Changes: Eärendil

Revision as of 02:40, 19 June 2021

This article is about the father of Elrond and Elros. For the king of Gondor, see Eärendil of Gondor.

Eärendil (Quenya; IPA: [e.aˈrendil]) was a great Half-elven mariner who voyaged to Valinor, entreated before the Valar on behalf of the Children of Iluvatar, and carried a star across the sky at the end of the First Age. His acts had been prophesied of among the Elves centuries beforehand.^[4]

He was the father of Elros, the first King of Númenor, and of Elrond, the Lord of Rivendell and an important figure in the Second and Third age.

Eärendil was the first, seminal character of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology; his name and purpose as a character were inspired by an excerpt of Cynewulf that Tolkien found in the poem Crist. Eärendil's story is found in The Silmarillion, but he is invoked and referred to by many characters throughout The Lord of the Rings.

Biography

Eärendil was the Half-elven son of Tuor and Princess Idril, daughter of Turgon. He was born in FA 503 and was raised in Gondolin. At the age of seven, he and his parents escaped the sack of Gondolin, living afterwards in Arvernien by the mouth of Sirion.^[3]^[5] The survivors of Gondolin and Doriath mingled at the Havens of Sirion. In FA 530,^[2] Eärendil wedded Elwing, daughter of King Dior Eluchil. Two years later, Elros and Elrond were born to them, and Eärendil began his voyage in search for Tuor and Idril, who earlier had departed over the Sea. With the aid of Círdan the Shipwright, Eärendil built a ship for this purpose, Vingilótë.^[6]

Earendil Searches TirionA — Eärendil searches Tirion, by Ted Nasmith

At this time, Elwing had in her possession the Silmaril that Beren had once wrested from Morgoth. News of this came to the sons of Fëanor that still lived, and they attacked the people living in Arvernien, slaying most of them. Círdan and Gil-galad sent ships to their aid, but were too late. But Elwing, to avoid capture, threw herself with the Silmaril into the Sea, leaving her young sons behind.^[6]

Hearing of the tragedy of Arvernien, Eärendil then sought after Valinor, and he and Elwing found their way there at last. Eärendil thus became the first of all mortals to set foot in Valinor. Eärendil then went before the Valar, and asked them for aid for Men and Elves in Middle-earth, to fight against Morgoth; and the Valar accepted his plea.^[6]

Eärendil slays Ancaglon — Eärendil slays Ancalagon, by Ted Nasmith

Because Eärendil had undertaken this errand on behalf of Men and Elves, and not for his own sake, Manwë forbore to deal out the punishment of death that was due; and because both Eärendil and Elwing were descended from a union of Elves and Men, Manwë granted to them and their sons the gift to choose to which race they would be joined (a gift that was further passed to the children of Elrond, who became known as the Half-elven). Elwing chose to be one of the Elves. Eärendil would have rather been one of the Men; however, for the sake of his wife, he chose to be one of the Elves.^[6]

The Valar, having listened to Eärendil's plea, went with a mighty host to Middle-earth, and overthrew Morgoth, and bound him. Eärendil took part in the battle, riding on Vingilot beside Thorondor and the Eagles. It was his blow that slew the great dragon Ancalagon and cast it down onto Thangorodrim, the event which, along with the sheer devastation caused by the War of Wrath, led to the Ruin of Beleriand.^[6] Eärendil's fate was to eternally traverse the Great Ocean with the Silmaril that Beren and Luthien had wrested from Morgoth and guard the Sun and Moon.

In the Second Prophecy of Mandos, it is told that Eärendil will return from the sky for the love of the Sun and Moon that Melkor would blot out, and fight in the Dagor Dagorath.

Later mentions

The Hobbit of the Shire, Bilbo Baggins, wrote a "Song of Eärendil" which was sung in Rivendell, the house of Eärendil's son, Elrond.^[7]

Character

Eärendil was once described as the following:

"Now this babe was of greatest beauty; his skin of a shining white and his eyes of a green surpassing that of the meadows in the southern lands -- greener than the emeralds of the raiment of Manwe;~ and the envy of Meglin was deep at his birth, but the joy of Turgon and all the people very great indeed"

—The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "The Fall of Gondolin"

Etymology

Earendil in bronze by turnermohan-d6g9urb — Earendil In Bronze, by TurnerMohan

His father-name Eärendil is Quenya for "Lover of the Sea", from eä ("sea") and the suffix -ndil ("devoted to, friend, lover").^[8]^[9] The Adûnaic translation of Eärendil is Azrubêl.^[10] His mother-name was Ardamírë, "Arda-jewel", from the Quenya term mírë ("jewel").^[10]

The first rendition of his name, before the final stages of the legendarium, was Eärendel.

Epithets

Eärendil was given many epithets: Eärendil Halfelven, Eärendil the Mariner, Eärendil the Blessed, and Bright Eärendil.

Name history

Tolkien created the name based on a poem by Cynewulf, found in the book Crist, out of Old English literature. It mentions the Anglo-Saxon name éarendel, which Tolkien stated struck him by its "great beauty" as early as 1913. He perceived the name as

entirely coherent with the normal style of A-S, but euphonic to a peculiar degree in that pleasing but not 'delectable' language.^[11]

There is a poem by Tolkien dated to 1914 entitled The Voyage of Eärendel the Evening Star (published in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, pages 267 - 269). Tolkien was also aware of the name's Germanic cognates (Old Norse Aurvandill, Lombardic Auriwandalo), and the question why the Anglo-Saxon one rather than the Lombardic or Proto-Germanic form should be taken up in the mythology is alluded to in the Notion Club papers. The Old Norse together with the Anglo-Saxon evidence point to an astronomical myth, the name referring to a star, or a group of stars, and the Anglo-Saxon in particular points to the Morning Star as the herald of the rising Sun, alluded to by Cynewulf in Crist.

Development

While studying at Oxford, after discovering Éarendel in the lines from Crist, Tolkien developed a constructed language that later became Quenya. As of around 1915, he believed that this language needed an internal history, and was spoken by Elves whom his invented character Eärendil meets in his journeys. The next step in his creation of the underlying mythology was the Lay of Eärendil, a work composed of several poems describing the mariner Eärendil and his voyages, and how his ship is turned into a star. The mysterious land of Valinor and its Two Trees of gold and silver were first described in this cycle.

Tolkien's legend of Eärendil has elements resembling the medieval Celtic Immram legends, and also the Christian legend of St. Brendan the Navigator.

Humphrey Carpenter in his biography of Tolkien remarked that Eärendil "was in fact the beginning of Tolkien's own mythology". In Tolkien and the Great War, John Garth gives an extensive interpretation of Tolkien's 1914 poem, inferring many parallels in Eärendil and his flight.^[12]

Line of the Half-elves

Finwë

Indis

Fingolfin

Anairë

Galdor

Thingol

Melian

Elenwë

Turgon

Huor

Rían

Beren

Lúthien

Idril

Tuor

Dior

Nimloth

Eärendil

Elwing

Eluréd and Elurín

Elros

Elrond

Celebrían

Kings of Númenor

Lords of Andúnië

Elendil

Isildur

Anárion

Kings of Arnor

Kings of Gondor

Chieftains of
the Dúnedain

Aragorn II Elessar

Arwen

Elladan

Elrohir

Eldarion

{{Daughters}}

The marriages between Elves and Men are in bold.
The Half-elves or the Peredhil are in italic.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Amharic	ዐኣረንዲል
Arabic	إيرنديل
Armenian	Էարենդիլ
Belarusian Cyrillic	Эаренділ
Bengali	এঅরেন্দিল
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Еарендил
Catalan	Eàrendil
Chinese (Hong Kong)	埃蘭迪爾
Georgian	ეარენდილი
Greek	Εαρέντιλ
Gujarati	ઍઅરેન્દિલ
Hebrew	אארנדיל
Hindi	एअरेन्दिल
Japanese	エアレンディル
Kannada	ಇರೆಂಡಿಲ್
Kazakh	Еәренділ (Cyrillic) Eärendil (Latin)
Korean	에아렌딜
Kyrgyz Cyrillic	Эарэндил
Macedonian Cyrillic	Еарендил
Marathi	एअरेन्दिल
Mongolian Cyrillic	Эареэндил
Nepalese	एअरेन्दिल
Pashto	ېارېندیل
Persian	ائارندیل
Punjabi	ਏਅਰੇਨ੍ਦਿਲ
Russian	Эарендиль
Sanskrit	एअरेन्दिल्
Serbian	Еарендил (Cyrillic) Eärendil (Latin)
Sinhalese	ඒඅරෙඳිල්
Tajik Cyrillic	Еарендил
Tamil	ஏஅரெந்தில்
Telugu	ఏఅరెన్దిల
Thai	เออาเรนดิล
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Еаренділ
Urdu	ےارےندیل ?
Uzbek	Еарендил (Cyrillic) Earendil (Latin)
Yiddish	ײאַרענדיל

References

↑ Beren and Lúthien
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, chapter V: "The Tale of Years"
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter III: "The Fall of Gondolin"
↑ The Children of Húrin, Ch. X: "Túrin in Nargothrond", pg. 162, quote by Gwindor: "It is a prophecy among us that one day a messenger from Middle-earth will come through the shadows to Valinor, and Manwë will hear, and Mandos relent."
↑ The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIII: "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter I: "Many Meetings"
↑ The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names
↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, chapter XI: "The Shibboleth of Fëanor"
↑ The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 297, pg. 385
↑ John Garth, Tolkien and the Great War, Part One, ch. 2: "A young man with too much imagination"

[1] Beren and Lúthien

[tale-2] 2.0 ^2.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XI: The War of the Jewels, chapter V: "The Tale of Years"

[fall-3] 3.0 ^3.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter III: "The Fall of Gondolin"

[4] The Children of Húrin, Ch. X: "Túrin in Nargothrond", pg. 162, quote by Gwindor: "It is a prophecy among us that one day a messenger from Middle-earth will come through the shadows to Valinor, and Manwë will hear, and Mandos relent."

[5] The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIII: "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin"

[voyage-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 ^6.3 ^6.4 The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"

[7] The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter I: "Many Meetings"

[8] The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names

[9] The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"

[shibboleth-10] 10.0 ^10.1 The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, chapter XI: "The Shibboleth of Fëanor"

[11] The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 297, pg. 385

[12] John Garth, Tolkien and the Great War, Part One, ch. 2: "A young man with too much imagination"

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 | race = [[Half-elven]]
 | culture = [[Gondolindrim]],<br/>Elves of the [[Havens of Sirion]]
-| gender = Male
+| gender =
 | height =
 | hair = Golden
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 He was the father of [[Elros]], the first [[King of Númenor]], and of [[Elrond]], the [[Lord of Rivendell]] and an important figure in the Second and Third age.
-Eärendil was the first and seminal character of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s mythology; his name and purpose (as a character) were inspired by an excerpt Tolkien read out of the poem ''[[Crist]]''. Eärendil's story is found in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but he is invoked and referred to by many characters throughout ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.
+Eärendil was the first, seminal character of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s [[Tolkien Mythology|mythology]]; his name and purpose as a character were inspired by an excerpt of Cynewulf that Tolkien found in the poem ''[[Crist]]''. Eärendil's story is found in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but he is invoked and referred to by many characters throughout ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.
-== Biography ==
+== Biography==
-Eärendil was the [[Half-elven]] son of [[Tuor]] and Princess [[Idril]] daughter of [[Turgon]]. He was born in [[FA 503]] and was raised in [[Gondolin]]. When he was seven years old, he and his parents escaped the [[Fall of Gondolin|sacking of Gondolin]], living afterwards in [[Arvernien]] by the mouth of [[Sirion]].<ref name="fall" /><ref>''[[The Silmarillion]], [[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', Chapter XXIII: "[[Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin]]"</ref> The survivors of Gondolin and [[Doriath]] mingled at the [[Havens of Sirion]]. In [[FA 530]],<ref name="tale" /> Eärendil wedded [[Elwing]] daughter of King [[Dior Eluchil]]. Two years later, [[Elros]] and [[Elrond]] were born to them, and Eärendil began his voyage in search for Tuor and Idril, who had departed earlier over the Sea. With the aid of [[Círdan]] the Shipwright, Eärendil built a [[ship]], [[Vingilótë]].<ref name="voyage">''The Silmarillion'','' Quenta Silmarillion'', Chapter XXIV: "[[Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath]]"</ref>
+Eärendil was the [[Half-elven]] son of [[Tuor]] and Princess [[Idril]], daughter of [[Turgon]]. He was born in [[FA 503]] and was raised in [[Gondolin]]. At the age of seven, he and his parents escaped the [[Fall of Gondolin|sack of Gondolin]], living afterwards in [[Arvernien]] by the mouth of [[Sirion]].<ref name="fall" /><ref>''[[The Silmarillion]], [[Quenta Silmarillion]]'', Chapter XXIII: "[[Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin]]"</ref> The survivors of Gondolin and [[Doriath]] mingled at the [[Havens of Sirion]]. In [[FA 530]],<ref name="tale" /> Eärendil wedded [[Elwing]], daughter of King [[Dior Eluchil]]. Two years later, [[Elros]] and [[Elrond]] were born to them, and Eärendil began his voyage in search for Tuor and Idril, who earlier had departed over the [[Belegaer|Sea]]. With the aid of [[Círdan]] the Shipwright, Eärendil built a [[ship]] for this purpose, [[Vingilótë]].<ref name="voyage">''The Silmarillion'','' Quenta Silmarillion'', Chapter XXIV: "[[Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath]]"</ref>
 [[File:Earendil_Searches_TirionA.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Eärendil searches Tirion, by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]
-At this time, Elwing had in her possession the [[Silmaril]] that [[Beren]] had wrested from [[Morgoth]]. News of this came to the sons of [[Fëanor]] that were still living, and they attacked the people living in Arvernien, and slew most of them. [[Círdan]] and Gil-Galad sent ships to help them but were too late. But Elwing, rather than be captured, threw herself with the Silmaril into the sea, leaving her young sons behind.<ref name="voyage" />
+At this time, Elwing had in her possession the [[Silmaril]] that [[Beren]] had once wrested from [[Morgoth]]. News of this came to the sons of [[Fëanor]] that still lived, and they attacked the people living in Arvernien, slaying most of them. [[Círdan]] and Gil-galad sent ships to their aid, but were too late. But Elwing, to avoid capture, threw herself with the Silmaril into the Sea, leaving her young sons behind.<ref name="voyage" />
-Hearing of the tragedy that had befallen Arvernien, Eärendil then sought after [[Valinor]], and he and Elwing found their way there at last. Eärendil thus became the first of all mortals to set foot in Valinor. Eärendil then went before the [[Valar]], and asked them for aid for [[Men]] and [[Elves]] in Middle-earth, to fight against [[Morgoth]]; and the Valar accepted his plea.<ref name="voyage" />
+Hearing of the tragedy of Arvernien, Eärendil then sought after [[Valinor]], and he and Elwing found their way there at last. Eärendil thus became the first of all mortals to set foot in Valinor. Eärendil then went before the [[Valar]], and asked them for aid for [[Men]] and [[Elves]] in Middle-earth, to fight against [[Morgoth]]; and the Valar accepted his plea.<ref name="voyage" />
 [[File:Eärendil slays Ancaglon.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Eärendil slays Ancalagon, by Ted Nasmith]]
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 In the Second Prophecy of [[Mandos]], it is told that Eärendil will return from the sky for the love of the Sun and Moon that Melkor would blot out, and fight in the [[Dagor Dagorath]].
-== Later mentions ==
+==Later mentions ==
 The [[Hobbit]] of the [[Shire]], [[Bilbo Baggins]], wrote a "[[Song of Eärendil]]" which was sung in [[Rivendell]], the house of Eärendil's son, [[Elrond]].<ref>''[[The Lord of the Rings]], [[The Fellowship of the Ring (novel)|The Fellowship of the Ring]],'' Book Two, Chapter I: "[[Many Meetings]]"</ref>
-== Etymology ==
+==Character ==
+Eärendil was once described as the following:
+{{Quote|Now this babe was of greatest beauty; his skin of a shining white and his eyes of a green surpassing that of the meadows in the southern lands -- greener than the emeralds of the raiment of Manwe;~ and the envy of Meglin was deep at his birth, but the joy of Turgon and all the people very great indeed|''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two]]'', "[[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|The Fall of Gondolin]]"}}
+==Etymology==
 [[File:Earendil in bronze by turnermohan-d6g9urb.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Earendil In Bronze, by [http://turnermohan.deviantart.com/art/Earendil-In-Bronze-390130679 TurnerMohan]]]
-His father-name '''''Eärendil''''' is a [[Quenya]] name meaning "Lover of the [[Sea]]", from ''eä'' ("sea") and the suffix ''-ndil'' ("devoted to, friend, lover").<ref>''The Silmarillion'', Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names</ref><ref>''The History of Middle-earth'', Vol. V: ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', Part Three: "[[The Etymologies]]"</ref> His mother-name was '''Ardamírë''', "Arda-jewel", from the Quenya term ''mírë'' ("jewel").<ref name="shibboleth">''The History of Middle-earth'', Vol. XII: ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', chapter XI: "[[The Shibboleth of Fëanor]]"</ref>
+His father-name ''Eärendil'' is [[Quenya]] for "Lover of the [[Sea]]", from ''eä'' ("sea") and the suffix ''-ndil'' ("devoted to, friend, lover").<ref>''The Silmarillion'', Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names</ref><ref>''The History of Middle-earth'', Vol. V: ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', Part Three: "[[The Etymologies]]"</ref> The [[Adûnaic]] translation of ''Eärendil'' is '''''Azrubêl'''''.<ref name="shibboleth" /> His mother-name was '''''Ardamírë''''', "Arda-jewel", from the Quenya term ''mírë'' ("jewel").<ref name="shibboleth">''The History of Middle-earth'', Vol. XII: ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', chapter XI: "[[The Shibboleth of Fëanor]]"</ref>
+The first rendition of his name, before the final stages of the [[legendarium]], was '''''Eärendel''.'''
-The [[Adûnaic]] translation of Eärendil is '''Azrubêl'''.<ref name="shibboleth" />
+===Epithets===
-The first rendering of his name, before the making of his final tale in ''The Silmarillion'', was '''Eärendel.'''
-=== Epithets ===
 Eärendil was given many epithets: '''Eärendil Halfelven''', '''Eärendil the Mariner''', '''Eärendil the Blessed''', and '''Bright Eärendil'''.
-=== Name history ===
+===Name history===
-Tolkien created the name based on [[Wikipedia:Anglo-Saxon literature|Old English literature]]. Tolkien's himself states (''[[The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien|Letters]], 297'') that the name is derived from [[Wikipedia:Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] ''[[Wikipedia:Aurvandil|éarendel]]''. He says that he was struck by the "great beauty" of the name as early as 1913, which he perceived as
+Tolkien created the name based on a poem by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynewulf Cynewulf], found in the book [[Crist]], out of [[Wikipedia:Anglo-Saxon literature|Old English literature]]. It mentions the [[Wikipedia:Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] name ''[[Wikipedia:Aurvandil|éarendel]]'', which Tolkien stated struck him by its "great beauty" as early as 1913. He perceived the name as
-:''entirely coherent with the normal style of A-S, but euphonic to a peculiar degree in that pleasing but not 'delectable' language.''
+:''entirely coherent with the normal style of A-S, but euphonic to a peculiar degree in that pleasing but not 'delectable' language.''<ref>''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', Letter 297, pg. 385</ref>
-There is a [[List of poems by J. R. R. Tolkien|poem]] by Tolkien dated to 1914 entitled ''The Voyage of Eärendel the Evening Star'' (published in [[The Book of Lost Tales 2|HoME 2]] 267 - 269). Tolkien was also aware of the name's Germanic cognates ([[Old Norse]] ''Aurvandill'', [[Wikipedia:Lombardic language|Lombardic]] ''Auriwandalo''), and the question why the Anglo-Saxon one rather than the Lombardic or Proto-Germanic form should be taken up in the mythology is alluded to in the ''[[Wikipedia: The Notion Club Papers|Notion Club papers]]''. The Old Norse together with the Anglo-Saxon evidence point to an astronomical myth, the name referring to a star, or a group of stars, and the Anglo-Saxon in particular points to the [[Wikipedia:Venus|Morning Star]] as the herald of the rising Sun (in ''[[Wikipedia:Aurvandil|Crist]]'' Christianized to refer to [[Wikipedia:John the Baptist|John the Baptist]]).
+There is a [[List of poems by J. R. R. Tolkien|poem]] by Tolkien dated to 1914 entitled ''The Voyage of Eärendel the Evening Star'' (published in ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two]]'', pages 267 - 269). Tolkien was also aware of the name's Germanic cognates ([[Old Norse]] ''Aurvandill'', [[Wikipedia:Lombardic language|Lombardic]] ''Auriwandalo''), and the question why the Anglo-Saxon one rather than the Lombardic or Proto-Germanic form should be taken up in the mythology is alluded to in the ''[[Wikipedia: The Notion Club Papers|Notion Club papers]]''. The Old Norse together with the Anglo-Saxon evidence point to an astronomical myth, the name referring to a star, or a group of stars, and the Anglo-Saxon in particular points to the [[Wikipedia:Venus|Morning Star]] as the herald of the rising Sun, alluded to by Cynewulf in ''Crist''.
-Tolkien was particularly inspired by the lines:
-:''Crist'', ''éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended''
-:"Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, sent over Middle-earth to men."
-This was the inspiration not only for the role of Eärendil in Tolkien's work, but also for the term "[[Middle-earth]]" (translating ''Middangeard'') for the inhabitable lands (c.f. [[Wikipedia:Midgard|Midgard]]).
-The first line is paralleled by [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]'s exclamation in [[Cirith Ungol]], ''Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima!'' which is [[Quenya]], and translates to "Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars." Frodo's exclamation was in reference to the 'Star-glass' he carried, which contained the light of Eärendil's star, the [[Silmaril]]. It also echoes [[Eönwë]]'s exclamation who at the end of the First Age greeted Eärendil and his quest in [[Aman]].
-== Character ==
-Eärendil was once described as the following:
-{{Quote|Now this babe was of greatest beauty; his skin of a shining white and his eyes of a green surpassing that of the meadows in the southern lands -- greener than the emeralds of the raiment of Manwe;~ and the envy of Meglin was deep at his birth, but the joy of Turgon and all the people very great indeed|''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two]]'', "[[The Fall of Gondolin (chapter)|The Fall of Gondolin]]"}}
+==Development==
-== Concept and creation ==
 [[File:Earendil.jpg|thumb|225px|Eärendil the Blessed]]
-In 1914, Tolkien wrote a poem "The Voyage of Eärendil the Evening Star" which was inspired by the "[[Crist]]" poem of Cynewulf. While studying at Oxford, Tolkien developed a constructed language that later became known as Quenya. Already around 1915 he had the idea that this language needed an internal history and was spoken by Elves whom his invented character Eärendil meets during his journeys. The next step in the creation of the underlying mythology was the ''Lay of Eärendil'', a work composed of several poems that describes the mariner Eärendil and his voyages and how his ship is turned into a star. The mysterious land of Valinor and its Two Trees of gold and silver were first described in this cycle.
+While studying at Oxford, after discovering Éarendel in the lines from ''Crist'', Tolkien developed a constructed language that later became [[Quenya]]. As of around 1915, he believed that this language needed an internal history, and was spoken by Elves whom his invented character Eärendil meets in his journeys. The next step in his creation of the underlying mythology was the ''Lay of Eärendil'', a work composed of several poems describing the mariner Eärendil and his voyages, and how his ship is turned into a star. The mysterious land of Valinor and its Two Trees of gold and silver were first described in this cycle.
 Tolkien's legend of Eärendil has elements resembling the medieval Celtic [[wikipedia:Immram|Immram]] legends, and also the Christian legend of [[wikipedia:Brendan|St. Brendan the Navigator]].
@@ Line 92: / Line 83: @@
 {{Line of the Half-elven}}
-==Translations==
+==Translations ==
 <div style="overflow:auto; height:300px; width:500px; float:left">
 <!--<div style="overflow:auto; height:200px;">-->
@@ Line 105: / Line 96: @@
 |إيرنديل
 |-
 |Armenian
 |Էարենդիլ
 |-
@@ Line 117: / Line 108: @@
 |Еарендил
 |-
 |Catalan
-|Eàrendil
+| Eàrendil
 |-
 |Chinese (Hong Kong)
 |埃蘭迪爾
 |-
 |Georgian
 |ეარენდილი
 |-
 |Greek
-|Εαρέντιλ
+| Εαρέντιλ
 |-
 |Gujarati
@@ Line 144: / Line 135: @@
 |ಇರೆಂಡಿಲ್
 |-
 |Kazakh
 |Еәренділ (Cyrillic) Eärendil (Latin)
 |-
@@ Line 168: / Line 159: @@
 |ېارېندیل
 |-
 |Persian
 |ائارندیل
 |-
-|Punjabi
+| Punjabi
 |ਏਅਰੇਨ੍ਦਿਲ
 |-
@@ Line 180: / Line 171: @@
 |एअरेन्दिल्
 |-
 |Serbian
 |Еарендил (Cyrillic) Eärendil (Latin)
 |-
@@ Line 216: / Line 207: @@
 {{Half-elves}}
-== References ==
+==References==
 <references />

Half-elves of Arda
Line of Lúthien	Arwen • Dior Eluchíl • Elladan and Elrohir • Elrond • Elros • Eluréd and Elurín • Elwing • Eärendil
Line of Dol Amroth	Galador • Gilmith
House of Elros (supposed)	Vardamir Nólimon • Manwendil • Atanalcar • Tindómiel