# Illuin and Ormal



## GuardianRanger (Jan 9, 2003)

Here's my question:

In the chapter "Of The Beginning of Days" it talks about the two lamps (Illuin and Ormal) being lit at the two poles:



> ...and the light of the Lamps of the Valar flowed out over the Earth, so that all was lit as it were in a changeless day."



Does this mean that there are two suns? A sun and a moon? I did a search on Illuin and Ormal before posting, and I saw the two drawings, which were pretty cool. I'm just wondering if these were metephors or if they really are lamps.

Thanks.


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## Mablung (Jan 9, 2003)

They are lamps you will see where the sun and the moon come from in a couple of chapters I believe.


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## Link (Jan 9, 2003)

They were two Lamps that actually came before the sun and even the two trees.

Basically, they were both the equivalent of a "sun".

This is probably the best picture of what one of the lamps(and probably both) looked like: 

http://img-fan.theonering.net/rolozo/images/nasmith/sil-lampofvalar.jpg

While the Valar dwelt on the Islend of Almaren (in Middle- Earth), they constructed these two lamps to shed the light of "day" all the time.

This was before Aman and Valinor were ever raised up from the sea.


So, Middle Earth was in "day" (I say "day" b/c there wansn't really a "day" or "night" yet) for as long as the lamps had shone.

When Melkor destroyed them, he covered Middle Earth twilight (the only light in Middle Earth till the sun came was the stars), and the Valar abandoned Middle Earth. Thus, they created Valinor, and the Two Trees. The rest is history.


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## GuardianRanger (Jan 9, 2003)

Thanks.
I'm still in the middle of the chapter.

I figure I'll ask as I go along.....it makes understanding that much easier.


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