Q: Why Did the Valar ‘Abandon’ the Elves and Men in Middle-Earth in the First Age?
ANSWER: I have seen some people debate this issue back and forth but I don’t think the answer is quite so simple. Tolkien himself wrestled with the question in his own thoughts (and notes and essays). His reasoning in his final years came down to how the Valar had to be restrained or limited in their interactions with the world. In other words, to explain how the Valar could be the angels of the Bible, Tolkien had to provide them with a boundary that progressed over time.
The Valar were originally very directly and intimately involved with the shaping of the world and populating it with life. But as the ages passed on they became less and less directly involved in its affairs. They stopped all the “mountain-building” and island-making and other geologically massive tasks that gave the world its shape and boundaries.
Of course, this is all mythological — a term Tolkien used dually. He understood that “myth” just means “a story that attempts to explain things”. Einstein’s theory of relativity is a myth in that sense. It explains some of the workings of the universe. Of course, people use “myth” pejoratively, too, to denounce or debunk unsubstantiated beliefs (I do this myself). So to say that the Theory of Relativity is a myth is not true, if you’re implying that the theory is not true.
It is this kind of complicated duality of use and meaning that vexes the Tolkien researcher because the man often used the same words and expressions in multiple ways. He clearly presented the tales of the Valar and their involvement with the world as historical actions and then he described those tales as “myth”. These different points of view reflected his own inner turmoil; he wanted to create a mythology for England in his youth (an Anglo-Saxon mythology, very pagan in form and structure) and he ended up creating a mythology for fantasy literature instead.
By the end of his life Tolkien was reimagining Middle-earth as the product of not thousands of years of history but of millions, billions of years of history. He would have had to radically change all the old stories and myths (such as the tale of the Two Trees) in order to create a more scientific backstory for Middle-earth. He never really got far with that project but he recorded some of his thoughts and ideas.
The Valar, his later thinking went, were constrained by the progression of Time (toward its inevitable conclusion as predetermined by Ilúvatar) to NOT intervene directly. They had set the world into motion and as such became less and less necessary for the world’s existence. Their function became less one of design and construction and more one of observation and inspiration. They had to leave the stage to the Children of Ilúvatar (first the Elves and Dwarves, and then Men).
In this way Tolkien could justify the lack of direct Valarian response to Sauron, although he also rationalized that they would have wanted to avoid the kind of destructive intervention that occurred in Beleriand during the War of Wrath. Hence, the Istari were directed to inspire Elves and Men, not to lead them in war or to defend them directly in their full power (when Gandalf challenges the Nazgul in front of Minas Tirith his mission has been altered by Ilúvatar).
But before the War of Wrath the Valar sat in Valinor and waited while the Noldor and their allies suffered horribly under Morgoth’s wars. And the question of why they would allow so many other people to suffer is not really addressed by Tolkien’s musings about why the Valar were forced to withdraw from direct involvement in Middle-earth in later ages.
It may be that Tolkien always saw the Valar as being constrained by the gift of free will. They had cursed the Noldor, who needed to be punished for their rebellion and the Kinslaying of Alqualonde, but the Valar also had to stand aside and allow anyone who aligned themselves with the Noldor to suffer the same fate. This alignment would be the result of free will, with which the Valar could not interfere.
Hence, Doriath was spared for a long time because it took no part in the wars with Morgoth. It was only when Thingol came into contact with the Silmaril and desired it for himself that his kingdom became vulnerable to the curse. The Noldor themselves destroyed Doriath, rather than Morgoth. Thingol’s fall was a fundamental part of the story of Beleriand, although J.R.R. Tolkien struggled to include it and Christopher Tolkien ultimately patched together an unsatisfactory version for the published Silmarillion.
If Tolkien felt there was another explanation that would justify the Valar’s “wait for it” approach to solving the dual problems of the Noldorin rebellion and Morgoth’s conquest of Middle-earth, I have not read anything about such feelings. The story is complicated by the fact that it was lifted from a previous “mythology” and by free will, which means that we must accept the consequences of our actions even if we are not informed about those consequences in advance.
I think that Tolkien felt the prophecy of a representative for both Men and Elves was the mitigating factor. The Valar had to mediate between a punishment that would afflict peoples who were not part of the rebellion and allowing the Noldor to suffer thoroughly for their crimes; hence, they set a condition for the final resolution that would come only at a time of Ilúvatar’s choosing.
At least, that is the way I see it.
See also
Why Would Melkor and Sauron Rebel Against Ilúvatar?
How Quickly Could the Valar and Maiar Have Destroyed Beleriand?
How Much Damage Would the Valar Have Caused If They Attacked Sauron?
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I’ve heard about an alternative theory–that the Valar wouldn’t intervene because of the destruction that followed their war path. Just look at the Valar’s interventions when the Eldar awoke (the Eldar could feel the shockwaves from the north all the way in Cuiviénen!) and the War of Wrath (the entire continent of Beleriand sunk into the Belegaer).
Yes, in The Silmarillion the narrative says that since the Valar did not know where or when Men would awaken they were reluctant to pursue Morgoth. But they still knew that eventually they would have to intervene. They just delayed the intervention.
I think there is also something in Unfinished Tales which says or implies that they were reluctant to unleash that kind of destruction on Middle-earth again after Sauron became a problem in the Second Age.
The original question as submitted to me was a little longer than the title for this article. I hope I condensed it well enough for the reader who submitted it.
So glad to see you back blogging, Michael! 😀
First of all they did not entirely neglect the elves or men in First Age, Ulmo was still active in the affairs of the world, and though they shielded Aman from the possible intrusion, those mighty ,,gods” were watching and gathering news thanks to their powers seeing the world, maybe except places covered by shadow of Morgoth who fought for dominance, his power was flowing ever strongly through Beleriand just like he roamed the world before his chaining in Mandos and the Battle of the Powers, Morgoth was filling world once again with his creatures who were once hunted by Orome and his followers, this peculiar ,,Wild Hunt” of Middle Earth :), they were active but in different ways, more subtler ones (all those dreams and prophecies guiding actions of certain individuals) Manwe also directly intervened in rescue mission of Fingon who searched for captured Maedhros, Thorondor was sent for body of Fingolfin, there also could be many Maiar servants and helpers of Valar (and we are told that some of those spirits, lesser Ainur could be nearly as great as Valar themselves) that could have been working in secret like Morgoth’s maiaric servants (spirits of shadow, Balrogs, other lesser Maiar, some of whom could be those spies in fair forms), I think that the fear of causing the irreperable damage to the world even when they tried to restrain themselves was great but also they refused to force free peoples elves and men to do their bidding so they could not be as strightforward, until the time of War of Wrath that is, the plight of decimated free peoples and Morgoth’s inevitable victory forced their hand to use any means necessary like sending an army of mighty spirits and elves that…destroyed Beleriand in the process :), later on they intervened directly in ,,enhancing” men of Numenor, giving them longevity, altering them, in a way giving them powers of mind and body surpassing other peoples of the race of men, raising a huge island and enriching it for the perfect conditions for their habitation, ,,parting the shadowy seas” 🙂 to have them clear sight of Tol Eressea and once again sending call upon elves to come to live in Blessed Land, so quite lot of work for those immortal god-like beings that perceive time differently than mortals (they have time they can wait and have many ways of exerting their will, if going by example of Tuor who spoke to king Turgon under influence of Ulmo, maybe the Valar are responsible for other such impulses that characters often don’t understand that would be bordering on mental influence but not forcing against somebody’s will, encouraging and strengthening in right moments), later on we can notice other subtle interferences shaping events, even during course of Lotr (like for example those strange occurrences like prefectly timing of western wind clearing up the darkness sent from Mordor).