Q: Who Are The Valar?
ANSWER: The Valar are angelic beings to whom Ilúvatar has delegated the governance of all creation, which J.R.R. Tolkien names Ëa. According to the story “Valaquenta” in The Silmarillion, Ilúvatar dwells in the Timeless Halls where he creates the Ainur, the “first children of his thought”. The Ainur (the name means “holy ones”) slowly learn to make music and then gradually begin collaborating. At a certain point Ilúvatar commands the Ainur to construct and perform a Great Theme. But Melkor, mightiest of the Ainur, begins to corrupt the theme in a misguided attempt to create something of his own pure thought. Ilúvatar guides the Ainur in singing a new theme to counteract Melkor’s theme, but he again corrupts the theme, swaying many Ainur to join in his music and causing others to fall silent. Ilúvatar finally raises a new theme independent of the Ainur’s music, and Melkor challenges the new theme.
Ilúvatar suddenly stops the music and shows the Ainur a vision that retells the three themes, but he takes the vision away before it is completed. Many of the Ainur are so enraptured by the vision that they long for it. Ilúvatar gives the vision true form by ordaining that “these things shall be”, Ëa! And to show the Ainur that Melkor’s ambitions only contribute to Ilúvatar’s own ideas, rather than compete with them, Ilúvatar offers to let any of the Ainur who wish enter into Ëa and experience the full realization of the vision.
The first 14 Ainur who enter into Ëa are the Valar, the “Powers” of the universe. To their surprise, they find they have entered creation at the beginning of Time and they must spend countless ages creating stars and building worlds throughout the universe. Melkor attempts to subvert the tasks of the other Valar (who are led by Manwë and Varda) but eventually the Valar prevail.
In due time, the Valar realize they need to create a special place within Ëa where the “Children of Ilúvatar” can come into existence (as a result of Ilúvatar’s will) and fulfill their potential as illustrated by the vision of Ilúvatar. The Valar create Arda, the “Realm (of the Children of Ilúvatar)” and they make a home for themselves there. But Melkor attempts to undo the Valar’s work and he summons many Ainur from the Timeless Halls were had sung in his theme. Manwë in turn summons other Ainur to assist the Valar in their war with Melko. Tulkas, one of the strongest Ainur, hearing of the war in “the little kingdom” enters Ëa and joins the ranks of the Valar.
From this time forward, the Valar and their companions (the Maiar) strive to prepare Ambar (the world) for the Children of Ilúvatar, Elves and Men. Aulë, one of the chief Valar, becomes impatient and makes the Dwarves. When Ilúvatar asks Aulë why he has done such a disobedient thing, Aulë is immediately contrite and offers to destroy the Dwarves. At that point Ilúvatar adopts the Dwarves as his own children but insists that they must sleep until after the Elves, the Firstborn of Ilúvatar’s thought in Arda, awaken at their appointed time. And Ilúvatar warns Aulë that there will be strife between his Children (Elves and Men) and his Adopted Children (Dwarves).
When Oromë, the huntsman of the Valar, finally discovers the place where the Elves have awakened, the Valar launch a massive assault upon Melkor’s kingdom in eastern Ambar. After much conflict in which large parts of the world are damaged the Valar and their followers are victorious over Melkor and his followers. Many of Melkor’s Maiaric followers and the creatures he has bred are slain but some of his most powerful followers, the Balrogs, escape the wrath of the Valar.
Melkor is taken back to the Valar’s land in Aman (“the Blessed land”) in western Ambar where he is imprisoned for several ages of the world. In that time the Valar invite the Elves to join them and live under the protection and tutelage of the Valar and Maiar. Those of the Elves who accept this invitation become the Eldar or the High Elves of the West. They are divided into three kindreds: the Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Falmari. Some of the Elves who accepted the invitation do not complete the journey. Coming from the kin of the Falmari, these “grey Elves” are known by various names such as the Sindar (collectively), the Nandor, the Eglath, the Mithrim, the Laegrim, and the Falathrim.
After Melkor is released he plots his revenge against the Valar and the Eldar, murdering Finwë King of the Noldor, poisoning the Two Trees which give light to Valinor in Aman, and stealing many treasures of the Noldor, including the three Silmarils, holy gems made by Finwë’s eldest son Fëanor, who leads most of the Noldor into exile in a hopeless bid to avenge his father’s death and recover the Silmarils.
The Valar restrain their judgement for they know that the time for Men to awaken is near. The Valar thus ban the Noldor from returning to the Uttermost West and curse them. The Noldor will fail in their quest and must await the birth of a messenger who will be admitted to Aman to intercede for Elves and Men. The Valar watch over Middle-earth (eastern Ambar) from afar as the rebellious Noldor play out the drama they have begun.
To prepare the world for the awakening of Men and to restore light to it, the Valar create the Moon and Sun from the last two leaves of the Two Trees. The Sun and Moon become part of Arda, which from this point forward is equivalent to the Solar System. After several centuries in which the Noldor and Sindar wage their hopeless war against Melkor nearly all the Eldar of Middle-earth are slain. However by this time a small group of Men (the three Kindreds of the Edain) have become enmeshed in the affairs of the Eldar. Ëarendil, a half-Elven prince, uses a Silmaril that was recovered from Melkor to sail into the West and seek pardon for Elves and Men (who have also by now fallen into darkness).
The Valar launch another war against Melkor and this time when he is taken back to Valinor Manwë and Namo (the Judge of the Valar) execute Melkor. Of all the Ainurian spirits who suffer physical death after self-incarnating within Ëa, only Melkor possesses the strength of will to restore himself after a great length of time. It is foretold that Melkor will one day return after many ages.
The Valar forgive the Noldor and once again invite all Elves within Middle-earth to join them in the Uttermost West. Many of the Eldar and eastern Elves now sail over Sea. To the remnants of the Men who assisted the Noldor and Sindar in their war, the Valar grant an island (Numenor) near Aman. These Dunedain (Edain of the West) — also called Numenoreans — are blessed with excellent health, long lifespans, and great wisdom and power above that of all other Men.
However, as thousands of years pass the Dunedain fall into darkness and eventually the majority of them — fearful of death — rebel against the Valar. Under their last king, Ar-Pharazôn, the Numenoreans fall victim to the wiles of Sauron, the mightiest of Melkor’s former servants, who has corrupted most Men and many other creatures. Sauron induces the Numenoreans to send a vast armada against Aman to seize the secret of immortality from the Valar, who in truth do not have the authority to grant such a gift to Men. The Valar lay down their guardianship over the world and call upon Ilúvatar to deal with the rebellion.
Ilúvatar destroys or imprisons the Numenorean army, destroys their fleet, and splits the world into two parts. Aman and the islands close to it, including Tol Eressea where the Eldar of Middle-earth had settled after Melkor’s defeat, are taken away from the world. Numenor is destroyed and only a small remnant of its people escape the destruction. These Faithful Numenoreans, still loyal to the Valar and Ilúvatar, are sent back to Middle-earth where they must live in permanent exile. The world is made round and Middle-earth is now the round and inescapable “habitable lands of Men”.
There are still Elves in Middle-earth and they are given a special grace to leave Middle-earth by a “straight road” that leads to Valinor. The Valar are restored to their stewardship over the world of Men but they no longer directly intercede in the affairs of the world, not even to assist Elves and Men defeat Sauron. Sauron has made the One Ring, a powerful talisman into which he has placed a great part of his native strength. The Ring serves as an anchor for Sauron’s spirit so that he, unlike all other Maiar, is able to self-incarnate himself again after being slain twice.
Sauron’s first death occurs when Numenor is destroyed. He is slain a second time after the Elves and Faithful Numenoreans form an alliance to destroy his kingdom in Middle-earth, Mordor. After this second death Sauron’s spirit requires a thousand years to reconstitute itself, but because the One Ring has been taken from him he remains weak and uncertain of his fate for many centuries. When the Valar sense that Sauron has returned to the world of Men yet again they send emissaries chosen from among their loyal Maiar to assist Elves and Men in resisting Sauron. These emissaries are the Istari, who self-incarnate in the forms of old men.
Forbidden to dominate Elves or Men, commanded to inspire and advise the inhabitants of Middle-earth, the Istari one by one succumb to the various risks they face. Saruman, their leader, rebels against the Valar completely and seeks to seize the One Ring for himself. Gandalf, nest in the order, sacrifices himself in a great duel with the last surviving Balrog. At this point, when the Valar’s plan has failed, Ilúvatar intervenes again, sending Gandalf’s spirit back to Ë with increased strength and purpose. Gandalf then deposes Saruman as head of the Order of the Istari and goes on to assist Men and Elves in defeating Sauron for the final time.
When the One Ring is destroyed Saruman, who has secretly made his own Ring of Power, is stripped of most of his strength. He is subsequently slain by a human servant whom he has utterly corrupted into evil. Deprived of an external anchor as well as most of its strength, Saruman’s spirit has no hope of self-incarnating again and its is banished from Middle-earth forever.
Despite the failure of their plan and the subtle intervention of Ilúvatar, the Valar continue to act as benefactors and protectors of Elves and Men by sending them messages and influencing their hearts from afar. Through the skill of Galadriel, last of the rebellious leaders of the ancient Noldor, the Valar are even able to assist two Hobbits (an offshoot of the race of Men) in carrying the One Ring back to Mordor, where it is ultimately destroyed.
The last record actions of the Valar in Middle-earth appear to be granting special grace to three Hobbits and one Dwarf, permitting them to take the straight road to Valinor, where they are healed of their spiritual hurts and allowed to die in a state of grace.
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