Of the Valar and Maiar
The Ainur (Holy Ones)
"For with consent of Eru they sent members of their own high order, but clad in bodies as of Men, real and not feigned, but subject to the fears and pains and weariness of earth, able to hunger and thirst and be slain; though because of their noble spirits they did not die, and aged only by the cares and labours of many long years."
-Unfinished Tales
The Ainur, or "Holy Ones," were the first beings created by Eru, the one god. According to the Elda tale known as the Ainulindale , their spirits predated the creation of Ea, "The World that Is." They came into Existence in the very beginning. The Ainur were with Eru, "the One," before anything else was made.
Eru's thought gave birth to two groups of Ainur: the exalted Valar("Powers") and their lesser but more numerous brethren, the Maiar ("Hands"). Together, these immortal servants form a community borne out of Eru's conception. This community is entrusted with both the making and guardianship of Arda, "the Place." (Endor, "Middle Earth," is the central continent in Arda).
The Valar
Angelic powers, second in might and authority only to their lord, Eru. The Valar aided Eru in the making of the world, although they did not have any part in the making of Elves or Men. They prepared Arda for the the "children of Eru" and for themselves, and dwelled there ever after as the guardians of Middle-Earth. In this guardianship four events stand out. The first is the rebellion of Melkor, later named Morgoth, a great Vala, and the decision of the Valar to give up that which they cherished most, the light of the two Trees, in order to preserve their peace; from this revolt resulted the rebellion of the Noldor and their exile from Valinor for having returned to Middle Earth. This in turn led to the mission of Earendil at the end of the First Age, and the decision of the Valar to overthrow Morgoth, place the Silmaril of Earendil in the heavens as a star, reward the Edain with Elenna (Numenor) and forgive the exiles and wish them to come back. It was the gift of Elenna to the Edain which led to the greatest crisis of the Valar, for in SA 3319 Ar-Pharazon of Numenor, corrupted by Sauron, assaulted Valinor; the Valar laid down their guardianship for the moment and Eru destroyed Numenor. Sauron, however, survived into the Third age, and so about TA 1000 the Valar sent the Wizards to Middle Earth, and with their aid the Free Peoples of Middle Earth eventually worked out their destiny and overthrew Sauron. Thus at the end of the Third Age the last major personalities (Sauron, Galadriel, Elrond, the Wizards) brought to Middle Earth by the actions of the Valar were through their wisdom removed from Middle Earth. In all this, the policy of the Valar was to act directly as little as possible, but to bolster goodness and courage on the part of the Free Peoples with strength to enable them to meet on eaqual terms.
The Valar seem to have had numerous functions in Middle Earth, although by the Third Age their power and authority were rmote and often ignored. For example, the Valar interpreted and enforced the rules of the Riddle Game.
The Valar seem to have been beings of pure spirit, but they presented themselves to physical eyes in majestic, luminous bodies called the Eldar fanar , which physically resembled those of Elves and Men. The Valar dwelled in Almarin, and after the destruction of the Lamps, Valinor, and only Orome came frequently to Middle Earth. The Valar seem to have had a number of kings and queens, the chief of whom were Manwe and Varda. The Valar in general, but especially Varda (Elbereth in Sindarin), were venerated and worshipped by the Eldar and the Dunedain.
The chief Valar seem to have had specialized natures and functions somewhat similar to those of Greek gods, and probably also ruled over lesser Valar. Orome was the huntsman of the Valar and Aule was their smith; Manwe would seem to correspond with Zeus, but Varda was far greater than Hera.
The Valar were also known as the Authorities, the Guardians of the World, the Lords of the West and the Powers. The Sindarin form of their name was Belain, of which the singular was balan.
Melkor, is no longer counted as one of the Valar. Melkor, during the Music of the Ainur, corrupted those around him. Of the Maiar he sudduced, Sauron is the most well known. Also, the Balrogs are Maiar spirits.
The Maiar
The Wizards are Maiar, the spirits comprising the vast magority of the Ainur who left the Timeless Halls and entered Ea. When the fifteen Valar ventured into Existence and accepted wardship over the newborn World, the Maiar followed. Maia groups ordered themselves as vassals of the Valar. Serving the greater Ainur, the Maiar labored according to guidelines of their specific Vala masters. They set about shaping Arda as the Powers directed. The Maiar's role was, as always, to aid their lords in completing the scheme envisioned by the Eru.
Of the many spirits that descended into Arda at its beginning, those of lesser stature than the Valar, though they were still powerful, were known as Maiar. Each of the Maiar was attached to the 'people' of a particular Vala. So, for example, the Maia Oss�, as a spirit of the sea, belonged to the people of Ulmo, while Curunir, the Maia who came to Middle-earth as Saruman, belonged to the people of Aul� the Smith.
In the Third Age, there were still Maiar in physical form to be found in Middle-earth. The most important of these were Saruman, Sauron (originally also of Aul�'s people), and Ol�rin, known as Gandalf, who belonged to the people of Manw� and Varda.
Also, the other Maiar beings in Middle-Earth is Tom Bombadil and his wife, Goldberry. But one would wonder why the One Ring had no power over him and Gandalf would never try to even touch it, lest he become dominated by it, as only Sauruman thinking of posessing it was succombed. I have heard, but do not believe that Bombadil could have been even Eru himself.
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