Monday, August 27, 2018
Your Pseudonym
You have been given the name of a figure from Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology to use as your pseudonym for work on this blog. Look up your pseudonym and write a brief description of who/what your mythological character is. Tell us whatever you can learn of the story of your character. If you really get inspired, feel free to add an image to your description!
6 comments:
My pseudonym is Ulmo. Ulmo is a Vala; he is called the Lord of Waters. He resides in the deep ocean but his power also lies in rivers and lakes upon land. Manwë is Ulmo’s closest friend. The waters are said to contain the echoes of the Music of Creation more than any other substance in the world, and in the beginning Ilúvatar created beautiful frost and clouds for Ulmo in response to the deadly heats and chills created by Melkor. Ulmo kept Middle-earth alive in the Years of the Trees when there was only starlight there. He also pushed the island of Tol Eressëa back and forth across the ocean to carry the Elves to Valinor. Ulmo was the closest of the Valar in friendship with the Elves when they were alienated from Valinor, but as the rivers and streams of the world were defiled his power withdrew from them.
My pseudonym is Varda. In Tolkien's mythology, Varda is one of the fifteen Valar who helps Eru bring the world into being during the Ainulindalë. Varda is the Queen of the Valar as well as the Lady of Starlight, known so for her role during the creation of the world when she made the brightest stars in the sky using dew from Telperion — the silver tree of Valinor. Most famous of her creations are the Sickle of the Valar (presumably the constellation Ursa Major) and Menelmacar (Orion).
Varda is also an exceptionally powerful and perceptive character, being one of the first of the Valar to hear Melkor's discordant singing during the creation song and rejecting him for it. Out of all the Valar, Varda was hated the most by Melkor both for her power and her control over light, which he desired for himself.
-Varda*
My pseudonym is Melian. The name Melian is of J. R. R. Tolkien's language Sindarin and translates to "dear gift." Melian was also called Tóril which means "Queen" in Tolkien's language Doriathrin.
Melian the Maia was of the Ainur race and she ruled as Queen of Doriath. Before this wise and beautiful queen came to Middle Earth she could be found in the gardens in Lórien singing her beautiful songs. Melian is associated with songbirds and it is believed that it was she that taught the nightingales how to sing. Melian fell in love with the Elven-king, Elu Thingol, who she met in Nan Elmoth and she later married and ruled Doriath with. She protected the city of Doriath with a spell called the Girdle of Melian for many years and had a single daughter, Lúthien, with Thingol. Through her daughter, Melian's bloodline was descended to both elves and to men. When her husband died Melian her city for Valinor, where she mourned the loss of her husband, and in her absence, the city of Doriath was overtaken by its enemies.
-Melian
My pseudonym is Estë. Estë is a Maiar and she lived with Irmo, her husband, in the forest of Lorien. Estë and Irmo were in charge of the Elves of Valinor and they were against the Sun and Moon being placed in the sky by Varda. The heat and light from the Sun had withered the gardens of Lorien, sleep was now more difficult, and the stars were hidden from the elves. Heeding their counsel, Varda allowed for a time of night and made the paths of the Sun and Moon different.
-Estë
My character's name is Vána, the ever-young. Vána is one of the Valier- this means she was one of the seven Queens of the Valar. The Valar are essentially lesser gods all created by the One God Ilúvatar. Each of the Valar is given partial insight into the thoughts of Ilúvatar, but all together none are granted the full picture. Vána is the sixth-named Valier and is described as a goddess of nature. She has golden hair and robes herself in flowers- she is supposed to be very beautiful (her name means beauty in the Elvish language Quenya). She lived in gardens and also spent a good amount of time in the forests of Oromë, her spouse. During the last days of the Two Trees (in some versions, not the Silmarillion) Vána was the one who loved Laurelin so much that she made it bear a golden fruit which became the Sun. Vána was one of many Valar who went to Aman for peace after the Darkening of Valinor.
My pseudonym is Nienna. She is one of the Queens of Valar. She is often referred to as “The one who weeps”, and in many cases is characterized by sadness and pity for the world. That’s not to say it is a bad thing; it is actually her great compassion and observation of the world that leads to great change in others’ lives. In The Silmarillion, she replaces Vána’s role as the character that weeps over Telperion and Laurelin and so allows for the creation of the Sun and the Moon. Not only that, but she is said to have been the source of tutelage for Gandalf before his interactions in the Hobbit and LOTR. It is this wisdom of pity and consciousness of one’s surroundings that echoes through the stories past the Silmarillion. It is in fact the lesson of pity that Gandalf imparts unto Frodo when dealing with Gollum. He tells Frodo that Bilbo’s main reason for letting him live was pity and understanding the pain that had corrupted the creature; a wisdom passed down from Nienna. Although she is not mentioned many times, Nienna has become a truly pivotal character, as her actions have many repercussions. Her lamentations are warnings but also a call to action and to self-awareness.
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