Vidumavi
Daughter of King Vidugavia of Rhovanion, mother of King Eldacar of Gondor. Vidumavi was a princess of the Northmen. In 1250 of the Third Age, Valacar was sent by his father, King Romendacil II of Gondor, as an ambassador to the court of King Vidugavia. Valacar married Vidumavi soon after and in 1255 they had a son. He was called Eldacar by the people of Gondor and Vinitharya in the language of the Northmen. The couple had other children as well.
Valacar and Vidumavi relocated to Gondor in 1260, where they lived for many years with their children. Vidumavi was friendly with the people of Gondor, and she learned their language and culture and taught it to her children as well. The people of Gondor liked Vidumavi because she was beautiful, wise, and bold. Vidumavi called herself Galadwen, the Sindarin form of her name.
Many of the people of the southern provinces of Gondor did not believe that a King of Gondor should be of mixed blood. They also feared that the lifespans of the kings would shorten if Eldacar had a mother who was a Northwoman. The Northmen were known generally to lead shorter lives, and when Vidumavi died in either 1332 or 1344 at a relatively young age compare to the lifespans of the people of Gondor, the people who opposed the coronation of Eldacar thought they had been proven correct.
Eldacar's heritage caused so much controversy that by the end of Valacar's reign, rebellion had broken out in the southern provinces and a civil war known as Kin-Strife began.
Valacar and Vidumavi relocated to Gondor in 1260, where they lived for many years with their children. Vidumavi was friendly with the people of Gondor, and she learned their language and culture and taught it to her children as well. The people of Gondor liked Vidumavi because she was beautiful, wise, and bold. Vidumavi called herself Galadwen, the Sindarin form of her name.
Many of the people of the southern provinces of Gondor did not believe that a King of Gondor should be of mixed blood. They also feared that the lifespans of the kings would shorten if Eldacar had a mother who was a Northwoman. The Northmen were known generally to lead shorter lives, and when Vidumavi died in either 1332 or 1344 at a relatively young age compare to the lifespans of the people of Gondor, the people who opposed the coronation of Eldacar thought they had been proven correct.
Eldacar's heritage caused so much controversy that by the end of Valacar's reign, rebellion had broken out in the southern provinces and a civil war known as Kin-Strife began.
Names & Meanings
Vidumavi translates as "wood maiden" from the language of the Northmen. It comes from Widumawi, the Gothic translation of "wood maiden." Vidumavi's Sindarin name was Galadwen from galadh meaning "tree" in Sindarin and wen meaning "maiden."
References
The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: "Gondor and the Heirs of Anarion," pages 326-328
The Unfinished Tales: "Cirion and Eorl," page 311
The History of Middle-earth, Volume V, The Lost Road and Other Writings: "The Etymologies"
The History of Middle-earth, Volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth: "The Heirs of Elendil," pages 198--214; "The Making of Appendix A," pages 259-261
The Unfinished Tales: "Cirion and Eorl," page 311
The History of Middle-earth, Volume V, The Lost Road and Other Writings: "The Etymologies"
The History of Middle-earth, Volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth: "The Heirs of Elendil," pages 198--214; "The Making of Appendix A," pages 259-261
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