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{{For|the Ulmo tree|Eucryphia cordifolia}}
{{Infobox character
| name        = Ulmo
| series      = [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] 
| aliases     = King of the Sea,<br>Lord of Waters,<br>Ylmir,<ref>{{ME-ref|SOME|"The Earliest 'Silmarillion'"}}</ref><br>Neorth<ref>{{ME-ref|BOLT2|"AElfwine I"}}</ref>
| lbl24       = Book(s)
| data24      = ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' (1977)
}}
[[Image:Ulmo saves Voronwe.jpg|right|thumb|Ulmo and [[Voronwë]]]]
{{Portal|Speculative fiction}}

'''Ulmo''' {{IPA-art|ˈulmo|}} (from the [[Valarin]] '''Ulubôz''', '''Ullubôz''' via '''Ulumō''') is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's [[Middle-earth legendarium]]. He first appears in ''The Silmarillion'' as a god or [[Vala (Middle-earth)|Vala]] of the [[Elf (Middle-earth)|Elven]] pantheon. Ulmo is a title, which means ''He who pours''. He is also known as ''King of the Sea'' and ''Lord of Waters''. Ulmo is similar to the god [[Poseidon]] in [[Greek mythology]], [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] in [[Roman mythology]], [[Ægir]] or [[Njordr]] in [[Norse mythology]], and [[Manannan]] in [[Celtic mythology]]. Ulmo was one of the chief architects of [[Arda (Middle-earth)|Arda]] (the world).

Ulmo was second in majesty of the Valar, after [[Manwë]] and before [[Aulë]]; in other words, he was the second of the [[Aratar]]. He was very close friends with Manwë.<ref name=Tolkien>{{cite book|last=Tolkien|first=J.R.R.|title=The Silmarillion|year=1999|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=0-261-10273-7|pages=16–17|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/silmarillion00jrrt_0}}</ref>

Before the creation of Earth (Arda) when the [[Ainu (Middle-earth)|Ainur]] sang to their father [[Eru Ilúvatar|Ilúvatar]], Ulmo was the best singer and maker of music. This translates into the fluidity and versatility of water on Earth, blending with air to form clouds, freezing into ice, running on rivers and mixing in with all aspects of life and landscape. The Elves owe their skill in music to the early teachings of Ulmo and recognize his melodies in the running of streams and rivers as well as the beating of the waves on the sea. Ulmo had always distrusted [[Morgoth|Melkor]], and the Dark Lord feared the Sea almost as much as he feared [[Varda]], because neither could be tamed.

Ulmo had no dwelling in [[Valinor]], and went there only rarely, or any permanent dwelling on land as he preferred the deeps of the seas and the [[List of Middle-earth rivers|rivers]]. His palace, on the bottom of [[Vaiya]], was called Ulmonan. He was never married, which added to his isolation.

He seldom came to the Councils of [[Máhanaxar]], and only when in great need. He preferred to stay in Arda, not by walking on the land, as his form would fill Man or Elf with great dread. All waters were under his government; bays, rivers and even the waters under the earth. It is through these that he kept in touch with Arda, and thus knew more of the goings on with the [[Children of Ilúvatar]] than even Manwë, for it was said he lived in the very veins of the world.

He was said to be fearful to look upon to mortal eye, dressed like a giant wave in glittering green armour, blowing his great horns the [[Middle-earth objects#Ulumúri|Ulumúri]].

Ulmo's vassal [[Ossë]], and Ossë's wife [[Uinen]] were (along with [[Melian (Middle-earth)|Melian]] and [[Gandalf|Olórin]]) the best known of the [[Maia (Middle-earth)|Maiar]] among the Elves. Through them Ulmo would learn much of the Elves.

Ulmo had always loved both the [[Eldar (Middle-earth)|Eldar]] and the [[Edain]], and during the Exile kept the elves ever in his thoughts for though the Valar waited for the appointed time to assail Morgoth Ulmo who had not been fooled by Morgoth during his freedom in Valinor still brought counsel to those east of [[Aman (Middle-earth)|Aman]].

He opposed [[Oromë]]'s plan to bring the Elves to Aman, and ordered [[Tol Eressëa]] to be anchored in the [[Minor places in Arda#Eldamar|Bay of Eldamar]], which he did because he knew the minds of the [[Teleri]].

*In the earlier version of the ''[[Tolkien's legendarium|Legendarium]]'' and in the ''[[Roverandom]], along with Ulmo's working, '''Uin''' the great [[Right Whale]] was also in charge to pull the island<ref name="LostTales">J.R.R. Tolkien. 1983. ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]], Part One: Part One''. Retrieved on December 18, 2014</ref> whose parcel later became the land of [[Ireland]] today.

Ulmo was the Vala most responsible for the fall of Morgoth, by urging [[Turgon]] to build [[Gondolin]] and [[Finrod]] to build [[Nargothrond]]. He appeared before [[Tuor]] and urged him to go to Gondolin as a messenger to Turgon; when he got there he eventually married Turgon's daughter [[Idril]] and fathered [[Eärendil]]; Ulmo saved Eärendil's wife [[Elwing]] from the sack of the Havens of [[River Sirion|Sirion]], allowing her to take a [[Silmaril]] to her husband, which allowed him to gain admittance to Valinor and plead for aid. Ulmo also defended them in the council from the potential wrath of [[Mandos]].

==Other uses==

Ulmo is also another name for [[Erasmus of Formiae|St. Elmo]], who (coincidentally or not) is the [[patron saint]] of mariners.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/saint%20ulmo's%20light
|title=St. Ulmo's light &mdash; Definitions from Dictionary.com
|accessdate=2008-03-31
|publisher=Lexico Publishing Group, LLC
}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110108120239/http://tednasmith.com/silmarillion/TN-Ulmo_Appears_before_Tuor.html ''Ulmo Appears before Tuor''] as illustrated by [[Ted Nasmith]]

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[[Category:Middle-earth Valar]]
[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1977]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with water abilities]]
[[Category:Fictional characters with dream manipulation abilities]]
[[Category:Sea and river gods]]

[[ja:ヴァラ#ウルモ]]
[[pl:Valar#Ulmo]]
[[sv:Valar (Tolkien)#Ulmo]]
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