Melian
06-19-2003, 12:48 AM
MELIAN
(Tindriel, Wendelin)
Among Tolkien’s characters, few combine as much charm, lore and mystery as Melian. Unique and controversial, she is the only Spirit of the Kindred of Valar who had actual political power in Middle-earth; the only Maia to marry a Child of Eru and give birth; the wisest and most beautiful Child in Middle-earth. Here follows a biographical layout concerning the life and deeds of Melian, a Maia Queen; and several questions regarding the vague aspects of her personality.
Melian’s Coming Into The World
Melian’s existence started with the actual Beginning of Days:
With the Valar came other spirits whose being also began before the World, of the same order as the Valar, but of less degree. Then are the Maiar, the people of the Valar, and their servants and helpers.
~ Valaquenta~
Little is known about the initial days of her life, as she came into being while the World was still shapeless and life was not measured yet. Therefore, it can be assumed that, in whatever form she existed then, she took part in the toil of the Vala in creating the new lands. Of her functions as a Vala servant in Valinor is only mentioned:
Melian is the name of a Maia who served both Vana and Este; she dwelt long in Lorien, tending the trees that flower in the gardens of Irmo, ere she came to Middle-earth. Nightingales sang about her wherever she went.
~Valaquenta~
In the Silmarillion and UT her appearance is somehow veiled in mystery. There is no detailed account or any physical portrait of her life in Valinor, probably because Maia spirits could possess miscellaneous shapes, and they, like Vala, would be best described as pure energy.
However, there is evidence that in earlier scripts Tolkien intended to give her a description still in Valinor, which much resembles the later features of Luthien:
…[Queen Melian was] slender and very dark of hair… and her skin was white and pale, but her eyes shone seeming to hold great depths. Glad she was in filmy garments most lovely yet of the hell of or if ever she danced, dreams and slumbers passed over the heads with a strong wine of sleep. Indeed she was a sprite that, escaping from Lorien’s gardens before even Kor was built, wandered in the wild places of the world in every lonely wood.
~The Tale of Tinuviel, BOLT II~
This excerpts suggest that she had owned some Elvish-like physical body, but obviously later Tolkien altered this view with the concept that no sooner did she leave Valinor than she assumed the form of an Eldar.
Whatever form she existed in, it is certain that she was above all, gifted with an endowment of music.
Leaving Valinor, Coming to ME
Now, the next episode of Melian’s life is also shrouded in ambivalence. It is promptly stated that:
She was a kin before the World was made to Yavanna herself; and in that time when the Quendi awoke beside the waters of Cuivienen she departed from Valinor and came to the Hither lands, and there she filled the silence of ME before the dawn with her voice and the voices of her birds.
~ The Silmarillion, Ch. 4~
Her departure from Valinor can be interrupted in different ways.
One assumption is, that she left by her own will, like other Maia dearly cared for Arda and its beings. Still, how could she take such a decision on her own when her help was need by Vana, Este, Irmo and Lorien? Her coming to the silence of ME and assuming the shape in which Thingol met her seems inexplicable. What drove her from Valinor and attracted her to ME?
Another possible reason for her departure might be the will of the Vala. SHE WAS SENT with a mission. But why? We see that before coming to ME (before Ch. 4 of the Silmarillion) she possessed qualities no more remarkable than those of her fellow Maia. We know too, that certain Maia like Osse, Eonwe and Olorin did complete missions and tasks of the Vala, but there is no such definite indication of Melian’s special designation. She was probably let go to bring music to ME, but why did she go alone, without any other Maia to assist her in this vital quest? Why wasn’t she revered like a ‘Music Goddess’ then?
In any view, the logic of the forthcoming events shows, that in Tolkien’s mind the significance of Melian the Fay gradually grew to Melian the Maia Queen. Therefore, her character in the beginning was quite romantic but later received the halo of might and lore in his scripts; she came to be a sorcerer, a prophet and lot-a queen.
And so, driven to ME by doubt full circumstances, Melian can be then seen in Nan Elmoth.
Meeting Thingol
Here follows an episode that would probably cast some light over the previous questions about her shape and her reason to leave Valinor) or make them even more intangible.
Melian met Elwe Singollo in a way which seems to be Tolkien’s favourite motif- a maiden dances in the twilight of a wood, a youth spots her and they fall in love and stay still for a long, long time in the magic of their meeting. This is a pattern to aspect in this description. He is implied in the passage that she had a voice to be heard, eyes to be looked into, a hand to be held-and obviously, a body to dance. Hence, when Elwe set eyes on her, she had already chosen a shape , a very beautiful one.
But there comes Ch. 22 of the Ruin of Doriath-where another passage might upset this theory:
[…]her thought passed back to the starlit years and to their first meeting among the nightingales of Nan Elmoth in ages past; […] For Melain was of the divine race of the Valar and she was a Maia of great power and wisdom; but for love Elwe Singollo she took upon herself the form of the Eldar Children of Iluvatar, and in that union she became bound by the chain and trammels of the flesh of Arda. In that form she bore to him Luthien.
~ The Silmarillion, Ch. 22~
It can b inferred, then, that she took on her Elvish appearance for love of Elwe. It contradicts what was said above. Certainly, then there’s one satisfactory explanation that makes both passages true-that she was in love with Singollo before they even met! It can also mean that their marriage was pre dermined by the Vala and perhaps the true reason for sending her to ME. This can be supported by circumstances of their meeting-the inexplicable ‘spell’ that drove Singollo there and petrified him; and Melian’s passive, speechless consent. And funny, she couldn’t have seen him back in Valinor, for she arrived to ME before he woke up with the other Elves.
In all likelihood, the Vala, wanted a strain of the Ainur who were with Iluvatar before Ea to be passed on to Elves and Men. It is only a guess, but Melian’s mission is best explained by her union with Thingol. It is another question to what extent she had been aware who he was and where she would meet him. Her ‘love’ is weird, me seems, it is maybe more like her destiny than personal choice of a spouse.
Given this contemplation settles partially the matter, a new bunch of questions come with the aftermath. If her ‘love’ ( or mission to pass on divine DNA) was the reason she left Valinor for ME then I am in a quandary about other problems:
First and foremost: Why Singollo? Was he the worthiest Elf to marry a Maia?
Second: Did the Teleri really benefit from her emerging?
Third: Why did she seem to break any relationship with Valinor thereafter?
Question 1:
It is indeed amazing how Tolkien prasied Thingol throughout the whole Silmarillion. Singollo is given so many titles of greatness and his positive deeds are purposefully emphasized. At the same time, 99% of his actual doings strike with their folly.
Thingol’s woeful inadequacy is proven many times in many situations. It is an usual practice to disregard Melian’s prophecies, to take decisions of anger that lead to ruin, etc. Moreover, he is often greedy and cruel, but these I shall examine later.
It has been also often discussed that Tolkien likes the motif of ‘lessening marriages’ and it is always the female that has to descend in the relation. A She-Maia marries a He-Elf and later She-Elves marry He-Men. It is meaningful act most of the times, but I cannot understand why, of all the mighty, noble and handsome Elves in ME, should Melian marry Thingol?
Whatever, the answer is, the consequences of this union are quite curious- Melian becomes Queen of Doriath, assumes political power and takes part in the greatest events of The First Age, albeit Thingol’s narrow mindedness. And thereafter her life would become much more regular, still quite mysterious.
Question 2:
It is doubtful again whether Melain and Thingol years of staring at each other in Nan Elmoth were any good to his people whom he had forgotten. To a great extent her appearance in the forest prevent a great number of the Teleri seeing Valinor. If her arrival had been a mission, could we regard their staying in ME as part of a master plan?
Was their destiny not to see the Trees well justified by Melian’s origin? Was Luthien and her offspring the reward for not sailing West?
Again hard to answer but still important questions that cast further controversy over her character.
Question 3:
…and Melain returned not thither [Valinor] while their realm together lasted.
~Silmarillion, Ch. 4 of Melain and Thingol~
…and later to Galadriel Melian says:
That I can see in you, but all else is hidden for me; for not vision or thought can I perceive anything that passes in the west: a shadow lies over all the land of Aman, and reaches far out over the sea.
~The Silmarillion, Ch. 15 of The Noldor in Beleriand~
(Tindriel, Wendelin)
Among Tolkien’s characters, few combine as much charm, lore and mystery as Melian. Unique and controversial, she is the only Spirit of the Kindred of Valar who had actual political power in Middle-earth; the only Maia to marry a Child of Eru and give birth; the wisest and most beautiful Child in Middle-earth. Here follows a biographical layout concerning the life and deeds of Melian, a Maia Queen; and several questions regarding the vague aspects of her personality.
Melian’s Coming Into The World
Melian’s existence started with the actual Beginning of Days:
With the Valar came other spirits whose being also began before the World, of the same order as the Valar, but of less degree. Then are the Maiar, the people of the Valar, and their servants and helpers.
~ Valaquenta~
Little is known about the initial days of her life, as she came into being while the World was still shapeless and life was not measured yet. Therefore, it can be assumed that, in whatever form she existed then, she took part in the toil of the Vala in creating the new lands. Of her functions as a Vala servant in Valinor is only mentioned:
Melian is the name of a Maia who served both Vana and Este; she dwelt long in Lorien, tending the trees that flower in the gardens of Irmo, ere she came to Middle-earth. Nightingales sang about her wherever she went.
~Valaquenta~
In the Silmarillion and UT her appearance is somehow veiled in mystery. There is no detailed account or any physical portrait of her life in Valinor, probably because Maia spirits could possess miscellaneous shapes, and they, like Vala, would be best described as pure energy.
However, there is evidence that in earlier scripts Tolkien intended to give her a description still in Valinor, which much resembles the later features of Luthien:
…[Queen Melian was] slender and very dark of hair… and her skin was white and pale, but her eyes shone seeming to hold great depths. Glad she was in filmy garments most lovely yet of the hell of or if ever she danced, dreams and slumbers passed over the heads with a strong wine of sleep. Indeed she was a sprite that, escaping from Lorien’s gardens before even Kor was built, wandered in the wild places of the world in every lonely wood.
~The Tale of Tinuviel, BOLT II~
This excerpts suggest that she had owned some Elvish-like physical body, but obviously later Tolkien altered this view with the concept that no sooner did she leave Valinor than she assumed the form of an Eldar.
Whatever form she existed in, it is certain that she was above all, gifted with an endowment of music.
Leaving Valinor, Coming to ME
Now, the next episode of Melian’s life is also shrouded in ambivalence. It is promptly stated that:
She was a kin before the World was made to Yavanna herself; and in that time when the Quendi awoke beside the waters of Cuivienen she departed from Valinor and came to the Hither lands, and there she filled the silence of ME before the dawn with her voice and the voices of her birds.
~ The Silmarillion, Ch. 4~
Her departure from Valinor can be interrupted in different ways.
One assumption is, that she left by her own will, like other Maia dearly cared for Arda and its beings. Still, how could she take such a decision on her own when her help was need by Vana, Este, Irmo and Lorien? Her coming to the silence of ME and assuming the shape in which Thingol met her seems inexplicable. What drove her from Valinor and attracted her to ME?
Another possible reason for her departure might be the will of the Vala. SHE WAS SENT with a mission. But why? We see that before coming to ME (before Ch. 4 of the Silmarillion) she possessed qualities no more remarkable than those of her fellow Maia. We know too, that certain Maia like Osse, Eonwe and Olorin did complete missions and tasks of the Vala, but there is no such definite indication of Melian’s special designation. She was probably let go to bring music to ME, but why did she go alone, without any other Maia to assist her in this vital quest? Why wasn’t she revered like a ‘Music Goddess’ then?
In any view, the logic of the forthcoming events shows, that in Tolkien’s mind the significance of Melian the Fay gradually grew to Melian the Maia Queen. Therefore, her character in the beginning was quite romantic but later received the halo of might and lore in his scripts; she came to be a sorcerer, a prophet and lot-a queen.
And so, driven to ME by doubt full circumstances, Melian can be then seen in Nan Elmoth.
Meeting Thingol
Here follows an episode that would probably cast some light over the previous questions about her shape and her reason to leave Valinor) or make them even more intangible.
Melian met Elwe Singollo in a way which seems to be Tolkien’s favourite motif- a maiden dances in the twilight of a wood, a youth spots her and they fall in love and stay still for a long, long time in the magic of their meeting. This is a pattern to aspect in this description. He is implied in the passage that she had a voice to be heard, eyes to be looked into, a hand to be held-and obviously, a body to dance. Hence, when Elwe set eyes on her, she had already chosen a shape , a very beautiful one.
But there comes Ch. 22 of the Ruin of Doriath-where another passage might upset this theory:
[…]her thought passed back to the starlit years and to their first meeting among the nightingales of Nan Elmoth in ages past; […] For Melain was of the divine race of the Valar and she was a Maia of great power and wisdom; but for love Elwe Singollo she took upon herself the form of the Eldar Children of Iluvatar, and in that union she became bound by the chain and trammels of the flesh of Arda. In that form she bore to him Luthien.
~ The Silmarillion, Ch. 22~
It can b inferred, then, that she took on her Elvish appearance for love of Elwe. It contradicts what was said above. Certainly, then there’s one satisfactory explanation that makes both passages true-that she was in love with Singollo before they even met! It can also mean that their marriage was pre dermined by the Vala and perhaps the true reason for sending her to ME. This can be supported by circumstances of their meeting-the inexplicable ‘spell’ that drove Singollo there and petrified him; and Melian’s passive, speechless consent. And funny, she couldn’t have seen him back in Valinor, for she arrived to ME before he woke up with the other Elves.
In all likelihood, the Vala, wanted a strain of the Ainur who were with Iluvatar before Ea to be passed on to Elves and Men. It is only a guess, but Melian’s mission is best explained by her union with Thingol. It is another question to what extent she had been aware who he was and where she would meet him. Her ‘love’ is weird, me seems, it is maybe more like her destiny than personal choice of a spouse.
Given this contemplation settles partially the matter, a new bunch of questions come with the aftermath. If her ‘love’ ( or mission to pass on divine DNA) was the reason she left Valinor for ME then I am in a quandary about other problems:
First and foremost: Why Singollo? Was he the worthiest Elf to marry a Maia?
Second: Did the Teleri really benefit from her emerging?
Third: Why did she seem to break any relationship with Valinor thereafter?
Question 1:
It is indeed amazing how Tolkien prasied Thingol throughout the whole Silmarillion. Singollo is given so many titles of greatness and his positive deeds are purposefully emphasized. At the same time, 99% of his actual doings strike with their folly.
Thingol’s woeful inadequacy is proven many times in many situations. It is an usual practice to disregard Melian’s prophecies, to take decisions of anger that lead to ruin, etc. Moreover, he is often greedy and cruel, but these I shall examine later.
It has been also often discussed that Tolkien likes the motif of ‘lessening marriages’ and it is always the female that has to descend in the relation. A She-Maia marries a He-Elf and later She-Elves marry He-Men. It is meaningful act most of the times, but I cannot understand why, of all the mighty, noble and handsome Elves in ME, should Melian marry Thingol?
Whatever, the answer is, the consequences of this union are quite curious- Melian becomes Queen of Doriath, assumes political power and takes part in the greatest events of The First Age, albeit Thingol’s narrow mindedness. And thereafter her life would become much more regular, still quite mysterious.
Question 2:
It is doubtful again whether Melain and Thingol years of staring at each other in Nan Elmoth were any good to his people whom he had forgotten. To a great extent her appearance in the forest prevent a great number of the Teleri seeing Valinor. If her arrival had been a mission, could we regard their staying in ME as part of a master plan?
Was their destiny not to see the Trees well justified by Melian’s origin? Was Luthien and her offspring the reward for not sailing West?
Again hard to answer but still important questions that cast further controversy over her character.
Question 3:
…and Melain returned not thither [Valinor] while their realm together lasted.
~Silmarillion, Ch. 4 of Melain and Thingol~
…and later to Galadriel Melian says:
That I can see in you, but all else is hidden for me; for not vision or thought can I perceive anything that passes in the west: a shadow lies over all the land of Aman, and reaches far out over the sea.
~The Silmarillion, Ch. 15 of The Noldor in Beleriand~