• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
    • Nature of Middle-earth
    • LOTRon Prime
    • Questions
  • Words and Terms
    • Middle-earth Lands
  • Resources
  • Blog and Channel Updates
  • Site Survey

An Elf-friend

Answering Middle-earth's most pressing questions

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
    • Media Release Agreement
  • Terms and Conditions
  • WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Valaquenta

January 2, 2022      6 Comments

Word of the Day
January 2, 2022
Valaquenta

Word of the Day: Valaquenta, the “Account of the Valar and Maiar, according to the lore of the Eldar” (The Silmarillion).

Valaquenta in The Silmarillion

When Tolkien describes Valaquenta as the “Account” of the Valar and Maiar, I think it means what sets the stone for them, as it does mean (in this context) a statement of who and what they are, or their context.

After all, when the music (see Ainulindalë) was being made by the Ainur, they then arose into the world at the beginning of times in Middle-earth (Arda, the Kingdom of Earth).

Valar

The first part of Valaquenta is the Valar. The Valar (powers of Arda) and the Men were named by the Elves – and then soon you’ll find that there are seven Lords and seven Queens of the Valar, who are:

The Lords of the Valar

  • Manwë (Lord of the realm of Arda, king, and spouse of Varda)
  • Ulmo (Lord of waters, lover of Elves and Men, dwells alone, and is next to Manwë.)
  • Aulë (little less might than Ulmo, a smith and master of all crafts, spouse of Yavanna)
  • Oromë (a mighty lord, who loved the lands of Middle-earth, though he could be dreadful when he’s weaker than Tulkas, spouse of Vána)
  • Mandos or Námo (keeper of the Houses of the Dead)
  • Lórien or Irmo (master of visions and dreams)
  • Tulkas Astaldo, the Valiant (comes last to Arda, and the spouse of Nessa)

The Queens of the Valar

  • Varda (Lady of the Stars of Eä, spouse of Manwë)
  • Yavanna Kementári (Giver of Fruits, lover of things that grow, next to Varda in reverence. Spouse of Aulë)
  • Nienna (sister of the Fëanturi, see below)
  • Estë the gentle (healer of hurts, spouse of Lórien)
  • Vairë (a weaver, spouse of Mandos)
  • Vána (the ever-young, spouse of Oromë, flowers spring and birds sing at her coming)
  • Nessa (noted for her speed, and delights in dancing. Spouse of Tulkas, and the sister of Oromë)

Then the following were introduced:

  • Fëanturi (masters of spirits, true names Námo and Irmo)
  • Nienna (sister of the Fëanturi, who dwells alone, loves deer, and and acquainted with grief of the wounds suffered in Arda by Melkor)
  • The Valar that are of chief power and reverence: Aratar, Manwë and Varda, Ulmo, Yavanna and Aulë, Mandos, Nienna and Oromë (formerly Melkor, but he was no longer counted among the Valar)

Maiar

After the Valar, the Maiar were introduced in the Valaquenta:

  • Ilmarë (handmaid of Varda)
  • Eönwe (banner-bearer and herald of Manwë)
  • Ossë (vassal of Ulmo, spouse of Uinen)
  • Uinen (Lady of the Seas, Spouse of Ossë)
  • Melian (served both Vána and Estë)
  • Olórin (the wisest of the Maiar, learned pity and patience from Nienna)

Enemies

Lastly, the enemies were listed:

  • Melkor
  • Sauron
  • Morgoth

Related

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Word of the Day: Oromë - An Elf Friend says:
    January 5, 2022 at 5:28 am

    […] He loved the lands of Middle-earth, and wasn’t exactly pleased to go to Valinor when he went. O. loved the trees and forests of Middle-earth. Even after his ship has sailed, he still continued hunting the forests of Middle-earth, especially during the Sleep of Yavanna. He has a horse named Nahar, and blares the horn (Valaróma) for his great sound. […]

    Reply
  2. Word of the Day: Quenta - An Elf Friend says:
    January 7, 2022 at 12:56 pm

    […] “Valaquenta” – the story of the Valar and the Maiar. […]

    Reply
  3. Word of the Day: Valar - An Elf Friend says:
    January 8, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    […] List of Valar […]

    Reply
  4. Word of the Day: Maiar - An Elf Friend says:
    January 9, 2022 at 5:03 am

    […] From the Valaquenta […]

    Reply
  5. Word of the Day: Yavanna - An Elf-friend says:
    January 13, 2022 at 5:21 am

    […] of the Day: Yavanna – the ‘giver of fruits,’ lover of things that grow, and next to Varda in reverence. coming from yávë […]

    Reply
  6. Is Lord of the Rings Christian? - An Elf-friend says:
    February 2, 2022 at 7:01 am

    […] the Valar and Maiar each were skilled in their own craft – but wouldn’t be after everything as a Christian God […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • The Life of Bilbo Baggins
  • The Life of Tom Bombadil
  • The Love Story of Faramir and Éowyn
  • Can we really say the quest only succeeds because of Sam?
  • The Three Houses of the Edain

Recent Comments

  1. The Life of Bilbo Baggins - An Elf-friend on Who was Gandalf before Lord of the Rings?
  2. Who was Gandalf before Lord of the Rings? - An Elf-friend on Histories of Mirkwood in 8 Minutes
  3. Who are the Elf-friends? - An Elf-friend on Origins + History of the Elves in 10 Minutes
  4. YouTube Community Tab - An Elf-friend on A Complete Guide to the Quenya Alphabet
  5. Response to: FEE's "You're Wrong About Optimism" - An Elf-friend on The Full Story of Frodo Baggins

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021

Categories

  • Blog
  • Blog and Channel Updates
  • Character/Region Spotlight
  • LOTRon Prime
  • Middle-earth Lands
  • Nature of Middle-earth
  • Questions
  • Reviews and Responses
  • Reviews and Responses
  • Word of the Day

Footer

accessibility widget

An Elf-friend

https://www.facebook.com/anelffriend

Copyright © 2023 · Billie on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in