Orbit of the Moon attraction that the Moon exerts on Earth is the cause of tides in the sea; the Sun has a smaller tidal influence. If Earth had a global ocean of uniform depth, the Moon would act to deform both the solid Earth (by a small amount) and the ocean in the shape of an ellipsoid with the high points roughly beneath the Moon and on the opposite side of Earth. However, because of the presence of the continents, Earth's much faster rotation and varying ocean depths, this simplistic visualisation does not happen. Although the tidal flow period is generally synchronized to
Sun and Moon (Middle-earth) for the Moon was the Silver Flower, and Gollum referred to it as the White Face. The Moon was more highly valued than the Sun by the Elves, both because it came from the Elder Tree, and because it rose first. In the universe of Middle-earth, the Moon was generally regarded as masculine, in recognition of Tilion. This gender corresponds with Máni, the personified moon in Norse mythology. In the early versions of "The Silmarillion" as described in "The Book of Lost Tales 1", a part of The History of Middle-earth series, the Sun was described in great detail as