# Aragorn and Arwen



## CelandirsArcher (Jan 7, 2010)

When I first read these books, I had no idea Aragorn and Arwen were in love. I knew they had a relationship from meeting in Lorien, but until I saw the movies, I had no idea. I wasn't paying attention much, I guess. In Rivendell, Bilbo Baggins just told Aragorn that Arwen was at the feast, but she barely comes into the story at all. Thier relationship is a lot like Tinuvel and Beren from the Elder Days, if you think about it, really. I believe in the LoTR movies, they had to put Arwen in them to tie up the loose ends for the people who hadn't read the books.


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## Astrance (Jan 7, 2010)

This is why you should have read the Appendixes


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## Alcuin (Jan 8, 2010)

Stockholm said:


> This is why you should have read the Appendixes


“The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen” is lovely and bittersweet.


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## Astrance (Jan 9, 2010)

Yes, I guess I loved it as much on its own as the whole three books put together !


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## Mike (Jan 9, 2010)

Also, they kind of get married in _The Return of the King_. That sends a pretty clear message, methinks.


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## HLGStrider (Jan 9, 2010)

There are little hints here and there, them winking at each other in Rivendell, him whispering to a flower in Lorien, but yeah, you kind of have to read the appendix to understand their true story.


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## firdous (Feb 19, 2010)

what is the exact meaning of the words "arwen vanimelda, namarie" ? i think aragorn says these in lorien


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## Confusticated (Feb 19, 2010)

It never says in the book? Looks like 'Arwen beautiful beloved, goodbye', perhaps a language buff will stop by to give something more exact or say if JRRT translated it some place.


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## Elthir (Feb 19, 2010)

Tolkien himself thought about this. He changed published vanimalda to (second edition) vanimelda, and appears to have decided: 'It is supposed to mean at once (1) 'beautiful and beloved' = movingly lovely and (2) 'elven fair' JRRT, Words, Phrases and Passages

Now it can be vanima 'beautiful' + melda 'dear, beloved' or vamima + elda 'elf'

When Tolkien considered first edition vanimalda he thought it could be: vanima + -lda, a comparative suffix, or that this could be an idiom adding pronoun to adjective 'thou beautiful' with -lda 'thy'. But since Tolkien did change the form for the second edition, I guess I would go with the first interpretation here. He also changed Tar-Vanimalde to Tar-Vanimelde.


So 'Arwen beautiful-beloved-elven-fair, farewell'


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