Crowning of King Elessar

The Crowning of King Elessar is the formal restoration of the Kingship of Gondor and Arnor after centuries of Steward rule, marking the end of the Third Age and the beginning of the Fourth Age. It takes place on May 1, T.A. 3019, on the Pelennor Fields before the gates of Minas Tirith, where Aragorn son of Arathorn receives the crown from Faramir, the last Steward, and is crowned by Gandalf. The ceremony is a public, ritual act that transforms Aragorn from a wandering Ranger into the rightful King, fulfilling the prophecies of the Sword Reforged and the return of the Heir of Isildur.

The Setting and the Participants

The crowning occurs on the morning after the great victory at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, with the sun rising clear over the mountains. The host of the West, including Éomer of Rohan, Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth, and the Dúnedain of the North, is drawn up in ranks on the green field before the City. The people of Minas Tirith, both the soldiers and the citizens who had returned, line the streets and walls. The ceremony is held not within the City but outside its gates, on the very ground where the battle had been fought, symbolizing that the new King comes not as a conqueror but as a deliverer who has shared in the peril.

The Surrender of the Stewardship

Faramir, the Steward of Gondor, comes forth from the Gate accompanied by Húrin the Warden of the Keys and four guards bearing a casket of black lebethron bound with silver. He meets Aragorn in the midst of the assembly and kneels, saying: 'The last Steward of Gondor begs leave to surrender his office.' He holds out a white rod, the symbol of his authority. Aragorn takes the rod and gives it back, declaring: 'That office is not ended, and it shall be thine and thy heirs' as long as my line shall last. Do now thy office!' This exchange establishes that the Stewardship is not abolished but subordinated to the restored Kingship, a continuity rather than a rupture.

The Presentation of the Crown

Faramir then opens the casket and holds up the ancient crown of Eärnur, the last king of Gondor, whose days had passed in the time of their longfathers of old. The crown is described as shaped like the helms of the Guards of the Citadel but loftier, all white, with wings at either side wrought of pearl and silver in the likeness of the wings of a sea-bird, for it was the emblem of kings who came over the Sea. Seven gems of adamant are set in the circlet, and upon its summit is a single jewel whose light goes up like a flame. Aragorn takes the crown and holds it up, speaking the words of Elendil in the High-elven tongue: 'Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta!' ('Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come. In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world.') These words, spoken by Elendil when he first came out of the Sea after the Downfall of Númenor, link Aragorn's crowning directly to the founding of the Realms in Exile.

The Crowning by the Ring-bearer and Gandalf

To the wonder of many, Aragorn does not put the crown upon his head himself. Instead, he gives it back to Faramir and says: 'By the labour and valour of many I have come into my inheritance. In token of this I would have the Ring-bearer bring the crown to me, and let Mithrandir set it upon my head, if he will; for he has been the mover of all that has been accomplished, and this is his victory.' Frodo Baggins, the Ring-bearer, comes forward and takes the crown from Faramir and bears it to Gandalf. Aragorn kneels, and Gandalf sets the White Crown upon his head, saying: 'Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!' This act acknowledges the central roles of both the Ring-bearer and the Wizard in the War of the Ring, and it is Gandalf, the emissary of the Valar, who performs the crowning, giving it a sacred character.

The Revelation of the King

When Aragorn arises, all that behold him gaze in silence. It seems to them that he is revealed for the first time: tall as the sea-kings of old, standing above all that are near, ancient of days and yet in the flower of manhood, with wisdom on his brow and strength and healing in his hands, and a light about him. Faramir cries: 'Behold the King!' All the trumpets are blown, and King Elessar goes forth and comes to the barrier, which Húrin of the Keys thrusts back. Amid the music of harp and viol and flute and the singing of clear voices, the King passes through the flower-laden streets and enters the Citadel. The banner of the Tree and the Stars is unfurled upon the topmost tower, and the reign of King Elessar begins, of which many songs have told.