Quenya 

aman

place name. Blessed Realm

The continent in the Uttermost West where the Valar dwelled after the first wars with Morgoth destroyed the world as it was initially created (S/37). Its name is derived from the same root √MAN “blessed, unmarred” as the name of Manwë (PE17/162). The most common translation of this name was the “Blessed Realm” (S/62), though more precisely it describes the “unmarred” state of this land, free from the influence of Morgoth (PE17/162).

Tolkien elsewhere said that Aman was adapted from an (unknown) word from Valarin, meaning “at peace, in accord (with Eru)”, much as Manwë was an adaptation of Val. Mānawenūz (WJ/399). This is not incompatible with its derivation from the root √MAN, which itself may have been adopted into Primitive Elvish from Valarin.

Conceptual Development: According to Christopher Tolkien, the idea for this name first emerged from Ad. Amân, the Adûnaic name for Manwë (SD/376). In Tolkien’s earliest writings, the name for the Land of the Valar was simply ᴱQ. Valinor (LT1/70), but in later writings this became the Elvish name for this land, whereas Aman was its “proper” name (PE17/106).

Cognates

  • S. Avon “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162

Derivations

  • Ámān “Unmarred State” ✧ PE17/162
    • MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ PE17/162
  • MAN “good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil, good (morally), blessed, holy, unmarred, free from evil; [ᴹ√] holy spirit” ✧ SA/mān

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
Ámān > Aman[amān] > [aman]✧ PE17/162
mān- > Aman[amān] > [aman]✧ SA/mān

Variations

  • aman ✧ WJ/399
Quenya [LBI/Aman; LotRI/Aman; LotRI/Blessed Realm; LRI/Aman; LT1I/Aman; LT2I/Aman; MRI/Aman; PE17/106; PE17/162; PMI/Aman; RC/766; S/062; SA/mān; SD/376; SDI2/Amân; SI/Aman; SI/Blessed Realm; SMI/Aman; UTI/Aman; VT49/26; WJ/399; WJI/Aman] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Adûnaic

amatthâni

place name. Blessed Realm, (lit.) Land of Manwë

The Adûnaic name for the Blessed Realm, home of the Valar (SD/388, SD/420). Its Quenya equivalent would be Aman, though Tolkien did not coin the Quenya name until a later conceptual stage of his legendarium. The Adûnaic word is derived from their name for the ruler of the Bless Realm: Amân (Manwë). Its literal meaning is “Manwë’s Land”. Conceptual Development: The first Adûnaic name for the Blessed Realm was Zen’namân (SD/385).

Elements

WordGloss
Amân“Manwë”
thâni“land”

Variations

  • Amātthāni ✧ SD/420
  • Amāt-thāni/Amatthāni ✧ SD/435
Adûnaic [SD/388; SD/420; SD/435; SDI2/Amatthânê] Group: Eldamo. Published by