Eä
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Eä (pronounced [ˈe.a]) is the Quenya name for the universe, as a realization of the vision of the Ainur. Thus, Eä is the World that Is, as distinguished from the World that Is Not. It may thus be assumed that everything outside Eä, including the Timeless Halls of Ilúvatar, has no material form.
The Ainur, angelic beings from the Timeless Halls beyond Eä, refer to it as "the Little Kingdom". This refers to the fact that within the mind of Eru Ilúvatar (God, in Tolkien's legendarium), all creation that human can see is really just a tiny thing in comparison.
[edit] Etymology
Eä was the word spoken by Eru Ilúvatar by which he brought the universe into actuality.
[edit] Inspiration
This act of creation recalls the Biblical creation narrative, in which God began creating the world with the verbal command, "Let there be light." It also reminds of Egyptian myths of creation, in which Ptah, god of creation (Amun, or Amun-Re was the god of creation in ealier Egyptian mythology), creates the world by speaking his own name.
[edit] Inflection
| Quenya noun Eä |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case \ # | Singular | Plural | Part. Plur. | Dual |
| Nominative | Eä | Eär | Eäl[í/i] | Eät |
| Accusative | Eá | Eäi | Eälí | Eät |
| Genitive | Eö | Eäivaon | Eälion | Eäto |
| Possessive | Eäva | Eäi | Eälíva | Eätwa |
| Dative | Eän | Eäin | Eälin | Eänt |
| Locative | Eässë | Eässen | Eälissë(n) | Eätsë |
| Allative | Eänna | Eännar | Eälinna(r) | Eänta |
| Ablative | Eällo | Eällo[n/r] | Eälillo(n) | Eälto |
| Instrumental | Eänen | Eänen | Eälínen | Eänten |
| *Respective | Eäs | Eäis | Eälis | Eätes |
| Asterisked forms are speculative. Chart may not be 100% canonical. | ||||
