Telperion
Telperion was the elder of the Two Trees of Valinor, called the White Tree, which shed silver light on the domain of the Valar. His leaves were of dark green, shining silver beneath, and his boughs were decked with brilliant flowers that shed a rain of silver dew, which was collected as a source of water and of light.
History
Telperion was the elder of the Two Trees, and created by the Vala Yavanna. It bloomed during the first part of the Valian day, followed by Laurelin. It endured throughout the Years of the Trees, but came to an end in the dreadful Darkening of Valinor.
However one of Telperion's flowers survived the Darkening, and was set aloft by the Valar; this was the light of the Moon, carried by Tilion the Maia.
In the First Age, Turgon made images of the Two Trees that stood in his court of Gondolin, and the one made in memory of Telperion was Belthil.
Telperion's descendants
Even though the elder tree did not survive, he was not the last of the White Trees. Because the Elves that first came to Valinor especially loved Telperion, Yavanna made a second tree like it to stand in the city of Tirion where the Vanyar and Noldor dwelt together at first. This tree, named Galathilion, was identical to Telperion except that it gave no light of its own. It had many seedlings, one of which was Celeborn on the isle of Tol Eressëa.
In the Second Age, a seedling of Celeborn was brought as a gift to the Númenoreans — that was Nimloth, the White Tree of Númenor. It lasted through the vast majority of the realm's duration, but when Sauron took control of the island he had king Ar-Pharazôn chop it down. Fortunately, Isildur managed to save a single fruit of that tree. Of this fruit later came the White Tree of Gondor.
Etymology
Telperion comes from the root telepi/telpë ("silver"). The exact etymology of the ending -rion is not clear. Latter elements may include rî ("garland, wreath"), and/or ere ("the one" or "first") along with the suffix -on or -ion.
The Quenya form was actually Tyelperion but Quenya adopted telpë from Telerin.
Other names
Another Quenya name for Telperion was Silpion. It is derived from the root SIL (shine (with white or silver light))" or from the extended root SILIP, and the suffix -ion. It was sometimes glossed the "White Tree of Valinor", or simply the "White Tree".
Ninquelótë was a Quenya title of Telperion. Ninquelótë means "White Flower" or (perhaps more likely in this context) "White Blossom". The Sindarin equivalent of this Quenya name was Nimloth, and indeed that name was inherited by the White Tree that grew in the King's Court of Númenor.
Ibrīniðilpathānezel was the name in Valarin of Telperion.
In early writings of Tolkien Telperion's names were Silpion, Bansil and Belthil.
Referencias
1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 30/05/2026.
