Changes: Aman

Latest revision as of 05:25, 2 March 2024

Aman (Quenya; "blessed realm") was a continent that lay west of Middle-earth, across the great ocean Belegaer. It contained Valinor, home of the Valar and Maiar, as well as Eldamar, home to the three kindreds of Elves: the Vanyar, the Ñoldor and the Teleri. The island of Tol Eressëa lay just off the eastern shore.

History

Upon the destruction of Almaren in very ancient times of Arda, the Valar fled to the great continent of Aman in the far west of Arda, and there established the realm of Valinor. Seeking to isolate themselves, they raised a great mountain fence, called the Pelóri, on the eastern coast, and set the Enchanted Isles in the ocean to prevent travellers by sea from reaching Aman.

For reasons untold, the Valar left two lands outside the wall of the Pelóri: Araman to the northeast and Avathar to the southeast. Ungoliant, a great spider of unknown origin, had managed to escape notice in Avathar. When Melkor was released from his captivity, he fled to Avathar, scaled the mountains with Ungoliant's help, and wrought the destruction of the Two Trees of Valinor

The first navigator to succeed in passing the Isles of Enchantment was Eärendil, who came to Valinor to seek the aid of the Valar against Melkor, now called Morgoth. His quest was successful, the Valar went to war again, and also decided to remove the Isles.

Valinor Robert Zigo — Valinor, in Aman, depicted by Robert Zigo

Soon after this, the great island of Númenor was raised out of Belegaer, close to the shores of Aman, and the Three Houses of the Edain were brought to live there. Henceforth, they were called the Dúnedain, or Men of the West, and were blessed with many gifts by the Valar and the Elves of Tol Eressëa. The Valar feared— rightly— that the Númenóreans would seek to enter Aman to gain immortality (even though a mortal in Aman remains mortal), so they forbade them from sailing west of the westernmost promontory of Númenor. In time, and not without some corrupting help from Sauron, the Númenóreans violated the Ban of the Valar, and sailed to Aman with a Great Armament under the command of Ar-Pharazôn the Golden. Eru Ilúvatar collapsed a part of the Pelóri on this army, trapping but not killing them. It is said that the army still lies beneath the pile of rock in the Caves of the Forgotten.

As a result of the Númenórean attack, the Valar laid down their governance of Arda and called upon Eru Ilúvatar, and he changed the shape of the world, making Arda round and removing Aman from it, so that a mariner sailing west along Eärendil's route would simply emerge in the far east. For the Elves, however, he crafted a Straight Road that peeled away from the curvature of the earth and passed to Aman.^[1] A very few non-Elves are known to have passed along this road, including the Hobbits Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee and the Dwarf Gimli.^[2]

Etymology

The Quenya name Aman is glossed as "Blessed Land"^[3], "blessed, free from evil"^[4], or "The Unmarred State".^[5]

The etymology of the name Aman changed over time in Tolkien's writings. In early linguistic writings, Aman was intended to be a "native Quenya form", derived from the root MAN ("good"). However, in later writings (such as Quendi and Eldar), the name is said to derive from a Valarin word.^[6]

Notes

Tolkien may have based Aman on Heaven from his own religion, Christianity, as Aman, like Heaven, is accessible only to beings whose (first) life on Earth has ended, and is inaccessible to any still-mortal beings.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Amharic	ዓማን
Arabic	آمان
Armenian	Աման
Assamese	অমান
Belarusian Cyrillic	Аман
Bengali	আমান
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Аман
Cantonese	阿曼
Chinese (Hong Kong)	阿門洲
Danish	Aman (De Udødelige Lande)
French	Terres Immortelles (Immortal lands)
Georgian	ამან
German	Aman (Unsterbliche Länder)
Greek	Άμαν
Gujarati	આમન
Hebrew	אמאן
Hindi	आमन
Hungarian	Halhatatlanföld
Japanese	アマン
Kannada	ಅಮನ್
Kazakh	Аман (Cyrillic) Aman (Latin)
Korean	암안
Kyrgyz Cyrillic	Аман
Laotian	ະມະນ
Macedonian Cyrillic	Аман
Malayalam	അമൻ
Marathi	आमन
Mongolian Cyrillic	Аман
Nepalese	आमन
Pashto	آمان
Persian	امان
Russian	Аман
Sanskrit	आमन्
Sinhalese	ආමන්
Tajik Cyrillic	Аман
Tamil	ஆமந்
Telugu	ఆమన
Thai	อามัน
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Аман
Urdu	امان
Uzbek	Аман (Cyrillic) Aman (Latin)
Yiddish	ײַמאַן

Places of Middle-earth and Arda

Middle-earth Locations:

Provinces/Regions:

Forests & Mountains:

City/Fortifications:

Miscellaneous:

The rest of Arda:

Places in the Undying Lands (Aman and Tol Eressëa)
Places and regions of the Valar	Valinor • Ezellohar • Gardens of Lòrien • Halls of Mandos • Halls of Nienna • House of Tulkas • Ilmarin • Máhanaxar • Pastures of Yavanna • Wells of Varda • Woods of Oromë • Plain of Valinor • Two Trees of Valinor
Other regions	Eldamar • Alalvinórë • Araman • Avathar • Enchanted Isles • Haerast • Oiomúrë • Sindanórië • Galathilion
Mountains and passes	Pelóri • Taniquetil • Hyarmentir •Túna • Calacirya • Caves of the Forgotten
Bodies of water	Afros • Bay of Eldamar • Gruir • Híri • Lórellin • Shadowy Seas •Sirnúmen
Cities and strongholds	Valmar • Alqualondë • Avallónë • Formenos • Kôrtirion • Tavrobel • Tirion • Lumbi
Houses and towers	Cottage of Lost Play • House of the Hundred Chimneys • Mindon Eldaliéva • Tower of Avallónë • Tower of Tavrobel• Tram Nybol

References

↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Introduction"
↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "Later Events concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"
↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals and Related Writings — Part Three" (ed. by Patrick H. Wynne) in Vinyar Tengwar, no. 49, pgs. 26-7
↑ The War of the Jewels, Part Four: Quendi and Eldar, pg. 399
↑ The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor", Notes and Commentary

[1] The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Introduction"

[2] The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "Later Events concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"

[3] J.R.R. Tolkien, "Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals and Related Writings — Part Three" (ed. by Patrick H. Wynne) in Vinyar Tengwar, no. 49, pgs. 26-7

[4] The War of the Jewels, Part Four: Quendi and Eldar, pg. 399

[5] The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor", Notes and Commentary

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Location_infobox
 |image = Ted Nasmith - The Shores of Valinor.jpg
-|caption1 = "The Shores of Valinor", by [[Ted Nasmith]]
+|caption1 = "The Shores of Valinor," by [[Ted Nasmith]]
 |name = Aman
 |location = West of [[Belegaer]], east of [[Ekkaia]]
 |type = Continent
-|realms = [[Valinor]],<br />[[Araman]],<br />[[Avathar]],<br />[[Lórien]]
+|realms = [[Araman]], [[Avathar]], [[Gardens of Lórien]], [[Halls of Mandos]], [[Tol Eressëa]], [[Valinor]]
-|major_towns = [[Alqualondë]],<br />[[Formenos]],<br />[[Halls of Mandos]],<br />[[Tirion]],<br />[[Valmar]]
+|major_towns = [[Alqualondë]], [[Avallonë]],</br>[[Formenos]], [[Tirion]], [[Valmar]]
-|names = "The West",<br />Undying Lands,<br />Blessed Realm,<br />Uttermost West
+|names = "The West",<br/>Blessed Realm, Undying Lands, Uttermost West
-|inhabitants = [[Valar]],<br />[[Maiar]],<br />[[Vanyar]],<br />[[Ñoldor]],<br />[[Teleri]]
+|inhabitants = [[Valar]], [[Maiar]]<br/>[[Eldar]] ([[Vanyar]], [[Ñoldor]], [[Teleri]])<br/>[[Hobbits]] ([[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Bilbo Baggins]], and [[Samwise Gamgee]] only), [[Gimli]]
+|capital=|summary=|languages=|ruler=|preceded_by=|origins=|founded/built=|lifespan=|followed_by=|caption=Aman's shores, by [[Ted Nasmith]]|regions=[[Valinor]], [[Eldamar]],</br>[[Tol Eressëa]], [[Avathar]], [[Araman]]}}
-}}
+'''Aman''' ([[Quenya]]; "blessed realm") was a continent that lay west of [[Middle-earth]], across the great ocean [[Belegaer]]. It contained [[Valinor]], home of the [[Valar]] and [[Maiar]], as well as [[Eldamar]], home to the three kindreds of [[Elves]]: the [[Vanyar]], the [[Ñoldor]] and the [[Teleri]]. The island of [[Tol Eressëa]] lay just off the eastern shore.
-[[File:44444444.jpg|thumb|Location of Aman in Arda]]
-'''Aman''' ([[Quenya]]; [[IPA charts|IPA]]: {{IPA|[ˈaman]}}; "blessed realm") was a continent that lay west of [[Middle-earth]], across the great ocean [[Belegaer]]. It was the home of the [[Valar]], and three kindreds of [[Elves]]: the [[Vanyar]], some of the [[Ñoldor]], and some of the [[Teleri]]. The island of [[Tol Eressëa]] lay just off the eastern shore.
 == History ==
-Upon the destruction of [[Almaren]] in very ancient times of Arda, the Valar fled to the great continent of Aman in the far west of [[Arda]], and there established the realm of [[Valinor]]. Seeking to isolate themselves, they raised a great [[mountain]] fence, called the [[Pelóri]], on the eastern coast, and set the [[Enchanted Isles]] in the ocean to prevent travellers by sea from reaching Aman.
+Upon the destruction of [[Almaren]] in very ancient times of Arda, the Valar fled to the great continent of Aman in the far west of [[Arda]], and there established the realm of Valinor. Seeking to isolate themselves, they raised a great [[mountain]] fence, called the [[Pelóri]], on the eastern coast, and set the [[Enchanted Isles]] in the ocean to prevent travellers by sea from reaching Aman.
-For reasons unknown, the Valar left two lands outside the wall of the Pelóri: [[Araman]] to the northeast and [[Avathar]] to the southeast. [[Ungoliant]], a great [[spider]] of unknown origin, had managed to escape notice in Avathar. When [[Melkor]] was released from his captivity, he fled to Avathar, scaled the mountains with Ungoliant's help, and wrought destruction of great consequence in Aman.
+For reasons untold, the Valar left two lands outside the wall of the Pelóri: [[Araman]] to the northeast and [[Avathar]] to the southeast. [[Ungoliant]], a great [[spider]] of unknown origin, had managed to escape notice in Avathar. When [[Melkor]] was released from his captivity, he fled to Avathar, scaled the mountains with Ungoliant's help, and wrought the destruction of the [[Two Trees of Valinor]]
 The first navigator to succeed in passing the Isles of Enchantment was [[Eärendil]], who came to Valinor to seek the aid of the Valar against Melkor, now called ''Morgoth''. His quest was successful, the Valar went to war again, and also decided to remove the Isles.
+[[File:Valinor Robert Zigo.png|left|thumb|443x443px|Valinor, in Aman, depicted by [[:Category:Art by Robert Zigo|Robert Zigo]]]]
+Soon after this, the great island of [[Númenor]] was raised out of Belegaer, close to the shores of Aman, and the Three Houses of the [[Edain]] were brought to live there. Henceforth, they were called the [[Dúnedain]], or ''Men of the West'', and were blessed with many gifts by the Valar and the Elves of Tol Eressëa. The Valar feared— rightly— that the [[Númenóreans]] would seek to enter Aman to gain [[immortality]] (even though a mortal in Aman remains mortal), so they forbade them from sailing west of the westernmost promontory of Númenor. In time, and not without some corrupting help from [[Sauron]], the Númenóreans violated the [[Ban of the Valar]], and sailed to Aman with a [[Great Armament]] under the command of [[Ar-Pharazôn]] the Golden. [[Eru Ilúvatar]] collapsed a part of the Pelóri on this army, trapping but not killing them. It is said that the army still lies beneath the pile of rock in the [[Caves of the Forgotten]].
+As a result of the Númenórean attack, the Valar laid down their governance of Arda and called upon Eru Ilúvatar, and he [[Changing of the World|changed]] the shape of the world, making Arda round and removing Aman from it, so that a mariner sailing west along Eärendil's route would simply emerge in the far east. For the Elves, however, he crafted a [[Straight Road]] that peeled away from the curvature of the earth and passed to Aman.<ref>''[[The Atlas of Middle-earth]]'', The First Age, The Elder Days, "Introduction"</ref> A very few non-Elves are known to have passed along this road, including the [[Hobbit]]s [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]], [[Samwise Gamgee]] and the Dwarf [[Gimli]].<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Appendix B]]: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "Later Events concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"</ref>
-Soon after this, the great island of [[Númenor]] was raised out of Belegaer, close to the shores of Aman, and the Three Houses of the [[Edain]] were brought to live there. Henceforth, they were called the [[Dúnedain]], or ''Men of the West'', and were blessed with many gifts by the Valar and the Elves of Tol Eressëa. The Valar feared— rightly— that the [[Númenóreans]] would seek to enter Aman to gain [[immortality]] (even though a mortal in Aman remains mortal), so they forbade them from sailing west of the westernmost promontory of Númenor. In time, and not without some corrupting help from [[Sauron]], the Númenóreans violated the [[Ban of the Valar]], and sailed to Aman with a great army under the command of [[Ar-Pharazôn]] the Golden. The Valar collapsed a part of the Pelóri on this army, trapping it but not killing it. It is said that the army still lies beneath the pile of rock.
-In light of this new development, the Valar decided to again isolate themselves from the other lands, but by a more decisive method than enchanted islands. The earth, at this time, was flat. They called upon [[Eru Ilúvatar]], and he clove it in two, making Middle-earth round and removing Aman from Arda, so that a mariner sailing west along Eärendil's route would simply emerge in the far east. For the elves, however, they crafted a [[Straight Road]] that peels away from the curvature of the earth and passes to Aman.<ref>''[[The Atlas of Middle-earth]],'' The First Age, The Elder Days, "Introduction"</ref> A very few non-elves are known to have passed along this road, including the [[Hobbit]]s [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Bilbo Baggins]], and perhaps [[Samwise Gamgee]] and the dwarf [[Gimli]] as well.<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' [[Appendix B]]: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "Later Events concerning the Members of the Fellowship of the Ring"</ref>
 == Etymology ==
-The [[Quenya]] name '''''Aman''''' is glossed as "Blessed Land",<ref><sup>6.0 6.1</sup> [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "''Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals'' and Related Writings — Part Three" (edited by Patrick H. Wynne), in ''Vinyar Tengwar'', Number 49, June 2007, pp. 26-7</ref> or "blessed, free from evil"<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar", p. 399</ref> or "The Unmarred State".<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'', "[[The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor]]": "Notes and Commentary"</ref>
+The [[Quenya]] name '''''Aman''''' is glossed as "Blessed Land"<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "''Eldarin Hands, Fingers & Numerals'' and Related Writings — Part Three" (ed. by Patrick H. Wynne) in ''[[Vinyar Tengwar]]'', no. 49, pgs. 26-7</ref>, "blessed, free from evil"<ref>''[[The War of the Jewels]]'', Part Four: Quendi and Eldar, pg. 399</ref>, or "The Unmarred State".<ref>''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'', "[[The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor]]", Notes and Commentary</ref>
 The etymology of the name ''Aman'' changed over time in Tolkien's writings. In early linguistic writings, ''Aman'' was intended to be a "native Quenya form", derived from the root MAN ("good"). However, in later writings (such as ''Quendi and Eldar''), the name is said to derive from a Valarin word.<sup>[6]</sup>
@@ Line 38: / Line 35: @@
 ==Translations==
-<div style="overflow:auto; height:300px; width:500px; float:left">
+<!--<div style="overflow:auto; height:200px;">-->
+{|class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="Show" data-collapsetext="Hide" style="border: 1px solid #a6a6a6; width:100%; margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
-<!--<div style="overflow:auto; height:200px;">-->
+| width="300" |'''Foreign Language'''
-{|class="itemtable" bgcolor=#EDEEFF style="color:#6f3d0b; border:2px solid #FFF; border-top: 0; text-align:left; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft:8px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright:8px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius:8px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius:8px;"
-|width=300px|'''Foreign Language'''
+| width="300" |'''Translated name'''
-|width=300px|'''Translated name'''
 |-
 |Amharic
@@ Line 50: / Line 46: @@
 |آمان
 |-
 |Armenian
 |Աման
+|-
+|Assamese
+|অমান
 |-
 |Belarusian Cyrillic
 |Аман
 |-
 |Bengali
 |আমান
 |-
 |Bulgarian Cyrillic
 |Аман
 |-
 |Cantonese
 |阿曼
 |-
 |Chinese (Hong Kong)
 |阿門洲
+|-
+|Danish
+|Aman (De Udødelige Lande)
 |-
 |French
@@ Line 72: / Line 74: @@
 |-
 |Georgian
 |ამან
+|-
+|German
+|Aman (Unsterbliche Länder)
 |-
 |Greek
 |Άμαν
 |-
 |Gujarati
 |આમન
 |-
 |Hebrew
@@ Line 84: / Line 89: @@
 |-
 |Hindi
 |आमन
 |-
 |Hungarian
@@ Line 104: / Line 109: @@
 |Аман
 |-
+|Laotian
-|Lao
 |ະມະນ
 |-
 |Macedonian Cyrillic
 |Аман
+|-
+|Malayalam
+|അമൻ
 |-
 |Marathi
 |आमन
 |-
 |Mongolian Cyrillic
 |Аман
 |-
 |Nepalese
 |आमन
 |-
 |Pashto
@@ Line 129: / Line 137: @@
 |-
 |Sanskrit
 |आमन्
 |-
 |Sinhalese
@@ Line 141: / Line 149: @@
 |-
 |Telugu
 |ఆమన
 |-
 |Thai
@@ Line 147: / Line 155: @@
 |-
 |Ukrainian Cyrillic
 |Аман
 |-
 |Urdu
@@ Line 159: / Line 167: @@
 |}
-</div>
 {{Clear}}
+{{Places}}
 {{Locations in Aman}}
-== References ==
+==References==
 <references/>
@@ Line 176: / Line 184: @@
 [[ru:Аман]]
 [[sk:Aman]]
+[[tr:Aman]]
-[[Category:Quenya words]]
+[[Category:Quenya names & words]]
 [[Category:Continents]]
 [[Category:Aman| ]]