Dates

Immortal; entered Arda at its foundation

Location

Originally dwelt in Almaren in Middle-earth, but long ago removed to Aman in the West

Origins

Beings created by Ilúvatar before the making of the world

Race

Ainur

Division

Valar

Settlements

Dwelt in many places within Valinor, but most notably the city of Valmar; Varda dwelt in the halls of Ilmarin on Taniquetil, and Nienna had her own halls in the distant west

Pronunciation

Valar is pronunced 'va'larr' ('rr' indicates that the final 'r' sound should be pronounced)

Meaning

Valar means 'Powers'

Other names

Valier

Title of

The seven Valar who took female form: Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána and Nessa

Note

In the singular, the title Queen of the Valar was usually reserved for Varda Elentári, the spouse of Manwë the Elder King

Indexes:

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Updated 28 January 2024
This entry is complete

Queens of the Valar

The seven Valier

The Valier, those seven of the fourteen Valar who took feminine forms when they entered Arda. In order of their importance and power, these were Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána and Nessa. Three of these Queens of the Valar were considered to belong to the Aratar, the greatest of the Powers who dwelt in the Blessed Realm. These three were Varda (usually named Elbereth in Middle-earth) the maker of the stars, Yavanna the Giver of Fruits, and Nienna.

Six of the seven Queens were wedded to Lords of the Valar, their masculine counterparts. Varda the Kindler was the spouse of Manwë Súlimo the Elder King, and dwelt with him on the peak of Taniquetil. Of the others, Yavanna was the spouse of Aulë the Smith, Estë of Lórien, Vairë of Mandos, Vána of Oromë and Nessa of Tulkas. Nienna had no spouse, choosing to dwell apart and alone in her own halls of the outer borders of the world.

I	Varda Elentári	Called the Kindler and the Lady of the Stars, Varda was the spouse of Manwë, and dwelt with him in the halls of Ilmarin on Taniquetil's peak. In Middle-earth, she was most often known by her Sindarin name and title: Elbereth Gilthoniel.
II	Yavanna Kementári	Called the Queen of the Earth and the Giver of Fruits, the province of Yavanna was the life of the olvar, things that grow from the earth. She was the sister of Vána, and spouse to Aulë the Smith.
III	Nienna	The sister of Mandos and Lórien, who dwells alone in the far western edge of the world, where she grieves of the destruction wrought by Melkor.
IV	Estë	Called 'The Gentle', Estë was said to bring healing and rest. She is the spouse of Nienna's brother Lórien, with whom she dwells in his gardens in Valinor.
V	Vairë	Vairë dwells with her spouse Mandos in his halls. As time passes, she weaves a great tapestry of the world's history, that adorns the Halls of Waiting. For this reason she is known as Vairë the Weaver.
VI	Vána	Vána the Ever-young is the younger sister of Yavanna, and like Yavanna she has power of the natural world, causing flowers to open and birds to sing. Her spouse is Oromë, the Huntsman of the Valar.
VII	Nessa	Famed for her swiftness and fleetness of foot, Nessa runs with the deer, and dances on the green grass of Valimar. She is the spouse of Tulkas Astaldo.

This table shows the seven Queens of the Valar in descending order of power. Only the first three, Varda, Yavanna and Nienna, were counted among the Aratar or greatest of the Powers.

Queens of the Valar

The seven Valier

See also...

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