Dol Amroth

 Dol Amroth

Art by John Howe

Dol Amroth was a promontory, ruled as a hereditary princedom from its stronghold, situated on a peninsula in Gondor facing the Bay of Belfalas.

The emblem of the Prince of Dol Amroth was a silver-upon-blue banner, bearing a ship with a swan-prow upon the sea.

The first known settlers of Belfalas were Sindar refugees from Beleriand in the late First Age, and in the Second Age (after the War of the Elves and Sauron) the headland that would become Dol Amroth was settled by Galadriel and Celeborn; their company was increased by Elves from Lórinand.

A noble Númenórean family of the Faithful settled in Belfalas before the Downfall and built a stronghold on the promontory. When the Realms in Exile were formed, Elendil gave their ruler the title of Prince, and his realm became known as Dor-en-Ernil.

Amroth, the former King of Lórien, was lost in the Bay of Belfalas near the headland in T.A. 1981, and around that time the last Elves departed it. The promontory was now known as Dol Amroth, named as such after the lost King (the "Hill of Amroth"). The Númenóreans now occupied the city, which now probably belonged to Dor-en-Ernil, and its first ruler became Galador. 

Indeed, according to the tradition of his house, Galador's mother was Mithrellas, a Silvan Elf who had accompanied Amroth's beloved Nimrodel on her southward journey from Lórien.

Being a coastal city, Dol Amroth was subject to occasional attacks by the Corsairs of Umbar for its fifteenth prince was slain in battle against these sea raiders in T.A. 2746.

In all, there were twenty-one Princes of Dol Amroth before the twenty-second, Imrahil, led a company of knights and a contingent of 700 men from the city to Minas Tirith during the War of the Ring.

The first known settlers of the promontory were Galadriel and Celeborn along with many Elves from Lórinand some time after S.A. 1701, apart from the Sindarin settlement north of Dol Amroth established in the late First Age. The Elves remained there until T.A. 1981.

The Faithful family that had settled in Dol Amroth was said to be akin to Elendil and, according to the legend of Mithrellas, their Princes had Elvish blood.

Because of this, the ruling house and their kin were noble by blood and fair in face and mind.

In addition to the rulers of Dol Amroth, the people of Dol Amroth were also of high blood being tall, grey-eyed, proud, and dark-haired, indicative of their high Númenórean blood.

In fact, when Prince Imrahil arrived in Minas Tirith with his swan-knights, they "held themselves like lords in whom the race of Númenor ran true."

Being mostly Dúnedain of the South, the inhabitants of Dol Amroth were also some of the few people of Gondor who knew and spoke Sindarin on a daily basis.

They were famous as the most skilful harp players in all of Gondor, who played at the coronation of Aragorn.