Mandos

Mandos was an Ainu, one of the Aratar, and the Vala responsible for the judgement of the Spirits (or Fëa) of all Elven dead. He also had responsibility for pronouncing the dooms and judgments of Eru Ilúvatar under Manwë. His real name was Námo, but was called by the Elves Mandos after his sacred Halls of Mandos, over which he presided, to which Elves would go if they perished.
Mandos was the sixth greatest of the Lords of the Valar, and fifth greatest of the Aratar.The Silmarillion, Valaquenta, "Of the Valar"
== Biography ==
Mandos was the brother of Irmo (Lórien) and Nienna in the mind of Eru Ilúvatar. He and Lórien were the "Fëanturi", the Masters of Spirits. His wife was Vairë the Weaver.
It was he who pronounced Manwë's Doom concerning the espousals of the Eldar in YT 1172,The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VI: "Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor" when Finwë asked counsel for a second marriage after the death of his wife and her passing to the Halls of Mandos.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 10: Morgoth's Ring, The Later Quenta Silmarillion, The Second Phase, II: "The Earliest Version of the Story of Finwë and Míriel" 
When Melkor began marring Arda before the coming of the Elves, Tulkas arrived and wanted to make war swiftly in respone. At Manwë's bidding, Mandos pronounced the doom of the Firstborn. After the captivity of Melkor, Mandos had once again pronounced the doom.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter III: "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor" Melkor was imprisoned "three ages" in the duress of Mandos thereafter, guarded by the hound Gorgumoth in Lumbi.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. II: The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter VI: "The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales" 
Mandos judged Fëanor, creator of the Silmarils, to leave Tirion for twelve years after Fëanor's drawing of his sword against Fingolfin. 
When the Ñoldor revolted against the Valar, Mandos appeared before them and pronounced the Doom of the Ñoldor.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter IX: "Of the Flight of the Noldor"
Finwë, the first to be slain in Aman, then approached Mandos in his halls and begged for his wife Míriel to return to life. In exchange Finwë could never be reincarnated like other elves, and had to remain in The Halls of Awaiting forever. Mandos granted Finwë his wish.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth’s Ring, pgs. 247–250Only once was Mandos moved to pity, when Lúthien sang of the grief she and her lover Beren had experienced in Beleriand. Then, with the Elder King's approval, he released them to Middle-earth to begin their second life there as mortal beings with no certitude of life.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XIX: "Of Beren and Lúthien"
When Eärendil arrived in Aman to beg for assistance from the Valar, Mandos considered Eärendil and Elwing's fate as Half-elven and gave them and their descendants a choice: to be counted among either Elves or Men.
The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath"
== Character ==
Mandos, when appearing before the Ñoldor, was described as dark figure with a loud voice, solemn and terrible.
He was described as being stern, dispassionate, and never forgetting a thing. He was the Vala who cursed the Ñoldor leaving Aman, and counselled against allowing them to return. But, unlike Morgoth, his Dooms were not cruel or vindictive by his own design. They were simply the will of Eru, and he would not speak them unless commanded to do so by Manwë.
== Etymology ==
His common name Mandos means "prison-fortress". It stems from Mandost ("castle of custody") or mbando ("custody") and osto ("fortified building or place").The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 10: Morgoth's Ring, Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth
His real name, Námo, means "Ordainer" or "Judge" in Quenya. 
=== Other names ===
The Old English translation for Mandos is Nefrea "Corpse-ruler" from neo ("corpse") and frea ("lord"). His title is Neoaerna hlaford ("Master of the houses of the dead").The History of Middle-earth, Vol. IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth, III: "The Quenta", Appendix 1: Translation of Quenta Noldorinwa into Old English He was also called Morimando, the "Dark Mando", as opposed to Manwë's Kalamando, the "Light Mando".The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
In Tolkien's earlier work, Mandos was named Vefantur.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, IV: "The Chaining of Melko"
== Other versions of the legendarium ==
In earlier versions of the legendarium, the wife of Vefantur (the precursor to Vairë) was Fui, and together they were called the "Gods of Death". Their halls were located in the north of Aman, beneath the roots of the Mountains of Valinor.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. IV: The Shaping of Middle-earth, VII: "The Earliest Annals of Beleriand" The character of Langon, who acted as an ambassador for Melko, was originally a servant of Námo.The History of Middle-earth, Vol. I: The Book of Lost Tales Part One, chapter VI: "The Theft of Melko and the Darkening of Valinor"
==Translations==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Amharic 	ማንዶስ
Arabic 	ماندوس
Armenian 	Մանդոս
Belarusian Cyrillic	Мандос
Bengali 	মান্দস
Bulgarian Cyrillic 	Мандос
Chinese (Hong Kong)	曼督斯
Georgian 	მანდოსი (Mandos)
ნამო (Námo)
Greek 	Μάντος (Mandos)
Νάμο (Námo)
Gujarati 	મન્દોસ
Hebrew 	מנדוס
Hindi 	मन्दोस
Japanese 	てマンドス (Mandos)
はナーモ (Námo)
Kazakh 	Мандос (Cyrillic) Mandos (Latin)
Korean 	만도스 (Mandos) 
나모 (Námo)
Kyrgyz Cyrillic 	Мандос
Latvian 	Mandous
Macedonian Cyrillic	Мандос
Marathi 	मंडोस
Mongolian Cyrillic 	Мандос
Nepalese 	मन्दोस
Pashto 	ماندوس
Persian 	ماندوس
Russian 	Мандос (Mandos) 
Намо (Námo)
Sanskrit 	मन्दोस्
Serbian 	мандос (Cyrillic) Mandos (Latin)
Sinhalese 	මඳොස්
Tajik Cyrillic 	Мандос
Tamil 	மந்தொஸ்
Telugu 	మన్దొస
Ukrainian Cyrillic 	Мандос
Urdu 	ماندوس
Uzbek 	Мандос (Cyrillic) Mandos (Latin)
Yiddish 	מאַנדאָס
== References ==
Category:Valar
Category:Aratar
Category:Ainur
Category:The Silmarillion characters
Category:Quenya names & words
Category:Characters in The History of Middle-earth
de:Mandos
es:Mandos
fr:Námo
it:Mandos
pl:Námo
pt-br:Mandos
ru:Мандос
sk:Námo
uk:Намо