The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Existed throughout the Years of the Trees (perhaps some 14,322 years)1
Location
The Green Mound of Ezellohar, to the west of Valmar in Valinor
Origins
Brought into being by Yavanna, with the assistance of Nienna
Settlements
Stood near the city of Valmar
Pronunciation
tyelpe'rion (where ty is a single sound, similar to ch, as at the beginning of British English pronunciation of the word tune)
Meaning
Not completely clear, though tyelpë is definitely 'silver'2
Other names
Titles

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About this entry:

  • Updated 5 August 2023
  • This entry is complete

Tyelperion

The original Quenya name for the White Tree

Tyelperion
(Telperion)
Galathilion
White Trees of
Tol Eressëa,
Númenor and
Minas Tirith

The Quenya word for 'silver' was properly tyelpë, and so the original full Quenya name for the elder of the Two Trees, which shone with a silver light, was not the familiar Telperion, but strictly Tyelperion. The language of the Teleri who lived on the shores of Aman was related to Quenya, but distinct from it, and the Telerin word for silver was not tyelpë but telpë. The Teleri, indeed, had a special love of silver, to the extent that their word for that metal influenced the Quenya tongue used by the other Elves of Valinor. Hence, Tyelperion came to be rendered as Telperion in common use, and so the name has come down through history.


Notes

1

This figure of 14,322 years is calculated from values given in Valian Years in the The Annals of Aman in volume X of The History of Middle-earth. By definition, the Sun did not exist during the Years of the Trees, and so calculating periods from these ancient times in solar years raises difficulties. Nonetheless, this value of many millennia gives some idea of the length of time that Tyelperion shed its silver Light over Aman.

2

The Quenya word tyelpë translates definitively as 'silver', but the -rion ending of this name is not explained. Some sources suggest 'tree', others 'white', and yet others suggest a connection to the Elvish for 'crown'. Tolkien himself does not offer a specific explanation of the second element of the name, and so such interpretations must remain in the realm of speculation.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 5 August 2023
  • This entry is complete

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