Varda
From the One Wiki to Rule Them All, the Lord of the Rings Encyclopedia.
Varda Elentári is a Vala, wife of Manwë. She is probably best known by her Sindarin name, Elbereth Gilthoniel, as Frodo uttered that name at Weathertop to drive away the Ringwraiths.
When Melkor first began to create his discord, Varda saw his mind, and hated him. Melkor fears and hates Varda the most out of the Valar.
Varda is said to be too beautiful for words. Within her face radiates the light of Ilúvatar. She resides with Manwë in Valinor. Varda created the stars with the dews from the vats of Telperion, the silver of the Two Trees.
The Valar are divine beings below a greater, more ultimate Creator, Ilúvatar. Thus some equate the Valar of Middle-earth with saints and angels; thus Varda, in her role as the most loved and prayed-to Vala, may be an equivalent of the Virgin Mary in Tolkien's own Catholic faith.
[edit] Names
Varda means sublime or lofty in Quenya, and Elentári means Star-queen. An epithet of her is Tintalle which means Star-kindler.
In Sindarin she is also known as Elbereth (Star-queen), Gilthoniel (Starkindler) and Fanuilos (Ever-white). In Telerin she is called Baradis.
She is also referred to by the epithets The Kindler, Lady of the Stars, Queen of the Stars, Snow-white. They are translations of her Elvish names.
In NetHack and some other Roguelike games, the name Elbereth is used as a protective charm. For more, read the NetHack Elbereth FAQ; for a wiki page, try w:c:NetHack:Elbereth.
"Varda" (ורדה) is a Hebrew name meaning "Rose", and is a common female first name in contemporary Israel. It is unknown whether Tolkien was aware of and influenced by this, or whether he created a similar name independently. For the influence of Hebrew on Tolkien's languages, see: 'Jewish Influences in Middle-earth' by Zak Cramer in Mallorn, The Journal of the Tolkien Society, #44, August 2006.
| Ainur of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
| Ainulindalë (Music of the Ainur) | |
| Lords of the Valar: | Manwë | Aulë | Oromë | Irmo (Lórien) | Námo (Mandos) | Tulkas | Ulmo |
| Queens of the Valar (The Valier): | Varda | Yavanna | Vána | Estë | Vairë | Nessa | Nienna |
| The Enemy: | Morgoth (a.k.a. Melkor) |
| Maiar: | Eönwë | Ilmarë | Ossë | Uinen | Salmar | Sauron | Melian | Arien | Tilion | Gothmog Curumo (Saruman) | Olórin (Gandalf) | Aiwendil (Radagast) | Alatar and Pallando | Durin's Bane |
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Varda. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
