Cuiviénen

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Cuiviénen
Bay
Ted Nasmith - At Lake Cuiviénen.jpg
"At Lake Cuiviénen" by Ted Nasmith
General Information
Pronunciationkoo-i-vee-eeh-nen
Other namesWater of Awakening[1]
LocationThe distant East of Middle-earth, on the eastern shores of the Sea of Helcar.
TypeBay
People and History
InhabitantsElves
EventsAwakening of the Elves
GalleryImages of Cuiviénen

Cuiviénen (Q, pron. N [ˌkuɪviˈeːnen], V [ˌkuɪβiˈeːnen]) was a bay on the shore of the inland Sea of Helcar in the far east of Middle-earth and by extension, the land near the Wild Wood at the foot of Orocarni where the Quendi or Elves awoke.[2]

History

Eru first awoke the Elves there in approximately 1050 of the Years of the Trees. From the first they were divided into three groups: the Minyar, Tatyar, and Nelyar. They dwelt in Cuiviénen for more than five hundred Valian Years before the first sundering. Many of the Elves, particularly of the Minyar and Tatyar, journeyed west to Valinor and, if they did not tarry in Middle-earth, saw its light and became known as the Eldar. Those who remained were called the Avari, the unwilling, for they did not desire to see the beauty of that land, but preferred the starlight of Cuiviénen.

Etymology

The Quenya name Cuiviénen (cuivië "awakening" + nen "water") means "water of awakening".[3]

References