Vairë

Vairë
Vala
Biographical Information
Other names	Gwîr
Coming to Arda	Years of the Lamps 1
Appointment	Weaver of Time
Maiar	none known
Dwelling	Halls of Mandos
Physical Description
Gender	Female
Spouse	Námo
Siblings	none

Vairë (Q, pron. [ˈvaɪre]) was a Valië and the wife of Mandos, and was responsible for weaving the story of the World.

Vairë was counted among the Valier, the Queens of the Valar; though not as great in power or prestige as some, her "storied webs" covered the Halls of Mandos, where she apparently lived.

[edit] Etymology

The Quenya name Vairë means "Weaver",^[1] or "Ever-weaving", derived from the root WIR.^[2]

In the Etymologies, Quenya Vaire ("Weaver") is a descendant form of Primitive Quendian weirē, deriving from root VEY ("wind, weave").^[3]

[edit] Names

Her Noldorin name is said to be Gwîr ("Weaver").^[3]

[edit] Other versions of the legendarium

A different Vairë appeared in some of Tolkien's earliest writings. In The Book of Lost Tales Part One, she was an Elf of Tol Eressëa. She and her husband Lindo tell the stories that would become the Silmarillion to the human mariner Ælfwine/Eriol. Her role as storyteller may have influenced the naming of the Vala responsible for recording stories.

[edit] References

1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names"
2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "From Quendi and Eldar, Appendix D" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter), in Vinyar Tengwar, Number 39, July 1998, pp. 10, 14 (form: Vaire)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Three: The Etymologies", p. 398