The Tale of the Sun and Moon

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The Book of Lost Tales Part One chapters
The Cottage of Lost Play The Music of the Ainur The Coming of the Valar The Chaining of Melko The Coming of the Elves The Theft of Melko The Flight of the Noldoli The Tale of the Sun and Moon The Hiding of Valinor Gilfanon's Tale

The Tale of the Sun and Moon is the eighth chapter of The Book of Lost Tales Part One.

Summary

Eriol still desired limpë, the magical elven drink. Lindo explained that Eriol had first to visit Gilfanon in his House of the Hundred Chimneys. Gilfanon was then staying in Lindo's Cottage of Lost Play, like Eriol, and joked to him that one might think Lindo was trying to get rid of two guests at once, but said that he would stay for about a week, and that Lindo could now tell his story. Pleased, Lindo did so:

After the flight of Noldoli and slaughter of Solosimpi, the elves and Valar were outraged.

Vána and Lórien with Urwendi, Silmo, and many other Valar and elves unsuccessfully tried to heal the Trees, but they were only wasting the light that remained. Manwë and Aulë stopped them and Yavanna was asked to heal the trees. She agreed but was not expecting success.

At first nothing happened, but after some time Laurelin produced the fruit from which the Sun (Sári or Ûr) was made. Yavanna said that it was mainly due to Vána's tenderness, for Vána had stayed with the tree and wept even when the others had gone. Urwendi then steered the Sun across the sky. But then Lórien sang to Silpion that the Valar were trapped between golden heat and shadows full of death. When he touched its wound, one of the branches produced the Rose from which the Moon (Rána or Sil) was made; Ilinsor then steered the Moon, for though Silmo desired to do this, he could not.