Vanyar

According to legend, the clan was founded by Imin, the first Elf to awake in Cuiviénen, his wife Iminyë, and their twelve companions. At this time, they were called the Minyar (Quenya "first ones").

However, it was Ingwë, the first Vanya to travel with Oromë to Valinor, who became their king. Always eager to reach Valinor, none of the Vanyar refused to go and were on the vanguard of the Great March; they reached Beleriand first and sailed on the first voyage of Tol Eressëa with the Noldor.

At first the Vanyar dwelt in Tirion with the Noldor, but they loved the light of the Two Trees of Valinor and settled in the plains and woods of Valinor or the slopes of Taniquetil. Their King Ingwë became the High King of the Elves and lived on Taniquetil beneath the halls of Manwë.

After the release of Melkor, they were suspicious of him, being content within the Light of Valinor. In the Darkening of Valinor they were next to the Valar and Maiar inside the Ring of Doom.

A notable Vanya was Indis, the second wife of Finwë and mother of Fingolfin and Finarfin. Her second son Finarfin inherited her golden hair and passed it on to his children, including Galadriel. Nearly all full-blooded Vanyar were content to remain in Valinor and few were ever seen in Middle-earth, as they only returned with the Host of Valinor for the War of Wrath. The only named full Vanya known to have left Valinor against the will of the Valar was Elenwë, the wife of Turgon, who perished crossing the Helcaraxë and never reached the shores of Middle-earth. Her daughter Idril, who survived the crossing, had the greatest share of Vanyarin blood of any named Exile, being five-eighths Vanyar.

The Vanyar were the first and smallest clan of the Elves, being only fourteen in number in their beginning. All among them had golden hair. They were the most beloved by Manwë and Varda and the Elder King gave them his gift of poetry and song.

In the War of Wrath they held white banners and it is said they preferred spears instead of swords and bows.

The name Vanyar means "the Fair" in Quenya, referring to their golden hair. It seems to be from a primitive Elvish form bányâ (stem BAN) but also from wanjâ (stem WAN). The Telerin cognate is Vaniai.

The name was likely given to them by the Noldor and referred to the hair of the Minyar, which was yellow or deep golden in nearly all members of the clan. The Noldor, because of their love for gold, regarded this a beautiful trait. The term probably originated around the time of the Sundering, if somewhat later. The Vanyar accepted it, but continued to refer to themselves as Minyar.

The Vanyar called themselves Minyar ("the Firsts"), their ancient name. At times, they also called themselves Ingwer, deriving from the Quenya word inga (‘top, highest point’)

The name Ingar refers to "the people of Ingwë".

Tolkien refers to the Vanyar as having an alternate name of Ingwi when detailing the loss of the sound "þ" by the Noldor: "in Valinor they dwelt between the Vanyar (Ingwi) and the Teleri (Lindar), with whom they were in communication and sometimes intermarried."

In Sindarin they were called Minil (singular Miniel).

The Vanyar were also known under the name "Fair-elves", from the fair colour of their hair. They were also known as the "Light-elves".

In an early form of the Legendarium, they are also called the "Spear-elves" for their love of spears, as opposed to the sword and shield of the Noldor and the bow and arrow of the Solosimpi.

In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Legendarium (see: The Book of Lost Tales Part One), the first clan was called Teleri and Lindar, names that later were given to the third clan instead (the Elves known as Teleri in the published version of The Silmarillion were called Solosimpi back then).

In The Book of Lost Tales the Inwir were a ‘royal’ clan within the Teleri (Vanyar). This distinction continued in the 1930s The Lhammas where the chief house of the Lindar (Vanyar) were known as Ingwelindar or Ingwi.

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 31/05/2026.