Fans of Tolkien’s works must have read The Silmarillion and are more or less familiar with the Valar. But if you haven’t had the chance to read this work yet, join trends in a short overview of Valar’s name and history.
Throughout The Lord of the Rings, characters refer to the Valar in various ways. The beings whose presence is felt in the background of the adventures, just like angels or smaller gods, they were present from the beginning and will be present at the end of time. Of course, in The Lord of the Rings they are nothing more than a few names, but their presence in The Silmarillion is very impressive. A place where they are at the center of all the adventures and in other words, they are the stage managers of various events.
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The Valar (plural Vala) are the creations of Eru Iluvatar, the creator of the world (Ea) and all the lands within it, of which Arda is a part. The land that was later known as Zamin. Apart from this world, Eru created Ainur (plural Ainu) through his thought, which are divine spirits. It is for this reason that many consider Eru to be their father, yet not all Ainur are related to each other as brothers and sisters. There are many Ainu, but among them only the names of the 15 Vala are mentioned in the Silmarillion book, because they have a strong and influential presence in the small and large events of Middle Earth.
But if we want to talk about the Valar briefly, we must say that they entered this world after the creation of Arda to give order to it and to deal with the evils of one of their own, Melkor. They added their contribution to the music of this world and embodied the wishes of Arrow for Arda. This was true of all of them except Melkor, who at the time was considered the mightiest of the Valar. Having a different view of Arda, he began to defy her, which eventually led to a major rebellion from which much of Arda’s unhappiness stemmed.
At the beginning of their arrival in this world, they were residents of a secret island in the “Great Lake”. But following the changes in the shape of the earth and long before the awakening of the elves, they moved to Aman and established their own realm called Valinor. The Valar are known as the “power of the world”, yet they rarely intervene directly in the course of world events. They had built the golden city of Valimar in Valinor and erected their mansions across the plain.
If you would like to learn a little more about the characteristics of these seven gods and goddesses of the Valar and their role in the formation of Arda and the events of Middle-earth, stay with Zumji in the rest of this article.
Manwe
Manwe, also known as Manwe Sulimo, is the King of the Valar and the King of Arda. He is the god of clouds and wind and resides in the highest mountain of Arda called Taniquetil and in his palace called Ilmarin. Manoe is also Varda’s wife. On the other hand, although he is known as the leader of the Valar, he is not the most powerful of the Valar. Along with Aole and Olmo, he is known as one of the main architects of Arda.
Ulmo
Olmo is the god of the waters, he was a close friend of Manwe and most friendly towards the children of Iluvatar. Unlike the other Valar, Olmo never married and was not a resident of their home in Valinor. Instead, he chose to dwell in the underworld and in the depths of the oceans. Ulmo had always distrusted Melkor, and the Dark Lord instead feared the oceans, having never been able to tame them.
Aule
Aole is one of the Valar, an Ainu, and also the wife of a Yavana. At the time of Arda’s creation, Aole Ahangar worked on mountains, making minerals and shaping continents. Among the Valar, Aole had the most conflict and tension with Melkor.
Aole is also the creator of the dwarves, he couldn’t wait for the children of Iluvatar to awaken, so he created his favorite race. When Eru Iluvatar found out about this, Aole almost sacrificed the dwarves as penance. However, Ero accepted the dwarves, although he put the dwarves to sleep because he wanted the elves to be the first race to awaken.
Orome
Urome is a hunter and Vana’s wife. He is the last of the Valar to move to Valinor. Even at the same time, Urome continued to roam and hunt in the middle land. It was because of these constant travels that Urome was the first to meet the elves. After the elves awakened, he called them the Eldar and accompanied the elves to their city of Baleriand. In the war against Melkor, Urome proved himself as a perfect fighter.
Mandos
Mandus takes his name from his residence, the Halls of Mandus, where he judges the dead and their deeds. His judgment is due to the knowledge that Eru Iluvatar has given him, and he also benefits from the advice and guidance of Manove. Although Mandus is strict and cruel on the surface, he is not malicious by nature. His wife is a wire weaver, he is also Irmo’s older brother. Together, the two are known as the “Feanturi” or Master of Spirits.
Irmo
Irmo, also known as Lorien, is the guardian of the gardens of Lorien and the master of dreams and revelations. He allowed Miril, mother of Fëanor (creator of the Three Shining Gems of the Silmaril) to rest in his gardens after the birth of her child. When Miriel died, she went to the halls of Mandus and decided never to return to Middle-earth.
Lorraine is also responsible for creating night and day. When, after the trees of Valinor were destroyed, their last fruits were placed in the sky as the sun and the moon, Lorin and his wife Este suggested that the light of the two should not be united in one place at the same time (just as the golden and silver trees were located in one place). ) So Varda, at the suggestion of those two, arranged for the sun and the moon to move alternately so that the residents of Arda would have time to rest.
Tulkas
Tulkas specialized in wrestling, the last of the Ainur to enter Arda. His arrival in Arda greatly aided the Valar against Melkor’s invasion. Tolkas married Nessa after arriving in Arda, and this is the only large Valar wedding celebration recorded in history. He rested after the feast, and this was when Melkor was plotting his revenge. Tolkas is the hero of the Valar and at the end of the world he will once again face and fight Melkor. However, his fate and the outcome of this battle remain a mystery.
Varda
Varda is the queen of the Valar and the lady of light. She is the Queen of the Stars and carries the light of Iluvatar. This brilliance makes words unable to express her beauty. Varda’s servant is Ilmar, the leader of the Maiar who descended to Arda. Varda is also known as Sindarin Elbert, her name has the power to fight evil and evil spirits. When Yavana and Nyna took the golden and silver colored fruits of the two trees of Valinor (Telprion and Lorraine) and turned them into the sun and moon of Arda, it was Varda who created a path for them in the sky.
Yavanna
Yavana is the lady of the earth who rules everything that grows in Arda. He controlled the growth of fruits and trees and created the sun and the moon along with Neena. At one time, Yavana was worried that the Aole dwarves would cut down all the Arda trees, so she begged Manove and Iluvatar to find a solution to the problem. Finally, they created the first Ents to be the guardians of the forests.
Melian, later known as Sauron, was one of the Maiar who began to serve the Yavanas. Another famous Maya who later stepped into Middle-earth in the guise of wizards was Aiwendil, whom we know as Radagast Brown.
Nienna
Nihna is the sister of Mandos and Irma, who lives alone in a house near Mandos Hall. Instead of commuting to the city of Valmar, which is famous for celebrating and holding happy events, he prefers to stay in Mandus Hall and pray for the peace of the departed souls.
Vaire
Wyre is known as the weaver and wife of Mandus, she is responsible for weaving the story of Arda. Meryl, Fëanor’s mother, returned to life after death, serves under Wyre.Este
The name Este means rest, she is the queen of healing. Este lives with her husband Irmo and always wears a gray cloak. Este and Irmo managed to convince Varda to change the path of the sun and moon. Este argued for this request that the constant light would dry out their gardens and also obscure the stars from view. These factors have an effect on the time and the need to rest. This is why the sun and the moon have alternate schedules of movement and when one comes out, the other hides in the underworld (Ekkaia).
Nessa
Nessa is known as a skilled dancer and a fast hunter. The most important story about Nessa goes back to the first battle with Melkor. It was during this conflict that Tulkas landed in Arda and the two got married. The marriage of Nessa and Tolkas is the only marriage among Valar couples.
And I (Vana)
Vana is Orome’s wife and the queen of flowers. He rules over all the plants and animals living in Arda. At the time of Nessa’s marriage with Tulkas, he gave the bride a flower robe.
Melkor or Morgoth (Melkor)
Melkor is the brother of Manoah and the most powerful of all. He rebelled against Eru and inflicted great harm on Arda, then fled to Middle-earth and left the Valar Jirga. During the Age of Trees and the First Age of Middle-earth, Melkor committed many crimes, including the destruction of the two Great Lights and his association with Engolient to destroy the trees of Valinor.
Melkor was later known as Morgoth, which in the Sindarin language means the dark enemy of the world. He is the first Dark Lord to appear and his most trusted servant is none other than Sauron. Morgoth is known as the most powerful of the Vala due to the benefit of Arrow’s sense of foresight. He also became famous as the first enemy after harming Arda. But despite all his wicked deeds, Morgoth was ultimately defeated in the “War of Wrath” and his defeat marked the end of the First Age of Middle-earth. As punishment, he was banished from Arda and imprisoned in the void.
But what was the purpose of Valar coming?
The Valar descended upon Arda to guide the children of Iluvatar. They do not need to be worshipped, instead they came to help and guide, to come to the aid of the inhabitants of this world in times of need.While some of the inhabitants of Middle-earth worshiped the Valar as gods, the Valar never wanted that.
Each Vala represents a part of Eru’s thoughts and views, they all see a part of the history of the world as well as the tragic events that the children of Iluvatar will face, however their knowledge is not complete. That is, the Valar cannot see their fate or when and how this world will end. Perhaps the only exception to this is Melkor, who carried all of Arrow’s powers of foresight. In addition to the Valar, we also meet the Maiar, the spirits who served the Valar. Some of the most famous Maiar are Olorin, Melian and Curumo, which we later know as Gandalf, Sauron and Saruman.
- Eru created the world with the music of the Ainur, which is also known as the music of Iluvatar. This music contained all the various dreams of Iluvatar, which were embodied by each of the Exalted Ones, and this is how the world was formed. In the meantime, one of the Valar, Melkor, rebelled and tried to add his desired song to Ainur’s music. The Valar, on the other hand, exiled Melkor for this unforgivable betrayal, and this was the beginning of the longest battle between Melkor and the other Valar.
After the creation of the world and Arda, several of the Ainur decided to prepare Arda for the children of Iluvatar. They took on the duty of guarding and even guiding. On the other hand, even though some of the people living in Middle-earth worshiped the Valar as gods, this was not what the Valar wanted.
It seems that due to the vastness of the history of Middle-earth during the second era and the compactness of the production schedule of the Rings of Power series, there is not much time left to deal with the Valar and Maiar. However, knowing them can help us better understand Tolkien’s epic world. I hope you enjoyed this short review and companionship with Zoomji. Do not forget to share your valuable opinions in this regard with us and your other friends.