Manwe and Varda
We did not stay long in Valimar after I chose to learn from Varda. Instead we journeyed to the Halls of Manwe and Varda upon Taniquetil. To call them halls is like calling a mountain a hill. They were alike and unlike halls for constantly they changed like the wind, the rooms often changed where they were located, but after awhile one could see a recognizable pattern and finding a room became easy. In the Halls one could see and hear nearly all that occurred in all of Arda. But to do this one had to have skill in focusing on what they wanted to see or hear for the sounds images were often swept away too soon. No ceiling covered the top of the Halls. Instead there was a mixture of the light of the Trees and of the starlight. Its beauty was beyond compare.
Manwe and Varda did not live alone in the Halls. Ilmare and the Maia whom she had sat beside (who she introduced me to as her husband Eonwe) also dwelt there along with all the Maiar who had sworn their allegiance with Manwe and Varda. The Eagles of Manwe also dwelt upon Taniquetil, but they seldom came into the Halls. The Eagles of Taniquetil were so majestic that they could fly across all of Aman and back within in two hours (the Eagles had actually carried us to Taniquetil from the Ring of Doom). It was a very busy and happy place to be.
My schooling began as soon as we arrived. Varda taught me the history of the stars. How she had rekindled them with the light of Teleprion. How each had a name and belonged to one of the pictures in the sky. Carnil of Menelmacar, Luinel of Wilwarin, Nenar of Valacirca, Lumbar of Soronume, Alcarinque the Glorious, and Elemmire.* The most amazing thing Varda taught me was that the fate of all was written in the stars. But the only thing that this seemed to apply to was Valacirca, the Sickle of the Valar that foretold the Last Battle and the defeat of all evil. But evil seemed faraway and nonexistent in Aman. Varda also taught me of the Lamps of the Valar, the two lights that lit up the world before the Trees. But she did not tell me what had happened to them that caused the Valar to create a new source of light.
Varda was not my only teacher upon Taniquetil. In choosing to learn from her I also inadvertently chose to learn from Manwe. From him I learned of all the birds and of creatures whose home is the sky. He also taught me how to use the Halls to see and hear what I wished through the power of air. It was from Manwe that I first developed what could be called "psychic abilities." The power of the mind was something all the Ainur had and eventually all High Elves could achieve if they worked at it and even then we could not match the Valar's or the Maiar's mind abilities. But from Manwe I learned mostly of song and poetry. His songs were greater then any of the songs of the Elves. More joyful then our most joyous hymn and more sorrowful then our most remorseful lament. Only one has sung greater than Manwe, but her story was yet to come. In all Manwe's songs were joyful for there was little to lament and from him I gained a love of song and poetry that I had never experienced before.
Many years passed and still my people had not come. I could watch them at times in the Halls. It was at one such time that Manwe came to me. I had not expected him and quickly lost the image of the Teleri that I had been watching as I bowed to him.
"Walk with me Laurelothwen. There is something I would like to know."
So we walked. It was sometime before he spoke again.
"Sing a song that tells of your feelings upon waiting for your people."
I was not surprised at Manwe's order, he commanded me to sing regularly as part of my learning. I sang as we continued to walk.
"Here I wait for you my people,
my beloved ones of old.
I wait for you upon western mount
hoping to see your faces once more.
You tarry along the road so long.
Yet I will wait till end of days
to hear your glorious song.
Eldar so old! Eldar so young!
Come to the shores of western lands
And make us one people forever more!
It was a short song and to the point, but Manwe smiled. We continued walking until we met with Varda.
"My Lord Manwe and Laurelothwen. I trust all goes well," she greeted us.
"Yes A'maelamin.** She has passed." And with that Manwe left. I was confused. Passed? I did not understand. I opened my mouth to speak, but Varda raised her hand for silence.
"Now you must walk with me Laurelothwen."
This time the walk seemed much longer. What was going on? We stopped finally. Varda used the wall to gain a picture of the star filled sky.
"Tell me, what is the first star you ever saw?"
"I cannot say My Lady. All the stars glowed together with a brightness and beauty that I will never forget. They seemed to sing in unison. So to ask which star I saw first is like asking me whose voice I first heard in a choir."
Now it was Varda's turn to smile.
"That is the answer I wished for Laurelothwen. My husband and I have come to the conclusion that we have taught you all that we see fit for you to know. If you wish you may go and learn from a new tutor."
This surprised me very much. How could I have learned all that Manwe and Varda would teach me?
"But my Lady," I began but Varda raised her hand for silence once again.
"Our decision is as of now final. But remember we are always here to help you."
So ended my studies with Manwe and Varda. But all ending lead to new beginnings. And this ending led to a new beginning with Yavanna and Aule.
TBC
*I used logic for some of these and guessed on the rest.
** My beloved.
We did not stay long in Valimar after I chose to learn from Varda. Instead we journeyed to the Halls of Manwe and Varda upon Taniquetil. To call them halls is like calling a mountain a hill. They were alike and unlike halls for constantly they changed like the wind, the rooms often changed where they were located, but after awhile one could see a recognizable pattern and finding a room became easy. In the Halls one could see and hear nearly all that occurred in all of Arda. But to do this one had to have skill in focusing on what they wanted to see or hear for the sounds images were often swept away too soon. No ceiling covered the top of the Halls. Instead there was a mixture of the light of the Trees and of the starlight. Its beauty was beyond compare.
Manwe and Varda did not live alone in the Halls. Ilmare and the Maia whom she had sat beside (who she introduced me to as her husband Eonwe) also dwelt there along with all the Maiar who had sworn their allegiance with Manwe and Varda. The Eagles of Manwe also dwelt upon Taniquetil, but they seldom came into the Halls. The Eagles of Taniquetil were so majestic that they could fly across all of Aman and back within in two hours (the Eagles had actually carried us to Taniquetil from the Ring of Doom). It was a very busy and happy place to be.
My schooling began as soon as we arrived. Varda taught me the history of the stars. How she had rekindled them with the light of Teleprion. How each had a name and belonged to one of the pictures in the sky. Carnil of Menelmacar, Luinel of Wilwarin, Nenar of Valacirca, Lumbar of Soronume, Alcarinque the Glorious, and Elemmire.* The most amazing thing Varda taught me was that the fate of all was written in the stars. But the only thing that this seemed to apply to was Valacirca, the Sickle of the Valar that foretold the Last Battle and the defeat of all evil. But evil seemed faraway and nonexistent in Aman. Varda also taught me of the Lamps of the Valar, the two lights that lit up the world before the Trees. But she did not tell me what had happened to them that caused the Valar to create a new source of light.
Varda was not my only teacher upon Taniquetil. In choosing to learn from her I also inadvertently chose to learn from Manwe. From him I learned of all the birds and of creatures whose home is the sky. He also taught me how to use the Halls to see and hear what I wished through the power of air. It was from Manwe that I first developed what could be called "psychic abilities." The power of the mind was something all the Ainur had and eventually all High Elves could achieve if they worked at it and even then we could not match the Valar's or the Maiar's mind abilities. But from Manwe I learned mostly of song and poetry. His songs were greater then any of the songs of the Elves. More joyful then our most joyous hymn and more sorrowful then our most remorseful lament. Only one has sung greater than Manwe, but her story was yet to come. In all Manwe's songs were joyful for there was little to lament and from him I gained a love of song and poetry that I had never experienced before.
Many years passed and still my people had not come. I could watch them at times in the Halls. It was at one such time that Manwe came to me. I had not expected him and quickly lost the image of the Teleri that I had been watching as I bowed to him.
"Walk with me Laurelothwen. There is something I would like to know."
So we walked. It was sometime before he spoke again.
"Sing a song that tells of your feelings upon waiting for your people."
I was not surprised at Manwe's order, he commanded me to sing regularly as part of my learning. I sang as we continued to walk.
"Here I wait for you my people,
my beloved ones of old.
I wait for you upon western mount
hoping to see your faces once more.
You tarry along the road so long.
Yet I will wait till end of days
to hear your glorious song.
Eldar so old! Eldar so young!
Come to the shores of western lands
And make us one people forever more!
It was a short song and to the point, but Manwe smiled. We continued walking until we met with Varda.
"My Lord Manwe and Laurelothwen. I trust all goes well," she greeted us.
"Yes A'maelamin.** She has passed." And with that Manwe left. I was confused. Passed? I did not understand. I opened my mouth to speak, but Varda raised her hand for silence.
"Now you must walk with me Laurelothwen."
This time the walk seemed much longer. What was going on? We stopped finally. Varda used the wall to gain a picture of the star filled sky.
"Tell me, what is the first star you ever saw?"
"I cannot say My Lady. All the stars glowed together with a brightness and beauty that I will never forget. They seemed to sing in unison. So to ask which star I saw first is like asking me whose voice I first heard in a choir."
Now it was Varda's turn to smile.
"That is the answer I wished for Laurelothwen. My husband and I have come to the conclusion that we have taught you all that we see fit for you to know. If you wish you may go and learn from a new tutor."
This surprised me very much. How could I have learned all that Manwe and Varda would teach me?
"But my Lady," I began but Varda raised her hand for silence once again.
"Our decision is as of now final. But remember we are always here to help you."
So ended my studies with Manwe and Varda. But all ending lead to new beginnings. And this ending led to a new beginning with Yavanna and Aule.
TBC
*I used logic for some of these and guessed on the rest.
** My beloved.