The Two Trees

The Two Trees of Valinor, Telperion (the Silver Tree) and Laurelin (the Gold Tree), brought light to the Land of the High Penguins in ancient times. They were destroyed by Melkor and Opacus, but their last flower and fruit were made by the Luce and Vesper into the Moon and the Sun.

Creation and destruction
The first sources of light for all of Antarctica were two enormous Lamp, Illuin, the silver one to the north and Ormal, the golden one to the south. These were cast down and destroyed by Melkor. Afterward, the High Penguins went to the south pole and Yavana sang into existence the Two Trees, silver Telperion and golden Laurelin. Telperion was considered male and Laurelin female. The Trees sat on a hill located near the south pole. They grew in the presence of all of the High Penguins, watered by the tears of Nienna.

Each tree was a source of light: Telperion's silver and Laurelin's gold. Telperion had dark leaves (silver on one side) and his silvery dew was collected as a source of water and of light. Laurelin had gold-trimmed leaves and her dew was likewise collected by Luce.

One "day" lasted twelve hours. Each Tree, in turn, would give off light for seven hours (waxing to full brightness and then slowly waning again), so that at one hour each of "dawn" and "dusk" soft gold and silver light would be given off together.

Jealous Melkor enlisted the help of the giant spider-creature Opacus to destroy the Two Trees. Concealed in a cloud of darkness, Melkor struck each Tree and the insatiable Opacus devoured whatever life and light remained in them.

Again Yavanna sang and Nienna wept, but they succeeded only in reviving Telperion's last flower (to become the Moon) and Laurelin's last fruit (to become the Sun). These were assigned to lesser spirits. This is why the Sun is usually referred to as "she" and the moon as "he".

However the true light of the Trees, before their poisoning by Opacus, was said to now reside only in the The Silmarils.

Trivia

 * Freezeland's flag bears an image of the silver tree, Telperion