You’re not mistaken! For a short time, the sun did rise in the west and set in the east! In fact, the first sunrise was in the west, and when the first of the race of men awoke and saw it on the horizon, they started traveling in that direction (thus explaining how the Edain… Continue reading Welcome back! I have a question, when I was in high school (over a decade ago) I read many of Tolkien’s works and I swore that I read somewhere that said he the sun rose in the west and set in the east in Middle Earth… but now I can’t find it anywhere. I cannot remember where I think I saw this. Am I just mistaken or did I actually read this? Thanks!
Tag: valar
What would be a simple way to explain the Valar and Maiar/Istari to movie-fans who don’t really understand any of the lore that wasn’t presented in the films?
I often find that, if a straight-up explanation doesn’t work, go for a comparison. So, if saying that the Valar are demigods that helped create the world, and the Maiar are their apprentices/servants (the Istari being a specific group of Maiar that were sent to Middle Earth to help people defeat Sauron), then try a… Continue reading What would be a simple way to explain the Valar and Maiar/Istari to movie-fans who don’t really understand any of the lore that wasn’t presented in the films?
Ok this question is not related to Middle Earth or Tolkien World but rather to a sentence I read in Silmalirion and couldn’t understand. I would completely understand if you didn’t answer it but I’m hoping you would…. So here goes… When Tolkien talks about the appearance of the Valar in the Silmalirion he says ‘Moreover their shape comes from their knowledge of the Visible World rather than of the World itself’… What does this mean?
The story of the Valar and the creation of the world is pretty fascinating. The simple version of the story is that the Valar sang and the world was created from their singing. But in actually the Valar sang, Iluvatar showed them a vision of the world based on their song, and then the Valar… Continue reading Ok this question is not related to Middle Earth or Tolkien World but rather to a sentence I read in Silmalirion and couldn’t understand. I would completely understand if you didn’t answer it but I’m hoping you would…. So here goes… When Tolkien talks about the appearance of the Valar in the Silmalirion he says ‘Moreover their shape comes from their knowledge of the Visible World rather than of the World itself’… What does this mean?
Middle Earth and Flood Myths
To begin with, just so we’re all on the same page, the flood myth definition I’m working it is based on the Wikipedia page, which says it’s “a narrative in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys a civilization, often in an act of divine retribution.” It’s also mentioned that the flood may be an… Continue reading Middle Earth and Flood Myths
What’s your personal opinion of the Valar and their role in, well, everything? I feel like there is distinct line in the fandom between those who like the Valar and those who don’t. Also, why didn’t the Valar help throw down Sauron in the third age? I’m sure they knew what was going on, so why didnt they help?
So, with the disclaimer that this is entirely my own opinion: There are some Valar that I like more than others, some of their decisions that I agree with more than others, and other such opinions/judgments of the Valar. But when it comes to the Big Decisions (which I talk about in this post), Tolkien… Continue reading What’s your personal opinion of the Valar and their role in, well, everything? I feel like there is distinct line in the fandom between those who like the Valar and those who don’t. Also, why didn’t the Valar help throw down Sauron in the third age? I’m sure they knew what was going on, so why didnt they help?
Mahanaxar: The Ring of Doom
The Ring of Doom – also called Mahanaxar, in Quenya – was basically the Valar’s throne room. Except, instead of a room, it was a circle of thrones set outside of the western gates of Valimar, the city of the Ainur in Valinor. Plenty of significant things happened at the Ring of Doom: The Valar… Continue reading Mahanaxar: The Ring of Doom
About the Valar: We can read a description of their house in the lost tales. But they don’t need a bed, kitchen or toilet. So how is the life in Valinor for them?
Paradisiacal, theoretically. (And that, ladies and gents, is your vocab word for the day: paradisiacal, “of, relating to, or resembling paradise.”) No, but really, they’re all-powerful space-angels who created the world for funsies. I have no idea what their lives in Valinor are like, but I imagine that even if we knew what they did, we… Continue reading About the Valar: We can read a description of their house in the lost tales. But they don’t need a bed, kitchen or toilet. So how is the life in Valinor for them?
Aule and Yavanna
It’s true that many of the other Ainur couples seem to specialize in elements of Arda that are very closely related (Irmo and Este have dreams and sleep, Mandos and Vaire have death and history, even Varda and Manwe have stars/ight and sky/air.) At first glance, it does seem like Aule and Yavanna don’t have… Continue reading Aule and Yavanna
Okay, sorry that this isn’t exactly “research” or anything, but it was too much fun to pass up. Here’s my personal fancast for the Valar:
- Yavanna: Nicole Kidman
- Aule: Djimon Hounsou
- Varda: Lucy Liu
- Manwe: Faran Tahir
- Irmo/Lorien: Shemar Moore
- Este: Q’orianka Kilcher
- Namo/Mandos: Mads Mikkleson
- Vaire: Vidya Balan
- Ulmo: Daniel Dae Kim
- Vana: Emma Stone
- Nienna: Lupita Nyong’o
- Orome: Jason Mamoa
- Nessa: Zoe Saldana
- Tulkas: Chris Hemsworth
The Warrior Siblings of the Valar
(The answer to your question is actually very short – The Book of Lost Tales. But the Valar you’re referring to were way too cool not to write about.) Tolkien abandoned two of the Valar when he revised the story from the original form that we see in The Book of Lost Tales. These two… Continue reading The Warrior Siblings of the Valar
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