Summary
Yavanna, beginning in the midst of the Years of the Lamps, during the Spring of Arda, planted and grew the first living things within the world (Trees and plants). These things she she had long prepared for and, at first, just as every other thing in the world that the Valar had nurtured and perfected, these things prospered and thrived for a time. Melkor, however, had his own plans and desires, for he wished to take the world from his brethren and rule it himself. In the midst of his great fortress, Utumno, in the far north, he sent forth his poisons and darkness into the veins of the world, blighting the Spring of Arda. And he made beasts of ivory and claw. Because of his dark work the things of Yavanna fell sick and rotted. Yet before the Valar could divine the location of Utumno Melkor assaulted and destroyed the Two Lamps, breaking the world.
Afterwards, the Valar relocated to the continent of Aman. There Yavanna and Nienna created the Two Trees, the only light in the whole world at that time. Middle-earth was left in darkness, and Yavanna place the living things that survived in a great sleep, until the rise of the Sun and the Moon many thousands of years later.
After Eru allowed Aulë's creations, the Dwarves, to survive, Yavanna dreaded lest they cut down all the trees in Middle-earth. Aulë, in reply, told her that even Elves and Men, the true Children of Ilúvatar would have need of her trees as well. Yavanna then lamented to Manwë. She questioned whether anything she had made would be free from the dominion of others. Manwë brought her concerns before Ilúvatar in prayer, and Eru did indeed have pity upon Yavanna: He answered her plea by creating the Ents, shepherds of the forest, to protect the trees. She than praise Him, calling Him a merciful lord. Yet Aulë still cautioned that the Children of Ilúvatar would still need from the creations of Yavanna.
It was said that, in the Song of the Ainur, Yavanna sung of branches of great trees that would receive the rain of Manwë and Ulmo, and some trees sang to Ilúvatar. Indeed she planned that the Great Eagles would house themselves in her trees, yet Eru decreed that only the trees of Aulë, the mountains, would hold them.
In the beginning of days Yavanna planted the first seeds of Arda and watched over all growing things. As Morgoth was corrupting her beloved creations she contended with him, and supported all the plans put forth against him. After his expulsion from Arda during the First War, she planted all the seeds that she had for many long years devised and life came to Middle-earth. Thus began the Spring of Arda, although in the beginning no flowers bloomed.
After the destruction of the Two Lamps and the founding of Valnior Yavanna sat and sang upon the green mound of Ezellohar, while the other Valar sat and listened. Her song, with the aid of the tears of Nienna was what brought forth the Two Trees, her greatest creation, which gave light to Aman. However, Yavanna still did not forsake the Outer Lands. At times she would come there and heal the wounds of Morgoth (Just as Oromë occasionally traveled therw) and urged the other Valar to wage war on him before the Awakening of the Elves.
When the Elves built the city of Tirion upon the isle of Tol Eressëa, it was Yavanna who fashioned the tree Galathilion, a lesser image of Telperion, for the court beneath the Mindon.
After the destruction of the Two Trees Yavanna examined what remained of them and said that if she could use the light of the Silmarils she could heal them, thpugh she would need to break them. This light she was denied by the will of Fëanor, who said that if the Silmirals were broken he would die of greif. Doing what she and Nienna could, they managed to bring forth one silver flower from Telperion and one golden fruit from Laurelin. Than Aulë fashioned vessels for them, createing the Moon and the Sun.
Yavanna enriched the land the land of Andor, which was risen by Ossë and enriched by Aulë, for the Men who had stood with the Valar in the War of Wrath. When the Edain came to this island they created the realm of Númenor. Centuries later, when the Valar decided to send emissaries to the mortal lands in the form of the Istari, Yavanna begged the Maia Curumo to take her servant, Aiwendil, with him.
Powers and Stats
Tier: High 3-A | Low 1-C
Key: Within the confines of Eä | Prior to entering Eä
Name: Yavanna, Kementari
Origin: The Silmarilion
Gender: Female
Age: Existed before the creation of time
Classification: Ainu, Vala, Arata, Valier
Powers and Abilities:
Powers and Resistances of the Ainur (Abilities and Resistances of the Aratar from "Within the confines of Eä"), Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight, Regeneration (Low-Godly), Immortality (Types 1 and 3), Shapeshifting, Size Alteration, Elemental Manipulation, Life Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation (The lords of the Ainur could create joy), Healing, Telekinesis, Transmutation, Precognition, Invulnerability (The Ainur are immune from harm via conventional weaponry, as seen when, upon unlocking more of his divine power, Gandalf became invulnerable), Resistance to Death Manipulation (In Lord of the Rings the land of the dead is a real tangible place, Mandos, and can be affected and exited. Ainur don't go there upon death, rather becoming spirits until the regenerate. The only way to keep them there is if they are physically brought there and held by physical might), Intangibility and Incorporeality (At the very least in spirit form), Acausality (Type 2; Changes to the past or future are unable to affect the "Music in being", otherwise referred to as the present)[1] as a verse-wide ability. Resistance to Mind Manipulation (The barrier of Unwill within every individual mind prevents mental penetration by even the likes of Sauron without consent.)[2] and Soul Manipulation (Soul with free-will are considered indestructible)[3] due to verse-wide resistances
Powers and Resistances of the Ainur (Abilities and Resistances of the Aratar from "Prior to entering Eä"), Resistance to Mind Manipulation and Soul Manipulation due to verse-wide resistances.
Attack Potency: High Universe level (Yavanna is second only to Varda from amongst the Queens of the Valar and is likely comparable to her husband Aulë.[4] As a Queen of the Aratar, Yavanna incomparably surpasses all Lesser Valar and Greater Maiar)[4] | Low Complex Multiverse level (The Ainur, as described by Eru, are considered to be powerful and genuine entities, being capable of shaking the Timeless Voids as a result of their strife during the Music of the Ainur. As beings that exist in a realm beyond the world depicted in The Lord of the Rings, the Ainur perceive the space-time of Eä as a lower and secondary plane of existence, with them dwelling alongside Eru within the Timeless Halls, a higher and more primary level of existence. As a lady of the Aratar, Yavanna is incomparably superior to the Maiar and even the lesser members of the Valar)[5]
Speed: Unknown. Massively FTL+ combat speed and reactions (Comparable to the other Valar), Infinite when discarding her physical form (While no longer capable of travelling to the future, the Ainur were still capable of travelling at any speeds they desired, being able to instantly appear anywhere they desired within Eä)[6][7] | Immeasurable (In their origin, the Ainur were unbound by space-time, and were capable of exploring both the past and future with their movements)[6]
Lifting Strength: High Universal (The Valar, are said to have "had a command, great individually, almost complete as a united council, over the physical matter of Eä") | Immeasurable (In their origin, the Ainur were unbound by space-time, and were capable of exploring both the past and future with their movements)[6]
Striking Strength: High Universe level | Low Complex Multiverse level
Durability: High Universe level | Low Complex Multiverse level
Stamina: Superhuman (The bodies of the Ainur are described as being akin to clothing, which they can discard at will. Lesser Ainur than Yavanna have been known to fight for days, and she, alongside the other Valar, were said to have contested Melkor for entire ages) | Infinite
Range: Extended Melee Range; High Universal with her abilities (Comparable to Varda) | Low Complex Multiversal
Intelligence: Unknown (The Ainur are said to have a great understanding of the world, as it was they who created it. Among the Ainur, the Valar are said to be the most knowledgeable, having an almost complete understanding of Eä's material, with even greater understanding in the areas they specialised in) | Possibly Nigh-Omniscient (The Ainur acted as the origin to all that which existed within Eä, except for that which Eru himself withheld)
Weaknesses: None notable
Notable Attacks/Techniques: Like all Ainur, Yavanna has access to a wide range of dangerous powers, mostly related to the elements.
Life creation: Yavanna is a creature of life and nature, having deep control over it. She uses this power to heal the wounds of Melkor and bring life to the Earth. Her power is so great she could create the Two Trees (With the help of Nienna), of which a single flower became the Sun and Moon.
Powers of the Ainur: As a Vala, Yavanna has access to wide variety of potent and devastating supernatural abilities, for the Ainur (The Valar specifically) were created as elemental spirits, and each have divine authority and absolute control over a certain aspect of nature. Each and every one of the Ainur is also able to manipulate magical energies and reality to serve their needs, and take any form they wish, even intangible and non-corporeal spiritual forms. Given she is a Vala, above any of the Maiar, there is no doubt she can use all of the basic Ainur powers.
- Elemental manipulation: As one of the Ainur, it is highly likely that Yavanna had authority and control over one aspect of reality, specifically life and nature. She can heal people and create life (See above). Her exact powers, however, in all likelihood are not made for combat.
- Empathy: The Ainur are surrounded by an a powerful aura, which can affect those around them, bringing joy and presumably sorrow to those near them: "In Beleriand King Thingol upon his throne was as the lords of the Maiar, whose power is at rest, whose joy is as an air that they breathe in all their days, whose thought flows in a tide untroubled from the heights to the deeps."
- Foresight/Hindsight: The Ainur can see the past and the future (Though the latter is fallible). However, given Yavanna's nature as a spirit of life, it is less likely that she would take the time to look through the past and future, unlike Ainur such as Irmo. Still, she no doubt possesses this power.
- Shapeshifting: As one of the Ainur, Yavanna possessed the famous Ainur ability to transform and reshape the form of one's body, appearing in whatever form she desired. She can also appear as inanimate objects, such as when she appeared as a tree.
- Spirit form: As one of the Valar, it was highly likely that Yavanna had the typical Ainur ability to cast off her physical form like a snake shedding its skin, and take on an intangible and non-corporeal spiritual form. In this spiritual state, the Ainur can travel forward and backward in time (Though they are unable to affect the future or the past, only see it). Of the Ainur's spirit forms and precognitive powers this was said:
“ | They could move backward or forward in thought, and return again so swiftly that to those who were in their presence they did not appear to have moved. | „ |
Others
Notable Victories:
Notable Losses:
Inconclusive Matches:
References
- ↑ Morgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. III.
- ↑ The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: Body, Mind, and Spirit, IX ÓSANWE-KENTA.
- ↑ Letters of Tolkien: Letter 211
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Silmarillion: VALAQUENTA
- ↑ Silmarillion: VALAQUENTA
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Morgoth's Ring: Book V. Text XI
- ↑ The Nature of Middle-Earth, Chapter XIV THE VISIBLE FORMS OF THE VALAR AND MAIAR
Discussions
Discussion threads involving Yavanna |