Elbereth is the Sindarin name of the Vala Varda. Her name comes up at various times during The Lord of the Rings, usually in a song or invocation. In The Fellowship of the Ring (novel), the Elves whom Frodo Baggins, Peregrin Took, and Samwise Gamgee meet in the Shire are singing a song in her praise. Frodo calls out to Elbereth when he is attacked at Weathertop, and Aragorn refers to her name as "deadly" to the Nazgûl. Sam suggests "Elbereth" as a password to Frodo after he frees Frodo from the orcs in the Tower of Cirith Ungol; that way Frodo can let down the ladder when he returns from gathering gear for them to wear into Mordor.
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