Map showing the location of Elerrína, the mountain called 'Crowned with Stars' in Aman (somewhat conjectural)
Map showing the location of Elerrína, the mountain called 'Crowned with Stars' in Aman (somewhat conjectural)
Taniquetil was the highest of all the mountains of the world, standing above the eastern edges of Aman. At its peak, far above the land beneath, stood the halls of Ilmarin. There Manwë the Elder King dwelt with his spouse Varda, the Lady of the Stars.
The Elves held this mountain in reverence. They gave the Holy Mountain many names, and among those names was Elerrína, meaning 'Crowned with Stars'. The origins of this name are not explained: it may be that the mountain was so tall that its peak was literally crowned with stars,1 or the name may reflect a connection with Varda who dwelt there, the Kindler of the bright stars of the sky.
Notes
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In the Elvish conception of the cosmos, the stars were held in the region known as Ilmen, high among the airs above the world. It would not be impossible, at least in principle, for a sufficiently tall mountain to literally approach this region of the stars. In practice, even Taniquetil does not seem to have reached such an immense height, and the name 'Crowned with Stars' is surely meant in a figurative sense.
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- Updated 29 August 2024
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