The Encyclopedia of Arda - The Renewer (original) (raw)
Words of Aragorn
The Return of the King V 8
The Houses of Healing
A title claimed by Aragorn, 'Renewer' was a literal and direct translation of Elvish Envinyatar. It was one of a pair of titles, joined with Elessar, Aragorn's prophesied name of the Elfstone. While 'Elfstone' is a well-known title, and indeed Elessar became Aragorn's royal name after his coronation, its companion title of 'the Renewer' is only recorded on a single occasion without further elaboration. One on level, it must have referred to Aragorn's role in reuniting and rebuilding the Kingdoms of the Dúnedain. It might also have referred to Aragorn's skill as a healer, and perhaps also to the renewed Hope (another of his titles, from Elvish Estel) that he brought to his people.
The title of 'Renewer' followed a gradual expansion of meaning as the text of The Lord of the Rings developed, and indeed it does not seem to have originated as a title at all. In the original drafts for the relevant section of The Return of the King, Aragorn claims that '...I am Elessar, Elfstone, the renewer.' (The History of Middle-earth volume VIII). In this original form, the uncapitalised word just seems to connect to Elessar, rather than representing a separate title. In the First Edition of The Lord of the Rings, this had become, '...I am Elessar, the Elfstone, and the Renewer', and so at this point it had become a distinct title. It was not until the Second Edition that the Elvish equivalent Envinyatar was also added to Aragorn's list of titles.
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- Updated 29 October 2023
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