Vëannë

From Tolkien Gateway
Vëannë
Elf
Biographical Information
Other namesMelinir (Q)
LocationTol Eressëa
Physical Description
GenderFemale

Vëannë was an Elf of Tol Eressëa according to the early version of the legendarium in The Book of Lost Tales.

History[edit | edit source]

She was a little girl living in the Cottage of Lost Play. When Eriol was playing with the people of the house at the Hall of Play Recovered, they felt tired and sat beside the fire. Then Vëannë climbed on Eriol's knee and asked him to recount about Men and their children in Great Lands ("...didst thou have a garden there such as we?"). He told her about his life and battles he had seen, and Vëannë concluded that wars are terrible. Then Eriol asked the children to tell some tale they had heard instead, and she volunteered to tell the "Tale of Tinúviel".[1]:4-8

Before beginning the tale, she argued with Ausir, who suggested Elvish names Tinwë Linto and Wendelin instead of Gnomish Tinwelint and Gwendeling. But she claimed that much earlier, when she was on the Path of Dreams, she saw Gwendeling and Tinúviel. She started the story describing Gwendeling.[1]:8 After she finished the tale describing the death of Beren, Eriol said that such a sad story heard from the mouth of a beautiful maiden calls for compassion. She wept and said that she does not remember what was later. Other children, including Ausir, helped her say that Beren and Tinúviel returned to life, but as mortals. Then Eriol said that he was not expecting such a story from little maidens of Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva. She answered that she learned it by heart from books but does not understand it fully.[1]:40-41

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Vëannë is clearly Qenya, but it is never glossed. During their conversation, Eriol gave her the name Melinir (while she named him Melinon),[1]:5 which is clearly derived from mel- ("love").[2]

References