Melian

Internal history

Melian is a Maia; it thus belongs to those of Ainur which decided to work the ground and to see their destiny related to it. Having capacities less than the Valar (the higher Ainur having chosen the terrestrial destiny), Maiar are the servants of Valar. Leaving the Immortal Grounds of Valinor to go in Ground of the Medium, Melian will become queen of the kingdom of Doriath, wife of the elf Elwë Singollo, called Thingol of which it will have a single girl Lúthien Tinuviel, which married a thus contributing being of the race of the men, and for the single time to make pass the blood of the race of Ainur in that of the races elfic and human.

The passage of Ground Melian of the Medium

the arrival of Ground Melian of the Medium

Learning that the elder ones of the children of Iluvatar had waked up and crossed the Earth of the Medium, carried out by the Vala Oromë, herald of Manwë, in order to be established in the Western Grounds of Valinor, Melian went in Beleriand out of Ground of the Medium to see the elves. Discovering in way the beauty of the Earth of the Medium deserted by Valar, it stopped in the forest of Nan Elmoth, where it started to sing. A young Elf chief, Elwë Singollo, which passed not far heard the voice of Melian and was let guide in the clearing where it was held upright.

Elwë wishing to remain with Ground Melian of the Medium, entrusted the direction of its people to his Olwë younger brother. Elwë and Melian thus remained alone in wood during many years, and finally married. They left wood, settled in Menegroth, the Thousand Caves, and made the capital of their kingdom of it, Doriath (because many Elves finally preferred to remain out of Ground of the Medium of which they were enthusiast and chose Elwë for king, which took then the name of Elected official Thingol, Roi with the " gray manteau" (Greymantle).

Melian leaves the Earth of the Medium for Valinor

After the assassination of Thingol, Melian made gift of Silmaril to his/her Luthien daughter and ordered to the Captain of Doriath, Mablung, to take in hand the defense of the kingdom (which was not long in sinking). The fate which was reserved to him is not clearly exposed in the work of Tolkien, but it seems that it made die its body in order to leave the Earth of the Medium to turn over to Valinor (because being of the people of Ainur, its gasoline is immortal). Over the Immortal Grounds, she cried the loss of her husband locked up in the Rooms of died of Mandos.

Capacities of Melian

Melian designed an invisible and magic barrier with this intention girdling its Kingdom, which was called the ring of Melian ( the Girdle off Melian ). This ring prevented whoever from entering in Doriath unless being invited there. The intensity of the capacity of the ring of Melian differs according to the versions (Silmarillion or unfinished Legends), but it seems acquired that this " anneau" invisible encircled the kingdom of Thingol a such unperceivable wall but nevertheless insuperable. Nobody could cross it of his own boss, unless having a capacity higher than that Melian - what, obviously was not current out of Ground of the Medium. So that the travellers who were not invited to penetrate in the kingdom lost unrelentingly in the magic meanders of wood, never to be able to find again their way.

However, Melian predicts that one day a being whose destiny would be more powerful than its own capacity would pass the invisible borders and would penetrate in the Kingdom of Doriath. This in addition illustrates the design of Tolkien which conceived the destiny like a capacity quite higher than that of the terrestrial powers, were Ainur. And thus Beren entered the Kingdom of Doriath and éprit of Luthian, the girl of the Thingol elf and Maia Melian. In spite of the signs of the destiny, Thingol refused to give the hand of his/her daughter to a Man, who more is of poor line, except so that this man proves his value by reporting one of the three to him single Silmarils encrusted to the iron crown of most powerful Morgoth of the being after Iluvatar (what to consequently seemed impossible him to achieve). Melian warned Thingol against this search, which was going to lead finally to the devastation of their kingdom.

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