In the books however, the necklace has a slightly different story. Arwen does gift Aragorn a precious jewel, which is given to him by Galadriel in Lothlorien when she gives her treasures to each member of the fellowship, and she tells the future king ‘I have nothing greater to give you than what has already been given’ In this, she refers of course to her granddaughter Arwen’s heart, which belongs to Aragorn, as his belongs to her. Although he is offered the love of others throughout the journey ahead, he remains true to his elven bride. The jewel that she has set aside for him in the woodland realm is actually a crested eagle, with a green emerald set in the middle known as the Elfstone, which was taken with Earendil to the Undying Lands after the fall of Numenor, and returned to Middle Earth by Gandalf when he came across to the world in physical form.
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So what is the Evenstar necklace from the movies, and why did Peter Jackson make it so significant? Well, Arwen is known by her people as Arwen Evenstar, and is said to be a fair and beautiful likeness to Luthien herself, whom Arwen’s line is descended from. This became an apt name for the necklace she wears, and gifts to a very precious person. Interestingly, this person is Frodo, not Aragorn.
It is not until after the One Ring has been destroyed and the hobbits have been rescued from Mount Doom, that the rare jewel is bestowed, as Arwen see’s how much pain (both physical and emotional) Frodo still carries after his awful encounter with the dark object. ‘She took a white gem like a star that lay upon her breast hanging upon a silver chain, and she set the chain about Frodo’s neck.
“When the memory of the fear and the darkness troubles you," she said, “this will bring you aid.” It is meant to be something that helps him find salvation, and is possibly even imbued with the remedial qualities of the famed healing powers of Elrond, Arwen’s father, to help Frodo re-find himself. Alongside it she promises that if his trauma is too unbearable to endure, he will be allowed to sail into the west on the ships leaving for the Undying Lands.
Arwen’s fate is not tied to the destroying of the Ring like the movies suggest, but she is tied to the Valinor, and in essence, gives Frodo her place across the sea. The necklace itself could be symbolic of her ancestry and her connection to the Silmarils, and it’s glittering white depiction is reminiscent of the White gems of Lasgalen, and of the ring Galadriel wears, one of the three elven rings of power known as Nenya.
These are all objects of star-light, and thus are widely coveted for their grace and beauty. It is also thought that giving the necklace to Frodo serves to remind him that despite everything he went through, the quest was achieved. ‘Mr. Frodo wore always a white jewel on a chain that he would often finger’, just as he used to finger the one ring around his neck, so in this sense the cruel and evil ring has been replaced by a pure and loving stone, a thing that Frodo can wear with pride, and call upon whenever he feels himself fading.
There are many things that need fixing after the war, including rebuilding Minas Tirith, mending the injured soldiers who fought in the battles, and strengthening the alliances between the Reunited Kingdoms, but Frodo is beyond curing. He tells Sam ‘The shire has been saved, but not for me,’ and essentially shows Arwen’s necklace as a sort of ticket to Valinor, where he is finally able to find the peace he has been seeking since the destruction of the ring. It is not necessary for him to have the necklace in order to board the boat, for Sam and Gimli both also go much later on, when they have lived long and full lives, but the necklace just shows that Frodo goes in a place of high honor and esteem, because he was the bearer that took the object all the way to Mordor.
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