Varda
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- For other articles that have the same name, see Varda (disambiguation).
A character from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy universe, Middle-earth, Varda Elentári is a Vala, wife of Manwë.
Varda is said to be too beautiful for words; within her face radiates the light of Ilúvatar. She resides with Manwë with whom she shares a complementary power. When they are together Manwë "sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea" and Varda "hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west". Varda created the stars before the Valar descended into the world, and later with the dews from the vats of Telperion she made the constellations, most significantly The Sickle of the Valar (The Big Dipper).
When Melkor first began to create his discord, Varda saw his mind, and hated him. Melkor fears and hates Varda the most out of the Valar.
The Valar, being divine beings below a greater, more ultimate Creator, Ilúvatar, are thought of as being the Middle-earth equivalent of saints and angels; it has therefore been suggested that Varda, in her role as the most loved and prayed-to Vala, may be an equivalent of the Virgin Mary in Tolkien's own Catholic faith.
Names
Varda means sublime or lofty in Quenya, and Elentári means Star-queen. An epithet of her is Tintalle which means Star-kindler.
In Sindarin she is also known as Elbereth (Star-queen), Gilthoniel (Starkindler) and Fanuilos (Ever-white). In Primitive Quenya she was called Barathī, from which the Old Sindarin name Barathi. In Telerin she is called Baradis. In Adûnaic her name was Avradî.
She is also referred to by the epithets The Kindler, Lady of the Stars, Queen of the Stars, Snow-white. They are translations of her Elvish names.
In NetHack and some other Roguelike games, the name Elbereth is used as a protective charm. [1]
In the English localization of the Playstation game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Alucard can receive an item named "Ring of Varda", with the description "Golden ring to rule over all!". Many such Middle-Earth references were inserted into the English localization, most with very little regard to the source material. Varda has nothing whatsoever to do with The One Ring.
| Ainur of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
| Ainulindalë (Music of the Ainur) | |
| Lords of the Valar: | Manwë | Ulmo | Aulë | Oromë | Námo (Mandos) | Irmo (Lórien) | Tulkas |
| Queens of the Valar (The Valier): | Varda | Yavanna | Nienna | Estë | Vairë | Vána | Nessa |
| The Enemy: | Morgoth (a.k.a. Melkor) |
| Maiar: | Eönwë | Ilmarë | Ossë | Uinen | Salmar | Sauron | Melian | Arien | Tilion | Gothmog Curumo (Saruman) | Olórin (Gandalf) | Aiwendil (Radagast) | Alatar and Pallando | Durin's Bane |
fr:Varda gl:Varda it:Varda nl:Varda ja:ヴァルダ no:Varda pl:Varda pt:Varda sk:Varda fi:Varda sv:Varda zh:瓦爾妲