The Complete Tolkien Companion (102 page)

Úrimë
– The name given to the eighth month of the year in the Kings' Reckoning calendar-system. This month-name was retained in both Stewards' Reckoning and the New Reckoning of the Fourth Age. However, the Dúnedain of Middle-earth preferred the Sindarin equivalent
Urui.

Urthel
– One of the Edain of the First House; a comrade of Barahir, slain on Dorthonion together with the remainder of the twelve-strong band shortly after the Dagor Bragollach.

Urui
–
See
ÚRIMË
.

Uruk-hai
‘Orc-race' (Black Speech) – The name given by Sauron to a new strain of Orcs bred in secrecy by him in Mordor towards the end of the Third Age, and said (by his enemies) to have been created by the blending of the races of Orcs and Men. It is certain, however, that (so far as Orcs went) the Uruk-hai were a far superior breed, being taller and stronger, with great endurance, and an altogether higher level of intelligence. For these reasons alone they were greatly to be feared. They first appeared in 2475 Third Age, when a strong force attacked the outposts of Ithilien and captured Osgiliath; this army was later driven out by Boromir, son of Ruling Steward Denethor I.

However, the Uruk-hai did not remain exclusively in Sauron's service. By the time of the War of the Ring a great number formed the backbone of the Army of Isengard, and were trained and paid by the renegade Wizard Saruman the White. Most of this force was destroyed at the Battle of the Hornburg. Saruman himself attempted further genetic experiments with this race of ‘Great Orcs', with singularly unhappy results – creatures known as ‘Half-orcs' which were said (by Saruman's enemies) to be the result of cross-breeding between the Uruk-hai and certain degenerate Men in his service.
3

Urulókë
‘Fire-serpent' (Q.; pl.
urulóki
) – The name given by the High-elven exiles of the First Age to the terrible race of fire-breathing
DRAGONS
, bred during the Wars of Beleriand, by Morgoth, from unknown stock. The first of these to become known to the Eldar and the Edain was
GLAURUNG
. The term
urulóki
includes flying dragons, when these are of the fire-breathing sort (as was
SMAUG THE GOLDEN
), but excludes so-called ‘Cold-drakes'; these lesser beasts (one of whom slew King Dáin of the Dwarves in the later Third Age) relied on strength and speed alone.

The Urulóki could only be withstood, in battle, by those specially armoured to face the fierce blasts of withering fire which were the Dragons' chief weapon. Best equipped in this fashion were the Dwarves, whose armour was the most durable in Middle-earth and who in addition wore masks, also of metal, to terrify their enemies. Thus protected, an armoured Dwarf – or Man, provided he was wearing Dwarf-armour – might approach near enough to the Dragon to bring a spear or an axe into play. But even then there was a formidable difficulty, in that the hide of all Dragons was almost impossible to pierce. On the whole, the Urulóki were best left alone.

Urwen
– The birth-name of Lalaith, the sister of Túrin; she died in infancy of a black plague out of Angband.

Uttermost West
– One of the many names among Elves and Men for the
UNDYING LANDS
of the Far (Ancient) West of Middle-earth. Properly speaking, this term should apply only to the land of the Valar on the western side of the Pelóri range of mountains; but in some cases, it may refer to the still more westerly domain of
MANDOS
, for this was on the western shore of Aman itself, overlooking the Outer Sea.

Utumno
‘The Pit' (Q.) – The Underworld (Sind.
Udûn
). The name given in Eldarin tradition to the first abode of Melkor (Morgoth) in Middle-earth, made by him far back in the Elder Days, when the Valar, lately come to Arda, dwelt in Almaren. Utumno is indeed the origin of the ancient – and vivid – vision of Hell or the Underworld; and the characteristics commonly attributed to that awful place in many venerable creeds and religions are those which obtained in Utumno of old. For it was deep under the earth that Melkor chose to make his first stronghold. In those days he did not wish the Valar, upon whom he had already made war, to guess that he had returned from the Outer Darkness, whither he had fled after his defeat. Nevertheless, he now put all his power into this great delving, and although it was at first concealed, afterwards it could no longer be hidden. Yet before its whereabouts were known to the Valar Melkor struck, and he destroyed their island of Almaren and cast down the Lamps Illuin and Ormal; and in the darkness thus brought upon the world, he escaped to Utumno in the North, and was not at that time brought to justice.

There he dwelled for many Ages, while far off in the West, beyond his grasp, the Valar were making themselves a second home in Arda. This new dwelling-place they illuminated, but not Middle-earth; and the Darkness continued to mantle mortal lands: to Melkor's profit. Utumno was now at a pinnacle of power, and the later legends which shudderingly tell of endless branching tunnels, deep pits filled with fire, and countless evil creatures swarming to and fro – scenes of terrible, malefic energy and great heat – barely do justice to the vast and dreadful reality of Morgoth's first realm. It was at this time that he, fearing the Valar, decided to guard his western flank with another fortress, though of lesser size, for it was to be but an outpost of the Underworld, a lesser Hell. This was Angband; and its first captain was Sauron.

But at this time another event occurred in Middle-earth: the Awakening of the Firstborn, according to ancient prophecy, in the east of Middle-earth. Using the Darkness as a cloak for his designs, Melkor moved covertly against the Quendi, for at first he did not understand what manner of creatures they were, nor did he know what powers they might have. But before he was able to take advantage of what he had learned, the assault from Valinor – long awaited but somehow still unexpected – broke upon the North; and Angband was levelled while Utumno, the greater and older fortress, was utterly destroyed, down to the last and uttermost pit. So complete was its destruction that Melkor was never again able to renew his work. Instead, when he returned again to Middle-earth after more than three Ages of imprisonment, he chose to centre his power upon Angband, which he made in the end into a great and dreadful place, the chief focus of all the sentient evil in Middle-earth. Yet even at the height of its power Angband was never as great, nor was it delved so deep, as Utumno.

Vairë
‘The Weaver' (Q.) – One of the
Valier
(Queens of the Valar); the wife of Mandos. In the lore of the Eldar she is said endlessly to be engaged upon the task of weaving tapestries, the design of which records all things that have ever come to pass in Arda.

Vala
– The Quenya or High-elven word for ‘Angelic Power' (i.e. one of the kindred of the
VALAR
), but more usually the title of the Fëanorian Tengwa number 22, which represented the sound
w
in languages which required it.

Valacar
– From 1366–1432 Third Age, the twentieth King of Gondor, and the unwitting instigator of the Kin-strife civil war which came near to destroying the South-kingdom. Valacar was the son and heir of Rómendacil II (Minalcar), who had won a great victory over the Easterlings with the aid of the Northmen of Rhovanion, allies of Gondor. Because of his regard for the Northmen, Rómendacil sent his son to dwell for a time in the court of Vidugavia, the mightiest of their Princes. However, Valacar acquired an even greater regard for the Men of Rhovanion than had his father, and in due course wedded Vidugavia's daughter Vidumavi; the son she bore him was named
Eldacar
in Gondor, Vinitharya in Rhovanion.

As is told elsewhere, this mingling of the royal blood of Númenor with one of ‘lesser' race caused a great deal of ill-feeling among the Dúnedain of Gondor, and when Eldacar came to the Throne this resentment turned to rebellion: many of the Dúnedain refused to accept Eldacar as their lawful King, and resisted his authority. The result was the Kin-strife civil war, in which great damage was done to the Line of Anárion and the Realm of Gondor.

Valacirca
–
See
SICKLE
(
OF THE VALAR
).

Valandil
– The eldest son of the Lady Silmariën of Númenor, daughter of King Tar-Elendil, and the first of the Lords of Andúnië. He was thus the direct ancestor of Elendil, Isildur and Aragorn. Also the name of the third King of Arnor, who reigned from year 10–249 Third Age. He was the fourth son of Isildur, who was slain at the Gladden Fields (Year 2) together with Valandil's three elder brothers; Valandil himself had been left behind in Rivendell during the War of the Last Alliance, due to his tender age, and so escaped the massacre.

Valandur
– From 602–652 Third Age, the eighth King of Arnor.

Valanya
‘Day-of-the-Valar' (Q.) – The sixth and final day in the Elves' week and the seventh and final day in the week of Kings' Reckoning. In both calendars it was the chief or ‘holy' day. Its alternative Quenya name was
Tárion.
The Grey-elves knew it as
Orbelain
(or
Rodyn
), while the Hobbits' name was
Highdei
(later
Highday
).

Valaquenta
‘History of the Valar' (Q.) – A short treatise, of unknown authorship, in which the natures and respective attributes of the
VALAR
and
MAIAR
have been detailed in due and proper order. It has been published as part of the collection entitled
The Silmarillion
1
but, like the
Ainulindalë,
is distinct from the larger work. Almost certainly the Valaquenta is of Eldarin origin, since the names of the various Powers, both Valar and Maiar, are in the Quenya tongue; and this in turn indicates authorship dating to the time when the Noldor (the chief loremasters of the Elves) were first dwelling in Tirion. How it came to survive until our own day cannot safely be ascertained: in all probability a copy of the work was kept in the library of Rivendell and consequently came to be ‘acquired', or at least re-copied, by the famed Hobbit-scholar Bilbo Baggins – who, of course, is responsible for other literary acquisitions from the First Age.

Valar
‘Angelic Powers' (Q.) – The name given by ancient Eldarin tradition to those of the
AINUR
, or Divinities created by The One before the Creation itself, who participated in the making of
Eä
(The Universe) and of
Arda
(the World) amidmost; and who, after the completion of this labour, departed from Eä and came to dwell in Middle-earth as Guardians of the World.

They did so because of their love and desire for the Children of God – Elves and Men – for whom they were to prepare the ‘realm'. The future forms of Elves and Men had been revealed to them, though they had no part in their design or making, and the precise time of their appearance was not known.
2

Much is said of the Valar in the
Quenta Silmarillion;
and even more in the
Ainulindalë
and the
Valaquenta;
and for a full account of the natures and powers of the individual Valar the enquirer is referred to those works. Of more adjacence to this entry is the known history of the Powers since their arrival in the World, in a time so distant as scarcely to be within the comprehension of mortals. To prepare the World for the
Erusen
was all of their ancient purpose, but (as is told above in the quoted passage), even they did not know when this event would come to pass, and so for Ages uncounted they moved about the face of the earth, continuing their ancient ‘demiurgic' labours, shaping the World, and peopling it with the first living things: the
olvar
and
kelvar.
Themselves beings of Light, they determined to bring Light to Arda, and for this hallowed purpose they made the great Lamps Illuin and Ormal; and Light shone on Middle-earth, and the
olvar
grew and flourished, and the
kelvar
wandered freely in the vast forests of that ancient time.