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Mandos was an Ainu, one of the Aratar, and the Vala responsible for the judgement of the Spirits (or Fëa) of all Elven dead. He also had responsibility for pronouncing the dooms and judgments of Eru Ilúvatar under Manwë. His real name was Námo, but was called by the Elves Mandos after his sacred Halls of Mandos, over which he presided, to which Elves would go if they perished.

Mandos was the sixth greatest of the Lords of the Valar, and fifth greatest of the Aratar.[2]

Biography[]

Jenny Dolfen - Masters of Souls

The Masters of Souls, by Jenny Dolfen

Mandos was the brother of Irmo (Lórien) and Nienna in the mind of Eru Ilúvatar. He and Lórien were the "Fëanturi", the Masters of Spirits. His wife was Vairë the Weaver.

It was he who pronounced Manwë's Doom concerning the espousals of the Eldar in YT 1172, [3]when Finwë asked counsel for a second marriage after the death of his wife and her passing to the Halls of Mandos.[4]

When Melkor began marring Arda before the coming of the Elves, Tulkas arrived and wanted to make war swiftly in respone. At Manwë's bidding, Mandos pronounced the doom of the Firstborn. After the captivity of Melkor, Mandos had once again pronounced the doom.[5] Melkor was imprisoned "three ages" in the duress of Mandos thereafter, guarded by the hound Gorgumoth in Lumbi.[6]

Mandos judged Fëanor, creator of the Silmarils, to leave Tirion for twelve years after Fëanor's drawing of his sword against Fingolfin.

When the Ñoldor revolted against the Valar, Mandos appeared before them and pronounced the Doom of the Ñoldor.[7]

Finwë, the first to be slain in Aman, then approached Mandos in his halls and begged for his wife Míriel to return to life. In exchange Finwë could never be reincarnated like other elves, and had to remain in The Halls of Awaiting forever. Mandos granted Finwë his wish.[8]

The halls of mandos

The Halls of Mandos, by Ralph Damiani

Only once was Mandos moved to pity, when Lúthien sang of the grief she and her lover Beren had experienced in Beleriand. Then, with the Elder King's approval, he released them to Middle-earth to begin their second life there as mortal beings with no certitude of life.[9]

When Eärendil arrived in Aman to beg for assistance from the Valar, Mandos considered Eärendil and Elwing's fate as Half-elven and gave them and their descendants a choice: to be counted among either Elves or Men.[10]

Character[]

Mandos, when appearing before the Ñoldor, was described as dark figure with a loud voice, solemn and terrible.[7]

He was described as being stern, dispassionate, and never forgetting a thing. He was the Vala who cursed the Ñoldor leaving Aman, and counselled against allowing them to return. But, unlike Morgoth, his Dooms were not cruel or vindictive by his own design. They were simply the will of Eru, and he would not speak them unless commanded to do so by Manwë.

Etymology[]

His common name Mandos means "prison-fortress". It stems from Mandost ("castle of custody") or mbando ("custody") and osto ("fortified building or place").[11]

His real name, Námo, means "Ordainer" or "Judge" in Quenya.

Other names[]

The Old English translation for Mandos is Nefrea "Corpse-ruler" from neo ("corpse") and frea ("lord"). His title is Neoaerna hlaford ("Master of the houses of the dead").[12] He was also called Morimando, the "Dark Mando", as opposed to Manwë's Kalamando, the "Light Mando".[13]

In Tolkien's earlier work, Mandos was named Vefantur.[14]

Other versions of the legendarium[]

In earlier versions of the legendarium, the wife of Vefantur (the precursor to Vairë) was Fui, and together they were called the "Gods of Death". Their halls were located in the north of Aman, beneath the roots of the Mountains of Valinor.[15] The character of Langon, who acted as an ambassador for Melko, was originally a servant of Námo.[14][16]

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ማንዶስ
Arabic ماندوس
Armenian Մանդոս
Belarusian Cyrillic Мандос
Bengali মান্দস
Bulgarian Cyrillic Мандос
Chinese (Hong Kong) 曼督斯
Georgian მანდოსი (Mandos)

ნამო (Námo)

Greek Μάντος (Mandos)

Νάμο (Námo)

Gujarati મન્દોસ
Hebrew מנדוס
Hindi मन्दोस
Japanese てマンドス (Mandos)

はナーモ (Námo)

Kazakh Мандос (Cyrillic) Mandos (Latin)
Korean 만도스 (Mandos)

나모 (Námo)

Kyrgyz Cyrillic Мандос
Latvian Mandous
Macedonian Cyrillic Мандос
Marathi मंडोस
Mongolian Cyrillic Мандос
Nepalese मन्दोस
Pashto ماندوس
Persian ماندوس
Russian Мандос (Mandos)

Намо (Námo)

Sanskrit मन्दोस्
Serbian мандос (Cyrillic) Mandos (Latin)
Sinhalese මඳොස්
Tajik Cyrillic Мандос
Tamil மந்தொஸ்
Telugu మన్దొస
Ukrainian Cyrillic Мандос
Urdu ماندوس
Uzbek Мандос (Cyrillic) Mandos (Latin)
Yiddish מאַנדאָס

References[]

  1. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 10: Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion, The First Phase, "Of the Valar"
  2. The Silmarillion, Valaquenta, "Of the Valar"
  3. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VI: "Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor"
  4. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 10: Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion, The Second Phase, II: "The Earliest Version of the Story of Finwë and Míriel"
  5. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter III: "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
  6. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter VI: "The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales"
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter IX: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"
  8. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth’s Ring, pgs. 247–250
  9. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XIX: "Of Beren and Lúthien"
  10. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
  11. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 10: Morgoth's Ring, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth
  12. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth, III: "The Quenta", Appendix 1: Translation of Quenta Noldorinwa into Old English
  13. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
  14. 14.0 14.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, IV: "The Chaining of Melko"
  15. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth, VII: "The Earliest Annals of Beleriand"
  16. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter VI: "The Theft of Melko and the Darkening of Valinor"
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