Eärnur

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**Eärnur** was the thirty-third and last King of Gondor until the restoration of the monarchy with Aragorn II Elessar. He took the throne upon the death of his father Eärnil II in TA 2043, and after his disappearance the Stewards of Gondor ruled in his name for many generations.

## Biography

Eärnur was the son of Eärnil II. He was a great warrior and became a great leader of armies before he became King. His greatest victory was against Angmar in TA 1975 in the Battle of Fornost, in which he defeated the Witch-king, whom he intended to slay had his steed not panicked in terror of the Witch-king's darkness. It was to him that Glorfindel stated his prophecy that "*not by the hand of men shall he fall"* referring to the Witch-king as he fled from defeat. After becoming King in TA 2043, he was challenged by the Witch-king of Angmar, chief of the Ringwraiths, who then resided in Minas Morgul. Eärnur, being quick to anger and wrath, would have accepted his challenge had the wise Steward Mardil Voronwë not held him back, and so the first challenge went unanswered. In TA 2050 a second challenge came, mocking Eärnur, and Mardil was not able to stop Eärnur from accepting the challenge. After entering the gates of Minas Morgul with a small escort, Eärnur was never heard from again. His crown lay on his father's tomb in the Hallows of Minas Tirith.

The Line of Anárion was broken with the disappearance of Eärnur, and the rule of Gondor passed to the Stewards beginning with Mardil Voronwë, the Steward who had tried to restrain Eärnur from going to Minas Morgul to face the Witch-king. The Stewards were to rule "until the King returns" for it wasn't sure at first whether Eärnur had been killed dueling with the Witch-king or not. In addition, Eärnur left without naming an heir, and while many nobles in Gondor could lay some sort of claim to the kingship, those claims were generally held in doubt, and no one wanted to risk another civil war like the one that had devastated and weakened Gondor.

## Personality

Eärnur did not inherit his father's wisdom; his only delight was battle and he desired no wife. He was also known for engaging in weapons sports and was more of a champion than a king of men.

## Etymology

***Eärnur*** was a Quenyan word that meant "Sea-friend".

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## Portrayal in adaptations

### Video games

In *The Lord of the Rings Online*, it is revealed that the Witch-king subdued and corrupted Eärnur into a Wraith soon after he entered Minas Morgul. He then became known as **Mordirith**, the "**False King**" and "**Steward of Carn Dûm**". In a twisted mockery of the Stewards who replaced him, Mordirith ruled in Carn Dûm on the behalf of the Witch-king, suppressing any form of rebellion from the few Men that had not allied with Angmar. He was killed during the War of the Ring by the Elf Maiden Narmeleth, who felled him with the sword Dunachar. He was thrown into the void of Angmar after his death. Narmeleth was mortally wounded in this battle, and died a few minutes later.

In Electronic Arts' *The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king*, King Eärnur is a playable character only in the epilogue (the final stage of the Angmar Campaign), in which he alongside Glorfindel and Elrond set out to destroy Angmar after its victory over Arnor. His role in the game is mostly the same as in the books.

## Translations around the world

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## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *The Lord of the Rings,* Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iv): "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion"
2. ↑ *The Complete Guide to Middle-earth*

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