Nienna was a Queen of the Valar and one of the most powerful Aratar. She never married, and her siblings were Mandos and Irmo, the Masters of Spirits.
Attributes
Nienna was called the lady of tears as she was associated with grief, sorrow, and pity. She lived in the halls on the west coast of Aman. She was always found mourning over the grievances of Arda. However, anyone who came in acquaintance with her learned lessons of endurance, hope, and wisdom. [1] Her dwelling place called the Halls of Nienna had windows looking out to the Door of Night, a gateway for the Sun. Her halls were considered a dreadful place that taught lessons of compassion and hopes to its residents. She lived alone in the Halls of Nienna, looking over the Walls of the World, and rarely traveled to the fun-filled Valmar. Instead, she visited the halls of Mandos to console and counsel the occupants of the Halls of Waiting. As far as her looks were concerned, all that is known is she wore a grey hood.
History
Nienna was part of the Music of the Ainur, the divine spirits created by Ilúvatar from which arose the material Universe. Through her, grief and sorrow became a part of the new World. Nienna was present during the creation of the Two Trees of Valinor, which brought brightness into the Land of the Valar. She watered the trees with her tears as she stood weeping on the mound of Ezellohar. When Melkor destroyed the trees after the Fight of the Ñoldor, she grieved heavily. [2] She tried to heal the wounds brought by the filthy Ungoliant. The trees bore their last fruit and flower that became the Sun and the Moon of Middle Earth. Nienna's sympathetic nature was clearly visible when she supported Melkor, who begged for pardon by the Valar. Though she was deeply saddened by the wreckage caused in Arda by Melkor, she helped him when he proposed for his release after staying in captivity for three ages. The most notable pupil among the residents of the Halls of Nienna was Gandalf. He learned a few valuable life lessons, like sympathy and grief, from Nienna. These lessons were beneficial when he became the second wizard to set out to Middle Earth to encounter Sauron. Gandalf wore clothes colored grey as a mark of respect for his mentor.
Other versions of the Legendarium
In the earlier writings, Nienna was called the Queen of Shadow. Her siblings were Manwë and Melkor. Nienna's character had a significant impact during the course of the Legendarium.Book Part One: Lost Tales
There is a mention of a lady called Fui, the Death-Goddess whose character resembles a lot Nienna. In the Elvish language Gnomish, she was referred to as Fuil, which meant the Queen of the Dark. Fuil lived in the halls which were named after her. The halls she resided in consisted of a roof of bats' wings. In Tolkien's later writings, she went by the name Fui. She was married to Vefantur, also referred to as Mandos. She lived in Vefantur's halls of Ve. She was given the task of assessing humans while Vefantur the elves.References
- ^Just some thoughts about Nienna : tolkienfans - Reddit." 19 Jul. 2020.
- ^How often does the Vala Nienna weep? - Science Fiction & Fantasy ...." 5 Dec. 2015.
