Pelóri

From Tolkien Gateway
Pelóri
Mountain range
Šárka Škorpíková - Pelori and Taniquetil.jpeg
"Pelóri and Taniquetil" by Šárka Škorpíková
General Information
PronunciationQ, [peˈloːri]
Other namesPelóri Valion (Q)
Mountains of Defence, Mountains of Aman
LocationEasternmost Aman
TypeMountain range
DescriptionHigh coastal mountain range
InhabitantsManwë, Varda
GalleryImages of the Pelóri

The Pelóri were the mountain-fence of Aman. The highest peak of the Pelóri was Taniquetil, on which were the mansions of Manwë and Varda.

History[edit | edit source]

The Pelóri were raised by the Valar to defend against the evils of Melkor after he destroyed their original dwelling-place at Almaren.[1]

They were the tallest of all mountains, and the tallest of the Pelóri was Taniquetil, on which stood the high mansions of Manwë and Varda. Behind them to the West, the Light of the Trees shone, but the narrow shores beneath their eastern feet were in darkness. The second highest of the Pelóri was Hyarmentir above Avathar.[2]

When the Eldar came to Aman, the Valar cut a rift in the Mountains, the Calacirya, to let the Light shine through them. In that pass, the Vanyar and the Noldor built the city of Tirion, and the Pass of Light looked out onto the Bay of Eldamar and lit the isle of Tol Eressëa, where the Teleri dwelt in those ancient days.[3]

During the Nurtalë Valinóreva, the Pelóri were rised up higher.[4]

According to a prophecy, the Mountains of Valinor shall be leveled after the Last Battle, allowing the light of the Two rekindled Trees reach all the new world.[5]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The Quenya name Pelóri translates as "the fencing or defensive heights"[6] or "Mountain Wall".[7] In a manuscript, Tolkien connects the name to Quenya pelo ("a boundary (fence)") and pella ("beyond"), deriving from root PELE.[8] Christopher Tolkien suggested that the first element derives from pel- ("fence, enclosure").[9] The second element is likely oro ("mountain").

Other names[edit | edit source]

An extended version of the name is also known: Pelóri Valion ("Mountains of Valinor").[10]

The Pelóri were also called the Mountains of Aman and the Mountains of Defence.[6]

In other stories[edit | edit source]

The Pelóri - as the Mountains of Elvenholme - are referenced in Tolkien's Roverandom. In the story, written down in 1927, the great whale Uin takes the enchanted dog Roverandom (formerly known as Rover) on adventures through the seas: Uin takes Roverandom through the Shadowy Seas to the Bay of Fairyland beyond the Magic Isles where Rover saw the Mountains of Elvenhome and the light of Faery. Roverandom thought he could see the white glint of a city of Elves on a green hill far away in the distance.[11]

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Beginning of Days"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Darkening of Valinor"
  3. 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 Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor"
  5. 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", p. 333
  6. 6.0 6.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Index of Names"
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings: Eldarin Roots and Stems", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 26
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings: Eldarin Roots and Stems", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 92
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entry pel
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part One. Ainulindalë: The Music of the Ainur and the Coming of the Valar [Version C]", p. 18
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien; Christina Scull, Wayne G. Hammond (eds.), Roverandom, pp. 73-4