"Two Trees of Valinor" by Roger Garland Two Trees of Valinor Background Information Location Ezellohar Creator Yavanna V.Y. 3450–3500 Appearance Two tall trees, one of gold, the other of silver Destroyer Melkor and Ungoliant Y.T. 1495

The Two Trees of Valinor, also known as the Trees of the Valar or simply the Two Trees, were Laurelin (the Gold Tree) and Telperion (the Silver Tree), which brought light into the Land of the Valar in ancient times. They were destroyed by Melkor and the primal spider Ungoliant, but their last flower and fruit were made by the Valar into the Sun and the Moon.

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Creation and destruction

The first sources of light for all of Arda were two enormous Lamps: Illuin, the silver one to the north, and Ormal, the golden one to the south. These were cast down and destroyed by Melkor. Afterward, the Valar went to Valinor and Yavanna sang into existence the Two Trees, silver Telperion and golden Laurelin. Telperion was considered male and Laurelin female. The Trees sat on the hill Ezellohar located outside Valimar. They grew in the presence of all of the Valar, watered by the tears of Nienna.[1]

Each tree was a source of light: Telperion's silver and Laurelin's gold. Telperion had dark leaves (silver on one side) and his silvery dew was collected as a source of water and of light. Laurelin had gold-trimmed leaves and her dew was likewise collected by Varda. One "day" lasted twelve hours. Each Tree, in turn, would give off light for seven hours (waxing to full brightness and then slowly waning again), so that at one hour each of "dawn" and "dusk" soft gold and silver light would be given off together.[1]

Jealous, Melkor enlisted the help of the giant spider-creature Ungoliant (the mother of Shelob) to destroy the Two Trees. Concealed in Unlight, Melkor struck each Tree and the insatiable Ungoliant devoured whatever life and light remained in them.[2]

Again Yavanna sang and Nienna wept, but they succeeded only in reviving Telperion's last flower (to become the Moon) and Laurelin's last fruit (to become the Sun). These were assigned to lesser spirits, male Tilion and female Arien,[3] after the 'genders' of the Trees themselves. This is why, in The Lord of the Rings, the Sun is usually referred to as "she" and the moon as "he".

However, the true light of the Trees, before their poisoning by Ungoliant, was said to afterwards reside only in the Silmarils.

Telperion's descendants

Because the Elves that first came to Valinor especially loved Telperion, Yavanna made a second tree like it to stand in the city of Tirion where the Vanyar and Ñoldor dwelt together at first. This tree, named Galathilion, was identical to Telperion except that it gave no light of its own. It had many seedlings, one of which was planted in the isle of Tol Eressëa (named Celeborn).

In the Second Age, a seedling of Celeborn was brought as a gift to the Númenóreans - this was Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor. It lasted through the majority of the realm's duration, but when Sauron took control of the island he commanded King Ar-Pharazôn to chop it down.

Fortunately Isildur managed to save a single fruit of that tree. Of this fruit later came the White Tree of Gondor.

Internal significance

The Two Trees of Valinor existed at a time when the only other source of light was the stars (which had been created for the Elves' benefit by Varda from the dews collected from the Two Trees). When three Elven ambassadors were brought to see Valinor for themselves, in order that the Elves might be convinced to come to Valinor, it seems that the Two Trees affected them most significantly.

In particular Thingol is said to have been motivated in the Great Journey by his desire to see the Light of Valinor again (until he finds contentment in the light he sees in Melian's face). Also in later times, the Elves would be divided between the Calaquendi who had seen the light of the Trees, and the Moriquendi who had not; with the former group having found enlightenment and near rapture in the light they beheld.

The Silmarillion repeatedly states that those Elves who saw the Two Trees were mighty, with the light of Aman in their faces. As vassals of the Valar, the trees somehow bestowed otherworldy power and understanding on those exposed to them. Galadriel in particular had an affinity to Laurelin, as her hair was said to have captured the golden light of that tree. In turn this inspired Feanor to make the jewels that could hold that same light; the Silmarils.

The whole of the history of the First Age is strongly affected by the desire of many different characters to possess the Silmarils, which contain the only remaining unsullied light of the Trees. Yet upon his flight from Valinor after destroying the light of the Two Trees, Melkor stole the Silmarils and sparked the Oath of Fëanor (who renamed Melkor Morgoth) and after many years the Valar embarked on the War of Wrath, Which ended the First Age

In the Second and Third Ages, the White Trees of Númenor and of Gondor, whose likeness descends from that of Telperion, have a mostly symbolic significance. They stand both as symbols of the kingdoms in question, and also as reminders of the ancestral alliance between the Dúnedain and the Elves. Even in this late age the two trees are remembered by some. Gandalf obviously remembers them with reverence, as he speaks of them to Pippin.

External significance

Tolkien, as a Roman Catholic, would have been exposed to the significance of light in Catholic symbolism. Trees were of special importance to him - in his short story Leaf by Niggle, which in a sense was an elaborate allegory explaining his own creative process, the protagonist spends his life painting a single Tree.

The Two Trees represent the recurrent 'gold and silver' concept of the legendarium. They are created after the lamps Ormal and Illuin - and from the trees themselves, the Sun and Moon are later created.

Tolkien may have also gotten inspiration for the trees directly from the Sun, which rises in the day (as Laurelin, the golden tree), and the moon which rises in the night (Telperion, the silver tree).

Etymology

Both Telperion and Laurelin are said to have been given many names among which are the following: Laurelin was also given the names of Malinalda and Culúrien, while Telperion was also named Silpion and Ninquelótë. Telperion's name in Valarin, the language of the Valar, is said to have been Ibrîniðilpathânezel; Laurelin's name is recorded as Tulukhedelgorûs.

In early writings of Tolkien, Telperion's names were Silpion [4], Bansil, and Belthil.

Quotations

"Yet even as hope failed [...] Telperion bore at last upon a leafless bough one great flower of silver, and Laurelin a single fruit of gold." - The Silmarillion

"... and perceive the unimaginable hand and mind of Feanor at their work, while both the White Tree and Golden were in flower!" Gandalf to Pippin, The Two Towers

Notes

Tolkien could have taken the creation of light mentioned in Genesis as inspiration for the two trees, as both brought light into Middle-earth and were turned into the moon and sun.

Translations

Foreign Language Translated name Afrikaans Twee bome van Valinor Albanian Dy Pemë e Valinor Amharic ቫሊኖር ሁለት ዛፎች Arabic شجرتي ڢالينور Armenian Երկու ծառեր Վալինոր Azerbaijani Valinor iki ağac Basque Valinorreko Bi Zuhaitzak Belarusian Cyrillic Тўо Треес оф Валінор Bosnian Dva stabla od Valinora Bulgarian Cyrillic Дървета на Валинор Catalan Dos Arbres de Vàlinor Cebuano Duha ka Kahoy sa Valinor Croatian Dva drveta Valinora Czech Dva Valinorské stromy Danish To Træer af Valinor Dutch Twee Bomen van Valinor Esperanto Du Arboj de Valinor Estonian Kaks Puud Valinor Filipino Dalawang puno ng Valinor Finnish Kaksi Valinorin Puuta French Deux Arbres de Valinor Galician As Dúas Árbores de Valinor Georgian ვალინორის ორი ხე German Zwei Bäume von Valinor Greek Δύο Δέντρα του Βάλινορ Haitian Creole De kalite pyebwa ki bay Valinor Hausa Biyu itatuwa na Valinor Hebrew שני עצי ואלינור Hungarian Valinor két fája Icelandic Tveir tré Valinor Indonesian Dua pohon Valinor Italian Alberi di Valinor Irish Gaelic Dhá crainn de Valinor Japanese 二つの木 ? Kannada ವಾಲಿನೊರ್ ಎರಡು ಮರಗಳು Kazakh Валинордың екі ағашы (Cyrillic) Valïnordıñ eki ağaşı (Latin) Kurdish Du Darên ji Valinor (Kurmanji Kurdish) Latin Duae Arbores Valinoris Latvian Divi koki Valinor Lithuanian Du Valinoro medžiai Macedonian Cyrillic Две дрва на Валинор Marathi वलिनोर दोन झाडे Malay Dua Pohon-Valinor ? Maltese Żewġ Siġar tal Valinor Mongolian Cyrillic Валинорын хоёр мод Norwegian To Trær av Valinor Persian دو درخت از والینور Polish Dwa Drzewa Valinoru Portuguese Duas Árvores de Valinor Punjabi ਵਲਿਨੋਰ ਦੇ ਦੋ ਰੁੱਖ Romanian Doi Copaci din Valinor Russian Древа Валар Scottish Gaelic Dà Craobhan de Valinor Serbian Два стабла Валинора (Cyrillic) Dva stabla Valinora (Latin) Sinhalese වලිනොර් ශාකවලටද දෙකක් ? Slovak Dva valinorské Stromy Slovenian Dve drevesi Valinorja Somalian Laba Dhirta Valinor Spanish Dos Árboles de Valinor Swahili Miti miwili ya Valinor Swedish Två Träd av Valinor Tajik Cyrillic Ду пораи Волинор ? Tamil வலிநொர் இரண்டு மரங்கள் Telugu వాలినోర్ రెండు చెట్లు Thai ทวิพฤกษาแห่งวาลินอร์ Turkish Valinor'un iki agacı Ukrainian Cyrillic Два дерева Валінора Urdu والینور کے دو درخت Uzbek Валинор икки Дарахтлар (Cyrillic) Valinor ikki Daraxtlar (Latin) Vietnamese Hai cây của Valinor Welsh Dau Goed o Valinor Yiddish צוויי ביימער פון וואַלינאָר Yoruba Meji igi ti Valinor



