Avathar was a dark strip of land at the feet of the southern Pelóri mountain range in the continent of Aman.[1]
History[]
Avathar was a wasteland devoid of all life save for the Great Spider Ungoliant whose home was there before she agreed to go with Melkor to Middle-earth. After Melkor left Valinor, the Valar, believing that their foe had fled to Middle-earth to his old hiding places, did not think him still in Aman and did not find him here.[2]
Etymology[]
Avathar is a Quenya word that meant 'shadows' or 'the Shadows'.[3][4]
Earlier names[]
Tolkien's very first conception of Avathar, predating even the Lost Tales, was "Habannan", a place mentioned only in an early poem from 1915 entitled "Habannan beneath the Stars".[5] Four name-changes then occurred before the publishing of The Silmarillion: Habannan was emended to Eruman, which became a name "interchangeable with Arvalin".[6] These names appear throughout the tales contained in The Book of Lost Tales Part One. Eruman ultimately was changed to Araman[7]. Araman and Arvalin shared slightly similar definitions: 'close to Aman'[8] and 'beside Valinor'.[9] The character Ungoliant was invented during the use of the name Arvalin, and her realm eventually was exclusively called Avathar.[10]
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ዓቫትሃር |
| Arabic | أفاثار |
| Armenian | Ավատհար |
| Assamese | অৱতাৰ |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | аватарам |
| Bengali | অব্যাথার |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Аватхар |
| Catalan | Àvathar |
| Chinese | 阿維塔 |
| Danish | Avathar ("Skyggernes Tomme Land") |
| Georgian | ავათჰარ |
| Greek | Αυαθαρ |
| Gujarati | અવથર |
| Hebrew | אבאתאר |
| Hindi | आवथर |
| Japanese | アバター |
| Kannada | ಅವತಾರಕ್ಕೆ |
| Kazakh | Аватар (Cyrillic) Avatar (Latin) |
| Korean | 아바타 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Аватар |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Аватар |
| Marathi | अवथर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Аватhар |
| Nepalese | आवथर |
| Persian | اواتهار |
| Russian | Аватар |
| Sanskrit | आवथर् |
| Serbian | Аватар (Cyrillic) Avatar (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | ආවථර් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Аватҳар |
| Tamil | ஆவத்ஹர் |
| Telugu | ఆవథర |
| Thai | าฤะทะร |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Аватар |
| Urdu | اواتهار ? |
| Uzbek | Аватҳар (Cyrillic) Avathar (Latin) |
| Yiddish | אַוואַטהאַר |
| 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 • Alalvinórëυ • Araman • Avathar • Enchanted Isles • Haerast • Oiomúrë • Sindanórië • Galathilion • Tol Withernonυ | |
| Mountains and passes | Pelóri • Taniquetil • Hyarmentir • Túna • Calacirya • Caves of the Forgotten | |
| Bodies of water | Afros • Bay of Eldamar • Gruirυ • Híri • Lórellin • Shadowy Seas • Sirnúmen | |
| Cities and strongholds | Váli-màr • Alqualondë • Avallónë • Formenos • Kôrtirion • Tavrobelρ • Tirion • Lumbiυ | |
| Houses and towers | Cottage of Lost Playρ • House of the Hundred Chimneysρ Pre-canon • Mindon Eldaliéva • Tower of Avallónë • Tower of Tavrobelρ • Tram Nybolρ | |
| ρ Pre-canon, υ Canonicity unclear. | ||
References[]
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Valinor"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VIII: "Of the Darkening of Valinor"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, "Index of Names"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Index
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter III: "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor", Notes, Commentary on The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor, pg. 91
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, Index, pg. 180
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter III: "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor", Notes, Commentary on The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor, pg. 93
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter III: "The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor", Notes, Commentary on The Coming of the Valar and the Building of Valinor, pg. 93
- ↑ Parf Edhellen, entry "Arvalin"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, Part One: The Grey Annals