The dwellings of the Valar

[Ithrynluin]

Which of these dwellings has left the biggest impression on you - of beauty,majesty...etc. You can of course use your own imagination to go beyond these short descriptions. I cannot decide between Lorien and the dwelling of Nienna - these 2 dwellings I find the most fascinating.

1.Manwë and Varda:

Their halls are above the everlasting snow, upon Oiolossë, the uttermost tower of Taniquetil, tallest of all the mountains upon Earth.

2.Ulmo (doesn't really have a dwelling as such):

He dwells nowhere long, but moves as he will in all the deep waters about the Earth or under the Earth.

For all seas, lakes, rivers, fountains and springs are in his government; so that the Elves say that the spirit of Ulmo runs in all the veins of the world.

3.Aulë:

Aulë's great court, which held some of each of the trees of earth.

4.Yavanna:

The pastures of Yavanna could be seen from Hyarmentir west of the Woods of Oromë.

5.Mandos and Vairë:

Namo the elder dwells in Mandos, which is westward in Valinor. He is the keeper of the Houses of the Dead, and the summoner of the spirits of the slain.

Vairë the Weaver is his spouse, who weaves all things that have ever been in Time into her storied webs, and the halls of Mandos that ever widen as the ages pass are clothed with them.

6.Lorien and Estë:

In Lorien are his gardens in the land of the Valar, and they are the fairest of all places in the world, filled with many spirits.

She walks not by day, but sleeps upon an island in the tree-shadowed lake of Lórellin. From the fountains of Irmo and Estë all those who dwell in Valinor draw refreshment; and often the Valar come themselves to Lórien and there find repose and easing of the burden of Arda.

7.Nienna:

Her halls are west of West, upon the borders of the world;

The windows of her house look outward from the walls of the world.

8.Oromë:

Oromë's low halls, strewn with skins, and the roof of each room supported by a tree;

 

[gate7ole]

Manwe's dwelling is the most impressive. Up high, reaching the clouds, where the eagles fly, watching all the world. Taniquetil.

 

[Ithrynluin]

Alright I choose the Halls of Nienna.I can imagine how "still" and peaceful and contemplative everything must be in her home.And the fact that "the windows of her house look outward from the walls of the world" is simply stunning - I wish I could gaze through those windows only once! What would I see? *sigh*
Lorien comes in as a very close second and Taniquetil is also marvelous as I am a "zealous" star-gazer myself.

 

[Maeglin]

I chose Ulmo's deep waters, though I don't know why because I am a chronic hydrophobic(Bad swimming pools! We won't jump into them, we hates them, we hates them!)

 

[Valinorean]

I agree that Ulmo's domain seems the most fascinating to me! The sea always tempted men and elves alike. Even some Hobbits!

 

[Lhunithiliel]

You know, I'm one of Manwe's spirits

But I like the beautiful gardens of Lorien. I imagine them in golden light falling over light-green meadows filled with the fragrance of unknown rare flowers, and scattered birch groves, and blue-white running streams, waterfalls and rivers with swift waters sparkling in the light, quiet and peaceful place, air - fresh and a bit cool, a light breeze coming from the seas....

But I could not stay there forever! I'd often visit Niena and look at the outer space, for the walls of the world cannot be seen, they are transparent and one can see the marvels of Eru's realm....

 

[Gil-Galad]

I would like to live in Lorien because of the beauty there.Because of the calmness and peaceful way of living,just like what I want.
Of course I would like to visit Ulmo and the oceans and Manwe and the top of the world!

 

[Beleg]

Hmm, I would love to live the life of Yavannah, But then I am mostly a village person.

 

[YayGollum]

I voted for Aule's place mostly because he would be the best architect. Next up would be that place with all of the cool tapestries and Orome's place. Sounds like it could be similar to Beorn's.

 

[Lantarion]

I'm going to post the descriptions of these dwellings featured in HoME: BoLT 1, because they are a lot more precise, and this thread will be moved to the 'HoME' section.
I won't include all of the ones ithryn did, and will include some he did not.
This will take a long time to copy, I hope nobody posts before me!

1. Manwë and Varda:

First upon Taniquetil was a great abode raised up for Manwë and a watchtower set. Thence did he speed his darting hawks and receive them on his return, and thither fared often in later days Sorontur King of Eagles whom Manwë gave much might and wisdom.
That house was builded of marbles white and blue and stood amid the fields of snow, and its roofs were made of a web of that blue air called ilwë that is above the white and grey. This web did Aulë and his wife contrive, but Varda spangled it with stars, and Manwë dwelt thereunder.

2. Ulmo

And in the midst of their debate Ulmo arose and went to the Outermost Seas that were set beyond the Outer Lands. He loved not high words nor concourse of folk, and in those deep waters moveless and empty he purposed to dwell, leaving the governance of the Great and lesser seas of Ossë and Ónen his vassals. Yet ever of his magic deep in his outermost sea-halls of Ulmonan he controlled the faint stirrings of the Shadowy Seas, and ruled the lakes and springs and rivers of the world.

3. Aulë and 4. Yavanna

Separate from [Valmar] and bordering upon the open vale was a great court, and this was Aulë's house, and it was filled with magic webs woven of the light of Laurelin and the sheen of Silpion and the glint of stars; but others there were made of threads of gold and silver and iron and bronze beaten to the thinness of a spider's filament, and all were woven with beauty to stories of the musics of the Ainur, picturing those things that were and shall be, or such as have only been in the glory of the mind of Ilúvatar.
In this court were some of all the trees that after grew upon the earth, and a pool of blue water lay among them. There fruits fell throughout the day, thudding richly on the earth upon the grass of its margin, and were gathered by Palúrien's maids for her feasting and her lord's

Note, the abode of Yavanna/Palúrien is not stated separately.

5. Mandos and Vairë (Vefántur and Fui)

So fair were these abodes and so great the brilliance of the trees of Valinor that Vefántur and Fui his wife of tears might not endure to stay there long, but fared away far to the northward of those regions, where beneath the roots of the most cold and northerly of the Mountains of Valinor, that rise here again almost to their height nigh Arvalin, they begged Aulë to delve them a hall. Wherefore, that all the Gods might be housed to their liking, he did so, and they and all their shadowy folk aided him. Very vast were those caverns that they made stretching even down under the Shadowy Seas, and they are full of gloom and filled with echoes, and all that deep abode is known to Gods and Elves as Mandos. There in a sable hall sat Vefántur, and he called that hall with his own name Vê. It was lit only with a single vessel placed in its centre, wherein there lay some gleaming drops of the pale dew of Silpion: it was draped with dark vapours and its floors and columns were of jet.

To Vê Fui came not much, for she laboured rather at the distilling of salt humours whereof are tears, and black clouds she wove and floated up that they were caught in the winds and went about the world, and their lightless webs settled ever and anon upon those that dwelt therein. Now these tissues were despairs and hopeless mourning, sorows and blind grief. The hall that she loved best was one yet wider and more dark than Vê, and she too named it with her own name, calling it Fui. Therein before her black chair burnt a brazier with a single flickering coal, and the roof was of bats' wings, and the pillars that upheld it and the wall abuot were made of basalt.

6. Lórien

Lórien too dwelt far away, and his hall was great and dimly lit and had wide gardens. The place of his dwelling he called Murmuran, which Aulë made of mists gathered beyond Arvalin upon the Shadowy Seas. 'Twas set in the South by the feet of the Mountains of Valinor upon the confines of the realm, but its gardens wandered marvellously about, winding nigh to the feet of Silpion whose shining lit them strangely. They were full of labyrinths and mazes, for Palúrien had given Lórien great wealth of yewtrees and cedars, and of pines that exuded drowsy odours in the dusk; and these hung over deep pools. Glowworms crept aobut their borders and Varda had set stars within their depths for the pleasure of Lórien, but his sprites sang wonderfully in these gardens and the scent of nightflowers and the songs of sleepy nightingales filled them with great loveliness. There too grew the poppies glowing redly in the dusk, and those the Gods called fumellar the flowers of sleep - and Lórien used them much in his enchantments. Amidmost of those pleasances was set within a ring of shadowy cypress towering high that deep vat Silindrin. There it lay in a bed of pearls, and its surface unbroken was shot with silver flickerings, and the shadows of the trees lay on it, and the Mountains of Valinor could see their faces mirrored there.

7. Nessa

But most she loved to retire unto a place of fair lawns whose turf Oromë her brother had culled from the richest of all his forest glades, and Palúrien had planted it with spells that it was always green and smooth.

8. Oromë (last one! whew)

Now Oromë had a vast domain and iit was beloved by him, and no less by Palúrien his mother. Behold, the groves of trees they planted upon the plain of Valinor and even upon the foothills of the mountains have no compare on Earth. Beasts revelled there, deer among the trees, the herds of kine among its spaces and wide grasslands; bison were there, and horses roaming unharnessed, but these strayed never into the gardens of the Gods, yet were they in peace and had no fear, for beasts of prey dwelt not among them, nor did Oromë fare to hunting in Valinor...

But in Valmar his halls are wide and low, and skins and fells of great richness and price are strewn there without end upon the floor or hung upon the walls, and spears and bows and knives thereto. In the midst of each room and hall a living tree grows and holds up the roof, and its bole is hunf with trophies and with antlers.

WHEW!

 

[Celebthôl]

I chose the Halls of Mandos, as i can never get a decent image of them, i always get a musty looking massive halls, with loads of benches where all the spirits sit and converce, but i would love to see all those great Elven Lords and Kings sitting together, and im facinated as the Halls cant look how i imagine...
Ulmos was also facinating as it is the entire sea etc, so it would be kewl to see what was at the bottom of the deepest seas...

 

[Ingwë]

Manwë's dwelling. I like it because it is in the mountains - the highest mountains of Arda. I love the mountains. And Manwë can watch Arda; he's the High-King of Arda so the highest place on the Earth seems good for a King.
i also like Ulmo's dwelling - hidden in the deep waters.

 

[Aglarband]

Ulmo, because he gets all his news from the water, and thats awesome.

 

[Ithrynluin]

Four and a half years later and I would choose the Gardens of Lorien instead of the Halls of Nienna which I chose before (though it remains a favourite alongside Taniquetil). Interesting how our choices tend to change as we age.

I just adore gardens, the bigger and more secluded the better. There is a tranquility about them that cannot be found anywhere else.

Though I think the great oceans are beautiful (if they're anything like those of our planet), I would not choose them, as I have an innate awe of them. Maybe there's some dwarfish blood in me.

 

[Maeglin]

I would switch to either the Gardens or Taniquetil now. I spend a lot more time outdoors hiking and working in gardens now than I did 4 and a half years ago, so I have a much greater appreciation for it all, especially being on top of a high mountain and just feeling like you can see everything...its an amazing feeling.

 

[Amarie Veanne]

My choice: the hallls of Mandos and Vaire.
Definitely my first chioce after the description in BoLT concerning their halls, it seems a perfect place for my taste!

 

[Bucky]

I voted for Ulmo, mostly based on the story of his appearing to Tour....

But the fact is that none of their dwelling places are very intersting to me.