Yavanna
Creator of nature in Arda. Yavanna was a mighty Queen of the Valar who was the sister of Vana and the wife of Aule. Yavanna's husband Aule had originally created the earth. Yavanna usually appeared as a tall woman in green, but she was also known to have appeared as a great tree. Yavanna was very closely associated with nature, and when the Valar arrived in Arda she became responsible for both plants and animals. In Arda, Yavanna dwelt on great pastures known as the Pastures of Yavanna which were located in Aman.
At the beginning of Arda, Yavanna planted the first seeds of life. She grew beautiful plants throughout Arda, and she tended to her plants which she called her olvar. Yavanna's natural world became troubled when Melkor came to Arda, and he began corrupting many plants and animals. But Yavanna provoked her creations to fight back, and the plants and creatures of the world thrived during the Years of the Lamps after Melkor fled from Arda. While Arda was free of evil, Yavanna planted great seeds that she had been waiting to plant. When Yavanna planted these seeds, life came to the continent of Middle-Earth, though no flowers bloomed until later on. When Melkor returned to the world and destroyed the Two Lamps, animal and plant life began to slumber in a cosmological event known as the Sleep of Yavanna. This slumber would last until the rising of the Sun and Moon in year 1 of the First Age, thus putting the entire plant and animals kingdoms in a state of dormancy for about 10,500 years.
Yavanna sang to the other Valar to mourn the loss of the Two Trees. She sat upon the mound of Ezellohar where the other Valar listened. Yavanna's beautiful, mournful song and the tears of Nienna were combined to create the Two Trees of Valinor: Telperion and Laurelin. These trees had the ability to light Valinor, and were thus among Yavanna's most powerful creations.
Despite bringing light to Valinor, the Two Trees were not powerful enough to light up the other lands of Arda. Yavanna did not abandon these lands, and she visited them often to see her beautiful animals and plants who were sleeping, and to help prevent further evil from being spread by Melkor.
Yavanna expressed great concern for her plants when she learned of her husband Aule's creation the Dwarves. Aule told Yavanna that the Children of Iluvatar, the Elves and men, would also come to need plants for food and lumber, and to construct shelter. Yavanna feared the the Children of Iluvatar and the Dwarves would kill all trees in Middle-Earth, so she went to Manwe for counsel. Manwe pitied Yavanna and her creations and he prayed to Eru Iluvatar for her sake, and he, too, pitied her. Eru created the Ents to help protect Yavanna's forests in Middle-Earth.
As the Elves began settling lands in the west, Yavanna tried to incorporate nature into their designs for their cities so that they would not forsake it. When the Elves built the city of Tirion on Tol Eressea, Yavanna plated the tree Galathilion to remind the Elves of Telperion, one of the Two Trees.
After the destruction of the Two Trees, Yavanna examined their remains. She reckoned that with the light of the Simlarils, she could recreate the Two Trees. But Feanor refused to allow her to use his precious jewels. Yavanna and Nienna scavenged to sight of the Two Trees and found one silver fruit from Telperion and one golden fruit from Laurelin, and Yavanna gave these to Aule and, using them, he created the vessels of the Sun and Moon.
When Osse raised the land of Numenor in the middle of the Sea for the men who had aided the Valar in the War of Wrath, Aule established the island and Yavanna enriched its soil. The Edain came to live in Numenor, and they developed a respect for nature in their many years living on the island (although eventually that respect diminished).
Circa the year 1000 of the Third Age, the Valar were looking for emissaries to send to Middle-Earth in order to oppose Sauron. Yavanna requested that Curumo bring her Maia Aiwendil along with him on the quest.
At the beginning of Arda, Yavanna planted the first seeds of life. She grew beautiful plants throughout Arda, and she tended to her plants which she called her olvar. Yavanna's natural world became troubled when Melkor came to Arda, and he began corrupting many plants and animals. But Yavanna provoked her creations to fight back, and the plants and creatures of the world thrived during the Years of the Lamps after Melkor fled from Arda. While Arda was free of evil, Yavanna planted great seeds that she had been waiting to plant. When Yavanna planted these seeds, life came to the continent of Middle-Earth, though no flowers bloomed until later on. When Melkor returned to the world and destroyed the Two Lamps, animal and plant life began to slumber in a cosmological event known as the Sleep of Yavanna. This slumber would last until the rising of the Sun and Moon in year 1 of the First Age, thus putting the entire plant and animals kingdoms in a state of dormancy for about 10,500 years.
Yavanna sang to the other Valar to mourn the loss of the Two Trees. She sat upon the mound of Ezellohar where the other Valar listened. Yavanna's beautiful, mournful song and the tears of Nienna were combined to create the Two Trees of Valinor: Telperion and Laurelin. These trees had the ability to light Valinor, and were thus among Yavanna's most powerful creations.
Despite bringing light to Valinor, the Two Trees were not powerful enough to light up the other lands of Arda. Yavanna did not abandon these lands, and she visited them often to see her beautiful animals and plants who were sleeping, and to help prevent further evil from being spread by Melkor.
Yavanna expressed great concern for her plants when she learned of her husband Aule's creation the Dwarves. Aule told Yavanna that the Children of Iluvatar, the Elves and men, would also come to need plants for food and lumber, and to construct shelter. Yavanna feared the the Children of Iluvatar and the Dwarves would kill all trees in Middle-Earth, so she went to Manwe for counsel. Manwe pitied Yavanna and her creations and he prayed to Eru Iluvatar for her sake, and he, too, pitied her. Eru created the Ents to help protect Yavanna's forests in Middle-Earth.
As the Elves began settling lands in the west, Yavanna tried to incorporate nature into their designs for their cities so that they would not forsake it. When the Elves built the city of Tirion on Tol Eressea, Yavanna plated the tree Galathilion to remind the Elves of Telperion, one of the Two Trees.
After the destruction of the Two Trees, Yavanna examined their remains. She reckoned that with the light of the Simlarils, she could recreate the Two Trees. But Feanor refused to allow her to use his precious jewels. Yavanna and Nienna scavenged to sight of the Two Trees and found one silver fruit from Telperion and one golden fruit from Laurelin, and Yavanna gave these to Aule and, using them, he created the vessels of the Sun and Moon.
When Osse raised the land of Numenor in the middle of the Sea for the men who had aided the Valar in the War of Wrath, Aule established the island and Yavanna enriched its soil. The Edain came to live in Numenor, and they developed a respect for nature in their many years living on the island (although eventually that respect diminished).
Circa the year 1000 of the Third Age, the Valar were looking for emissaries to send to Middle-Earth in order to oppose Sauron. Yavanna requested that Curumo bring her Maia Aiwendil along with him on the quest.
Names & Meanings
Yavanna is Quenya for "giver of fruits." It comes from the root words yávë meaning "fruit" and anna meaning "gift." Yavanna was also called Kementári, meaning "Queen of the Earth." Yavanna's Sindarin name may to have been Ivon, as seen in the Sindarin phrase Ivonwin, "Maidens of Yavanna." In an earlier version of the legendarium, Yavanna's epithet was Palúrien instead of Kementári.
References
The Silmarillion: "Of the Valar," passim; "Of the Begining of Days;" "Of Aule and Yavanna," passim
The Unfinished Tales: "The Istari"
The History of Middle-earth, Volume XI, The War of the Jewels: "The Later Quenta Silmarillion: The Last Chapters of the Quenta Silmarillion," page 246
The History of Middle-earth, Volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth: "Of Lembas," pages 404-405
The Unfinished Tales: "The Istari"
The History of Middle-earth, Volume XI, The War of the Jewels: "The Later Quenta Silmarillion: The Last Chapters of the Quenta Silmarillion," page 246
The History of Middle-earth, Volume XII, The Peoples of Middle-earth: "Of Lembas," pages 404-405
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