Earendil was a seafarer of partly Elven parentage with extraordinary prowess who had sailed to Valinor. He had petitioned to the Valar beseeching the case of the Children of Iluvatar. He is credited with the distinction of having carried a star traversing the heavens in the First Age. The Elves had been foretold of his achievements several centuries before they were executed. He had the distinction of parenting two important persons. The first King of Numenor, Elros was his son. His other son was the Lord of Rivendell, who was a notable person in the Second and Third Age. As one of the first characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology, Earendil occupies a crucial and primary position in the narrative. Several characters call upon his name and allude to him all through The Lord of the Rings, but the basic inspiration for the name, character, and purpose came to Tolkien from an extract of the poem Crist, which he had read.
Biography
Earendil was the son of Tuor and Turgon’s daughter Princess Idril, who was an elf. His mother gave birth to him in FA 503 and he grew up in Gondolin. Gondolin was ransacked when Earendil was 7 years old, and he escaped, along with his parents to Arvernien near the mouth of Sirion river. The Havens of Sirion offered an opportunity for the people of Gondolin to mingle with those who had escaped from Doriath. Earendil married King Dior Eluchil’s daughter, Elwing, in FA 530. Their sons Elros and Elrond were born after two years of their marriage. At about this time, Earendil embarked upon his journey, pursuing Tuor and Idril, who had left earlier taking the sea route. Earendil took the help of Cirdan, a shipwright, to get the ship Vingilote built.
Meanwhile, the Silamril, which Elwing possessed at the time and which had been seized by Beren from Morgoth. caused an attack on the people of Arvernien by the surviving sons of the Feanor when they heard about it. Most of the people living in Arvernien were killed in the attack. Although Cirdan and Gil-Galad tried to help by sending ships to their rescue, it was too late by the time this help arrived and the damage had already been done. Rather than being captured by the attackers, Elwing preferred to abandon her young sons behind and flung herself into the sea along with the Silmaril.
Coming to know of the tragic turn of events in Arvernien, Earendil reached the land of Valinor, becoming the first mortal to set foot on the land of the Valar. He appealed to the Valar to help the Men and Elves of the Middle Earth in their battle versus Morgoth. His appeal for help was accepted by the Valar. The Manwe desisted from punishing Earendil with death, which was the normal penalty for venturing to enter their land, bearing in mind that his motives were altruistic rather than selfish. Considering that both Earendil and Elwing were of mixed descent between men and elves.
They offered them the option to choose their race, as well as that of their progeny, like that of Elves or Men. This gift was subsequently transferred to the Children of Elron also, making them known as Half-elven. Elwing opted to be an Elf. Although Earenddil personally preferred to belong to the race of Men, he also opted to be an Elf, considering that his wife was one. The Valar responded to Earendil’s appeal positively and proceeded to Middle-earth with a gigantic host. Here they conquered and deposed Morgoth and fettered him.
Earendil participated in this battle, mounted on Vingilot, along with Thorondor and the Eagles. He was instrumental in bringing about the death of the great dragon Ancalagon with a mighty strike which he followed up by hurling the dragon down Thangorodrim. This was one of the factors that aided the decimation of Beleriand, which had been devastated by the War of Wrath. Earendil was destined to roam the Great Ocean from end to end alongside the Silmaril, which had been seized from Morgoth by Beren and Luthien with the responsibility of eternally guarding the Sun and the Moon. The Second Prophecy of Mandos [1] has foretold the return of Earendil from the sky out of love fort he Sun and the Moon, which the Melkor will wipe out, and participate in the battle of Dagor Dagorath.
Meanwhile, the Silamril, which Elwing possessed at the time and which had been seized by Beren from Morgoth. caused an attack on the people of Arvernien by the surviving sons of the Feanor when they heard about it. Most of the people living in Arvernien were killed in the attack. Although Cirdan and Gil-Galad tried to help by sending ships to their rescue, it was too late by the time this help arrived and the damage had already been done. Rather than being captured by the attackers, Elwing preferred to abandon her young sons behind and flung herself into the sea along with the Silmaril.
Coming to know of the tragic turn of events in Arvernien, Earendil reached the land of Valinor, becoming the first mortal to set foot on the land of the Valar. He appealed to the Valar to help the Men and Elves of the Middle Earth in their battle versus Morgoth. His appeal for help was accepted by the Valar. The Manwe desisted from punishing Earendil with death, which was the normal penalty for venturing to enter their land, bearing in mind that his motives were altruistic rather than selfish. Considering that both Earendil and Elwing were of mixed descent between men and elves.
They offered them the option to choose their race, as well as that of their progeny, like that of Elves or Men. This gift was subsequently transferred to the Children of Elron also, making them known as Half-elven. Elwing opted to be an Elf. Although Earenddil personally preferred to belong to the race of Men, he also opted to be an Elf, considering that his wife was one. The Valar responded to Earendil’s appeal positively and proceeded to Middle-earth with a gigantic host. Here they conquered and deposed Morgoth and fettered him.
Earendil participated in this battle, mounted on Vingilot, along with Thorondor and the Eagles. He was instrumental in bringing about the death of the great dragon Ancalagon with a mighty strike which he followed up by hurling the dragon down Thangorodrim. This was one of the factors that aided the decimation of Beleriand, which had been devastated by the War of Wrath. Earendil was destined to roam the Great Ocean from end to end alongside the Silmaril, which had been seized from Morgoth by Beren and Luthien with the responsibility of eternally guarding the Sun and the Moon. The Second Prophecy of Mandos [1] has foretold the return of Earendil from the sky out of love fort he Sun and the Moon, which the Melkor will wipe out, and participate in the battle of Dagor Dagorath.
Later Mentions
Earendil features in a song composed by Bilbo Baggins, the Bobbit of the Shire. This “song of Earendil” was played in the house of Elrond, Earendil’s son, in Rivendel
Etymology
The name Earendil, which he acquired from his father’s side, has its roots in the Quenya ea, meaning sea, attached to the suffix ‘ndil”, denoting attachment, devotion, or friendship. Thus the name means “Lover of the Sea”. The name of his mother was Ardamire. The Quenya word mire means jewel, and hence this name means “Arda jewel”. In Adunaic, the word Earendil becomes Azrubel. Initially, his name was spelled as Earendel, prior to the rendering of the final tale in The Silmarillion.
Epithets
Earendil acquired several sobriquets including Earendil Halfelven, Earendil the Mariner, Earendil the Blessed, and Bright Earendil.
Name History
The name was generated by Tolkien on the basis of Old English Literature. Tolkien himself shared that the name has its roots from earendel, an Anglo-Saxon word, in his Letters, 297. Tolkien admits that he was enchanted by the elegance (“great beauty”) of the word as far back as in 1913. His perception of the name is summed up by what he said that the name is completely consistent with the typical type of A-S, but euphonic to a particular degree in that pleasant but nonetheless far from 'delectable' language. Tolkien had also composed a poem – “The Voyage of the Earendel the Evening Star” - in 1914, which was published in HoME 2. In addition, Tolkien was conscious of the name’s Germanic associations, such as Aurvandill in Old Norse and Auriwandalo in Lombardic.
The preference for the Anglo-Saxon form, in the mythology, over the Proto-Germanic ones has been explained in a reference in the Notion Club Papers. The clue can be found jointly in the Anglo-Saxon and the Old Norse usages, which allude to a star or group of stars. The Anglo-Saxon usage refers to a Morning Star, which brings in the rising sun and hence is a symbol of hope, as can be seen from the Christianized form Crist, which alludes to John the Baptist. The lines Crist, éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended, meaning "Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, sent over Middle-earth to men" seem to have been a particular source of inspiration to Tolkien in creating this name. The inspiration from these lines extended beyond the creation of the name “Earendil”. It was also instrumental in the coining of the name “Middle-earth”, which was translated from Middangeard, applied to lands.
Another example of how these lines inspired Tolkien can be seen when Frodo bursts forth with the words Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima! In Quenya, which can be translated as "Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars." In this case, Frodo was referring to the “Star-glass”, which he was carrying with him. This glass held the light of Silmaril, which was Earendil’s star. Another instance of the use of these inspirational lines can be found when Eonwe calls forth in the final stages of the First Age in greeting to Earendil in his pursuit of Aman.
The preference for the Anglo-Saxon form, in the mythology, over the Proto-Germanic ones has been explained in a reference in the Notion Club Papers. The clue can be found jointly in the Anglo-Saxon and the Old Norse usages, which allude to a star or group of stars. The Anglo-Saxon usage refers to a Morning Star, which brings in the rising sun and hence is a symbol of hope, as can be seen from the Christianized form Crist, which alludes to John the Baptist. The lines Crist, éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended, meaning "Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, sent over Middle-earth to men" seem to have been a particular source of inspiration to Tolkien in creating this name. The inspiration from these lines extended beyond the creation of the name “Earendil”. It was also instrumental in the coining of the name “Middle-earth”, which was translated from Middangeard, applied to lands.
Another example of how these lines inspired Tolkien can be seen when Frodo bursts forth with the words Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima! In Quenya, which can be translated as "Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars." In this case, Frodo was referring to the “Star-glass”, which he was carrying with him. This glass held the light of Silmaril, which was Earendil’s star. Another instance of the use of these inspirational lines can be found when Eonwe calls forth in the final stages of the First Age in greeting to Earendil in his pursuit of Aman.
Character
The Book of the Lost tales Part Two contains a graphic description of Earendil. It says that the newborn was most beautiful, with shining white skin, and green eyes that made the emeralds of Manwe pale in comparison. He evoked deep jealousy from Megli and great joy from Turgon and everyone among the people.
Eärendil the Blessed
Tolkien drew a considerable amount of inspiration from the poem “Crist” by Cynewulf. He composed his own poem “The Voyage of Earendil” in 1914, which sprang from this inspiration. During his days at Oxford, Tolkien also created a constructed tongue, which was to blossom into the Quenya language later. As early as 1915, he had felt the need for historical background to the language that the Elves and his mythological character Earendil would speak.
Tolkien then wrote several poems and compiled them into a single work that provided the basis for his mythology. These poems were compiled under the name The Lay of Earendil and narrate the seafaring journeys of the sailor Earendil and the manner in which his ship converted to a star. The cycle of events described in these poems started with a description of the enigmatic land of Valinor and the two trees in it that were made of gold and silver.
The Earendil saga created by Tolkien bears a lot of similarity to the Celtic folk tales of Immram [2] dating to the medieval period and the Christian folklore about St. Brendan the Navigator (St. Brendan). The observation of Humphrey Carpenter in the Biography of Tolkien is significant in throwing some light on the matter. His observation was that Earendil was “the beginning of Tolkien’s own mythology.” John Garth is another writer who provides further insights through detailed interpretations of the poem written by Tolkien in 1914 and linking them with Earendil.
Tolkien then wrote several poems and compiled them into a single work that provided the basis for his mythology. These poems were compiled under the name The Lay of Earendil and narrate the seafaring journeys of the sailor Earendil and the manner in which his ship converted to a star. The cycle of events described in these poems started with a description of the enigmatic land of Valinor and the two trees in it that were made of gold and silver.
The Earendil saga created by Tolkien bears a lot of similarity to the Celtic folk tales of Immram [2] dating to the medieval period and the Christian folklore about St. Brendan the Navigator (St. Brendan). The observation of Humphrey Carpenter in the Biography of Tolkien is significant in throwing some light on the matter. His observation was that Earendil was “the beginning of Tolkien’s own mythology.” John Garth is another writer who provides further insights through detailed interpretations of the poem written by Tolkien in 1914 and linking them with Earendil.
