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

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Meneldil, likely the first King to be entombed in Minas Tirith, died in III 158; the Tombs remained in use until at least the death of Aragorn Elessar in IV 120 Location To the west of Minas Tirith, beneath the peak of Mindolluin Origins The first Tomb would probably have been built for Meneldil, first independent King of Gondor Race Men Division Dúnedain Culture Gondorians Family House of Anárion Settlements Minas Tirith Other names Houses of the Dead, Tombs of the Kings Indexes: Alphabetical: T Cities and Buildings Miscellaneous Places About this entry: Updated 5 December 2011 Updates planned: 1 The Houses of Dead of Minas Tirith "...at last they came to the Silent Street, Rath Dínen, between pale domes and empty halls and images of men long dead..." From The Return of the King V 4_The Siege of Gondor_ The final resting-places of the Kings and Stewards of Gondor, on a narrow shelf of land beneath Mount Mindolluin. The Tombs were reached by a road that ran down from the Citadel of Minas Tirith, and were carefully protected; except during an actual entombing, they were visited only by those specially appointed to preserve them. The way to the Tombs was guarded by the Closed Door, Fen Hollen. It seems that some of the Kings of Gondor had their own Tombs, while others were entombed within the House of the Kings on the Silent Street of Rath Dínen that ran through the Houses of the Dead. At the time of the War of the Ring, then, there would have been at least twenty-nine Tombs of the Kings.1 The Stewards were also laid to rest on the Silent Street, but for them it seems there was only a single great mausoleum: the House of the Stewards in which Denethor took his own life during the Siege of Minas Tirith. Notes 1 There were thirty-one independent Kings of Gondor from Meneldil to the end of his line. However, at least two of these would not have been buried on the Silent Street: Castamir the Usurper (who would surely have been denied the honour) and Eärnur (whose body was never recovered from Minas Morgul). Anárion, the founder of the line of Kings, may also have had a tomb on the Silent Street, but there are reasons to think he may not. First, he was not an independent King of the realm, but the co-ruler with his brother Isildur under the High King Elendil. Second, he was slain in Mordor in a Siege that continued for a year after his death, so an appropriate funeral may not have been practical. See also... Dead Tree, Fen Hollen, House of the Stewards, Houses of the Dead, Houses of the Dead, Silver Crown, Tombs of the Kings, White Crown, Winged Crown, Withered Tree Indexes: Alphabetical: T Cities and Buildings Miscellaneous Places About this entry: Updated 5 December 2011 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2011. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus is a truly international DISC profile solution available in dozens of languages.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates Meneldil, likely the first King to be entombed in Minas Tirith, died in III 158; the Tombs remained in use until at least the death of Aragorn Elessar in IV 120 Location To the west of Minas Tirith, beneath the peak of Mindolluin Origins The first Tomb would probably have been built for Meneldil, first independent King of Gondor Race Men Division Dúnedain Culture Gondorians Family House of Anárion Settlements Minas Tirith Other names Houses of the Dead, Tombs of the Kings Indexes: Alphabetical: T Cities and Buildings Miscellaneous Places About this entry: Updated 5 December 2011 Updates planned: 1 The Houses of Dead of Minas Tirith "...at last they came to the Silent Street, Rath Dínen, between pale domes and empty halls and images of men long dead..." From The Return of the King V 4_The Siege of Gondor_ The final resting-places of the Kings and Stewards of Gondor, on a narrow shelf of land beneath Mount Mindolluin. The Tombs were reached by a road that ran down from the Citadel of Minas Tirith, and were carefully protected; except during an actual entombing, they were visited only by those specially appointed to preserve them. The way to the Tombs was guarded by the Closed Door, Fen Hollen. It seems that some of the Kings of Gondor had their own Tombs, while others were entombed within the House of the Kings on the Silent Street of Rath Dínen that ran through the Houses of the Dead. At the time of the War of the Ring, then, there would have been at least twenty-nine Tombs of the Kings.1 The Stewards were also laid to rest on the Silent Street, but for them it seems there was only a single great mausoleum: the House of the Stewards in which Denethor took his own life during the Siege of Minas Tirith. Notes 1 There were thirty-one independent Kings of Gondor from Meneldil to the end of his line. However, at least two of these would not have been buried on the Silent Street: Castamir the Usurper (who would surely have been denied the honour) and Eärnur (whose body was never recovered from Minas Morgul). Anárion, the founder of the line of Kings, may also have had a tomb on the Silent Street, but there are reasons to think he may not. First, he was not an independent King of the realm, but the co-ruler with his brother Isildur under the High King Elendil. Second, he was slain in Mordor in a Siege that continued for a year after his death, so an appropriate funeral may not have been practical. See also... Dead Tree, Fen Hollen, House of the Stewards, Houses of the Dead, Houses of the Dead, Silver Crown, Tombs of the Kings, White Crown, Winged Crown, Withered Tree Indexes: Alphabetical: T Cities and Buildings Miscellaneous Places About this entry: Updated 5 December 2011 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2011. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus is a truly international DISC profile solution available in dozens of languages.