Chieftain of the Dúnedain
The Chieftain of the Dúnedain, also known as the Chieftain of the North, was the hereditary title of the rulers of the Rangers of the North.
History
The title was created following the final destruction of Arthedain in Third Age 1974 by the Witch-king of Angmar. The heir to the throne of Arthedain, Aranarth son of Arvedui, in Third Age 1976 chose not to claim the kingship and instead ruled the remnants of his people as Chieftain. The Chieftains were raised in Rivendell, where the heirlooms of the House of Isildur, were also kept.
They were descendants of Isildur through the kings of Arthedain and Anárion through Fíriel; as such they regarded themselves as the legitimate heirs to both Arnor and Gondor. All the Chieftains took a name in Sindarin. The Chieftains continued to take the kingly prefix of aran or ar(a)- ("high king"), to signify their royal heritage and their right to rule all the former lands of Arnor. When the line of Anárion failed, the Chieftains considered themselves the heirs of Anárion through their ancestor Fíriel; none of the Chieftains ever forgot Arvedui's claim to the throne.
The people of Arthedain became known as the Rangers of the North, a wandering people quite content with living in secret. Due to the destruction of Angmar, and the Watchful Peace, which followed after the Wizard Gandalf drove Sauron out of Dol Guldur, there was little evil in Eriador and attacks by the enemy were few and far between.
It is notable that most of the Chieftains lived out their full life-span and their longevity did not decrease as much as that of the Gondorians.
Aragorn II became the last Chieftain when he reclaimed the title of High King of the Reunited Kingdom.
List of Chieftains
| The Chieftains of the Dúnedain | |||
| bgcolor="lightgrey" | | bgcolor="lightgrey" style="text-align: center;"| Name | bgcolor="lightgrey" style="text-align: center;"| Reign | Notes |
| 1. | Aranarth | Third Age 1975–Third Age 2106 | Son of King Arvedui of Arthedain. |
| 2. | Arahael | Third Age 2106–Third Age 2177 | Arahael led the Dúnedain during the time known as the Watchful Peace, and was untroubled by war. |
| 3. | Aranuir | Third Age 2177–Third Age 2247 | He was born shortly after the beginning of the Watchful Peace. |
| 4. | Aravir | Third Age 2247–Third Age 2319 | |
| 5. | Aragorn I | Third Age 2319–Third Age 2327† | He was lost while hunting wolves. It is said that he was slain by the very wolves he was hunting. |
| 6. | Araglas | Third Age 2327–Third Age 2455 | He was the chieftain for 128 years; longer than any other except Aranarth, the first chieftain. |
| 7. | Arahad I | Third Age 2455–Third Age 2523 | During his reign the Watchful Peace came to an end as Sauron returned to Dol Guldur and the White Council was formed. The Éothéod founded the Kingdom of Rohan. |
| 8. | Aragost | Third Age 2523–Third Age 2588 | He lived in historic times, but they didn't affect his life (or rule) directly. |
| 9. | Aravorn | Third Age 2588–Third Age 2654 | |
| 10. | Arahad II | Third Age 2654–Third Age 2719 | |
| 11. | Arassuil | Third Age 2719–Third Age 2784 | In his days, Orcs of the Misty Mountains invaded the western lands. Arassuil and his rangers fought them with Elladan and Elrohir. An Orc party managed to reach the Shire, but Bandobras defeated them at the Battle of Greenfields. |
| 12. | Arathorn I | Third Age 2784–Third Age 2848† | The circumstances of Arathorn's death are mysterious, but his end is marked as dying a premature death. |
| 13. | Argonui | Third Age 2848–Third Age 2912 | He was the chieftain when the Fell Winter descended on Middle-earth. The cause of his death is not known. |
| 14. | Arador | Third Age 2912–Third Age 2930† | He was captured by Hill-trolls in the fells north of Rivendell, and slain. |
| 15. | Arathorn II | Third Age 2930–Third Age 2933† | He was hunting Orcs with Elladan and Elrohir, but was shot through the eye and killed. |
| 16. | Aragorn II | Third Age 2933–Third Age 3019 | The first High King of the Reunited Kingdom. |
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 24/05/2026.
