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The Valar Forge Magic Rings Completing the Totality of Tolkiens Vision
mikdalesh-The Silmarillion | 19 Dec. 2001 | J.R.R.Tolkien

Posted on 12/19/2001 4:22:57 PM PST by ramdalesh

...And when the Valinor was full-wrought and the mansions of the Valar were established , in the midst of the plain beyond the mountains they built a city, Valmar of many bells. Before its western gate there was a green mound, Exellohar, that is named also Corollaire; and Yavanna hallowed it, and she sat there long upon the green grass and sang a song of power, in which was set all her thoughts of the things that growin the earth. But Nienna thought in silence, and watered the mould with tears. In that time the Valar were gathered together to hear the song of Yavanna, and they sat silent upon their thrones of council in the Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom near the golden gates of Valmar; and Yavanna Kementári sang before them and they watched.

And as they watched, upon the mound there came forth two slender shoots; and silence was over all the world in that hour, nor was there any sound save the chanting of Yavanna. Under her song the saplings grew and became fair and tall, and came to flower; and thus there awoke the Two Trees of Valinor. Of all things which Yavanna made they have most renown, and about their fate all the tales of the Elder Days are woven.

The one had leaves of dark green that beneath were as shining silver, and from each of its countless flowers a dew of silver light was ever falling, and the earth beneath was dappled with the shadows of his fluttering leaves.

The other bore leaves of a young green like the new-opened beech; their edges were of glittering gold. Flowers swung upon her branches in clusters of yellow flame, formed each to a glowing horn that spilled a golden rain upon the ground; and from the blossom of that tree there came forth warmth and a great light.

Telperion the one was called in Valinor, and Silpion, and Ninquelóte, and many other names,...But Laurelin the other was, and Malinalda, and Culúrien, and many names in song beside.

In seven hours the glory of each tree waxed to full and waned again to naught; and each awoke more to life an hour before the other ceased to shine. Thus in Valinor twice every day there came a gentle hour of softer light when both trees were faint and their gold and silver beams mingled.

Telperion was the elder of the trees and came first to full stature and to bloom; and that first hour in which he shone, the white glimmer of a silver dawn, the Valar reckoned not into the tale of hours, but named it the Opening Hour, and counted from it the ages of their reign in Valinor.

Therefore at the sixth hour of the First Day, and of all the joyful days thereafter, until the Darkening of Valinor, Telperion ceased his time of flower; and at the twelfth hour Laurelin her blossoming. And each day of the Valar in Aman contained twelve hours, and ended with the second mingling of lights, in which Laurelin was waning but Telperion was waxing. But the light that was spilled from the trees endured long, ere it was taken up into airs or sank down into earth; and the dews of Telperion and the rain that fell from Laurelin Varda hoarded in great vats like shining lakes, that were to all the land of the Valar as wells of water and of light.

Thus began the Days of Bliss of Valinor; and thus began also the Count of Time.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS:
We yet do not understand the depth and power of Tolkien's great vision. Those of us who know, have been touched by his work. His touch, his spiritual endowment forged for mankind during World War II has been passed on to the grandchildren of those Veterans, heralding a new age, a living mythology, and a new Valiant human condition.

We will always remember

1 posted on 12/19/2001 4:22:58 PM PST by ramdalesh
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To: ramdalesh
bump
2 posted on 12/19/2001 4:45:33 PM PST by cayman99
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To: ramdalesh
As Tolkien used the "Elder Edda" as a source, as did the composer Richard Wagner, I would suspect that Valmar and Valhalla have the same philological parentage.
3 posted on 12/19/2001 5:44:47 PM PST by Publius
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To: ramdalesh
Another link to Wagner and the Ring operas: In The Silmarillion, in the story of Turin Turambar, there is a dwarf named Mim, who relates to the dwarf Mime in Das Rheingold.
4 posted on 12/19/2001 5:50:52 PM PST by Publius
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To: Publius
nope,

The Valar didn't forge the Rings of Power. The Rings of Power were made in the _2nd_ Age. Sauron came back from the outlands, conned the elves. He worked with them to make the lesser rings (3 for elves, 7 for dwarves, nine for men) and then he forged the One Ring.

The Valar didn't want anything to do with them - thats why it had to be dropped in the place where it was made. It couldn't be sent across the "sundered seas" to the Valar.

5 posted on 12/19/2001 6:05:02 PM PST by glorgau
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To: glorgau
Sheesh, doesn't everyone know that??
6 posted on 12/19/2001 6:05:57 PM PST by glorgau
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To: ramdalesh
Reminds me of Joyce's Finnegans Wake, only this is more understandable.
7 posted on 12/19/2001 7:49:24 PM PST by Dumb_Ox
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watered the mould with tears

Now there's a malignant typo.

8 posted on 12/19/2001 8:03:02 PM PST by Dumb_Ox
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To: glorgau
Sauron did not aid in forging the three rings presented to the Elven kings. This is why he has no power or influence in Lothlorien, etc. Sauron aided in the rings presented to the Dwarves. But since they had a separate creation he had no direct influence on them (they became unsociable- i.e. greedy and grumpy). The human kings didn't do so well...
9 posted on 12/19/2001 8:58:59 PM PST by Gwaihir
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To: Dumb_Ox
Not a typo... 'mould' = earth.
10 posted on 12/20/2001 12:04:24 AM PST by Da_Shrimp
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To: ecurbh
Greetings ring ping king! Think the ring ping list would be interested in a little background?
11 posted on 12/20/2001 6:08:38 AM PST by Texas2step
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To: jrherreid; HairOfTheDog; RosieCotton; billbears; ObfusGate; austinTparty; Texas2step; jrherreid...
ping
12 posted on 12/20/2001 7:23:28 AM PST by ecurbh
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To: glorgau
You are correct, the rings were forged in the Second Age. (One might quibble that inasmuch as Sauron forged most of them and he was a minor Vala, the "Valar" were in fact involved, although it isn't the Valar mentioned in the Silmarillion.

Now, why anyone is surprised at the relation between Tolkien's mythos and that of Norse mythology I do not know - Tolkien himself was quite open about it, and drew many of his Dwarvish names from that source. But some of us are having to bite our tongues these days - those of us who have studied these works in some depth and for some years, and actually, that's quite a few of us, tend to get snippy when johnny-come-latelies start to discover them for the first time and attempt to make profound observations before they've really examined the material. It's going to get worse - once the third movie is released people who have never even read any of the books are going to start waxing philosophical. By then I hope it'll be legal to kill them. In a compassionate way, of course...

13 posted on 12/20/2001 7:38:09 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Texas2step
Glorgau is probably correct about the Valar, but the word Valar and Valiant are close, so that made more sense. I was going to title this "Parallel Think Tanks Forge Magic Rings Completing Tolkiens Great Vision". In that case we would be calling our fellowship a think tank, and that lacks the virtue of aesthetics.

There are other rings beside the Great One which was used in the movie. I hear that the One Ring was sold at an auction in Germany for 46,000 dollars.The One Ring I'd expect that Sauron is a neo-Nazi, and that somehow he's gonna get that ring.

The power in the ring comes only from belief. The rational dialectic, and the economic dialectic flow along the channels of the fantasy giving power to the ring by associating with it thought and energy. SI Hiakawa describes this activity as symbolic abstraction, (Language in Thought and Action). If the ring were innately powerful it would need to have certain peculiar aspects. For Example: If it could align its electrons in such a way, (perhaps at the command of its owner), that the universe were sucked into it...black-hole like, then I think it could be considered a real powerful item. Hiesenberg Uncertainty principle says that when we make observations of an energy state of matter we thus change that energy state. This means that there's no imitation to the real thing. The One Ring is the one prop used in this movie, which draws attention to itself and the Tolkien creation mythos through the movie.

Enough shirk and idolatry though. Koran says:"There is no God but thee oh God, and God is one"

I'd like to give some background of myself...but...I just can't. You'll have to invite me over for Christmas first and then...we can make grunting noises back and forth at each other and try abstracting meaning from that.

14 posted on 12/20/2001 7:57:54 AM PST by ramdalesh
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To: ramdalesh
I don't know why, but for some reason I have always been moved by the story of the two trees, 'Telperion'and 'Laurelin' the beauty they brought, and their terrible fate. I rejoiced with the people of Gondor for their offshoot of 'Telperion', and joy when a sprig of the tree was found at the end of the War of the Ring, so that Gondor could be properly rededicated, and the continuity of the ages would continue. I found this last part reminiscent of the Channukah story, which as a Catholic I learned in our ecumenical small town. I seem to remember that one of the better poems in TLOTR is on this subject, but have not been able to find it.
15 posted on 12/20/2001 12:13:23 PM PST by Lucius Cornelius Sulla
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To: Billthedrill
It's going to get worse - once the third movie is released people who have never even read any of the books are going to start waxing philosophical. By then I hope it'll be legal to kill them. In a compassionate way, of course...

LOL - of course :)

16 posted on 12/20/2001 12:54:38 PM PST by Jefferson Adams
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To: Billthedrill
BTD, Shame upon you and your house. Sauron was a Maia, not a Vala! D'oh!
17 posted on 12/20/2001 1:20:24 PM PST by The Chid
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To: The Chid
ACK! I have checked and you are right. I am now cursed...what isssss it? What isssss it I have in my pocketsssss? Preciousssssss! Preciousssssssssssss!!!
18 posted on 12/20/2001 5:19:48 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Billthedrill
I had never been able to visualize how Sauraman could form "orcs" in the dungeon. It was the goriest scene I have ever seen in any movie including Friday the 13th.

The ring symbolizes Ganesh. The god over sexual power. This is why Saurman wants it so desperately, because he thinks he would be able to refine his cloning techniques with its assistance. The trees of the entwood forest denied him of this power. He who divorces family from nature, as does Sauraman would throw planets out of their orbits, and return order in the cosmos to a Nebulous state. Searching for the ring of Ganesh? and the perfect clones? The Valar spoke his name in elvish. Ba'al Clinton Morgoth!

The movie was great. Just like the dream. And often better than the book.

19 posted on 12/24/2001 10:54:28 AM PST by ramdalesh
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