January 26, 2004

Of Valinor
Brett C.

A lot of people have been writing some very good descriptions of Valinor and the Undying Lands, hinted at throughout the three films, and most especially this last one. Here is mine, for those who desire more knowledge of these places.

Firstly, Valinor is only a region of the land of Aman, westernmost of landmasses of the world. It is a large plain located in the northern half of that continent. The entire eastern coast of Aman was bordered by the Pelori, the highest mountains of the world raised by the Valar to unsurpassed heights as a defence against Melkor/Morgoth. The highest peak of all, Taniquetil, was located overlooking Valmar, the city of the Valar in the middle of the great plain of Valinor, illuminated by the light of the Two Trees of the Valar. The Two Trees were of gold and silver and stood upon a hill outside the Golden Gates of Valmar. At the base of that hill was the Ezollohar, the Ring of Doom where the Valar gathered to pronounce judgements. After their destruction the withered husks remained there. Before that one of their seeds was given to Elves for their city of Tuna, located in the Calacirya. A seed of this tree eventually came to Numenor, and was in turn carried to Gondor, where it can be seen flowering once again at the end of Return of the King.

The Pelori have sheer eastern faces, but more gentle western slopes falling in many hills down the plains beyond. The only pass through those mountains was the Calacirya, the Pass of Light that opened out onto the Bay of Eldamar, the destination of the ships of Elves that depart Middle Earth.

North of Eldamar on the east coast of Aman is Alqualonde, the city and harbour of the Teleri, the Sea Elves. It’s houses are wrought of pearl, and it’s sands are strewn with jewels. The arch to the harvour it delves beneath a great arch of stone, and it is lit with many lamps. In the midst of the bay is Tol Eressea, the lonely island, counted the estermost part of Aman. On its eastern shore lies the city of Avalonne, near to Valinor.

The southern half of Valinor appears to consist of the woods of Orome, the huntsman of the Valar, and the tended fields of Yvannna, the Lady of Living Things. Those fields shine like a sea of gold at harvest times, when the wheat of the gods is ripened. Southwards of these places is a region called Avathar, apparently little explored, and steeped in shadows. In a ravine in the Pelori in that place dwelt Ungoliant, a spirit of darkness who took the form of a demonic spider and who was the ancestor of Shelob. It was by her efforts that Morgoth was able to scale the Pelori on his return to Valinor and so destroy the Two Trees.

North of Valinor the land of Aman bent eastward til it came near to Middle Earth in a region of bitter cold. This was called the Helcaraxe, the grinding ice.

The westernmost shores of Aman look upon the encircling sea, whose girth is known to the Valar alone, and whose uttermost end is the Wall of Night that encircles the world. Ulmo, Lord of Waters, dwells therein. Between Valinor and those shores are the Halls of Mandos where the spirits of the dead are summoned. These halls grow ever larger as the ages pass, and are hung with the tapestries of Vaire the Weaver that record all things. Her spouse is Namo, keeper of Mandos and Doomsman of the Valar. Nearby are the gardens of Lorien, fairest in the world – Irmo the dream master is it’s master, and Este the healer is her spouse in her raiment of grey. Olorin, wisest of the Maiar, who was after called Gandalf, dwelt there. But also he visited much with Nienna, who weeps for all hurts. “But she does not weep for herself; and those who hearken to her learn pity, and endurance in hope.” Her halls lie upon the last shore “west of West”, near to the Houses of Mandos. The windows of her house “look outwards from the walls of the world”, and from her Olorin “learned pity and patience.”