This article is about the Queen of Arnor. For the granddaughter of Sam Gamgee, see Fíriel. Fíriel is also the name of the central character in "The Last Ship", the last poem in Tolkien's poetry collection The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil

The Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a collection of poetry written by J. R. R. Tolkien and published in 1962. The book contains 16 poems, only two of which deal with Tom Bombadil, a character who is most famous for his encounter with Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring...

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Fíriel is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien

J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...

's universe of Middle-earth

Middle-earth

Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....

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As the daughter of King Ondoher of Gondor

Gondor

Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...

, Fíriel was wed to Prince Arvedui

Arvedui

Arvedui is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium.Arvedui was the son of King Araphant of Arthedain. He was born in T.A. 1864 and came to the throne in 1964 at the death of his father...

 of Arthedain (the successor to Arnor

Arnor

Arnor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. Arnor, or the Northern Kingdom, was a kingdom of the Dúnedain in the land of Eriador in Middle-earth. The name probably means "Land of the King", from Sindarin Ara- + dor...

 after its breakup) during a time when Arvedui's father Araphant made an alliance with Ondoher. This marked the first time that Arnor and Gondor had renewed contact after a long estrangement and silence.

However, neither side could send help to the other as both Kingdoms were under attack: Arnor by Angmar

Angmar

Angmar is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's continent of Middle-earth.-Synopsis:Angmar was founded in in the far north of the Misty Mountains by the evil Lord of the Ringwraiths, who became known as the "Witch-king of Angmar"...

, and Gondor by the Wainriders.

During the Wainriders' assault on Gondor, Ondoher and his sons Artamir and Faramir were killed. This meant that according to the Law of Númenor

Númenor

Númenor is a fictional place in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. It was a huge island located in the Sundering Seas to the west of Middle-earth, the main setting of Tolkien's writings, and was known to be the greatest realm of Men...

, Fíriel was now the Ruling Queen. Arvedui used this, as well as the fact that he was a direct descendant of Isildur

Isildur

Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....

 and she was a direct descendant of Anárion

Anárion

Anárion is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. His name is derived from Anar, which means "Sun" in Tolkien's invented language of Quenya...

, as an argument to claim the crown of Gondor. This was refused by Pelendur

Pelendur

Pelendur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, appearing The Return of the King.He was Steward of Gondor in the year 1944 Third Age. He was born in T.A...

, the Steward of Gondor who influenced the Ruling Council that governed the kingdom in the interim. They instead chose Eärnil

Eärnil II

Eärnil II is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's universe of Middle-earth. He was born in T.A. 1883. In 1945 Third Age he was elected as the thirty-second King of Gondor after his predecessor, King Ondoher, was slain in battle. In the previous year a two-pronged attack had been launched...

, who though being still of the Royal House of Gondor was not in the line of direct succession; his great-grandfather Arciryas was the brother of Narmacil II, and Eärnil's great-great-grandfather was King Telumehtar Umbardacil. Eärnil won the crown, being highly popular because he had destroyed the Wainriders, and much of the populace of Gondor thought little of Arthedain as it was weak despite the lineage of its lords.

Fíriel's marriage to Arvedui proved fateful, as it reunited the lines of Isildur and Anárion, and because Anárion's line would have died out afterwards when Eärnil's son Eärnur left no heir. Through her, Aragorn II could claim descent from the line of Anárion in addition to Isildur through Arvedui.

Fíriel remained with her husband in the north, though her fate is not recorded. When Arthedain was destroyed by Angmar

Angmar

Angmar is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's continent of Middle-earth.-Synopsis:Angmar was founded in in the far north of the Misty Mountains by the evil Lord of the Ringwraiths, who became known as the "Witch-king of Angmar"...

 she probably fled with her son Aranarth to Lindon

Lindon (Middle-earth)

Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin, the Blue Mountains, in the northwest of Middle-earth in the fictional universe of J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon and Harlindon...

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