The Valar and Maiar have an enigmatic presence in The Lord of the Ringsbut JRR Tolkien explained the difference between the two in The Silmarillion. The Valar (the plural of Vala) are referenced throughout Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Ringspublished in three parts between 1954 and 1955. They are also referenced in Peter Jackson’s book Lord of the Rings trilogy, which adapted part of the novel into a film, released between 2001 and 2003. Even so, the Maiar (plural of Maia) appear more prominently in the book and in the cinema.
The most famous Maia in Tolkien’s world is Sauron, the greatest villain in literature and the main character of Amazon Prime Video The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Sauron’s species is barely discussed in Peter Jackson’s films or the TV show, leaving viewers to turn to Tolkien lore for answers. Many who are unfamiliar with Tolkien’s Legendarium do not know that Gandalf is also a Maia and that he was sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to oppose Sauron, proving the complex importance and interaction of Maiar and Valar.
The Valar and Maiar are different classes of a Lord of the Rings race called the Ainur
The Valar and Maiar are different only in power and status
The Aratar are the nine most powerful Valar, the Valar are the 15 most powerful Ainur, and the rest of the Ainur are Maiar, but they are all the same species. These spiritual beings were the first thing created by the One Eru Ilúvatarwhich led the Ainur to sing the Ainulindalë, a song that visualized the universe, called Eä, and much of its history. The Valar, together with many Maiar, descended to Eä from their residence in the Timeless Halls and built what was visualized. The Silmarillion clarifies that some Maiar are “well almost as big as“the Valares.
|
Tolkienian era |
Event marking the beginning |
Years |
Total length in solar years |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ahead of time |
Undetermined |
Undetermined |
Undetermined |
|
Days before days |
The Ainur entered Eä |
1 – 3,500 Valian years |
33,537 |
|
Pre-First Tree Years (YT) |
Yavanna created the Two Trees |
YT 1 – 1050 |
10,061 |
|
Early Age (FA) |
Elves woke up in Cuiviénen |
YT 1050 – YT 1500, FA 1 – 590 |
4,902 |
|
Second Age (SA) |
The War of Wrath is over |
SA 1 – 3441 |
3,441 |
|
Third Age (TA) |
The Last Alliance defeated Sauron |
AT 1 – 3021 |
3,021 |
|
Fourth Era (Fo.A) |
Frodo, Bilbo and the bearers of the Elven ring sailed to Valinor |
Fo.A 1 – unknown |
Unknown |
Under Eru’s authority, any Ainur (the plural of Ainu) who descended into Eä would be trapped there until their end. Morgoth was the original villain of Lord of the Ringsand he was one of the Aratar, but continually opposed the other Valar. Originally called Melkor, this Vala corrupted many Maiar into his service.including Sauron and the Balrogs. Meanwhile, he became increasingly violent and tyrannical, destroying what he could not control, bringing about the Battle of the Powers before Elves or Men had even awoken in Middle-earth.
The Valar are more powerful and important than the Maiar
The Valar are the 15 most powerful Ainur in the Lord of the Rings
Of higher rank and skill than the Maiar, Each of the Valar has an area of specialization. The Vala Manwë is the Vala of air and birds, the King of the Valar, and the wife of Varda, Valier (female Vala) of the Stars. Along with Ulmo, Ditch of the water, and Aulë, Ditch of the earth, Manwë undertook most of the construction of Eä. These four were the Aratar, along with Aulë’s wife Yavanna, as well as Mandos, Nienna and Oromë. “Though Manwë is their king… in majesty they are equal,“according to The Silmarillion.
“Fruit giver“Yavanna was a figure of Mother Nature, while Nienna was”Lady of Mercy” and Oromë was a hunter. Mandos was the Judge of the Dead. The 15 Valar also included Vairë, the wife of Mandos, who wove the story into tapestries. Oromë’s wife was the Valier Vána, sister of Yavanna and with similar abilities. In this was Valier of dancing, while her husband, the Vala Tulkas, was the champion fighter of Valinor was the Master of Dreams, while his wife, Estë, was Valier of healing. the Valar continued to monitor and subtly change events behind the scenes.
The Maiar have a more direct influence during the Lord of the Rings timeline
Maiar feature is stronger in LOTR than Valar
Since the creation of Arda and the catastrophic Battles of the Powers, the Valar remained isolated let the music play and cause no more destruction through conflict with Morgoth. Still, the Elf Eärendil managed to persuade the Valar to aid Elves, Men, and Dwarves in one last fight against Morgoth. Consequently, the host of the Valar defeated Morgoth in the War of Wrath, but this was so cataclysmic that it changed the structure of Middle-earth. From then on, residents of Middle-earth were more likely to encounter the Valar through omens conveyed by the elements or powers they dominated.
Meanwhile, Maiar such as Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and Sauron have direct influence on events during The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Gandalf and Sauron are the two most important Maiar in The Lord of the Rings, and they play a much greater role in the story than any of the Valar. Other Maiar of note are Saruman and Radagast, who joined Gandalf as two of the five wizards sent to Middle-earth by the Valar around 1000 years into the Third Age. The other two Wizards, of unknown fate, were the Blue Wizards, explored in Unfinished Stories.
What do the Valar and Maiar have in common in The Lord of the Rings
The Ainur are spiritual beings with certain conditions applied to incorporation
Valar and Maiar are all Ainur – spiritual beings who can assume physical form if they so desire, with certain conditions applied to this incarnation. According to a text by Tolkien published in the magazine Parma Eldalamberon #17“naked” Maiar are normally invisible, but can be detected by their fragrance, which worsens if they are corrupted by evil. Disembodied Valar can be seen as uncomfortably bright lights by some Elves. At full power, Ainur can take on fantastic forms. Morgoth took the form of a mountain at one point. Tolkien goes into the Ainur incarnation in an essay called “Ósanwe-kenta.”
Ainur nature is explored in The Silmarillion and the volume of 12 The History of Middle Earth series, both edited and published posthumously by Tolkien’s son Christopher. Tolkien intended The Silmarillion stand alone as the mythology of Middle-earth, but Christopher agonized over what to include The Silmarillion, so, after publishing it, he released a much larger part of his father’s writings in The History of Middle Earth. This series helps explain the inconsistencies in The Silmarillion and provides a more complete picture of the world LOTRincluding essays such as “Ósanwe-kenta” and “Notes on the Motifs of the Silmarillion”.
Advancing personal purpose or enjoying bodily faculties makes it more difficult for the Ainur to abandon or change whatever physical form they have chosen. Bearing or conceiving a child is completely bindingas in the case of Melian the Maia. Interestingly, this may not have been something Sauron or Morgoth had to worry about, as Tolkien stated that evil beings were sterile in “Notes on Motifs in the Silmarillion”. However, this essay also referred to one of Tolkien’s earlier views on the Origins of the Orcs, suggesting that Tolkien may have changed his mind about its content. Regardless, Morgoth sexually assaulted Maia Arien.
Meanwhile, Tulkas purposely slept past his wedding night, implying that some pleasure of the bodily faculties is a giveneven to the good Valar. Elves conceive only through willpower, so the same probably goes for Ainur. The more the Ainur replicate another species and the longer they remain in that body, the more they experience the needs of that species. The shape-shifting Valar only eat at High Asari. Wizards are resistant to aging.”dressed in bodies… of men, real and unfeigned,“eating and smoking and”able to feel hungry,” implying an almost exact human biology in The Lord of the Rings.