Illuin and Ormal shone down on the lands of Arda for some fifteen thousand years, 1 as the Valar lived in peace on Almaren amid the great Spring. It was there that the Valar made their first dwelling in Arda, on the island of Almaren within the Great Lake. Though the light of the two Lamps covered the entire world, it was at its strongest in the central regions where the light of the Lamps mixed together. This time was thus known as the Spring of Arda. These were the first great lights to shine on the world of Arda, and in their new light the living things set by Yavanna began to stir. When Melkor invaded the world from the north and threw down Illuin, he also broke the pillar of Ormal, causing it to fall to its destruction and spill flame across the world. The name Ormal suggests a golden light, so Illuin and Ormal together perhaps prefigure the Trees of Silver and Gold, Telperion and Laurelin. The southern Lamp, whose light shone out northward to meet the beams of Illuin and illuminate Middle-earth.
After Illuin's destruction, in the place where its roots had been, the Inland Sea of Helcar was formed. Even further to the north than Illuin, Melkor founded his fortress of Utumno, choosing the distant north because Illuin's light was faint in those far regions, and it was from Utumno that he would eventually issue to bring down both the Lamps of the Valar. The northern Lamp, whose beams shone southward (though not explicitly stated, Illuin's name implies that it shone with a blue light).
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