Mandos
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Námo Mandos is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
Mandos is the usual name for the Vala originally called Námo (Judge). Námo was given this new name in honour of the Halls of Mandos, over which he presides, where Elves go after they are slain (cf. Valhalla). His wife is Vairë the Weaver, and he is the brother of Lórien and Nienna in the mind of Eru.
Mandos is described as being stern and dispassionate and never forgetting a thing. He was the Vala who cursed the Noldor leaving Aman, and counselled against allowing them to return (almost to the point of vindictivity). But unlike Morgoth, his Dooms are not cruel or vindictive by his own design. They are simply the will of Eru, and he will not speak them unless he is commanded to do so by Manwë. Only once has he been moved to pity, when Lúthien sang of the grief she and her lover Beren had experienced in Beleriand. Then, with the Elder King's approval, he released them. Written later in Tolkien's life, there arose the possibility that Glorfindel, as well, was given second life after being slain by a balrog. It has been postulated that he was sent back to Middle-earth as a means to fight Sauron, just as the five Istari were. Why Mandos came to be known by that name and not his proper one, Námo, could possibly parallel Greek Mythology. Just as in the case of Hades and the Greek Underworld, where over time the Underworld erroneously acquired the name Hades, Namo has erroneously acquired the name of his abode - Mandos. Similar to Mandos, the Underworld can be pleasant for the good or unpleasant for the evil. The event of Mandos being moved to pity by Lúthien singing of the grief she and her lover had been moved to in Beleriand, is similar to the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, which partly inspired the story of Beren and Lúthien.
In the roguelike computer game ToME the Halls of Mandos are the location of a preliminary lost soul nightmare mode for experienced players.
[edit] See also
| Ainur from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium | |
|---|---|
| Ainulindalë (Music of the Ainur) | |
| Lords of the Valar: | Manwë | Ulmo | Aulë | Oromë | Námo (Mandos) | Irmo (Lórien) | Tulkas |
| Queens of the Valar (The Valier): | Varda | Yavanna | Nienna | Estë | Vairë | Vána | Nessa |
| The Enemy: | Morgoth (a.k.a. Melkor) |
| Maiar: | Eönwë | Ilmarë | Ossë | Uinen | Salmar | Sauron | Melian | Arien | Tilion | Gothmog Curumo (Saruman) | Olórin (Gandalf) | Aiwendil (Radagast) | Alatar and Pallando | Durin's Bane |
