She is known as the Giver of Fruits. Through her work, the two trees would be created,
and her love of things that grow would result in the creation of the Ents.
Today, on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the vala Yavanna Kementari, the Queen of the Earth.
Her name is also her titles - Yavanna meaning “Giver of Fruits” and a Kementári meaning
“Queen of the Earth”. Alongside our previously covered Valar, Yavanna is one of the Aratar - the
Exalted - greatest of the Valar. Among the great Queens of the Valar, it is said that
Yavanna is next to Varda in reverence. As her name implies, Yavanna is responsible for all
things that grow on the earth - from the tallest trees, to the smallest patches of grass and moss.
Her physical form is described in The Silmarillion: In the form of a woman she is tall,
and robed in green; but at times she takes other shapes. Some there are who have seen
her standing like a tree under heaven, crowned with the Sun; and from all its
branches there spilled a golden dew upon the barren earth, and it grew green with corn;
but the roots of the tree were in the waters of Ulmo, and the winds of Manwë spoke in its leaves.
In the Song of the Ainur, Yavanna sang of branches of great trees that would
receive the rain of Manwe and Ulmo, and she would later say that some of her trees sang
to Iluvatar. In the earliest days of the world, Morgoth, who was unable to create life himself,
would corrupt the creatures of Yavanna. Thus, she would support all plans against the dark lord.
After Tulkas drives away Morgoth, Yavanna plants seed which she had long devised,
bringing plant-life to the lands in a period known as the Spring of Arda. When Melkor returns
and destroys the two lamps, causing the Valar to flee to Aman across the sea, Yavanna protects the
living creatures of the world by placing them in an enchanted sleep. During which, they would
not grow or age until light should come again. With the lamps destroyed, Yavanna sings into
existence a new source of light - the Two Trees of Valinor. The silver Telperion and Laurelin
the golden. Watered by the tears of Nienna, the two trees grow to give light to all of Valinor.
Three valar are described as acting against Morgoth during this time - as
previously covered in his own video, Ulmo would remain in the outer sea and keep
the earth alive. Oromë the hunter would hunt the monsters of Melkor,
keeping the shadows at bay. And Yavanna would come to Middle-earth, healing the hurts of Melkor.
It is during the great Sleep that Yavanna’s husband Aulë creates the seven fathers of
the dwarves. This would cause Yavanna great distress, for she feared that the dwarves
would wantonly cut down all her trees. Aulë responds that it would be not only the dwarves,
but even the Children of Iluvatar - elves and men - would have need of her trees. Yavanna,
who had seen her moving creatures (known in elvish as kelvar) corrupted by Melkor, and now
facing the destruction of her plant-life (known in elvish as olvar), takes her concerns to Manwë.
‘If thou hadst thy will what wouldst thou reserve?’ said Manwë. ‘Of all
thy realm what dost thou hold dearest?’ ‘All have their worth,’ said Yavanna,
‘and each contributes to the worth of the others. But the kelvar can flee or defend themselves,
whereas the olvar that grow cannot. And among these I hold trees dear. Long in the growing,
swift shall they be in the felling, and unless they pay toll with fruit upon bough
little mourned in their passing. So I see in my thought. Would that the trees might
speak on behalf of all things that have roots, and punish those that wrong them!’
‘This is a strange thought,’ said Manwë.
‘Yet it was in the Song,’ said Yavanna. ‘For while thou wert in the heavens and with
Ulmo built the clouds and poured out the rains, I lifted up the branches of great
trees to receive them, and some sang to Ilúvatar amid the wind and the rain.’
Manwë takes these concerns to Eru in prayer, and unto Manwë the purpose of Eru is revealed.
Then Manwë awoke, and he went down to Yavanna upon Ezellohar,
and he sat beside her beneath the Two Trees. And Manwë said: ‘O Kementári, Eru hath spoken, saying:
“Do then any of the Valar suppose that I did not hear all the Song, even the least sound of the
least voice? Behold! When the Children awake, then the thought of Yavanna will awake also,
and it will summon spirits from afar, and they will go among the kelvar and the olvar,
and some will dwell therein, and be held in reverence, and their just anger shall be feared.
Thus, when the elves awake, so do Yavanna’s Ents - and their purpose of protecting her creation.
Another of Yavanna’s creations would on many occasions look after and assist the Children
of Iluvatar. Just as the thought of Manwe and Ulmo combined to make the clouds and rain, the thought
of Manwe the lord of the air, and Yavanna queen of the earth combined to make the great eagles.
Many thousands of years later, when the elves build their city of Tirion in Valinor,
Yavanna creates the great tree Galathilion in the image of Telperion. Descended from
this tree would be the White Tree of Nimloth of Númenor and the White Trees of Gondor.
After her greatest trees are destroyed, Yavanna comes to Ezellohar and tells the
other Valar that if she could use the light of Feanor’s silmarils,
she could heal them. Despite all her power as one of the Aratar - mighty among the mighty
valar - she could never again conjure the same light. Feanor refuses to part with his
silmarils - though by this time, Morgoth had already stolen them and fled to Middle-earth.
Yavanna would once again work alongside Nienna and together they are able to bring forth one
silver flower from Telperion and one golden fruit from Laurelin. These she gives to her
husband Aulë, who fashions vessels for them. He in turn gives them to Varda,
who places these lights - the sun and moon - in the heavens - out of the reach of Morgoth.
After Morgoth’s defeat in the War of Wrath, an island is raised from the sea for the men who
had stood with the Host of the Valar. The land is called Andor - meaning “land of gift” - though the
men who inhabit it would come to call it Númenor. Yavanna would enrich this great land and the
elves of Tol Eressea would bring further gifts - of flower and fountain - to the island realm.
Much later, in the Third Age, Yavanna would send one of her servants to Middle-earth. For
when the valar decide to send emissaries and Aulë’s servant Curumo is chosen,
Yavanna begs him to take Aiwendil with him. Curumo would consent,
though ever after this wizard Saruman would harbor a disdain for Yavanna’s Radagast.
And like his master Yavanna, Radagast would carry on her love of nature,
working with and for the sake of, the birds and beasts of Middle-earth.
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