The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
The highest of the heavens over Arda
Pronunciation
ta'rmenel
Meaning
Literally 'high heaven', but translated as 'Over-heaven'
Other names
Ilmen, Menel, Over-heaven; perhaps equivalent to the 'Firmament'

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 14 July 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

Tarmenel

‘High Heaven’

"...there strong and free a storm arose,
a wind of power in Tarmenel..."
Bilbo's "Song of Eärendil"
The Fellowship of the Ring II 1
Many Meetings

An Elvish term that clearly translates as 'high heaven', though as it only appears in Bilbo's rhyme quoted above, it's hard to be sure exactly what the term referred to. In Elvish cosmology, the world was enfolded in different layers of airs, and it seems that Tarmenel was a term for the highest or outermost of these - the 'Over-heaven' mentioned later in The Lord of the Rings.


See also...

Over-heaven, The Firmament

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 14 July 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

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