Evenstar, also rendered as Undómiel in Quenya, is an honorary epithet meaning "Evening Star" given to Arwen, the half-elven daughter of Elrond and Celebrían in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.[1] It derives from the Elvish roots undómë ("evening twilight") and el ("star"), symbolizing Arwen as the last radiant figure of the Elves amid the waning of their dominion in Middle-earth during the Third Age.[2] In the narrative, she is explicitly described as "the Evenstar of her people," evoking her ethereal beauty and the twilight of Elven history.[3]Arwen's story, detailed in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings under "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen," centers on her profound love for Aragorn II Elessar, the heir to the throne of Gondor.[4] Born in T.A. 241, she resides in Rivendell and embodies the choice faced by the half-elven: immortality among the Elves or a mortal life with humanity. Choosing the latter, Arwen forsakes the Undying Lands to wed Aragorn, becoming Queen of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor, and bearing their son Eldarion along with daughters.[3][1] Her epithet underscores this sacrificial decision, mirroring the ancient legend of Lúthien Tinúviel, in whose likeness Arwen is said to appear, and marking the irrevocable end of the Elves' prominence in Middle-earth.[1]The term "evenstar" also carries astronomical connotations, historically referring to Venus as the evening star visible after sunset, a poetic nod that Tolkien weaves into his mythology to blend celestial imagery with Elven lore.[2] In popular culture, particularly Peter Jackson's film trilogy, Evenstar gains additional recognition as the name of a white gem pendant Arwen gifts to Aragorn as a token of their bond, though this artifact is an adaptation-specific creation absent from Tolkien's texts.[3]
Astronomy
Definition
The term evenstar is an archaic English designation for the "evening star," referring to a prominent celestial body visible low in the western sky shortly after sunset. This poetic variant, rooted in Old English usage, highlights the object's role as a harbinger of evening twilight. Primarily, it denotes the planet Venus during its evening apparition, when the inferior planet's position relative to Earth and the Sun makes it a striking point of light against the dusk.[5]Venus earns this title due to its orbit inside Earth's path around the Sun, which positions it near the Sun from our perspective and limits its visibility to either dawn or dusk skies. Following superior conjunction—when Venus passes behind the Sun from Earth's view—it emerges into the evening sky, reaching greatest eastern elongation (up to about 47 degrees from the Sun) where it remains observable for several hours after sunset before following the Sun below the horizon.[5] This phase alternates with its morning star appearances after inferior conjunction, completing a synodic cycle of roughly 584 days. Less commonly, the term applies to Mercury under similar evening visibility conditions, though Mercury's closer orbit and lower brightness make it far subtler and harder to spot.[6]As the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, Venus during its evenstar phase can achieve an apparent magnitude of up to -4.6, outshining all stars and most other planets due to its reflective clouds and proximity to Earth.[7] In ancient Greek mythology, this evening manifestation was personified as Hesperus, the bringer of night.[8]
Historical and cultural references
The term "evenstar" traces its origins to Old English as "æfensteorra," denoting a star or planet prominent in the western sky during the evening, most commonly referring to Venus. This usage appears in King Alfred's translation of Boethius around 888 CE, where it is described as "Se steorra ðe we hatað æfensteorra," identifying the evening star as a guide in the heavens.[9] By the Middle English period, the term persisted in religious and natural texts, such as the 1220 Bestiary, which poetically evokes the "euen sterre ouer erðe fen" to symbolize celestial fairness and transition.[9]In mythological traditions, the evenstar was personified in Greek lore as Hesperus, the god of the evening star and son of the dawn goddess Eos and the TitanAstraeus, representing the planetVenus after sunset.[10] The Romans equated Hesperus with Vesper, while his counterpart Phosphorus (or Lucifer) embodied the morning appearance of the same planet, highlighting ancient recognition of Venus's dual visibility.[11] These figures carried symbolic weight as harbingers of night, with Hesperus often linked to themes of repose and the boundary between day and dusk in classical narratives.[11]During the medieval and Renaissance eras, references to the evenstar as Venus influenced astrology, where it governed matters of love, beauty, and harmony, informing calendars that aligned agricultural and medical practices with planetary phases.[12] In navigation, the evening star served as a reliable marker for sailors, its predictable position aiding orientation during voyages, as noted in early European seafaring accounts.[13] Chaucer's works, such as The House of Fame, allude to Venus as the "brighte" evening star guiding the way after sunset, blending astronomical observation with poetic invocation of its luminous path.[14]In European folklore and poetry, the evenstar symbolized love and beauty, often as a divine emissary of transition from light to shadow. For instance, in Lithuanian mythology, Vakarinė, the goddess associated with the evening Venus (counterpart to the morning Aušrinė), embodies themes of dusk, youth, and romantic affection.[15] Similarly, Serbian traditions cast Danica, the day star Venus, as the sun god's daughter, evoking familial bonds and celestial allure in oral tales.[16]Renaissance literature, like John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667), employs "evenstar bright" to depict Venus's descent, reinforcing its role as a emblem of evening serenity and erotic grace.[17]In contemporary usage, "evenstar" has largely fallen out of favor, supplanted by "evening star" in scientific and everyday contexts, though it endures in archaic or poetic expressions to evoke historical resonance.[18] The Oxford English Dictionary notes its persistence from Old English onward as a term for the western sky's prominent luminary, underscoring its enduring cultural footprint despite modern simplification.[18]
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium
Arwen Undómiel
Arwen Evenstar, or Arwen Undómiel in Quenya, was the youngest daughter of Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, and his wife Celebrían, born in T.A. 241 during the Third Age.[1] As one of the Half-elven, she shared the choice granted to her father's line by the Valar: to live as an immortal Elf or embrace mortality as a human. Raised in the hidden valley of Imladris, Arwen grew to embody the timeless beauty and grace of the Eldar, often compared to her renowned ancestress Lúthien Tinúviel in her fairness and nobility.Arwen's central role in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium revolves around her profound love for Aragorn II Elessar, the heir to the throne of Gondor. She first encountered the young Ranger in Rivendell in T.A. 2951, when he was but twenty years old and she over two thousand seven hundred; struck by her radiance resembling that of Lúthien, he fell deeply in love with her. Their bond deepened over the years, culminating in a betrothal oath upon the hill of Cerin Amroth in T.A. 2980, where Arwen pledged her life to Aragorn, forsaking immortality to share his mortal fate. This choice mirrored ancient tales of Elven-human unions, underscoring themes of sacrifice and renewal in the fading of the Elder Days.Though Arwen appears briefly in the main narrative of The Lord of the Rings—notably at the Council of Elrond in T.A. 3018, where she tends to the wounded Frodo—her full story unfolds in the appendix "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen." There, Tolkien recounts their trials: During the War of the Ring, Arwen remained in Rivendell, where she wove the banner of the King for Aragorn and aided in the healing of the wounded, including Frodo with the aid of athelas; and her marriage to Aragorn on Mid-year's Day, T.A. 3019, following his coronation as King Elessar. As Queen Arwen, she bore him a son, Eldarion, and several daughters, ruling beside him in the restored realms of Gondor and Arnor for 120 years of the Fourth Age. Upon Aragorn's death in F.A. 120, Arwen departed the world of Men, journeying alone to the now-desolate Lothlórien, where she laid herself to rest upon Cerin Amroth and died of a broken heart, the last of her kind to linger in Middle-earth. In the narrative, she is described as "the Evenstar of her people," highlighting her as the last radiant beacon of the Elves.[1]
Etymology and symbolism
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the name Undómiel serves as Arwen's epessë, or "after-name," in the Elvish language Quenya. It is a compound formed from undómë, meaning "twilight" or "time near evening," and the archaic element él for "star," yielding a descriptive sense of "evenstar" rather than a strict patronymic like "daughter of."[19] Tolkien rendered this Quenya term into English as "Evenstar," drawing on the archaic astronomical usage of the word to denote the evening star, evoking a poetic resonance with celestial phenomena.[20]The symbolism of "Evenstar" ties directly to Arwen's lineage, particularly her grandfather Eärendil, who voyages eternally across the heavens as the Evening Star, his brow adorned with a Silmaril jewel that illuminates the dusk sky.[21] This connection positions Arwen as a terrestrial echo of these celestial mariners, inheriting their luminous fate and underscoring the intertwined destinies of Elves and the stars in the mythology.[19]Thematically, "Evenstar" embodies the waning of Elven influence in Middle-earth, portraying Arwen as the final radiant beacon of her kind amid the encroaching dominion of Men.[3] Her choice of mortality amplifies this motif, marking the twilight's close and the irrevocable fading of ancient magic from the world.In contrast, Arwen's name evokes a poignant parallel to her distant ancestress Lúthien Tinúviel, whose epithet "Nightingale" (Tinúviel in Sindarin, from tindómë "twilight" compounded with diminutive-viel) symbolizes an earlier, vibrant bloom of Elven enchantment and romantic defiance against mortality.[22] Together, these names illustrate recurring cycles of profound love, the tension between immortality and death, and the gradual dimming of the Elder Days' wonders.[3]
In adaptations of Tolkien's works
The Evenstar pendant in films
The Evenstar pendant was invented by the filmmakers for Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, serving as a tangible symbol of Arwen Undómiel's love for Aragorn.[23] Designed by New Zealand jewelry designer Jasmine Watson in collaboration with costume designer Ngila Dickson, the prop consists of a delicate silver chain supporting a pendant crafted to resemble Elven workmanship, featuring intricate filigree and a central white gemstone set in a star-like frame.[23] Multiple versions—17 in total—were produced using sterling silver and materials like cubic zirconia or tourmaline for close-up shots, ensuring durability during filming as the necklace endured mud, battles, and other rigors.[23] In the films, it is depicted as a mithril-like artifact with a faintly luminous quality, evoking ancient Elven craftsmanship.[24]The pendant first appears in The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), where Arwen presents it to Aragorn during a private moment in Rivendell's gardens, declaring it a token of her eternal devotion and her choice to bind her fate to his mortal life. This replaces the Elfstone (Elessar) from Tolkien's novels, which Arwen's grandmother Galadriel bestows upon Aragorn as a sign of his kingship.[25]Aragorn wears the Evenstar throughout the trilogy—visible under his armor in The Two Towers (2002) during scenes like his journey to Helm's Deep and in visions where its light dims as Arwen's immortality fades—serving as a constant reminder of their bond amid the war against Sauron.[24] In The Return of the King (2003), it remains around his neck during the Battle of the Black Gate and is prominently displayed at his coronation in Minas Tirith, where Arwen reunites with him, underscoring their enduring commitment without him returning it.[26]Visually and thematically, the pendant embodies Arwen's immortality and her sacrificial decision to renounce it for Aragorn, with its white gem representing the "evenstar"—a nod to Eärendil's mariner star, which illuminates hope in darkness, much like the Phial of Galadriel given to Frodo.[24] Unlike in Tolkien's texts, where no such necklace exists and Arwen's gift to Aragorn is the Elfstone brooch passed down from her family, the film's Evenstar draws inspiration from Arwen's epithet "Evenstar" to heighten the romantic narrative and give her greater agency.[25]
Musical composition "Evenstar"
"Evenstar" is an orchestral composition by Howard Shore, created for the soundtrack of the 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, directed by Peter Jackson.[27] It accompanies a pivotal dream sequence featuring Aragorn envisioning Arwen in Rivendell, underscoring their emotional bond amid the film's escalating conflicts.[28] The piece exemplifies Shore's approach to integrating Tolkien's linguistic and thematic elements into the score, blending symphonic orchestration with vocal performances to evoke the ethereal quality of Elven culture.[29]Musically, "Evenstar" unfolds as a lament-like interlude, characterized by its delicate interplay of orchestral strings, harp arpeggios, and soaring soprano vocals that create an atmosphere of poignant introspection.[28] The track runs approximately 3:15 in length on the complete recordings, building from subtle, whispering motifs to a fuller choral texture that heightens the sense of longing and transience.[27] Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian delivers the vocals, singing in Sindarin—an Elvish language constructed from J.R.R. Tolkien's works—with lyrics adapted by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and translated by David Salo to capture Arwen's sorrow and enduring love.[27] These lyrics draw directly from Tolkien's poetry, including phrases like "Ú-i vethed nâ i onnad" (meaning "This is not the end"), which reinforce the theme of inevitable farewell.[30]The composition was released as the eighth track on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – The Complete Recordings in November 2003 by Reprise Records, a four-disc set that expands on the original motion picture soundtrack from December 2002.[27] As part of Shore's broader score, "Evenstar" contributed to the film's awards and nominations, including ineligibility for the Academy Award for Best Original Score due to rules on sequel themes, a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, and a win for the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album.[31] Thematically, it deepens the Evenstar motif—symbolizing Arwen's fading immortality and choice of mortality for love—mirroring her character arc across the trilogy through motifs that recur in variations of tenderness and loss.[29]