Free The Complete Tolkien Companion by J. E. A. Tyler

– From 1670–1743 Third Age, the eleventh King of Arthedain.
    Arveleg I – From 1356–1409 Third Age, the eighth King of Arthedain, son of Argeleb I. When his father was slain by invading forces of Angmar and Rhudaur in 1356, Arveleg rallied the Dúnedain and, aided by an Elf-host from Lindon, drove away the invaders from the fortified line of Weather Hills. For fifty years Arveleg maintained the eastern ramparts against Angmar, falling in the invasion of 1409, in a final unsuccessful defence of AMON SÛL . Angmar was later driven back by forces from Lindon and Rivendell.
    Arveleg II – From 1743–1813 Third Age, the twelfth King of Arthedain.
    Arvernien – The southernmost part of West Beleriand, a hilly region of fair woods ( see NIMBRETHIL ), bordered on the east by the Mouths of Sirion, and on the west and south by the Great Sea and the Bay of Balar. Its south-western promontory was Cape Balar. Here Eärendil the Mariner built the ship Vingilot, of birch-wood from the forests of Arvernien.
    Arwen Evenstar – The daughter of Elrond Halfelven and Celebrían, daughter of Galadriel. She was born in the year 241 Third Age in Rivendell; and so great was her loveliness that in her, it was said, the likeness of LÚTHIEN TINÚVIEL had returned to earth. To the children of Elrond was appointed the Choice of the Half-elven: to become of mortal kind and die in Middle-earth, or to take ship into the West with Elrond when the time came for the Three Rings to pass away. For many years Arwen Undómiel (‘Evenstar’) dwelt among her mother’s kin, in Lothlórien, to the east of the Misty Mountains. It was here that she fell in love with Aragorn II of the Dúnedain, and so made her Choice. Thus the Doom of Lúthien was indeed shared by Arwen Evenstar.
    Ascar ‘Rushing’ (Sind.) – The northernmost of the six tributaries of the Gelion, in Ossiriand. It was afterwards called Rathlóriel (‘Golden-bed’), because of the treasure of Doriath that was lost in its waters.
    Asëa aranion ‘King’s-leaf’ (Q.) – A healing plant known in Gondor as ‘kingsfoil’ and in the north as athelas (Sind.).
    Asfaloth – The swift white steed of GLORFINDEL , Noldorin Elf of Rivendell.
    Asgon – A Man of Dor-lómin; he aided the escape from that land of Túrin after the slaying of Brodda the cruel Easterling.
    Ash[y] Mountains – The Ered Lithui, northern rampart of Mordor, which ran east from the Black Gate into the southlands of Rhûn. Upon a spur which jutted south from the inner wall stood Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower of Sauron.
    Asta ‘month’ (Q.) – The name given by Númenorean loremasters to the new unit of calendar-computation devised by them early in the Second Age and subsequently incorporated into the Kings’ Reckoning system – which was eventually adopted by many of the people living in the Westlands of Middle-earth during the last half of the Third Age.
    The asta was equal to one-twelfth of the solar year, which the Númenoreans divided into ten astar of 30 days each and two of 31. In both the later Stewards’ Reckoning and the New Reckoning of the Fourth Age, all the astar had 30 days; however, in all three reckoning-systems there were also 3 to 5 additional days which did not fall into any asta.
    Astaldo ‘Valiant’ (Q.) – A title of the Vala TULKAS .
    Astron – In the Shire Reckoning, the fourth month of the year, roughly equivalent to our April. In Bree this month was known as Chithing.
    Atalantë ‘The Downfallen’ (Q.) – The High-elven equivalent of the Adûnaic word Akallabêth, applied to the land of Númenor after its inundation.
    Note: the close resemblance between this Quenya word and the name Atlantis – particularly noteworthy because both are names of vanished, inundated civilisations – may be considered a fit subject for