Menelvagor, the Hunters' Friend

[Aestivan]

Coming back to LotRO, I found myself once again amazed by the spectacle of the sky, day and night, particularly when I realized that the constellations named by Tolkien were prominent among the stars.



I have taken to pausing when I can at dusk so that my hunter may greet them, as an elf should, with song:



Man beriatha in rhain fuin,
Man ah ryn din luin thenin,
Man na laer suiliannan,
Menelvagor mellon feryn!

Man or aer chaeron i echui,
Man or rammas i thruven;
Man ammo parth elennath,
Menelvagor mellon feryn!

Who will guard the borders of night,
Who with his loyal blue hound,
Whom with song I give greeting,
Menelvagor the hunters' friend!

Who above the far lake of wakening,
Who above the walls of the east;
Who upon a starry field,
Menelvagor the hunters' friend!

[Dwarendele]

Beautiful.

As a amateur astronomer, I am always delighted when I spot recognizable constellations in the LOTRO sky and the different appearances of the moon, I have spotted Orion (the hunter in this picture) Pleiades, Taurus, Ursa major and minor and what I suspect is Venus (otherwise known as Eärendil.)

As a Tolkien fan I am glad that they included the few constellation and stars that were mentioned in his works.

As a fan of the game, it's details like this that make my immersion experience much richer.

And lastly, as a lover of art and artistic expression I love this screenshot and the fact the you take the time to smell the roses and look at the stars (something that I try to do in life and in this game) - good for you!

Thank you for sharing.

Oh - and I love the quote in your signature... Faramir or Theoden?

[Cala_Romello]

Where did you see Eärendil? I've looked for him so that I can have my Dúnadan salute him with the words of Eönwë:

Aiya Eärendil, elenion ancalima, colindo cala epë Anar ar Isil!
Aiya Eärendil, elen i morniessë, mírë i andúnessë, alcarinqua i arinessë!

Hail, Eärendil, brightest of stars, bearer of the light before the Sun and Moon!
Hail, Eärendil, star in the darkness, jewel in the sunset, glorious in the dawn!

[Dwarendele]

I'll try to get screenshots and post them here...

[Urwendil]

​
A really nice catch and thanks especially for your poem. It's a shame that although I've grown a degree of affinity with the Eldarin languages (the more with Quenya) I've never beaten my laziness to study the Tengwar properly.
​

[Aestivan]

Beautiful.

As a amateur astronomer, I am always delighted when I spot recognizable constellations in the LOTRO sky and the different appearances of the moon, I have spotted Orion (the hunter in this picture) Pleiades, Taurus, Ursa major and minor and what I suspect is Venus (otherwise known as Eärendil.)

As a Tolkien fan I am glad that they included the few constellation and stars that were mentioned in his works.

As a fan of the game, it's details like this that make my immersion experience much richer.

And lastly, as a lover of art and artistic expression I love this screenshot and the fact the you take the time to smell the roses and look at the stars (something that I try to do in life and in this game) - good for you!

Thank you for sharing.

Oh - and I love the quote in your signature... Faramir or Theoden?

I had to look it up - it's been a while - but that is Faramir.

And thanks for your kind words. I love the setting and almost all of its presentation in-game, and do like to take my time to appreciate it as I play. Tindello (pictured above) is a Telerin elf. He is never in any particular hurry.

[Cala_Romello]

​
A really nice catch and thanks especially for your poem. It's a shame that although I've grown a degree of affinity with the Eldarin languages (the more with Quenya) I've never beaten my laziness to study the Tengwar properly.
​

Thanks for the kind words, but I didn't write the poem or translate it. The Professor wrote it, and Helge Fauskanger (he of Ardalambion fame) translated it. The lines are from the greeting of Eönwë to Eärendil when the latter landed in Aman:

Hail Eärendil, of mariners most renowned,
The looked for that cometh at unawares,
The longed for that cometh beyond hope!
Hail Eärendil, bearer of light before the Sun and Moon!
Splendour of the Children of Earth,
Star in the darkness, jewel in the sunset, radiant in the morning!

[Elben]

That is amazing. I love the stars too in the game, but I've never seen the constellations before. I'll have to look more closely.

[Aestivan]

That is amazing. I love the stars too in the game, but I've never seen the constellations before. I'll have to look more closely.

There are at least three placed in the night sky: Orion (Menelvagor or Telumehtar), the Pleiades (Remmirath, the Netted Stars) a little above and forward of his bow, and the Great Bear or Big Dipper (Valacirca), which reasonably enough is in the north. Orion and the Pleiades are in the west. I am uncertain whether I am seeing or imagining and filling in Cassiopeia (Wilwarin, the Butterfly) in the vicinity of the Bear - its stars are nothing like as distinct.

[Elben]

Okay, thanks. I'll definitely look for those.