Arien
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's high fantasy
legendarium
, Arien is the maiden whom the Valar
chose from among the Maiar
to guide the vessel of the Sun. In the Days of the Trees in Valinor
, Arien had been the one to tend the tree of Laurelin. It is said that she is mightier than Tilion
, the Maia chosen to guide the Moon, because she is a spirit of fire, and able to withstand the heats of Laurelin.
In writings by Tolkien, Tilion is said to have been in love with Arien, and because he sought her out the Moon was scarred by the sun's heat.
In other writings, Morgoth
wanted to claim Arien as a wife, and ravished her, upon which she abandoned her body and 'died', leaving the Sun to travel through the skies uncontrollably and burning parts of Arda
the world. It is also stated in other abandoned writings that she is a Maia of Varda
. It is not clear if it was Tolkien's intent to keep these elements in The Silmarillion, had he lived long enough to publish it.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's high fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
, Arien is the maiden whom the Valar
Vala (Middle-earth)
The Valar are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. They are first mentioned in The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion develops them into the Powers of Arda or the Powers of the World...
chose from among the Maiar
Maia (Middle-earth)
The Maiar are beings from J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium. They are lesser Ainur who entered Eä in the beginning of time. Tolkien uses the term Valar to refer both to all the Ainur who entered Eä, and specifically to the greatest among them, the fourteen Lords and Queens of the Valar...
to guide the vessel of the Sun. In the Days of the Trees in Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
, Arien had been the one to tend the tree of Laurelin. It is said that she is mightier than Tilion
Tilion
In the high fantasy world of famous English author J. R. R. Tolkien, there was a youth in the world of Middle-earth named Tilion whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to steer the island of the Moon....
, the Maia chosen to guide the Moon, because she is a spirit of fire, and able to withstand the heats of Laurelin.
- "Too bright were the eyes of Arien for even the Eldar to look on, and leaving Valinor she forsook the form and raiment which like the Valar she had worn there, and she was as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendour." (The SilmarillionThe SilmarillionThe Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
)
In writings by Tolkien, Tilion is said to have been in love with Arien, and because he sought her out the Moon was scarred by the sun's heat.
In other writings, Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
wanted to claim Arien as a wife, and ravished her, upon which she abandoned her body and 'died', leaving the Sun to travel through the skies uncontrollably and burning parts of Arda
Arda
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory, wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and related material once existed...
the world. It is also stated in other abandoned writings that she is a Maia of Varda
Varda
Varda Elentári is a deity in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium to whom the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel is directed..-Character overview:Varda is one of the Valar, a group of semi-divine beings similar to archangels. Also known as "Queen of the stars", she is said to be too beautiful for words; within...
. It is not clear if it was Tolkien's intent to keep these elements in The Silmarillion, had he lived long enough to publish it.