Malbeth was one of the Dúnedain of Arthedain. The meaning of his name was almost certainly 'golden tongue', and his title was "The Seer".

Gifted with foresight, he predicted several events of both the near and far future. He saw that Arvedui would be Arthedain's last King, and he also predicted Aragorn's passage of the Paths of the Dead, even though it lay a thousand years in his own future.