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Vána (Quenya; IPA: [ˈvaːna] - "Beautiful One") was an Ainu and a Valië who was responsible for the preserving of the youth made for all life in Arda. Among the seven Valier, Vána was considered the sixth in importance.[1] She was the sister of Yavanna and wife of Oromë and was possibly related to Melian.

Biography[]

Vána was the younger sister of Yavanna (Queen of the Earth) and the wife of Oromë (Huntsman of the Valar). In her dwellings she had gardens filled with golden flowers, and she frequently came to the forests of Oromë. Like her sister, the province of Vána was growing things of the world, and she was a lover of nature. Vána had influence with the flora and fauna of Middle-earth, and she was associated especially with flowers; thus Vána was also known as the "Queen of Flowers".[2]

It was said that when the Valar Tulkas and Nessa were wedded on the Isle of Almaren, the first dwelling of the Valar, Vána robed her sister-in-law with her flowers.[3]

In the days of the Two Trees of Valinor, Arien of the Maiar had served Vána by tending to the golden flowers of her gardens, watering them with bright dews from Laurelin.[4] Melian initially served Vána before departing for Middle-earth.[5]

After the Darkening of Valinor and the flight of the Ñoldor to Middle-earth, most of the Valar were glad to have their ancient peace back, wishing for neither Melkor and his violence nor the murmur of the restless Ñoldor to come upon them again. Therefore, they clamored for the concealment of their land Aman. It was said that Vána was one among them.[6]

Character[]

According to The Silmarillion, "All flowers spring as Vána passes and opens if she glances upon them; and all birds sing at her coming."[1] Vána robed herself in flowers and it was said that her hair was golden in color.[7] Vána had the beauty of both heaven and earth upon her face and in all her works.[8] Like Nessa, Vána also sang and danced along with her maidens.[2]

Maiar of Vána[]

Etymology[]

The name Vána may have been derived from the Quenya word vanima ("beautiful"), as she is often described as "fair".[9] Hence she was also known as Vána the Fair.

Other versions of the legendarium[]

In an early version of the legendarium, Vána was a character of much greater power, known as Tári-Laisi, queen "of life" and bringer of spring and happiness. She was of a pair of sisters simply known as Tári ("Queens"), with the other being an early version of Nienna, seen as a mistress of death, winter, and despair.

Vána and her husband Oromë were once envisioned to have had a daughter named Nielíqui.[10]

In other material, Vána was the younger sister of Queen Varda and Yavanna.[2]

Vána had played a formative role in the growth of great golden Tree Laurelin: "Then was the pit covered with rich earths that Palúrien (Yavanna) devised, and Vána came who loveth life and sunlight and at whose song the flowers arise and open, and the murmur of her maidens round her was like to the merry noise of the folk that stir abroad for the first time on a bright morning. There sang she the song of spring upon the mound, and danced about it, and watered it with great streams of that golden light that Ulmo (Lord of All Waters) had brought from the spilled lakes--as yet was Kulullin almost o'erflowing at that time.[10]

In earlier versions laid out in The History of Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that when the great Two Trees of Valinor were destroyed, Vána fell into inconsolable grief for her great love for the golden tree Laurelin. Furthermore, Vána then attempted to gather what she could of the spilled light in order to rekindle the dead tree. Yet, as Vána clung to the dead trunk of Laurelin after all ministrations had failed to rekindle the tree, her tears finally coaxed forth a new golden shoot that bore one golden fruit. The Valar used this golden fruit to construct the Sun that Vána's maiden Urwen (Arien) would later lead across the sky. Then Vána, in repentance of her earlier doubts, cut short her golden hair to weave the sails of the Sun-ship.[7]

Gallery[]

Vana by losse elda-d7uzbn4
Vána, by losse-elda
Vana the Ever-young
Vána the Ever-young, by Emberrose Art

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ቫና
Arabic فانا
Armenian Վանա
Belarusian Cyrillic Вана
Bengali ভান
Bulgarian Cyrillic Вана
Chinese 威娜
Georgian ვანა
Greek Βάνα
Gujarati વન​
Hindi वन​
Hebrew ואנה
Japanese ヴァーナ
Kazakh Вана (Cyrillic) Vana (Latin)
Korean 바나
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Вана
Macedonian Cyrillic Вана
Marathi वन​
Mongolian Cyrillic Вана
Nepalese वन​
Pashto وانا
Persian وانا
Punjabi ਵਨ
Russian Вана
Sanskrit वन​
Serbian вана (Cyrillic) Vána (Latin)
Sinhalese වන
Tajik Cyrillic Вана
Tamil வந​
Telugu వన​
Thai วานา
Ukrainian Cyrillic Вана
Urdu وانا
Uzbek Вана (Cyrillic) Vana (Latin)
Yiddish בֿאַנאַ

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Silmarillion, Valaquenta, "Of the Valar"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion, The First Phase: "Of the Valar"
  3. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth's Ring, Annals of Aman, "The First Year of the Valar in Arda"
  4. The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Ch. XI: "The Tale of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor"
  5. The Silmarillion, Valaquenta, "Of the Maiar"
  6. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter III: "The Fall of Gondolin"
  7. 7.0 7.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter VIII: "The Tale of the Sun and Moon"
  8. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part II, Quenta Silmarillion: "Of the Valar", pg. 226
  9. The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
  10. 10.0 10.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter III: "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor"
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