![[Aragorn's flag]](../images/f/ficoarag.gif)
by Carrie Mooney
Last modified: 2006-01-21 by marc pasquin
Keywords: book | tolkien | silmarillion | the hobbit | lord of the rings |
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J.R.R. Tolkien's The
Silmarillion, (Edited by Christopher
Tolkien) is a collection of epics most of which precede the action
in `The Hobbit' and `The Lord of the Rings'. it includes
genealogical tables, note on pronunciation, index of names, maps, etc.
not much verbal details I'm afraid. Still, JRRT worked them in
where appropriate. Consistent with his tone (register) is the use of the
words `banner' and `standard', never `flag'.
Jan Mertens 9 january 2004
Though it may be far fetched, it is conceivable that some of the
standards in the excerps need not to be flags, but some other kind of
vexilloids. Well, I have counted three mention of 'standards' in
paragraphs Jan quoted. The last is description of a rising of a royal
standard on a ship, so surely this is a flag, but the previous two
are standards on the battlefields that may well be vexilloids of any
sort (including the flags). Of course, it may be that Tolkien would
never use the term 'standard' in that sence, though.
Željko Heimer 11 january 2004
It is my opinion that one may say that Tolkien was not much
interested in heraldry and vexillology comparing the depth of his
interest into other unusual fields of expertise he was providing
in his works (e.g. scripts and calendars). His descriptions of flags
are found scattered across the books but they are rarely useful to
reconstruct what he really meant and how he imagined them to be. The
flags are described mostly with most simple descriptions, like the
one currently under the entry for Rohan
Thus we cannot know the shape of the flag was and how much intricate
details it included. Most of the artists providing flags in their
artistical visions of the Tolkien's world interpret these flags as
full of details and ornamentations, giving a "celtic" ornaments etc.
of which Tolkien mentioned nothing. The flag as he described, if we
would follow the description of rohan - would be just a banner of
arms of "vert a horse courant argent".
Željko HEIMER, 2 january 2004
The flags in the movies are slightly different
from the plain sense of the text (for example, the Stewards' flag is
not plain white, but has a white charge on white).
Nathan Lamm , 2 january 2004
by Carrie Mooney
black with silver winged crown is no doubt the flag of Aragorn (Strider), the claimant to the throne of the two western kingdoms and one of the main characters of the story. This would be the flag that his bride-to-be Arwen made for him.
Željko Heimer, 14 may 2001
In Lord of the rings, (Book V, Chapter 6: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields") this flag
is described as being black with a White Tree surrounded by stars
and surmounted by a crown (later on it's called "the Tree and Stars").
Therefore I would say that the flag on the website is at best based
on the flag Arwen made. (Hence my earlier claim that the flag does not
correspond to a flag described in the book.)
Stefan Schwoon, 15 may 2001
In Lord of the rings, ch. The passing of the Grey Company; p.772.
Aragorn says to the army of the Dead:
"For I am Elessar, Isildur's heir of Gondor. [...] And with that he bade Halbarad unfurl the great standard which he had brought; and behold! it was black, and if there was any device upon it, it was hidden in the darkness."
white swan (or swan-shaped boat) on blue.
Željko Heimer, 15 November 1995
From Lord of the rings, "The Field of Cormallen":
"Upon the left was a banner, silver upon blue, a ship swan-prowed faring on the sea."
In Lord of the rings, ch. Minas Tirith; p.754. (11 Mar 3019 TA).
Pippin and Bergil watch the Arrival of province troops to Minas
Tirith:
"Imrahil, prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, wil gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan."
From The Hobbit:
"«They bore with them [...] the blue banner of the Lake»"This refers to the Man village of Esgaroth, by the Long Lake, and perhaps also to survivors and offspring of the Man village of Dale. More references afterwards imply that the use of this banner, both in battle as in parley, was much alike to real world mediaeval usage.
From The Silmarillion, on p. 128 (Quenta Silmarillion: Chapter 13: Of the Return of the Noldor):
"But as the host of Fingolfin marched into Mithrim the Sun rose flaming in the West; and Fingolfin unfurled his blue and silver banners, and blew his horns, and flowers sprang beneath his marching feet, and the ages of the stars were ended."On p. 184 (idem) it is said that Fingolfin's shield is blue and set with crystals.
"Thus fell the High King of the Noldor; and they beat him into the dust with their maces, and his banner, blue and silver, they trod into the mire of his blood."
On p. 253 of the Hobbit:
"«their banners were countless, black and red.»"This is a reference to the banners of the Goblin side in the Battle of Five Armies.
It is not clear if they were having two
types of banners, some black and some red, or if all of them were
made of the two colours - though in the latter case, there is no hint
that these flags would be bicolours as we think of them.
Željko Heimer, 4 january 2004
Not that it is going to add much to the discusion but if they were 2
types of banners, it would have been «their banners were countless,
blacks and reds» unless my linguistic skills fail me.
Marc Pasquin, 5 january 2004
Tolkien had a very poetic way of writing English, so that "their
banners were countless, black and red" can very well mean that there
were all-black and all-red banners.
Nathan Lamm, 5 january 2004
In Lord of the rings, ch. "The Black Gate is closed"; p.631-632. (05 Mar 3019 TA).
Gollum / Sméagol, newly arrived to Mordor, describing Harad
troops at the Morannon to Frodo and Sam:
"And some have red paint on their cheeks; and their flags are red, and the tips of their spears, and they have round shields, yellow and black, with big spikes."
In Lord of the rings, (Book V, Chapter 6: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"):
"Southward beyond the road lay the main force of the Haradrim, and there horsemen were gathered about the standard of their chieftain [...] Then he was filled with a red wrath and shouted aloud, and displaying his standard, black serpent upon scarlet [...]"
From Lord of the rings, "the return of the king":
"For I am Elessar, Isildur's heir of Gondor.'And with that he bade Halbarad unfurl the great standard which he had brought; and behold! it was black, and if there was any device upon it, it was hidden in the darkness."
![[Minas Tirith's flag]](../images/f/ficomint.gif)
by Blanche Plainfield
As much as I can remember the Stewards of Minas Tirith do not use any
device, but the pure white flag.
Željko Heimer, 15 November 1995
From Lord of the rings, "The Steward and the King":
"... and upon the White Tower of the citadel the standard of the Stewards, bright argent like snow in the sun, bearing no charge nor device."
On p. 236 of the Hobbit:
"«They bore with them the green banner of the Elvenking ...»"This refers to the Mirkwood Elves. More references afterwards imply that the use of this banner, both in battle as in parley, was much alike to real world mediaeval usage.
![[mordor's flag]](../images/f/ficomord.gif)
by Carrie Mooney
red eye on sable.
Željko Heimer, 15 November 1995
In Lord of the rings, ch. The Black Gate Open; p.870. (24 Mar 3019 TA).
The "Mouth of Sauron" parleys with Aragorn and Gandalf:
"with him [...] a single banner, black but bearing on it in red the Evil Eye."
From The Silmarillion. Talking about Ar-Pharazôn and his fleet, on p. 334 (Ch. 24: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath):
"In that time the fleets of the Nu'meno'reans darkened the sea upon the west of the land, and they were like an archipelago of a thousand isles: their masts were as a forest upon the mountains, and their sails like a brooding cloud; and their banners were golden and black. (….) Then he did on his panoply and his crown, and let raise his standard, and he gave the signal for the raising of the anchors; and in that hour the trumpets of Nu'menor outrang the thunder."
on black, a white tree, seven white stars above. Lord of the rings describes it once like this, but with *yellow* stars in another. Both descriptions include the crown "in gold and iron.").
Željko Heimer, 15 November 1995
In Lord of the rings, ch. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields; p.829. (15 Mar 3019 TA).
Aragorn arrives by ship to Pelenor:
"upon the foremost ship a great standard broke, and the wind displayed it as she turn towards the Harlond. There flowered a White Tree, and that was for Gondor; but Seven Stars were about it, and a high crown above it, the signs of Elendil that no lord had borne for years beyond count. And the stars flamed in the sunlight, for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond; and the crown was bright in the morning, for it was wrought of mithril and gold."
In Lord of the rings, ch. The Steward and the King; p.951. (mid 3019 TA).
Arriving for the weding of Aragorn and Arwena:
"First come Elrohir and Elladan with a banner of silver"
white horse on green field.
Željko Heimer, 15 November 1995
From Lord of the rings, Book III Chapter 6 (The King of the Golden Hall):
"It bore the running horse, white upon green, that was the emblem of the House of Eorl"and other references, none of which talk about a horse's head, but a whole horse.
In Lord of the rings, ch. "The Siege of Gondor"; p.802. (10 Mar 3019 TA).
Siege of Minas Tirith is done by:
"wild Southron men with red banners."
In Lord of the rings, ch. "The Ride of the Rohirrim"; p.820. (15 Mar 3019 TA).
Théoden arrives to Minas Tirith; along with him was:
"Guthláf, his banner-bearer[...]Behind him his banner blew in the wind, white horse upon a field of green."
From The Silmarillion, on p. 302 (Ch. 24: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath):
"But the host of the Valar prepared for battle; and beneath their white banners marched the Vanyar, the people of Ingwë, and those also of the Noldor who never departed from Valinor, whose leader was Finarfin the son of Finwë."
From The Silmarillion, on p. 306 (Ch. 24: Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath):
"And the Vanyar returned beneath their white banners, and were borne in triumph to Valinor; but their joy in victory was diminished, for they returned without the Silmarils from Morgoth's crown, and they knew that those jewels could not be found or brought together again unless the world be broken and remade."
Sources Used