Quenya
vána
feminine name. Ever-young, *(lit.) Beauty
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources √ɃAN > Vána [bāna] > [βāna] > [vāna] ✧ PE17/149 √BAN > Vána [bāna] > [βāna] > [vāna] ✧ PE17/150 √WAN > Vána [wāna] > [βāna] > [vāna] ✧ WJ/383 Variations
- Vana ✧ MRI/Vána
Valië of Spring and Happiness, spouse of Oromë, also called the “Ever-young” (S/29). Her name is a derivative of either √BAN “beauty” (PE17/150) or √WAN “fair” (WJ/383). She is the most perfectly beautiful being in form and feature, in the sense that she lacked any fault or blemish (PE17/150).
Conceptual Development: Her name was ᴱQ. Vána in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/67), and this name appeared in the Qenya Lexicon as a derivative of the root ᴱ√VANA along with other words having to do with “beauty” (QL/99). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, ᴹQ. Vana appeared with a short a (SM/79, LR/206), and it also appeared this way in The Etymologies as a derivative of √BAN, which was also the basis for words meaning “beautiful” (Ety/BAN).
The long á was restored in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/146). The derivation from the root √WAN did not appear until the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60.