The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Dates back to the time of the founding of Valinor, millennia before the first rising of the Sun
Location
On Taniquetil, the Holy Mountain in the east of Valinor
Race
Division
Pronunciation
i'lmarin
Meaning
'Mansion of the high airs'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 28 April 2013
  • This entry is complete

Ilmarin

The halls of Manwë and Varda

Map of Ilmarin on Taniquetil
Map of Ilmarin on Taniquetil (conjectural)
Map of Ilmarin on Taniquetil (conjectural)
"...and endless reigns the Elder King
in Ilmarin on Mountain sheer;...
"
From Bilbo's "Song of Eärendil"
The Fellowship of the Ring II 1
Many Meetings

The mansions of the Elder King, Manwë, and his spouse Varda Elentári, on the peak of Taniquetil. Ilmarin is translated as 'mansion of the high airs', an appropriate name for a dwelling-place built on the tallest peak of all the mountains in the world. The birds, servants and allies of Manwë, were said to travel to and from Ilmarin bringing news from the outer world.

Though the name Ilmarin properly refers to the dwellings of Manwë and Varda, it seems at times to be used as a poetic name for Taniquetil itself. For example, in The Fellowship of the Ring II 8 (Farewell to Lórien), Galadriel sings of the 'strand of Ilmarin'. A 'strand' is a shoreline, so she cannot mean this literally - instead, she seems to be describing the seaward lands beneath the mountain on which Ilmarin stood.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 28 April 2013
  • This entry is complete

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