Elfstone

The Elfstone, also known as the Elessar, refers to a silver eagle brooch set with a brilliant green emerald, one of the finest pieces of Elven jewelwork in Middle-earth. However, the name of Elfstone may also have been applied to potentially two similar brooches throughout history. What is known for certain was that the original Elfstone was crafted in the First Age, possibly by Enerdhil of Gondolin, or by Celebrimbor himself. Green as leaves and glimmering as the sun, the jewel was said to reflect to the viewer visions of things young and new again, and according to some stories, may also have had the power to heal the hurts of those it touched. This brooch was borne by Idril Celebrindal, daughter of High-King Turgon, and thus survived the Fall of Gondolin. It would later be borne by Eärendil the Mariner on his legendary voyage to Valinor, at the end of the First Age.

The subsequent history of the Elfstone (or Elfstones) is uncertain, as it was never fully established by Tolkien before his death. There are however, two versions that are generally credited as being the most likely:

• The first legend denotes that the Elfstone was brought back from Valinor by one of the Istari, Olórin (later known as Gandalf), who bestowed the great brooch to Galadriel, as a sign that the Valar had not forsaken Middle-earth. Nonetheless, he prophesied that she would only be a temporary steward of it, and she would gift it to another, who would also be called Elessar.

• The second legend claims that the original Elfstone stayed in Valinor, and that a second, more subtle and less powerful Elfstone was crafted by Celebrimbor at the behest of Galadriel, who pained at the state of Middle-earth. It was said that with the Elfstone, all things grew beautiful around the Lady of the Golden Wood.

Whichever version of events may be true, the stone was given by Galadriel to her daughter Celebrían, who would later bestow it to her own daughter Arwen. By T.A. 3019 however, the stone was back in the possession of Galadriel, and would be given to Aragorn, as one of the gifts received by the Company of the Ring. The Elfstone would be worn by Aragorn ever after, and at his coronation to the High-Kingship, he was proclaimed High-King Elessar, the Elfstone of the House of Elendil.

Adventurers, whenever they come across Aragorn in their travels following the Fellowship's time in Lothlórien, will always see the future king wearing the Elfstone upon his breast, as a symbol of his lineage and important place in Middle-earth.