
Tomb of Elendil on Amon Anwar.
- Type: Beacon-tower
- Inhabitants: 100% Gondorian; later 80% Rohirrim, 20% mixed Mannish
- Population: 100
- Origin: Current tower completed in TA 529
- Purpose: Sacred site and link in Gondor's chain of communications beacons in Anórien.
- Symbol: The White Tree

Amon Anwar (S: “Hill of Awe”), later (after T.A. 2510) Halifirien (Éo.:“Holy Mountain”), rested on the border of Anórien and Calenardhon. The place had been sacred at least since the Second Age, when it was known as Eilenaer (Dn."Holy Hill") to the Men of the White Mountains, who seem to have worshipped both the Mountain and the Holy Grove at it's foot. A group of ancient standing stones still reminded of their long forgotten cult. Later Isildur Elendilion secretly had a memorial mound raised at the hill’s summit known as the Tomb of Elendil. The casket once kept in the Mound was taken to Minas Tirith by Steward Cirion after the Oath of Eorl, sealing the formal Alliance between the Eorlingas and Gondor that had been sworn at the Mound, and Halifirien and surrounding lands passed over to the holding of the Rohirrim.
Amon Anwar was also the seventh beacon in Gondor’s chain, linking Minas Tirith to the borders of Rohan. The beacon tower, completed in T.A. 529, was manned by a garrison, initially Gondorian but later a mix of Rohirrim and other Mannish peoples. Its symbol, the White Tree, reflected its Gondorian origins.
History[]
The Tomb of Elendil[]
After the War of the Last Alliance, High King Isildur declared Amon Anwar hallowed ground. On its summit, he raised a mound containing a silver casket with the bones of Elendil, marked by a black stone engraved with the tengwar lambe, ando, lambe (L·ND·L).
The tomb was kept secret, known only to Gondor’s kings and their heirs. It became a place of royal pilgrimage, where the heir to the throne would learn of the kingdom’s legacy and seek wisdom in times of peril. It was one of the Seven Shrines of Westernesse, the Shrine of Awe, though access was restricted to those granted royal permission.
Transition to Halifirien[]
In T.A. 2510, after the Oath of Eorl, the casket was moved to Minas Tirith by Steward Cirion. The lands of Calenardhon were granted to the Rohirrim, and the site became known as Halifirien. Though its original sanctity waned, it remained significant to the Rohirrim, preserving ancient standing stones and the grove below the hill.
Other names[]
Amon Anwar, Eilenaer, Hill of Anwar, Hill of Awe, Holy Mount; at one time called Fornarthan (S: “North Beacon”)
Places of Note[]
- Beacon at Halifirien
- Beaconwatch
- Deep cleft
- Firien Wood
- The Guard
- Halifirien Tomb or Tomb of Elendil
- The pathway
- The Stairway
- The Standing Stones
Characters[]
References[]
- MERP: Riders of Rohan
- Lindefirion: Amon Anwar