Character Bios
Arathorn II
Meaning: eagle lord/king
Location(s): Eriador
Race/Species: Man
Type/Kind: Dunadan of the North
Title(s):
15th Chieftain of the Dúnedain (III 2930 - 2933)
Dates: III 2873-2933
Parents:
Arador, 14th Chieftain of the Dúnedain
Spouse: Gilraen
Children:
Aragorn II,
16th Chieftain of the Dúnedain &
King of Arnor and Gondor
Description:
Arathorn II, son of Arador, is the 15th Chieftain of the Dúnedain and the father of Aragorn II:
Arathorn [was] the son of Arador who was the Chieftain of the Dúnedain of the North.
Arathorn was a stern man of full years; for the Heirs of Isildur, being men of long life (even to eight score years and more) who journeyed much and went often into great perils, were not accustomed to wed until they had laboured long in the world.
The Peoples of Middle-Earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 9, The Making of Appendix A: The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
History
In his boyhood Arathorn also had been fostered in [Elrond's] house, and he was a friend of Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, and often he went a-hunting with them. Now the sons of Elrond did not hunt wild beasts, but they pursued the Orcs wherever they might find them; and this they did because of Celebrían their mother, daughter of Galadriel.
The Peoples of Middle-Earth, HoME Vol 12, Part 1, Ch 9, The Making of Appendix A: The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
Arador was the grandfather of the King. His son Arathorn sought in marriage Gilraen the Fair, daughter of Dírhael, who was himself a descendant of Aranarth. To this marriage Dírhael was opposed; for Gilraen was young and had not reached the age at which the women of the Dúnedain were accustomed to marry.
'Moreover,' he said, 'Arathorn is a stern man of full age, and will be chieftain sooner than men looked for; yet my heart forebodes that he will be short-lived.'
But Ivorwen, his wife, who was also foresighted, answered: 'The more need of haste! The days are darkening before the storm, and great things are to come. If these two wed now, hope may be born for our people; but if they delay, it will not come while this age lasts.'
And it happened that when Arathorn and Gilraen had been married only one year, Arador was taken by hill-trolls in the Coldfells north of Rivendell and was slain; and Arathorn became Chieftain of the Dúnedain. The next year Gilraen bore him a son, and he was called Aragorn. But Aragorn was only two years old when Arathorn went riding against the Orcs with the sons of Elrond, and he was slain by an orc-arrow that pierced his eye; and so he proved indeed short-lived for one of his race, being but sixty years old when he fell.
The Return of the King, LoTR Appendix A, Annals of the Kings and Rulers: Here Follows a Part of The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
2933
Arathorn II slain. Gilraen takes Aragorn to Imladris. Elrond receives him as foster-son and gives him the name Estel (Hope); his ancestry is concealed.
The Return of the King, LoTR Appendix B, The Tale of Years: The Third Age
Contributors:
Envinyatar 12.19.02
Elena Tiriel 2Dec04, 7Nov07
