The Encyclopedia of Arda - Arvegil (original) (raw)

The eleventh King of Arthedain

The heir of Argeleb II of Arthedain. During his father's reign, Arvegil saw events that would shape the history of Middle-earth, including the foundation of the Shire. He was eighty-three years old (no great age for one of the DĂșnedain) when the Great Plague came out of the south and ravaged Eriador, but the seat of the Kings at Fornost in the north was little affected.

Arvegil lived for one hundred and ninety years, longer than any of his descendants until Aragorn, as is noted in the Appendices to The Lord of the Rings. By the standards of his own ancestors, though, this was an early death. Of all the northern Kings before Arvegil - excepting those slain in battle - only two had lived less than two hundred years: his father Argeleb II and his grandfather Araphor.

Arvegil ruled Arthedain for seventy-three years, and was succeeded by his son, who ruled as Arveleg II.

Notes

1 The date of Arvegil's birth appears only in The History of Middle-earth volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth. It cannot therefore be considered completely reliable.
2 The Ar- element of Arvegil's name denotes his claim to royal title over the old land of Arnor, but -vegil is uncertain. Some sources suggest that it may be a mutated form of the word megil, 'sword'.

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