A Question on Tol Eressëa...

[ethereal_hobbit]

What I want to know is if Tol Eressëa belongs to Aman as well, or is "Aman" only used for the land of Valinor alone, excluding Tol Eressëa? Tolkien said that only immortals were allowed in Aman, and in a WIP of mine I have used "Aman" quite often for the Lonely Isle. trust_n0_1 and I were wondering about this when I gave her a chapter to read

Comments

[shirebound]

According to The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, under the heading "Tol Eressea", it calls the island "the easternmost of the Undying Lands" -- therefore it sounds as if it would be part of Aman. (It isn't Valinor, but it is part of the Blessed Realm of the West.) However, in another part of that same book (under the heading "Aman"), it refers to "Aman and Tol Eressea" as separate places.

*sigh* Maybe someone else knows more than I do, but I'm confused, too! In "Sing Me Home", I separated the two.

[ethereal_hobbit]

It isn't Valinor, but it is part of the Blessed Realm of the West.

Yes, that's what is confusing me, too. Can I say "Aman" safely when I refer to Tol Eressëa, or does "Aman" only refer to the lands of Valinor? I think I should seperate the two more clearly. But then, the term "Undying Lands" includes the island, if I'm not mistaken? Perhaps I could just choose to use that term instead of Aman.

Thanks four your input! I don't have the proper books here at hand, and the Encyclopedia of Arda couldn't answer my question either.

I just hope you're not too confused now. ;)

*hugs*

[giirov]

Keeping in mind that Tolkien often changed the application of names over time and that there could be passages which contradict what I am going to say, there are passages which clearly imply that Tol Eressëa does not belong to Aman (or to the Blessed Realm, which is just the English translation of "Aman"). Aman generally refers to the continent of which Valinor is a part, but sometimes even only to the lands behind the Pelóri, the Mountains of Aman. Tol Eressëa is a part of the Undying Lands, though, which consist of Aman and Tol Eressëa.

From the Annals of Aman (Morgoth's Ring, p. 86):

"It came to pass that after the Teleri had dwelt for one hundred years of our reckoning on the Lonely Isle, their hearts were changed, and they were drawn towards the Light that flowed out from Aman. (...) Thus at last and latest they came to Aman and the shores of Eldamar."

It is clear from this quote that while the Teleri were living on Tol Eressëa, they were not in Aman.

[ethereal_hobbit]

Awww, thank you so much for helping me here! I indeed needed a quote like this. This perfectly makes sense. :)

[shirebound]

I suspect that Aman is the continent on which Valinor stands... and Tol Eressea is an island offshore of that continent.

[ethereal_hobbit]

That's how I understood it until now, and how I used it! :D But now I think I should seperate the two, to avoid some confusion. One can quickly interpret into some of my sentences that Frodo has gone to Valinor instead of Tol Eressëa. ;)

[grapeofdeath]

From the Encyclopedia of Arda

Tol Eressëa
The Lonely Isle

The island off the eastern shores of Aman where many of the Elves dwelt. The name probably comes from its early history, when it stood in the middle of the Great Sea, far from either Aman or Middle-earth.
(The Aman Continent original lay in the far West of Arda, now removed from the World.)

Aman is known as "The Blessed Realm" and Tol Eressëa as "The Lonely Isle." Together they make up "The Undying Lands."