Olwë

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Olwë
Falmar
Olwë in Beleriand
"Olwë in Beleriand" by Karolina Węgrzyn
Biographical Information
PronunciationQ, pron. [ˈolwe]
Other namesOlue (T)
Volwë
Ciriáran
TitlesKing of the Falmari
Lord of Tol Eressëa
Lord of Alqualondë
LocationTol Eressëa
Eldamar (Alqualondë)
LanguageTelerin, Quenya
BirthBetween Y.T. 1050 and 1102
Cuiviénen
RuleFrom Y.T. 1132
Family
ParentageUnknown (descendant of Enel & Enelyë)[1]
SiblingsThingol
Elmo[note 1][2]
ChildrenEärwen
unnamed sons[note 2][3][4]
Physical Description
GenderMale
Hair colorWhite[5]
Eye colorBlue[5]
GalleryImages of Olwë
"Two lords they had, for their numbers were very great: Elwë Singollo, which signifies Greymantle, and Olwë his brother. The hair of Olwë was long and white, and his eyes were blue; but the hair of Elwë was grey as silver, and his eyes were as stars; he was the tallest of all the Elven-folk."
― "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"[5]

Olwë was one of the two kings of the Teleri, the other being his elder[6] brother Elwë, Lord of Beleriand. As the prince of Alqualondë, he ruled the Teleri of Valinor, also known as the Falmari. He may have had a younger brother, Elmo.[2]

History[edit | edit source]

In Middle-earth[edit | edit source]

Olwë was born in Cuiviénen and was the younger brother of Elwë, one of the ambassadors taken by Oromë to Valinor to see the Two Trees. When the ambassadors returned, they urged their peoples to hear the summons of Oromë and go to the West. Because their clan was the largest, it was divided in two hosts under the two brothers and together, they led their people.[7]

The Nelyar were the most unwilling during the Great Journey and Olwë's host was always the hindmost.[7] Some of Olwë's host were terrified by the shadow of the Misty Mountains and preferred to settle by the woodlands of the Vales of Anduin.[7]

During a long wait in Beleriand, Elwë disappeared.[8] After years of searching, Olwë grew impatient, and led the greater part of the Teleri to Valinor, on the insistence of the Vala Ulmo.[3]

In Aman[edit | edit source]

Olwë and his people dwelt on the island of Tol Eressëa for a while, where the Teleri could be by the sea whilst also bathing in the light of the Two Trees.[9] These people became the Falmari.[7] When they finally came to Eldamar some centuries later, the Falmari, under the lordship of Olwë, began the building of Alqualondë with the aid of the Noldor.[10]

His daughter Eärwen married Finarfin son of Finwë and later king of the remaining Noldor. Besides Eärwen, Olwë had several sons.[11]

The Kinslaying at Alqualondë[edit | edit source]

When Fëanor revolted against the Valar, he attempted to persuade the Teleri to join him in order to obtain their ships. They were unmoved, wanting no other realm than Eldamar and no other lord than Olwë. Fëanor reproached Olwë and his people as "fainthearted loiterers" and reminded them that the Noldor had aided them when they first arrived. Olwë rebuked Fëanor's folly and refused to give him any ships of the Teleri, which they valued as the Noldor did their gems. Fëanor withdrew but then led his forces to Alqualondë to take the ships by force, leading to the first Kinslaying. As the Noldor rowed the stolen vessels northward, Olwë called for Ossë to stop them, but it was not permitted by the Valar.[12]

Other names[edit | edit source]

In one manuscript, the Telerin form of Olwë is said to be Olue.[13] In another manuscript the Telerin form is similar to the Quenya form: Olwë.[14]

The Falmari sometimes called him Volwë.[14] Another one of his names was Ciriáran (meaning "mariner king").[15]

Genealogy[edit | edit source]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Enel
awoke in Y.T. 1050
 
Enelyë
awoke in Y.T. 1050
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Melian
 
Thingol
d. F.A. 503
 
OLWË
b. Y.T.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Elmo
b. Y.T.
 
Círdan
b. Y.T.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beren
F.A. 432 - 503
 
Lúthien
Y.T. 1200 - F.A. 503
 
unnamed sons
 
Eärwen
b. Y.T.
 
Finarfin
b. Y.T. 1230
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Galadhon
b. Y.T.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dior
F.A. 470 - 507
 
 
 
 
 
Finrod
Y.T. 1300 - F.A. 465
 
Angrod
d. F.A. 455
 
Eldalótë
b. Y.T.
 
Aegnor
d. F.A. 455
 
Galadriel
b. Y.T. 1362
 
Celeborn
b. Y.T.
 
Galathil
b. Y.T.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Orodreth
d. F.A. 495
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Celebrían
b. S.A. 300
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

In the earlier versions of the Quenta Silmarillion, Olwë was named Elwë (while his brother Thingol also had the name Sindo[16]), and there it was Olwë who was one of the Three Ambassadors instead of his brother Thingol.[17] Neither did the existence of his daughter Eärwen or her marriage to Finarfin emerge yet.

See also[edit | edit source]

Notes[edit source]

  1. Elmo is a later addition by Tolkien and is not in the published The Silmarillion.
  2. He is said to have at least two sons according to a passing reference in The Silmarillion, whose names are not mentioned in the narrative. According to The Lost Road and Other Writings, one of them is named Elulindo.

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part One. Time and Ageing: XVII. Generational Schemes", p. 127
  2. 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
  3. 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Appendix: I. The Genealogies"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Three. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: (I) The First Phase: 3. Of the Coming of the Elves", p. 163
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XIII. Last Writings", "Círdan", p. 385
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor"
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Thingol and Melian"
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "The Annals of Aman": §72
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "The Annals of Aman"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië"
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Flight of the Noldor"
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: A. The principal linguistic elements concerned", p. 369
  14. 14.0 14.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "Notes", Note 20, p. 357
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The names of Finwë's descendants" p. 341
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings, V. The Lhammas", Of the tongues of the Elves in Middle-earth, and of the Noldorin that returned thither, p. 174
  17. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Two: Valinor and Middle-earth before The Lord of the Rings, VI. Quenta Silmarillion", Commentary on Chapter 3(a), p. 217
Olwë
Born: Between Y.T. 1050 and 1102
None
Enel, as Chieftain of the Nelyar
King of the Teleri
Y.T. 1105 - 1132 (with Elwë)
From Y.T. 1132
Followed by:
Incumbent
None
New title
King of the Falmari
From Y.T. 1132