The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Settlements
As an important member of the house of the Kings of Númenor, Gimilkhâd presumably dwelt in the royal city of Armenelos
Pronunciation
gi'milkhad (pronounced with a hard initial 'g', as in 'gift' or 'garden')
Meaning
Uncertain2

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 24 June 2022
  • Updates planned: 1

Gimilkhâd

The father of Ar-Pharazôn

The younger son of King Ar-Gimilzôr of Númenor. He was a staunch supporter of the party known as the King's Men, and opposed the reforming policies of his elder brother Tar-Palantir. His son was Ar-Pharazôn, who usurped the throne of Númenor and brought the island to its destruction.


Notes

1

Gimilkhâd's dates of birth and death are given explicitly in the detailed Line of Elros in Unfinished Tales, and those dates give a lifetime of 199 years. The Akallabêth, meanwhile, does not give dates, but says that Gimilkhâd '...died two years before his two hundredth year...'. This latter source must be counting Gimilkhâd's first year as II 3045 (that is, the year of his first birthday), so his 'two hundredth year' by this method would be II 3245.

2

We can only translate half of Gimilkhâd's name. In volume 9 of The History of Middle-earth, the linguistic notes in The Drowning of Anadûnê provide a detailed discussion of the Adûnaic word gimli, meaning 'star'. Among the plural forms given there is the collective gimil, 'the stars' (that is, all the stars in the sky). So, we can translate the Gimil- element of the name with some confidence, but unfortunately -khâd is not explained in that source or any other, and remains entirely obscure.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 24 June 2022
  • Updates planned: 1

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1999, 2001, 2008, 2022. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Add your corporate identity to your DISC profiles and DISC reports with Discus' branding features.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry