Ermenië

Ermenië is a Quenya term meaning prime proceeding. Among other renderings, it is termed the "one beginning", or the "Prime Impulse".

A view held by some was that Ermenië referred to the start of life within the Tale of Arda. In this view, the matters of Eä proceeded from a single Erma ("Prime matter") which was shaped into nassi ("forms", in this case, as "materials"). Ermenië, the start of life, was then introduced, and it the unfolding of it was Ercantië (the "Prime Pattern"). Eventually, by catastrophe or simply the cessation of the impulse in living things to generate, Ercantië would complete and thus end. Following this, nassi would be reduced to Erma, and the Tale would end as it began.

However, another view, held to be more true to lore received from the Valar and experienced history, was that Ermenië referred to the uttermost beginning, before Eä was even realized. In this view Ermenië referred to the first Theme which Eru taught to the Ainur, which they then cooperatively elaborated on during the Ainulindalë. In this view, there was no single Prime Pattern of life (Ercantië), but a great number of early Major Patterns (Arcantiër).

The potential catastrophe in which all living things perished was thought to be a possible outcome achievable by Melkor. This might be brought about in the event of him making a last attempt to achieve mastery or revenge of destruction.^{:note 8}

Etymology

Ermenië is a compound of Er ("one", "single", "prime"; when capitalized is a reference to Eru) and *mēnie ("determination", "impulse", "device")

It is variously rendered as the Prime Impulse, the Device of Eru, the Theme of Eru, and the one beginning.

See also

• Ambarmenië: "Way of the world"

Analogies in philosophy

Carl F. Hostetter notes that Ermenië "bears a striking resemblance to the Primum Mobile 'Prime Mover' or 'First Cause' of Aristotelian metaphysics".