He is the 22nd Prince of Dol Amroth.
Serving under the Steward of Gondor, the leader of the fief of Belfalas would prove
to be a remarkable warrior and captain of men. And one trait in particular puts him alone in
a category with Aragorn, Faramir, and Gandalf. Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the life
and travels of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. Imrahil is born in a fiefdom of Gondor known as
Belfalas in the year 2955 TA. He is the oldest son and third child of Adrahil, the Prince of Dol
Amroth. Dol Amroth, the main city in Belfalas, is ruled as a hereditary princedom as part
of the greater realm of Gondor. Thus the Prince of this fiefdom would serve, and
be an advisor to, the Steward of Gondor. The line of the Princes of Dol Amroth trace
their ancestry back to the Numenoreans of the Second Age. They were of the Faithful - those who
remained loyal to the Valar and Eldar and rejected the influence of Sauron. It is believed their
ancestors dwelt on the shores of Middle-earth even before the Downfall of Numenor. While we
are told the settlement of Dol Amroth gets its name after the elven King of Lorien who dies in
the Bay of Belfalas in 1981 TA, we are also told that Elendil himself gives this loyal house
the lordship that would descend through their family for thousands of years. Reconciling these
two points would mean that perhaps Elendil gives them their title of Prince, then later “of Dol
Amroth” is added as a reference to their location. When Adrahil dies in 3010 TA, Imrahil
becomes the Prince of Dol Amroth - the 22nd of this line. But Imrahil would not be
the only great warrior within his family, for his sister would marry the heir
of the Steward of Gondor. Together, Denethor and Finduillas would have
two sons - Boromir and Faramir. We are not told of Imrahil’s early days and he
instead enters the story in the later part of the War of the Ring. Though, we do know that Imrahil
and his wife have four children - three sons and a daughter. As Steward Denethor prepares
Gondor for the coming attack by Mordor, he calls for soldiers from the surrounding
fiefs - and Imrahil would answer.. And last and proudest, [came] Imrahil,
Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token
of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness
riding grey horses; and behind them seven hundreds of men at arms, tall as lords,
grey-eyed, dark-haired, singing as they came. This description gives us a sense of the
majesty of Prince Imrahil and his knights, but it is only the beginning of how he affects
the Siege of Minas Tirith and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. In The Return of the King,
Imrahil would not only personally fight, but his mere presence inspires those
around him. This trait of raising the morale of soldiers happens with only a few
characters in Tolkien’s works - namely Gandalf, Aragorn, and Faramir. In the lead-up
to the Siege of Minas Tirith, we read… And with Gandalf went the Prince of Dol Amroth
in his shining mail. For he and his knights still held themselves like lords in whom the race of
Númenor ran true. Men that saw them whispered saying: ‘Belike the old tales speak well; there
is elvish blood in the veins of that folk, for the people of Nimrodel dwelt in that land
once long ago.’ And then one would sing amid the gloom some staves of the Lay of Nimrodel, or other
songs of the Vale of Anduin out of vanished years. And yet – when they had gone,
the shadows closed on men again, and their hearts went cold, and the
valour of Gondor withered into ash. It’s important to realize that by this time, the
cloud of despair is already upon the city - the Witch-king and his terrible malice is well
at work. The fact that Imrahil’s presence could bring nearby soldiers out of this haze and
into song is no small feat. Within this passage, we also see another interesting fact about
Imrahil’s lineage - he is descended from an elf. Going back 22 generations, we find
a Gondorian nobleman named Imrazôr, who dwelt in the region of Belfalas during
around 2000 TA. He is, for reasons unexplained, known as Imrazôr the Numenorean - despite Numenor
having fallen over two millennia earlier. After the Balrog is awoken in Khazad-dum,
and many elves of Lorinand flee south, the elf-maid Nimrodel and her companions came to
the forest of Dor-en-Ernil and become lost. One of these companions is the elf-maid Mithrellas,
who is discovered by Imrazôr. They would later be married and have two children. However, the
end of the tale of Mithrellas is one of the great mysteries of Middle-earth - the last
word comes in The Peoples of Middle-earth: But when she had borne him a son,
Galador, and a daughter, Gilmith, she slipped away by night, and he saw her
no more. But though Mithrellas was of the lesser silvan race (and not of the High Elves
or the Grey) it was ever held that the house and kin of the Lords of Dol Amroth were noble
by blood, as they were fair in face and mind. While we do not know what happened to his
mother, we know Galador himself would become the first to hold the full title: Prince
of Dol Amroth. And after a century - and 21 generations - the elven traits of his line
would still be evident in his heir - Imrahil. Returning to the War of the Ring
and Imrahil’s experience in battle, we find one of his most memorable moments, when
he and Gandalf rescue the Gondorian soldiers retreating over the Pelennor who are under
attack from the orcs and the winged Nazgul: Now they sprang forward, formed, quickened
to a gallop, and charged with a great shout. And from the walls an answering shout
went up; for foremost on the field rode the swan-knights of Dol Amroth with their
Prince and his blue banner at their head. 'Amroth for Gondor!' they
cried. 'Amroth to Faramir!' Like thunder they broke upon the
enemy on either flank of the retreat; but one rider outran them all, swift as
the wind in the grass: Shadowfax bore him, shining, unveiled once more, a light
starting from his upraised hand. Imrahil is the final person to come back into
the city - bearing the body of his nephew… Last of all he came. His men passed
in. The mounted knights returned, and at their rear the banner of Dol Amroth, and
the Prince. And in his arms before him on his horse he bore the body of his kinsman, Faramir
son of Denethor, found upon the stricken field. Imrahil carries Faramir up to the White
Tower, where he tells Denethor - who had sent his son on this quest: ‘Your son
has returned, lord, after great deeds,’ Thanks to the actions of Imrahil and Gandalf,
Faramir’s life would eventually be saved. But that is not the only life that could have
been lost were it not for the Prince of Dol Amroth. Later in the battle, when Imrahil
sees the Rohirrim are outnumbered and facing defeat on the Pelennor, he rides into
battle with other nobles of Gondorian fiefs. Upon leaving the city, he meets a
procession of Rohirrim carrying something… ‘What burden do you bear, Men of Rohan?’ he cried. ‘Théoden King,’ they answered. ‘He is dead.
But Éomer King now rides in the battle: he with the white crest in the wind.’ Then the prince went from his horse, and
knelt by the bier in honour of the king and his great onset; and he wept. And rising he
looked then on Éowyn and was amazed. ‘Surely, here is a woman?’ he said. ‘Have even the
women of the Rohirrim come to war in our need?’ ‘Nay! One only,’ they answered. ‘The
Lady Éowyn is she, sister of Éomer; and we knew naught of her riding until
this hour, and greatly we rue it.’ Then the prince seeing her beauty,
though her face was pale and cold, touched her hand as he bent to look
more closely on her. ‘Men of Rohan!’ he cried. ‘Are there no leeches among
you? She is hurt, to the death maybe, but I deem that she yet lives.’ And he held
the bright-burnished vambrace that was upon his arm before her cold lips, and behold! a
little mist was laid on it hardly to be seen. ‘Haste now is needed,’ he said, and he sent
one riding back swiftly to the City to bring aid. But he bowing low to the fallen, bade them
farewell, and mounting rode away into battle. As Imrahil rides into the last fight of the
Battle of the Pelennor, Eowyn is taken to safety, where she will likewise be healed. Not only does
the Prince of Dol Amroth save the life of his nephew Faramir, but likely the life of Faramir’s
future wife. We are told that in this last portion of the battle, Imrahil shows his might as a
warrior alongside the greatest of their day… Aragorn and Éomer and Imrahil rode
back towards the Gate of the City, and they were now weary beyond joy or
sorrow. These three were unscathed, for such was their fortune and
the skill and might of their arms, and few indeed had dared to abide them or look
on their faces in the hour of their wrath. After the battle is won and Minas Tirith is safe,
for a time, Imrahil twice asks for Aragorn to either enter or be summoned into the city, but
the latter would only do so in disguise in order to heal the wounded before returning to his camp
outside the city walls. This is a person who could very well have made Aragorn’s ascension to the
throne difficult - yet, he immediately recognizes Aragorn’s true place and purpose. However, Imrahil
would for now, take on the role of Lord of Minas Tirith until Faramir should awake and recover
- though both Aragorn and Imrahil would agree that Gandalf would be their ruler in the days
to come and in their dealings with the enemy. Later, as the captains must decide
their next course of action, it is decided that they must march upon
the Black Gate to empty Sauron’s lands and give Frodo a chance to complete
his quest. Imrahil immediately agrees to go on this likely march to death, yet
considers the people yet under his care… ‘As for me,’ said Imrahil, ‘the Lord
Aragorn I hold to be my liege-lord, whether he claim it or no. His wish is to me a
command. I will go also. Yet for a while I stand in the place of the Steward of Gondor, and it is
mine to think first of its people. To prudence some heed must still be given. For we must prepare
against all chances, good as well as evil. Now, it may be that we shall triumph, and while there
is any hope of this, Gondor must be protected. I would not have us return with victory to a
City in ruins and a land ravaged behind us. In the end, an army of 7,000 rides from Minas
Tirith on March 18 - though 1,000 would break off after being overwhelmed with the dread of
Mordor - instead being commanded by Aragorn to liberate Cair Andros. With his nephew behind
to lead the defense of Minas Tirith, Imrahil accompanies Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli,
Pippin, and the Sons of Elrond to the Battle of the Black Gate on March 25. There he would stand
upon the front line with the men of Dol Amroth, fighting the forces of Mordor until the
One Ring is destroyed and Sauron defeated. The Prince would be at the Celebration on
the Field of Cormallen - as Sam and Frodo are celebrated with great praise when they
awake on April 8 - nearly 2 weeks after the destruction of the ring. Weeks later, on
May 1, Imrahil would finally witness the Coronation of King Elessar as Steward
Faramir brings the crown of the King, which is given to Frodo, then to Gandalf,
who places it upon Aragorn’s head. Imrahil would also attend the funeral and
burial of King Theoden in Edoras on August 10. And within this land of Rohan, a
new friendship would be formed - for King Eomer would become great friends
with Prince Imrahil and two years later, would marry Imrahil’s daughter, Lothiriel.
From this union of Rohan and Dol Amroth would come the 19th King of Rohan, and the
only listed grandchild of Imrahil - Elfwine. Elfwine, whose name means “Elf-friend”
is said to bear a striking resemblance to his maternal grandfather,
in whom ran the elvish blood. Imrahil would certainly have lived to know his
grandson for many long years - as Elfwine is born in the early Fourth Age. Imrahil
meanwhile, would die 34 years into the fourth age - having lived an even 100 years. No
extra long life of those of the House of Elros, but a life well lived nonetheless. A
life of bravery, honor, and quality. As always, I want to say a huge
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