The Encyclopedia of Arda - Light of Aman (original) (raw)
The silver and golden Light of the Trees
The Light that shone on the land of Valinor when the Two Trees still grew there, filling that land with shining silver and golden beams. The Trees themselves waxed and waned, and as they did so their Light shone more or less brightly, with the Light of both Trees mingling every six hours.
The Light of the Trees themselves was lost when they were destroyed by Melkor and Valinor was Darkened, but some part of it survived in the last flower of Telperion and the last fruit of Laurelin, which became known as the Moon and the Sun. Some part of the Light was also held locked within the Silmarils; one of these survived the First Age, roaming the skies bound to Eärendil's brow and forming the Evening Star.
The Light of Aman affected all who dwelt there while the Trees were in bloom, including the Elves: when the Noldor returned to Middle-earth, their eyes were said to still shine with this Light. Though the true brilliance of the Light faded with time, it seems not to have dimmed entirely. When Tuor met two of the Noldor centuries later '...he marvelled, for they were fairer and more fell to look upon, because of the light of their eyes...' (Unfinished Tales I, Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin).
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- Updated 19 October 2020
- Updates planned: 1
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