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Ted Nasmith - The Shores of Valinor.jpg
EtymologyLand of the Valar
Head of StateManwë
JudiciaryCouncil of the Valar
Societal information
LanguageValarin, Quenya
LocationWest of the Pelóri
PopulaceValar, Maiar, and Vanyar
ReligionBelief in Eru Ilúvatar
Historical information
Formed fromThe departure of the Valar from Middle-earth
Establishmentc. Y.L. 3450

Valinor is the realm of the Valar in central Aman; although Valinor refers to the whole continent, it properly refers to the inhabited lands by Valar and the Elves.

Valinor is the place to which the Valar moved after being driven from Almaren by Morgoth.


Valinor is encircled by the Pelóri mountains raised by the Valar to defend from Melkor.

Its major city was Valimar, where the Vanyar and the Valar reside. Two other cities are Alqualondë and Tirion, the respective homes of the Teleri and the Noldor. It also has an island, Tol Eressëa, just off its east coast. The sea to the west of the island was called Ekkaia, the encircling sea which surrounded both Valinor and Middle-earth.


  • Oromë, the Vala of the hunt, lived in the Woods of Oromë to the north-east of the pastures. The forest was home to many creatures which Oromë could track and hunt.
  • Nienna, the lonely Vala of sorrow and endurance, lived cut off in the far west of the island in the Halls of Nienna where she spent her days crying, looking out to sea. Just south of the Halls of Nienna and to the north of the pastures there were the Halls of Mandos.
  • Mandos, the brother of Nienna, was the Vala of the afterlife. All inhabitants of Arda went to the Halls of Mandos should they happen to die, mortals and immortals alike although it was said that in death as in life, they were separated. Also living in the Halls of Mandos was his spouse Vaire the weaver, who wove the threads of time.
  • To the south were situated the Gardens of Lórien also known as Irmo, the Vala of dreams. Estë and Lórien being husband and wife lived close together.
  • To the north of this were the Mansions of Aulë the smith Vala who was spouse to Yavanna.
  • In the north-east lay the Mansions of Manwë and Varda, the two most powerful Valar, also married.

To the west of them stood the mound Ezellochar with the Two Trees of Valinor, Telperion and Laurelin.

After the destruction of Númenor, the Undying Lands were removed from Arda so that Men could not reach them and only the Elves could go there by the Straight Road and in ships capable of passing out of the Spheres of the earth. By special permission of the Valar, the Hobbits Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins were permitted to go to Valinor. They were followed by Samwise Gamgee and Gimli the Dwarf who were perhaps also permitted.


Valinor (archaic Valinórë) is Quenya meaning "Land of Valar". There is also the name Valandor of roughly the same meaning.

The terms Ever-eve or Evereven also referred to Valinor.


It has been suggested that the concept was based off ghost and heavenly islands of various western mythologies and legends: Avalon, Hy Brasil, the Blessed Isles, the Elysian Fields, were mythical lands envisioned by the ancient peoples to be far into the western ocean.

The legend somehow survived the Middle-Ages with Saint Brendan's Island