Character of the Month: Uinen

Banner reads Character of the Month - Uinen by Dawn Felagund and shows seaweed trailing into blue water

The Ainur were among the first characters to take their places in Tolkien's legendarium and some of the most unchanged as the tales evolved. Yet there were subtle changes in how Tolkien wrote his pantheon of demiurgic deities that reflect ethical and stylistic shifts in how Tolkien depicted Arda. The sea deity Uinen is one such case study. Initially a primal nature goddess associated with mermaids, Uinen would evolve into one of the chief protectors of seafaring peoples in the legendarium. This month's Character of the Month biography by Dawn Felagund traces how Uinen's characterization unfolded across decades of writing and revision.

You can read Uinen's biography here.

Posted on 22 September 2021 (updated 5 March 2022) by Dawn Felagund