The eight greatest of the Valar;Manw�,Varda,Ulmo,Yavanna,Aul�,Mandos,Nienna and Orom�.Though Manw� was held to be the High King of Arda,all these eight were held in equal reverence and were said to possess a majesty that surpassed even the other Valar.It seems clear from the quotation above that the Aratar were originally nine and included Melkor (probably as the greatest of them) but he was removed from this 'order' after his rebellion.
The Maiar :
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 Curumo,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.
The Valar :
'Valar' is the name given to the fourteen powerful spirits who took physical form and entered Arda after its creation to give order to the world and combat the evils of Melkor.They dwelt originally on the Isle of Almaren but after its destruction long ages before the Awakening of the Elves they removed to Aman and there founded the realm of Valinor.
The Valier :
A title for the seven Queens of the Valar;Varda,Yavanna,Nienna,Est�,Vair�,V�na and Nessa.The name 'Valier' only appears in the Valaquenta to describe the seven Queens - it is never used elsewhere.
