Three Rings for the Elven Kings
Ella kom ye la! I cried unto these ones, I've wandered through the dark so long! I've waited through the night for the rising sun!
THREE RINGS for the ELVEN KINGS
Tagline
The Valar are the gods and goddesses of Middle-earth, dwelling in Aman, the Undying Lands of the True West. According to The Silmarillion they are fourteen in number, though The Book of Lost Tales
includes two more, Makar and Meássë, as a war-god and war-goddess. In
his later formulation Tolkien preferred to describe the Valar as Powers,
or angelic beings, rather than gods, though a fair amount of the
earlier, Pagan terminology survived into later times. The Valar have
been known by countless different names throughout recorded history.
Those who remain true to the Valar and friendly with the Elves are the Elendili, or Elf-friends (more literally, Star-friends), and usually develop
a close, spiritual relationship with one or two in particular – whom they may
call upon for guidance and help at any time. To call on the Ancient
Ones, or any of their number individually, say out loud the following
short phrase,
Ella kom ye la! (‘Behold, gather golden-light!’ – or, in standard Quenya spelling, Ela comyalaurë!), as used by Sally Oldfield in her Songs of the Quendi.
Ella kom ye la!
Candle Lantern
When calling on the Ancient
Ones, kneel three times – left knee touching the ground, right knee
pointing west – to show due respect to the Flame Imperishable, the
Spirit of Eru Ilúvatar that sustains all life on earth – and
retain this posture to ask for guidance or help, facing towards
the True West and the Undying Lands of Aman. A staff, or stick, of some
sort is useful for balance while calling, and since it is
disrespectful to cover the knees while doing so, it is important to
dress appropriately too.
Group worship always takes
place outdoors, in suitably numinous locations such as clearings in
woods or beside running water, in the presence of a
covered flame (a candle in a lantern) to represent the Secret
Fire – the Flame Imperishable. Such gatherings are conducted in a
Sanctuary marked on the ground in the form of the Star of Eärendil
(below, right) and include feasting, singing – Sally Oldfield’s Songs of the Quendi being suitable choices – and
offerings of food and drink to the Ancient Ones. The Coranar, or wheel of the year, is represented by a circle of six spokes, for the six seasons, and the six annual festivals observed at their midpoints, as derived from the Reckoning of Rivendell.
• Tuilë
• Lairë
• Yávië
• Quellë
• Hrívë
• Coirë
• Lairë
• Yávië
• Quellë
• Hrívë
• Coirë
‘Spring’
‘Summer’
‘Autumn’
‘Fading’
‘Winter’
‘Stirring’
‘Summer’
‘Autumn’
‘Fading’
‘Winter’
‘Stirring’
54 days
72 days
54 days
54 days
72 days
54 days
72 days
54 days
54 days
72 days
54 days
29 March–21 May
22 May–1 August
2 August–24 September
28 September–20 November
21 November–31 January
1 February–26 March
22 May–1 August
2 August–24 September
28 September–20 November
21 November–31 January
1 February–26 March
The names of the first humans are not recorded by Tolkien in his Legendarium. The Oera Linda Book, however, tells us that they were three sisters named Lyda, Finda and Frya. The youngest of these, Frya, was the ancestress of the Dúnedain, or Men of the West. After seeing her children reach the seventh generation, she gave them a set of laws, known as Frya’s Tex. It is from these, and later writings collected together in the Oera Linda Book, that we know how to properly call on the Ancient Ones.
Prosperity awaits the free. At last they shall see me again. Though him
only can I recognise as free who is neither a slave to another nor to
himself. This is my counsel:—
1. When in dire distress, and when mental and physical energy avail nothing, then have recourse to the spirit of Wr-alda; but do not appeal to him before you have tried all other means, for I tell you beforehand, and time will prove its truth, that those who give way to discouragement sink under their burdens.
2. To Wr-alda’s spirit only shall you bend the knee in gratitude—thricefold—for what you have received, for what you do receive, and for the hope of aid in time of need.
3. You have seen how speedily I have come to your assistance. Do likewise to your neighbour, but wait not for his entreaties. The suffering would curse you, my maidens would erase your name from the book, and I would regard you as a stranger.
4. Let not your neighbour express his thanks to you on bended knee, which is only due to Wr-alda’s spirit. Envy would assail you, Wisdom would ridicule you, and my maidens would accuse you of irreverence.
5. Four things are given for your enjoyment—air, water, land, and fire—but Wr-alda is the sole possessor of them. Therefore [...] choose upright men who will fairly divide the labour and the fruits [...].
(Oera Linda Book, Ch. 5: Frya’s Tex)
The Valar dwell in Valinor, in the central part of the continent of Aman that once existed in the westernmost part of Arda – the earth. While the name Aman, or the Blessed Realm, refers to the whole continent, Valinor, or the Undying Lands, are the regions inhabited by the Valar and Elves. The Valar moved to Valinor after Almaren, their former home, was destroyed by Melkor, their enemy.
The Two Trees of Valinor
Valinor is located to the west of, and is encircled by, the Pelóri mountains on Aman, which had been raised by the Valar as a defense against Melkor. Everything in Valinor, from the stones to the waters, is hallowed and stainless, and there is no sickness, corruption or withering. The Valar brought what beauty and light they had salvaged from the Spring of Arda before the marring, and they have also created new things, making Valinor even fairer than Almaren. At the end of The Lord of the Rings Tolkien describes Frodo’s first sight of the Undying Lands:
“And the ship went out into the High Sea and passed on into the West,
until at last on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the
air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then
it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey
rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he
beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift
sunrise.” (The Return of the King, Book VI, Ch. 9)
The major city of Valinor is Valmar, or Valimar, of many bells, built in the midst
of the plain where the Valar reside, along with the Maiar, or the lesser
divinities, and the Vanyar, the first of the three clans of High Elves.
The cities of Alqualondë and Tirion are the homes, respectively, of the
Noldor and Teleri, the second and third clans of High Elves who travelled to
Aman. Tol Eressëa is an island off Valinor’s east coast. The sea to the west of Valinor is called Ekkaia, the encircling sea which surrounds both Valinor and Middle-earth. Some of the Valar dwell in specific locations:
• Yavanna, the Valië of nature, growth, and harvest, resides in the Pastures of Yavanna in the south of Valinor.
• Oromë, the Vala of the hunt, lives in the Woods of Oromë to the north-east of the pastures. The forest is home to many creatures that Oromë can track and hunt.
• Nienna, the lonely Valië of sorrow and endurance, lives isolated in the far west of Valinor in the Halls of Nienna where she spends her days crying, looking out to sea. Just south of the Halls of Nienna and to the north of the pastures there are the Halls of Mandos.
• Mandos, the brother of Nienna, is the Vala of the afterlife. All inhabitants of Arda, the earth, go to the Halls of Mandos when they die, mortals and immortals alike – although it was said that in death as in life, they are separated. Also living in the Halls of Mandos is his spouse, Vairë the weaver, who weaves the threads of time.
• To the south are situated the Gardens of Lórien, where dwells Irmo, the Vala of dreams. And on an isle situated in the middle of the lake of Lórellin in Lórien, dwells Irmo’s wife Estë.
• To the north of this are the Mansions of Aulë the smith, the Vala who whose spouse is Yavanna.
• In the north-east lie the Mansions of Manwë and Varda, the two most powerful of the Valar.
• To the west of them stands the Ring of Doom, and nearby the mound Ezellohar where the Two Trees of Valinor, Telperion and Laurelin, once grew, before being destroyed at the end of the Years of the Trees.
After the destruction of Númenor in the Second Age, the Undying Lands were removed from
Arda as part of the Change of the World, so that Men could not reach them, and only the Elves could go there
by the Straight Road, in ships capable of passing out of the spheres
of the earth. By special permission of the Valar, the Hobbits Frodo
Baggins and Bilbo Baggins, being Ring-bearers, were permitted to go to Valinor. They were followed, later on, by Samwise Gamgee and Gimli the Dwarf,
who were perhaps also so permitted.
We who of the earth are born will lead you through the healing storm,
It’s time to follow the path of the ancient ones!