Varda
Encyclopedia
Varda Elentári is a deity in J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
to whom the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel
is directed..
, a group of semi-divine
beings similar to archangel
s. Also known as "Queen of the stars", she is said to be too beautiful for words; within her face radiates the light of Ilúvatar (God
). She resides with her husband Manwë
, with whom she shares a complementary power. When they are together, Manwë "sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea" and Varda "hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west". Varda created the stars before the Valar descended into the world, and later with the dews from the vats of Telperion she made the constellation
s, most significantly the Valacirca, The Sickle of the Valar (The Big Dipper
).
When the evil Vala Melkor
first began to create his discord, Varda saw his mind, and rejected him. Melkor fears and hates Varda the most out of the Valar. This is because he greatly desired to possess light, that which she created. Melkor however, failed in this task.
s. Her Quenya
name Varda means "sublime" or "lofty", and her epithet Elentári means "Star-queen". Another epithet of her is Tintallë, which means "Star-kindler".
In Sindarin
, she was also known as Elbereth ("Star-queen"), Gilthoniel ("Starkindler") and Fanuilos ("Ever-white"). In Primitive Quenya she was called Barathī, in Telerin
she is called Baradis, and in Adûnaic
her name was Avradî.
She was 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.
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 legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
to whom the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
A Elbereth Gilthoniel is an Elvish hymn to Varda in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.-The Hymn:There are three versions of this hymn, the first of which being the largest portion of Sindarin found in the novel:-Musical Versions:...
is directed..
Character overview
Varda is one of the ValarVala (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...
, a group of semi-divine
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
beings similar to archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
s. Also known as "Queen of the stars", she is said to be too beautiful for words; within her face radiates the light of Ilúvatar (God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
). She resides with her husband Manwë
Manwë
Manwë is a god or Vala of the Elven pantheon imagined by J. R. R. Tolkien. He is described in The Silmarillion.Manwë was the King of the Valar, husband of Varda Elentári, brother of the Dark Lord Melkor, and King of Arda. He lived atop Mount Taniquetil, the highest mountain of the world, in the...
, with whom she shares a complementary power. When they are together, Manwë "sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea" and Varda "hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west". Varda created the stars before the Valar descended into the world, and later with the dews from the vats of Telperion she made the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s, most significantly the Valacirca, The Sickle of the Valar (The Big Dipper
Big Dipper
The Plough, also known as the Big Dipper or the Saptarishi , is an asterism of seven stars that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial...
).
When the evil Vala Melkor
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...
first began to create his discord, Varda saw his mind, and rejected him. Melkor fears and hates Varda the most out of the Valar. This is because he greatly desired to possess light, that which she created. Melkor however, failed in this task.
Names
Like most of the legendarium's characters, Varda has a different name in each of Tolkien's invented languageFictional language
Fictional languages are by far the largest group of artistic languages. Fictional languages are intended to be the languages of a fictional world and are often designed with the intent of giving more depth and an appearance of plausibility to the fictional worlds with which they are associated, and...
s. Her Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
name Varda means "sublime" or "lofty", and her epithet Elentári means "Star-queen". Another epithet of her is Tintallë, which means "Star-kindler".
In Sindarin
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
, she was also known as Elbereth ("Star-queen"), Gilthoniel ("Starkindler") and Fanuilos ("Ever-white"). In Primitive Quenya she was called Barathī, in Telerin
Telerin
Telerin is a constructed language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is one of the many fictional language set in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth....
she is called Baradis, and in Adûnaic
Adûnaic
Adûnaic is a fictional language in the fantasy works of J. R. R. Tolkien.One of the languages of Arda in Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, it was spoken by the Men of Númenor during the Second Age.-Fictional history:...
her name was Avradî.
She was 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.
Cultural references
- In the computer game NetHackNetHackNetHack is a single-player roguelike video game originally released in 1987. It is a descendant of an earlier game called Hack , which is a descendant of Rogue...
, the player can ward off most monsters by engraving the name "Elbereth" into the ground. - In the Playstation 1 video game Castlevania: Symphony of the NightCastlevania: Symphony of the NightCastlevania: Symphony of the Night, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.Symphony of the...
, the Ring of Varda is dropped by Paranthropus. It's description is: "Golden ring to rule over all!"