Yavanna, Giver of Fruits, creator of all the things that grow in the world, mighty among the Valar, would travel long in bliss under the eaves of the beautiful woods she had created. But one day as she sat in a great valley, full of mighty trees, young and fresh with life, she felt a chill in her heart. She had a premonition, a vision of darker times. Wrapping her thin cloak about her, she stood and gazed to the North. An unnatural bank of black clouds swept down from the barren, icy wastes. She saw hideous, twisted figures swarming innumerable across the landscape, poisoning its perfection. Terrifying shapes reared up before her, of misshapen wolves, enormous wyrms that walked the world and choked the sky with their wings, and of horrible beasts, wreathed in power, shadow, and flame. Flames. Flames were everywhere, devouring her creations, ravenously consuming them. Where cheerful woods stood, the ground split and molten rock spewed forth. The light was smothered, the waters fled, the land was choked.

And through it all she heard a fell, pitiless voice, laughing. A voice she recognized as Melkor, who in later days would be known as Morgoth, the Great Enemy, master of Sauron. She perceived that the mighty Valar, who had rebelled against Eru in the creation of the world, had not turned from evil, but had embraced it.

She wept for her children, who would be so horribly devoured. She looked about her at the great valley she was in, and wept for it. But at the same time, she was filled with a determination that Melkor would not so wholly destroy what she had wrought. She plunged her hands into the thick soil, and focused her will. Slowly, the valley seemed to grow, stretching, expanding, and finally duplicating itself completely, down to the last rock, leaf and tree. She then took this duplication and placed it in the heavens, and placed a great enchantment on it, that it should never fade or whither, but stay vibrant and beautiful until the end of days when the world is changed.

The original valley was indeed destroyed by the hordes of Melkor, but the second valley remained inviolate, a memory of the Spring of Arda, when not a shadow lay on the world.

* * *

Ages later, after the making of Valinor, Orome, the great Hunter and General of the Valar, looked about the world in sorrow. The Noldor were braced hopelessly in their war with Morgoth, and Manwe and the other Valar had forsaken them. But Orome grieved at the slaughter of so many brave warriors and leaders of Men and Elves. He knew that at the the Last Battle at the end of days he would need wise generals, mighty in the ways of war, to lead his hosts. But the wars of the world were so merciless and bloody that he despaired of ever finding such generals there, for even the strongest among them perished.

He then remembered Yavanna telling him of a magical valley that she had saved from the ravages of Morgoth in the Spring of Arda, in which nothing ever faded or withered. He went to her and asked of it. "The Valley of the Great Trees lies where it always has and always will, until the world is changed," she said, "high above this sad earth, a gem in the sky, a reminder of what was lost."

Orome then went into the wilds of Middle-Earth and thought. "I could use the valley," he mused, "as a great training ground. I could draw to it the mightiest warrior of this and all other worlds, and they could fight there forever, undying, growing stronger. And when the final battle approaches I can go among them, seperate the strongest and most loyal to the Light from those who are evil and have them lead my hosts."

He went and asked Yavanna to lend him her valley to use in this way. She assented, knowing that the warriors Orome would bring to it could not harm her valley, which was protected by her enchantment. She also approved of his plan, for she feared the Last Battle, and was willing to do her friend this favor if it would help ward against those dark days. So she went to the gem that was the valley, high in the sky, and brought it down closer to the earth, but not to the earth. Instead, she suspended it unseen above it, so that none could find or pass into it without the approval of Orome. And she strengthened her enchantment, so that beings struck down in the valley would not die, but be healed and reborn.

Orome then went out among the world and found the greatest fighters of that Age, and brought them, the founders of the Realm, to Yavanna's hidden forest. He is even now wandering this world, searching for heroes, blowing his great horn, the Valaroma.

So if ever on a dark night, you hear the blowing of a horn, and are filled with a great peace and courage, get up and follow the sound. Follow it wherever it goes, no matter where it goes, and you will come to the Realm of the undying heroes, where creatures of all races battle and feast together. You, O worthy ones with a warrior's heart, whether you be good or evil, troll or elf, man or goblin, demon or angel, you who hear the Valaroma's call will be welcomed into Nan Belegorn, the Valley of the Great Trees.