Elbereth Meaning: Varda's Elvish Name and the Hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel
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Quick Answer: Elbereth is Sindarin for "Star-Queen": el ("star") + bereth ("queen, spouse"). It is the Elvish name of Varda, the Vala who kindled the stars. The Elves of Middle-earth call on her in the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel ("O Elbereth Star-kindler"), and Sam cries her name in Shelob's lair. Her Quenya names are Varda and Elentári.
Elbereth is one of the most powerful words in The Lord of the Rings. It is not a spell, yet when Frodo shouts it the Ringwraiths flinch, and when Sam cries it in the dark, a monster gives way. To understand why, you need to know who Elbereth is and what her name means.
This guide covers the name and its parts, her other titles, the Elvish hymn to her, and the scenes in which hobbits call her name.
What the Name Elbereth Means
Elbereth is a compound in Sindarin, the Elvish language spoken in Middle-earth in the Third Age.
- el — "star." The same element appears in many Elvish names: Elendil, Elrond, Elwing. The Quenya form is elen, as in the greeting Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo.
- bereth — "queen" or "spouse." It refers to Varda as the wife of Manwë, King of the Valar, and as a queen in her own right.
So Elbereth is "Star-Queen" or "Queen of the Stars." Say it EL-beh-reth, with the stress on the first syllable and a lightly tapped R.
Who Is Elbereth? Varda, Kindler of the Stars
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Try It Free →In Tolkien's mythology the Valar are great spirits who entered the world to shape it. Varda is the greatest of the Valiër, the female Valar. The Silmarillion tells that she made the stars, and that she made new and brighter ones just before the Elves woke. The Elves first opened their eyes under starlight, and so they love Varda above all the Valar.
That love is why her name matters in The Lord of the Rings. For the Elves, and for the hobbits who learn from them, calling on Elbereth means calling on the light of the stars against the darkness. The Nazgûl, servants of Sauron, fear that light and the name tied to it.
Her Other Names: Gilthoniel and Fanuilos
Varda has several titles. Two appear in the Sindarin texts of The Lord of the Rings.
Gilthoniel — "Star-kindler." Gil is another Sindarin word for star (it also appears in Gil-galad, "star of radiance"), and -thoniel is "she who kindles." Gilthoniel almost always follows Elbereth in the books, as a pair: Elbereth Gilthoniel.
Fanuilos — usually given as "Everwhite." It pictures Varda shining white on the holy mountain far in the West. Sam uses this title at the end of his cry in Shelob's lair.
In Quenya her titles are:
- Varda — "the Exalted, the Lofty", her main name.
- Elentári — "Star-Queen", the Quenya match of Elbereth.
- Tintallë — "the Kindler", the Quenya match of Gilthoniel.
Both Elentári and Tintallë appear in Galadriel's lament Namárië. If you want that poem line by line, read What Does Namárië Mean?.
The Hymn: A Elbereth Gilthoniel
The best-known text addressed to Varda is the Sindarin hymn sung in the Hall of Fire at Rivendell, in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, chapter 1, "Many Meetings." Frodo hears it after the feast. It opens:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel, silivren penna míriel o menel aglar elenath!
The first line means "O Elbereth Star-kindler." The next lines describe brilliant light slanting down like jewels from the sky, the glory of the starry host. The poem goes on to say that the singers, far from the West in the forests of Middle-earth, remember her stars across the sea.
A few words in it are worth knowing:
- A — "O", the call that opens a prayer or address.
- menel — "the heavens, the sky."
- elenath — "the host of stars", a collective form built on the word for star.
- Fanuilos — "Everwhite", which appears later in the hymn.
Earlier, in Book I chapter 3, Frodo meets Gildor's Elves in the Shire and hears them sing a hymn to Elbereth, which Tolkien gives in English. The Rivendell hymn is the Sindarin one. Tolkien later published a full translation and analysis in The Road Goes Ever On. For more of the great Elvish poems, see Elvish Songs & Poetry: Namárië, A Elbereth and More.
Frodo on Weathertop: "O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!"
The first time a hobbit uses the name in battle is on Weathertop, in Book I, chapter 11. When the Witch-king attacks, Frodo hears himself cry O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! as he strikes at the Black Rider's feet. Afterwards Strider says the name was more deadly to the enemy than the blade.
Frodo did not choose the words with care. They came to him almost on their own, carried over from the songs he had heard. That is part of the point: the name of Elbereth has power because of what it stands for, not because it is a magic formula.
Sam in Shelob's Lair
The most famous use comes in The Two Towers, Book IV, chapter 10, "The Choices of Master Samwise." Sam, alone with the phial of Galadriel, faces the giant spider Shelob. He cries out in a language he does not know:
A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palan-diriel, le nallon sí di'nguruthos! A tíro nin, Fanuilos!
In plain English the meaning is: O Elbereth Star-kindler, gazing afar from heaven, I cry to you here beneath the shadow of death. O look towards me, Everwhite.
Some of the words:
- o menel — "from heaven."
- palan-diriel — "having gazed afar." The palan- element is the same one in palantír, "far-seer."
- le nallon — "to you I cry."
- sí — "here."
- di'nguruthos — "beneath the horror of death."
- A tíro nin — "O look on me."
The phial blazes with the light of Eärendil's star, Shelob is driven back, and Sam fights his way through. Tolkien says Sam's tongue was loosed and his voice cried in a language he did not know. The scene works because a small, frightened gardener calls on the Star-Queen, and the light answers.
Elbereth vs Varda: Sindarin vs Quenya
A common question is whether Elbereth and Varda are two different beings. They are not. The difference is language.
- Quenya is the ancient, formal Elvish of Valinor. In Quenya she is Varda, Elentári and Tintallë.
- Sindarin is the living Elvish of Middle-earth. In Sindarin she is Elbereth, Gilthoniel and Fanuilos.
Galadriel, who was born in Valinor, uses Quenya in Namárië. The Elves of Rivendell, singing in Middle-earth, use Sindarin. Sam, who learned his Elvish from Bilbo and the Elves, cries out in Sindarin. Same lady, two languages.
If you want to learn the difference between the two Elvish tongues properly, the Learn Elvish course covers both Quenya and Sindarin from the first lesson.
Using the Name Elbereth Today
Elbereth is a lovely, attested name, and fans use it in many ways:
- As a name for a character, a pet, a boat or a house. It is a title of a goddess-like being, so it carries weight.
- In a tattoo or engraving, often as A Elbereth Gilthoniel or as Elbereth alone, sometimes written in Tengwar.
- In a wedding or star-themed design, because of its link to the night sky.
Keep the spelling exactly as Tolkien gives it, and do not mix Sindarin and Quenya titles in one phrase. Elbereth Gilthoniel and Varda Elentári are both correct. "Elbereth Elentári" mixes the two languages and is not something any Elf in the books says.
People Also Ask
What does Elbereth mean? "Star-Queen", from Sindarin el (star) and bereth (queen, spouse). It is the Elvish name of Varda.
Who is Elbereth in The Lord of the Rings? Varda, the Vala who kindled the stars and whom the Elves love most. Frodo and Sam both call on her when in danger.
What does "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" mean? "O Elbereth Star-kindler." It opens the Sindarin hymn sung in Rivendell.
What is the difference between Elbereth and Varda? None in person: Varda is the Quenya name, Elbereth the Sindarin one.
Related Reading
People Also Ask
What does Elbereth mean?
Elbereth is Sindarin and means "Star-Queen." It joins el, "star", with bereth, "queen" or "spouse." It is the name the Elves of Middle-earth use for Varda, the Vala who kindled the stars.
Who is Elbereth in The Lord of the Rings?
Elbereth is Varda, one of the Valar, the powers who rule the world under Eru. She made the stars, and the Elves, who woke under starlight, love her above the other Valar. In The Lord of the Rings the Elves sing to her, and Frodo and Sam call on her name in moments of danger.
What does "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" mean?
It means "O Elbereth Star-kindler." A is the Sindarin "O", Elbereth is Varda's name, and Gilthoniel means "kindler of stars." It is the first line of the Elvish hymn heard in Rivendell in The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, chapter 1.
What is the difference between Elbereth and Varda?
They are the same person. Varda is her name in Quenya, the old High-elven tongue, and Elentári, "Star-Queen", is a Quenya title used in the poem Namárië. Elbereth and Gilthoniel are her names in Sindarin, the everyday Elvish of Middle-earth.
