Nienna
Encyclopedia
Nienna is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
. She is introduced in The Silmarillion
as an Ainu, one of the Queens of the Valar and one of the Aratar.
She was the sister of Mandos and Irmo. Her name meant She who weeps. Or perhaps, in light of Tolkien's Catholicism
, she was named after the charism
of the Gift of Tears (Quenya
nie 'tear' + anna 'gift'). She lives in the far West of Arda
, grieves for the suffering of the world, and comforts the spirits of the dead who wait in the halls of Mandos:
Gandalf's
rebuke of Frodo
for wishing death upon Gollum
in The Fellowship of the Ring
is obliquely attributed in The Silmarillion to Gandalf's having been a disciple of Nienna in Valinor
(Chapter 2, "Valaquenta"): "Wisest of the Maiar
was Olórin [Gandalf]... [H]is ways took him often to the house of Nienna, and of her he learned pity and patience."
Nienna is the only Vala of female appearance who was not married, similarly to Ulmo
among the male counterparts.
Nienna wept on the mound of Ezellohar, watering it with her tears. After the destruction of the Two Trees by Melkor, she wept on their remains, cleansing the filth of Ungoliant
, and helping to nurture the fruit and the flower that became the Sun and the Moon
. Nienna is considered one of the most powerful of the female Valar, alongside Varda
and Yavanna. Although she represents Mercy, Compassion and Healing, her powers seem to include growth, as she was instrumental, together with Yavanna, in making the Two Trees, and healing their wounds from the poison of Ungoliant. She was also one of the few Valar who sided with the release of Melkor from his bondage after the Age of Peace, being compassionate of his suffering yet unaware, as Manwë
was, of his unfailing evil.
In The Book of Lost Tales
Nienna was named Fui or Qalmë-Tári and was married to Vefántur (Mandos), to whom she was not related in that context. She did not bring about the healing of the Two Trees and turned away Túrin
and Nienor
from her halls of Fui (named after herself).
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
. She is introduced in The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
as an Ainu, one of the Queens of the Valar and one of the Aratar.
She was the sister of Mandos and Irmo. Her name meant She who weeps. Or perhaps, in light of Tolkien's Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, she was named after the charism
Charism
In Christian theology, a charism in general denotes any good gift that flows from God's love to man. The word can also mean any of the spiritual graces and qualifications granted to every Christian to perform his or her task in the Church...
of the Gift of Tears (Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
nie 'tear' + anna 'gift'). She lives in the far West of Arda
Arda
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Arda is the name given to the Earth in a period of prehistory, wherein the places mentioned in The Lord of the Rings and related material once existed...
, grieves for the suffering of the world, and comforts the spirits of the dead who wait in the halls of Mandos:
Gandalf's
Gandalf
Gandalf is a character in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a wizard, member and later the head of the order known as the Istari, as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West...
rebuke of Frodo
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
for wishing death upon Gollum
Gollum
Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings....
in The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
is obliquely attributed in The Silmarillion to Gandalf's having been a disciple of Nienna in Valinor
Valinor
Valinor is a fictional location in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the realm of the Valar in Aman. It was also known as the Undying Lands, along with Tol Eressëa and the outliers of Aman. This is something of a misnomer; only immortal beings were allowed to reside there, but the land itself,...
(Chapter 2, "Valaquenta"): "Wisest of the Maiar
Maia (Middle-earth)
The Maiar are beings from J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy legendarium. They are lesser Ainur who entered Eä in the beginning of time. Tolkien uses the term Valar to refer both to all the Ainur who entered Eä, and specifically to the greatest among them, the fourteen Lords and Queens of the Valar...
was Olórin [Gandalf]... [H]is ways took him often to the house of Nienna, and of her he learned pity and patience."
Nienna is the only Vala of female appearance who was not married, similarly to Ulmo
Ulmo
Ulmo is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He first appears in The Silmarillion as a god or Vala of the Elven pantheon. Ulmo is a title, which means He who pours. He is also known as King of the Sea and Lord of Waters...
among the male counterparts.
Nienna wept on the mound of Ezellohar, watering it with her tears. After the destruction of the Two Trees by Melkor, she wept on their remains, cleansing the filth of Ungoliant
Ungoliant
Ungoliant is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, described as an evil spirit in the form of a spider. She is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings, and plays a supporting role in The Silmarillion. Her origins are unclear, as Tolkien's writings don't explicitly...
, and helping to nurture the fruit and the flower that became the Sun and the Moon
Sun and Moon (Middle-earth)
The fantasy author J. R. R. Tolkien of Middle-earth fame included Earth's sun and moon for the cosmology of his fictionalized version of existence....
. Nienna is considered one of the most powerful of the female Valar, alongside Varda
Varda
Varda Elentári is a deity in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium to whom the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel is directed..-Character overview:Varda is one of the Valar, a group of semi-divine beings similar to archangels. Also known as "Queen of the stars", she is said to be too beautiful for words; within...
and Yavanna. Although she represents Mercy, Compassion and Healing, her powers seem to include growth, as she was instrumental, together with Yavanna, in making the Two Trees, and healing their wounds from the poison of Ungoliant. She was also one of the few Valar who sided with the release of Melkor from his bondage after the Age of Peace, being compassionate of his suffering yet unaware, as Manwë
Manwë
Manwë is a god or Vala of the Elven pantheon imagined by J. R. R. Tolkien. He is described in The Silmarillion.Manwë was the King of the Valar, husband of Varda Elentári, brother of the Dark Lord Melkor, and King of Arda. He lived atop Mount Taniquetil, the highest mountain of the world, in the...
was, of his unfailing evil.
In The Book of Lost Tales
The Book of Lost Tales
The Book of Lost Tales is the title of a collection of early stories by J. R. R. Tolkien, and of the first two volumes of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume series The History of Middle-earth, in which he presents and analyses the manuscripts of those stories, which were the earliest form of the...
Nienna was named Fui or Qalmë-Tári and was married to Vefántur (Mandos), to whom she was not related in that context. She did not bring about the healing of the Two Trees and turned away Túrin
Turín
Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador....
and Nienor
Nienor
Niënor, also known as Níniel , is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, appearing in the Narn i Chîn Húrin told in full in The Children of Húrin and briefly in The Silmarillion...
from her halls of Fui (named after herself).