vairé

Vairë is a figure in J. R. R. Tolkien’s legendarium, one of the Valar who came to the world of Arda. In Quenya her name is generally understood as meaning “the Weaver” or “the Weaver of Time.” She is described as the wife of Námo, commonly called Mandos, the Doomsman of the Dead, and she resides among the Valar in Valinor.

Her defining role is as the chronicler and weaver of Arda’s history. Vairë is said to weave a great tapestry that records all events that befall the world—the deeds of both the Valar and the Children of Ilúvatar (the Elves and Men). The tapestry serves as a living record of Arda’s history, and it is closely connected with the memory and fate of the world as understood by the Valar. In this sense, Vairë’s work embodies themes of memory, history, and the weight of actions within the created world.

In Tolkien’s narratives, Vairë is not depicted as a central actor in events but rather as a foundational, overseeing presence within the Halls of Mandos, alongside Mandos and the other Valar who guide the shaping of Arda. Her relationship to Mandos underscores a shared responsibility for the world’s record and destiny, with her weaving complementing Mandos’s role as judge and keeper of the dead.

Overall, Vairë stands as a symbolic figure of memory and history within Tolkien’s mythos, representing how the past remains woven into the fabric of the world.