Abstract
Varda, the Queen of the Valar, wields tremendous cosmological power in Tolkien’s legendarium. It is not without cause that Melkor fears her, as her power is literally written in the stars for all to see. Not only do her bright stars and constellations provide light against the darkness, but two of her creations – the Valacirca (Big Dipper) and Menelmacar (Orion) – are direct and intentional warning signs to Melkor of his unavoidable defeat in the Last Battle at the end of days. Indeed, Melkor’s capture by the armies of the Valar at the end of the First Age is facilitated by another great heavenly light, Eärendil, bearing a silmaril in his jeweled, Valar-enhanced star-ship. No less than the sons of Fëanor realize the symbolic importance of Eärendil’s first rising into the heavens, as it is dubbed Gil-Estel, the Star of High Hope. And provide high hope it does, when seemingly all is lost, to a weary Samwise Gamgee on the desolate plains of Mordor. This keynote address from Westmoot 2026 explores the conference theme of hope by summarizing Tolkien’s use of the stars as signs of hope and healing from the earliest drafts of his cosmology through his later writings.
Recommended Citation
Larsen, Kristine
(2025)
"Hope and the Handiwork of Varda: Celestial Signposts of the Music’s Mending,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 23:
Iss.
2, Article 13.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol23/iss2/13
Comments
Keynote address from Westmoot 2026 (Minneapolis, MN), presented on May 24, 2026.