms of Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur, because of disagreements among the sons of Eärendur.[1] Not long before the death of the last prince of Cardolan,[2][3] King Argeleb I of Arthedain claimed to be the King of all of Arnor, and thus to also be the King of Cardolan, because there were no remaining descendants of Isildur in Cardolan and Rhudaur.[4]
It is possible that Cardolan had accepted this claim and that the ruler of Cardolan became a vassal ruler with the nominal title "prince". In any case, it appears that Cardolan was not actively opposing Arthedain, but rather assisting it in the fight against Angmar and the now corrupted Rhudaur.[note 1]
The last prince of Cardolan died in a war in T.A. 1409 when a great army from Angmar attacked Cardolan. He was buried in a mound in the Barrow-downs.[5]
In that tomb was a pile of treasures, including a blue-jewelled brooch belonging to a "fair" woman that Tom Bombadil seemingly knew long ago.[6] Whether that lady was related to the last prince, no tale tells.
Legacy
The Witch-king of Angmar rose and empowered the Barrow-wights of Cardolan[7] and slew the Rangers of the North in order to trap the Ring-bearer.[8][9] Indeed, on 28 September 3018[10], Frodo Baggins and his comrades were trapped in the Barrow-downs by a Barrow-wight in a mound,[11] which some say was the grave of the last prince of Cardolan[5][12].
While Merry was trapped in the mound, he dreamed that he and others were attacked and defeated by "the men of Carn Dûm" at night and that his heart had been pierced with a spear[13], which probably was a memory of the last moments of the prince[12].
Other versions of the legendarium
In the earlier versions of the story, the barrow where the Hobbits were trapped was said to belong to a prince of the men that "fought against the evil foes" long ago, and was slain during the war. The identification of the buried prince with the last prince of Cardolan, as well as the appearance of Angmar and the men of Carn Dûm, are subsequent.[14][15]
Also, in the earlier versions Tom Bombadil's statement regarding the blue-jewelled brooch he took for Goldberry, and the mysterious lady that once wore it, was almost identical to the published version, except that he also mentioned that "they shall not forget" the kings, the warriors and the fair maidens of the past.[16]
Portrayal in adaptations
2022: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- The Last Prince of Cardolan is named Ostir, son of Ostecthel. Like his father and grandfather before him, he ruled in fealty to Argeleb I after the direct line of Isildur in Cardolan had died out. He fought bravely in the Fall of Amon Sûl, only to return to find his home razed in his absence. His men fell into an ambush, and Ostir was the last to fall in battle. His mother, princess-regent Luilloth went to Tom Bombadil and Lady Goldberry to plead for aid against the evil raised by the Witch-king in the Barrow-downs. Though she did not come back, the evil had subsided for a time; the blue-jewelled brooch belonged to her.
Notes
- ↑ In the entry for the year 1356 of manuscript T4 of J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VIII. The Tale of Years of the Third Age" king Argeleb I is slain in battle with Cardolan and Rhudaur and both realms resist his claim to overlordship, but the entry about king Argeleb I in J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur" only mentions that his claim was resisted by Rhudaur and that he was slain in battle with Rhudaur and Angmar without mentioning that Cardolan resisted the claim or that he died in battle with Cardolan. In addition Cardolan later helped Arthedain in the wars with Rhudaur and Angmar during the rule of Arveleg I. Furthermore, a prince of Cardolan, rather than a king of Cardolan is mentioned later.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", p. 1039
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile", "The Northern Line: Heirs of Isildur", Arthedain, Malvegil, p. 1038
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile", "The Northern Line: Heirs of Isildur", Arthedain, Argeleb I, p. 1038
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", entry about king Argeleb I, p. 1040
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", entry about the mounds of Tyrn Gorthad, p. 1041
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", p. 145
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", p. 145-6
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Hunt for the Ring"
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Flight to the Ford", p. 180
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3018, September 28, p. 1091
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", pp. 139-42
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", pp. 144-5
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Fog on the Barrow-downs", p. 143
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The First Phase: VII. The Barrow-wight", p. 127-8
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "III. The Fourth Phase (2): From Bree to the Ford of Rivendell", p. 37
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The First Phase: VII. The Barrow-wight", p. 128