Ainur - Revision history

imported>Administrator: 75 revisions imported

2023-06-17T17:30:05Z

75 revisions imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 17:30, 17 June 2023
(No difference)

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Valar */

2023-05-27T11:12:35Z

Valar

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:12, 27 May 2023
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	* '''Nienna''', Lady of Mercy, Grief and Compassion. She had been Gandalf's instructor, which allowed him to empathise with the free peoples, in particular the hobbits. Alongside Irmo and Ulmo, she's definitely among the most competent of the bunch ''(the rest being either useless swanabouts or [[Minecraft\|obsessive compulsives]])'', given she was Gandalf's master and Gandalf basically carried the entire fight against Sauron on his back.		* '''Nienna''', Lady of Mercy, Grief and Compassion. She had been Gandalf's instructor, which allowed him to empathise with the free peoples, in particular the hobbits. Alongside Irmo and Ulmo, she's definitely among the most competent of the bunch ''(the rest being either useless swanabouts or [[Minecraft\|obsessive compulsives]])'', given she was Gandalf's master and Gandalf basically carried the entire fight against Sauron on his back.

	Of similar power but opposed to the Valar, is '''Melkor''', aka '''Morgoth''', the first [[Big Bad Evil Guy\|Dark Lord]] and enemy of the Valar. Originally he was the most powerful of all the Ainur, but back during the music of the Ainur, he had become bitter and jealous that he could not create life on his own, and began rebelling against Eru Ilúvatar. Thereafter, he kept trying to dominate Arda to his will, corrupting it with his power and making war with the Children of Ilúvatar. Eventually, he'd spent enough of his power that he was captured and imprisoned by the Valar, only to be released when they thought he had been reformed. This was a ruse, and he continued to conquer [[Middle Earth]] throughout the first age, even causing the Noldor elves to rebel against the Valar just to get revenge on him. Melkor was finally defeated when the elves pleaded with the Valar to rescue them, causing him to be imprisoned beyond the boundaries of Arda until the end of time. Despite this, Morgoth's influence lingers as Sauron had set up cults to Morgoth, which had been especially prevalent at the end of the Second Age. Supposedly Morgoth will re-emerge at the end of the world when the Door of Night is destroyed, leading to the Dagor Dagorath, ending in his final defeat. Supposedly Eru will give Turin the honor of finishing him off as reward for putting up with all the shit Morgoth put him through.		Of similar power but opposed to the Valar, is '''Melkor''', aka '''Morgoth''', the first [[Big Bad Evil Guy\|Dark Lord]] and enemy of the Valar. Originally he was the most powerful of all the Ainur, but back during the music of the Ainur, he had become bitter and jealous that he could not create life on his own, and began rebelling against Eru Ilúvatar. Thereafter, he kept trying to dominate Arda to his will, corrupting it with his power and making war with the Children of Ilúvatar. Eventually, he'd spent enough of his power that he was captured and imprisoned by the Valar, only to be released when they thought he had been reformed. This was a ruse, and he continued to conquer [[Middle Earth]] throughout the first age, even causing the Noldor elves to rebel against the Valar just to get revenge on him. Melkor was finally defeated when the elves pleaded with the Valar to rescue them, causing him to be imprisoned beyond the boundaries of Arda until the end of time. Despite this, Morgoth's influence lingers as Sauron had set up cults to Morgoth, which had been especially prevalent at the end of the Second Age. Supposedly Morgoth will re-emerge at the end of the world when the Door of Night is destroyed, leading to the Dagor Dagorath, ending in his final defeat. Supposedly Eru will give Turin Turambar the honor of finishing him off as reward for putting up with all the shit Morgoth put him through.

	==Maiar==		==Maiar==

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Valar */

2023-05-27T11:11:56Z

Valar

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:11, 27 May 2023
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	* '''Nienna''', Lady of Mercy, Grief and Compassion. She had been Gandalf's instructor, which allowed him to empathise with the free peoples, in particular the hobbits. Alongside Irmo and Ulmo, she's definitely among the most competent of the bunch ''(the rest being either useless swanabouts or [[Minecraft\|obsessive compulsives]])'', given she was Gandalf's master and Gandalf basically carried the entire fight against Sauron on his back.		* '''Nienna''', Lady of Mercy, Grief and Compassion. She had been Gandalf's instructor, which allowed him to empathise with the free peoples, in particular the hobbits. Alongside Irmo and Ulmo, she's definitely among the most competent of the bunch ''(the rest being either useless swanabouts or [[Minecraft\|obsessive compulsives]])'', given she was Gandalf's master and Gandalf basically carried the entire fight against Sauron on his back.

	Of similar power but opposed to the Valar, is '''Melkor''', aka '''Morgoth''', the first [[Big Bad Evil Guy\|Dark Lord]] and enemy of the Valar. Originally he was the most powerful of all the Ainur, but back during the music of the Ainur, he had become bitter and jealous that he could not create life on his own, and began rebelling against Eru Ilúvatar. Thereafter, he kept trying to dominate Arda to his will, corrupting it with his power and making war with the Children of Ilúvatar. Eventually, he'd spent enough of his power that he was captured and imprisoned by the Valar, only to be released when they thought he had been reformed. This was a ruse, and he continued to conquer [[Middle Earth]] throughout the first age, even causing the Noldor elves to rebel against the Valar just to get revenge on him. Melkor was finally defeated when the elves pleaded with the Valar to rescue them, causing him to be imprisoned beyond the boundaries of Arda until the end of time. Despite this, Morgoth's influence lingers as Sauron had set up cults to Morgoth, which had been especially prevalent at the end of the Second Age. Supposedly Morgoth will re-emerge at the end of the world when the Door of Night is destroyed, leading to the Dagor Dagorath, ending in his final defeat.		Of similar power but opposed to the Valar, is '''Melkor''', aka '''Morgoth''', the first [[Big Bad Evil Guy\|Dark Lord]] and enemy of the Valar. Originally he was the most powerful of all the Ainur, but back during the music of the Ainur, he had become bitter and jealous that he could not create life on his own, and began rebelling against Eru Ilúvatar. Thereafter, he kept trying to dominate Arda to his will, corrupting it with his power and making war with the Children of Ilúvatar. Eventually, he'd spent enough of his power that he was captured and imprisoned by the Valar, only to be released when they thought he had been reformed. This was a ruse, and he continued to conquer [[Middle Earth]] throughout the first age, even causing the Noldor elves to rebel against the Valar just to get revenge on him. Melkor was finally defeated when the elves pleaded with the Valar to rescue them, causing him to be imprisoned beyond the boundaries of Arda until the end of time. Despite this, Morgoth's influence lingers as Sauron had set up cults to Morgoth, which had been especially prevalent at the end of the Second Age. Supposedly Morgoth will re-emerge at the end of the world when the Door of Night is destroyed, leading to the Dagor Dagorath, ending in his final defeat. Supposedly Eru will give Turin the honor of finishing him off as reward for putting up with all the shit Morgoth put him through.

	==Maiar==		==Maiar==

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Valar */

2023-05-21T12:07:15Z

Valar

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:07, 21 May 2023
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	* '''Nessa''', the Dancer, married to Tulkas. She's Orome's sister and shares his love of the wilds, but doesn't really do anything and is regarded (even by the Valar) as the least of the Valar.		* '''Nessa''', the Dancer, married to Tulkas. She's Orome's sister and shares his love of the wilds, but doesn't really do anything and is regarded (even by the Valar) as the least of the Valar.
	* '''Ulmo''', Lord of the seas, and the most proactive ally to the free peoples. One of the few to not trust Melkor in the beginning. As his home is not in Valinor but in the seas, he's the one who interacts the most with mortals. Comes off as [[Rage\|really intense.]]		* '''Ulmo''', Lord of the seas, and the most proactive ally to the free peoples. One of the few to not trust Melkor in the beginning. As his home is not in Valinor but in the seas, he's the one who interacts the most with mortals. Comes off as [[Rage\|really intense.]]
	* '''Nienna''', Lady of Mercy, Grief and Compassion. She had been Gandalf's instructor, which allowed him to empathise with the free peoples, in particular the hobbits. Alongside ~~Mandos,~~ Irmo and Ulmo definitely the most competent of the bunch, given she was Gandalf's master and Gandalf basically carried the entire fight against Sauron on his back.		* '''Nienna''', Lady of Mercy, Grief and Compassion. She had been Gandalf's instructor, which allowed him to empathise with the free peoples, in particular the hobbits. Alongside Irmo and Ulmo, she's definitely among the most competent of the bunch ''(the rest being either useless swanabouts or [[Minecraft\|obsessive compulsives]])'', given she was Gandalf's master and Gandalf basically carried the entire fight against Sauron on his back.

	Of similar power but opposed to the Valar, is '''Melkor''', aka '''Morgoth''', the first [[Big Bad Evil Guy\|Dark Lord]] and enemy of the Valar. Originally he was the most powerful of all the Ainur, but back during the music of the Ainur, he had become bitter and jealous that he could not create life on his own, and began rebelling against Eru Ilúvatar. Thereafter, he kept trying to dominate Arda to his will, corrupting it with his power and making war with the Children of Ilúvatar. Eventually, he'd spent enough of his power that he was captured and imprisoned by the Valar, only to be released when they thought he had been reformed. This was a ruse, and he continued to conquer [[Middle Earth]] throughout the first age, even causing the Noldor elves to rebel against the Valar just to get revenge on him. Melkor was finally defeated when the elves pleaded with the Valar to rescue them, causing him to be imprisoned beyond the boundaries of Arda until the end of time. Despite this, Morgoth's influence lingers as Sauron had set up cults to Morgoth, which had been especially prevalent at the end of the Second Age. Supposedly Morgoth will re-emerge at the end of the world when the Door of Night is destroyed, leading to the Dagor Dagorath, ending in his final defeat.		Of similar power but opposed to the Valar, is '''Melkor''', aka '''Morgoth''', the first [[Big Bad Evil Guy\|Dark Lord]] and enemy of the Valar. Originally he was the most powerful of all the Ainur, but back during the music of the Ainur, he had become bitter and jealous that he could not create life on his own, and began rebelling against Eru Ilúvatar. Thereafter, he kept trying to dominate Arda to his will, corrupting it with his power and making war with the Children of Ilúvatar. Eventually, he'd spent enough of his power that he was captured and imprisoned by the Valar, only to be released when they thought he had been reformed. This was a ruse, and he continued to conquer [[Middle Earth]] throughout the first age, even causing the Noldor elves to rebel against the Valar just to get revenge on him. Melkor was finally defeated when the elves pleaded with the Valar to rescue them, causing him to be imprisoned beyond the boundaries of Arda until the end of time. Despite this, Morgoth's influence lingers as Sauron had set up cults to Morgoth, which had been especially prevalent at the end of the Second Age. Supposedly Morgoth will re-emerge at the end of the world when the Door of Night is destroyed, leading to the Dagor Dagorath, ending in his final defeat.

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Valar */

2023-05-21T11:55:10Z

Valar

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:55, 21 May 2023
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	* '''Varda''', Queen of the Valar and creator of the stars. Married to Manwë. Varda is more commonly known by her Sindarin name, ''Elbereth'', and is revered among the elves as the bringer of Light, and by extension, the defeat of Darkness. Out of all the Valar, Morgoth hates her the most because she was the first to realize his own innate evil and the fact that he is her complete opposite in every way. Elves (and hobbits like Frodo) invoke her name when confronted with evil, which can unsettle their opponents.		* '''Varda''', Queen of the Valar and creator of the stars. Married to Manwë. Varda is more commonly known by her Sindarin name, ''Elbereth'', and is revered among the elves as the bringer of Light, and by extension, the defeat of Darkness. Out of all the Valar, Morgoth hates her the most because she was the first to realize his own innate evil and the fact that he is her complete opposite in every way. Elves (and hobbits like Frodo) invoke her name when confronted with evil, which can unsettle their opponents.
	* '''Aulë''', The Smith. Married to Yavanna, and creator of the [[Dwarves]] (though he could only create their form, [[Skub\|Ilúvatar later gave]] them life and free will of their own). Both of his best disciples went traitor (Sauron and Saruman). The Noldor elves also considered themselves students of Aulë, though like Sauron and Saruman, Fëanor fell to evil as a result of Morgoth turning the Noldor elves against the Valar. Aulë and his student's power to create makes them the most powerful of the Ainur, but that power can lead to evil if they're consumed by pride and a desire to control, which is why some of them turned traitor in the first place.		* '''Aulë''', The Smith. Married to Yavanna, and creator of the [[Dwarves]] (though he could only create their form, [[Skub\|Ilúvatar later gave]] them life and free will of their own). Both of his best disciples went traitor (Sauron and Saruman). The Noldor elves also considered themselves students of Aulë, though like Sauron and Saruman, Fëanor fell to evil as a result of Morgoth turning the Noldor elves against the Valar. Aulë and his student's power to create makes them the most powerful of the Ainur, but that power can lead to evil if they're consumed by pride and a desire to control, which is why some of them turned traitor in the first place.
	* '''Yavanna''', Giver of Fruits. Married to Aulë. Besides her domain being nature, she also created the Ents to protect the trees from over-foresting dwarves. If the Valar were depicted as Dilbert characters, Yavanna would definitely be Alice.		* '''Yavanna''', Giver of Fruits. Married to Aulë. Besides her domain being nature, she also created the Ents to protect the trees from over-foresting dwarves. If the Valar were depicted as Dilbert characters, [[gets shit done\|Yavanna would definitely be Alice]].
	* '''Mandos''', Ruler of the Dead, and the Doomsman. All dead elves and men arrive in his halls, whereafter they go to their separate fates. He is also the judge of the Valar, presiding over Melkor's trial and pronouncing the Doom of those who transgress the Valar. Married to Vairë. His real name is actually Námo. Cryptic, in a "not sure if grimdark or troll" kind of way.		* '''Mandos''', Ruler of the Dead, and the Doomsman. All dead elves and men arrive in his halls, whereafter they go to their separate fates. He is also the judge of the Valar, presiding over Melkor's trial and pronouncing the Doom of those who transgress the Valar. Married to Vairë. His real name is actually Námo. Cryptic, in a "not sure if grimdark or troll" kind of way.
	* '''Vairë''', the Weaver. Married to Mandos, and records all of history on her ever-growing tapestry.		* '''Vairë''', the Weaver. Married to Mandos, and records all of history on her ever-growing tapestry.

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Maiar */

2023-05-21T04:30:07Z

Maiar

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:30, 21 May 2023
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	* '''Ilmarë''': She is the handmaiden of Varda and, as said before, a chief of the Maiar. Unlike Melian, she remain in Valinor in content and nothing more is known about her.		* '''Ilmarë''': She is the handmaiden of Varda and, as said before, a chief of the Maiar. Unlike Melian, she remain in Valinor in content and nothing more is known about her.
	* '''Melian''': Noteworthy for being the progenitor of both the Half-Elves and the Kings of Gondor, she married the Elven king of Doriath and bore Lúthien, who would herself marry a human named Beren. As this shows, it was possible for Maiar in their physical forms to procreate with the Children of Ilúvatar, which has some interesting implications ([[Grimdark\|and potentially disturbing ones, see 'Boldogs' below]]). She protected Doriath with her magic until her husband was killed by a bunch of angry Dwarves, and eventually returned to Valinor heartbroken.		* '''Melian''': Noteworthy for being the progenitor of both the Half-Elves and the Kings of Gondor, she married the Elven king of Doriath and bore Lúthien, who would herself marry a human named Beren. As this shows, it was possible for Maiar in their physical forms to procreate with the Children of Ilúvatar, which has some interesting implications ([[Grimdark\|and potentially disturbing ones, see 'Boldogs' below]]). She protected Doriath with her magic until her husband was killed by a bunch of angry Dwarves, and eventually returned to Valinor heartbroken.
	~~[[File:Saurons-backup-plan.jpg\|thumb\|right\|What could go wrong?]]~~
	* '''[[Sauron]]''': Most powerful of the Maiar. Formerly a student of Aulë but later was swayed to Morgoth's side. He is ever so slightly less of a dick than Morgoth, which still left a lot of room for satanic-tier dickishness. While Morgoth wanted to destroy the world and recreate it from scratch in his image, Sauron wanted to Dominate it and shape its peoples and societies into his own "idealized" (read:hellish) image. Whereas Morgoth was more motivated by jealousy and vengeance against Iluvatar and the Valar, and used brute strength to impose his will, Sauron was motivated by a desire for order, and favoured guile and manipulation, especially when he successfully corrupted the kingdom of Númenor and brought about its ruin, or when he used his Ring to dominate the wills of others. He's taken on other guises as well; such as "Annatar the Lord of Gifts" to deceive the Elves of the Second Age, or the Necromancer of Dol Guldur when he was in hiding. Sauron poured practically all of his power into his ring, which not only prevented his power from fading (as it did with Morgoth), but also allowed him to survive his initial disembodiment until the War of the Ring, when the destruction of it robbed him of all his power and reduced him to an angry and completely-powerless ghost floating through space.		* '''[[Sauron]]''': Most powerful of the Maiar. Formerly a student of Aulë but later was swayed to Morgoth's side. He is ever so slightly less of a dick than Morgoth, which still left a lot of room for satanic-tier dickishness. While Morgoth wanted to destroy the world and recreate it from scratch in his image, Sauron wanted to Dominate it and shape its peoples and societies into his own "idealized" (read:hellish) image. Whereas Morgoth was more motivated by jealousy and vengeance against Iluvatar and the Valar, and used brute strength to impose his will, Sauron was motivated by a desire for order, and favoured guile and manipulation, especially when he successfully corrupted the kingdom of Númenor and brought about its ruin, or when he used his Ring to dominate the wills of others. He's taken on other guises as well; such as "Annatar the Lord of Gifts" to deceive the Elves of the Second Age, or the Necromancer of Dol Guldur when he was in hiding. Sauron poured practically all of his power into his ring, which not only prevented his power from fading (as it did with Morgoth), but also allowed him to survive his initial disembodiment until the War of the Ring, when the destruction of it robbed him of all his power and reduced him to an angry and completely-powerless ghost floating through space.
	* '''[[Balrog]]s''': Balrogs are greater Maiar who sided with Morgoth and took the form of fiery demons. The one in the Fellowship of the Ring, '''Durin's Bane''', is one of the last remaining ones; Morgoth used to field ''armies'' of these guys.		* '''[[Balrog]]s''': Balrogs are greater Maiar who sided with Morgoth and took the form of fiery demons. The one in the Fellowship of the Ring, '''Durin's Bane''', is one of the last remaining ones; Morgoth used to field ''armies'' of these guys.

1d4chan>Piroko: /* Maiar */

2023-05-21T04:28:08Z

Maiar

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:28, 21 May 2023
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	* '''Ilmarë''': She is the handmaiden of Varda and, as said before, a chief of the Maiar. Unlike Melian, she remain in Valinor in content and nothing more is known about her.		* '''Ilmarë''': She is the handmaiden of Varda and, as said before, a chief of the Maiar. Unlike Melian, she remain in Valinor in content and nothing more is known about her.
	* '''Melian''': Noteworthy for being the progenitor of both the Half-Elves and the Kings of Gondor, she married the Elven king of Doriath and bore Lúthien, who would herself marry a human named Beren. As this shows, it was possible for Maiar in their physical forms to procreate with the Children of Ilúvatar, which has some interesting implications ([[Grimdark\|and potentially disturbing ones, see 'Boldogs' below]]). She protected Doriath with her magic until her husband was killed by a bunch of angry Dwarves, and eventually returned to Valinor heartbroken.		* '''Melian''': Noteworthy for being the progenitor of both the Half-Elves and the Kings of Gondor, she married the Elven king of Doriath and bore Lúthien, who would herself marry a human named Beren. As this shows, it was possible for Maiar in their physical forms to procreate with the Children of Ilúvatar, which has some interesting implications ([[Grimdark\|and potentially disturbing ones, see 'Boldogs' below]]). She protected Doriath with her magic until her husband was killed by a bunch of angry Dwarves, and eventually returned to Valinor heartbroken.
			[[File:Saurons-backup-plan.jpg\|thumb\|right\|What could go wrong?]]
	* '''[[Sauron]]''': Most powerful of the Maiar. Formerly a student of Aulë but later was swayed to Morgoth's side. He is ever so slightly less of a dick than Morgoth, which still left a lot of room for satanic-tier dickishness. While Morgoth wanted to destroy the world and recreate it from scratch in his image, Sauron wanted to Dominate it and shape its peoples and societies into his own "idealized" (read:hellish) image. Whereas Morgoth was more motivated by jealousy and vengeance against Iluvatar and the Valar, and used brute strength to impose his will, Sauron was motivated by a desire for order, and favoured guile and manipulation, especially when he successfully corrupted the kingdom of Númenor and brought about its ruin, or when he used his Ring to dominate the wills of others. He's taken on other guises as well; such as "Annatar the Lord of Gifts" to deceive the Elves of the Second Age, or the Necromancer of Dol Guldur when he was in hiding. Sauron poured practically all of his power into his ring, which not only prevented his power from fading (as it did with Morgoth), but also allowed him to survive his initial disembodiment until the War of the Ring, when the destruction of it robbed him of all his power and reduced him to an angry and completely-powerless ghost floating through space.		* '''[[Sauron]]''': Most powerful of the Maiar. Formerly a student of Aulë but later was swayed to Morgoth's side. He is ever so slightly less of a dick than Morgoth, which still left a lot of room for satanic-tier dickishness. While Morgoth wanted to destroy the world and recreate it from scratch in his image, Sauron wanted to Dominate it and shape its peoples and societies into his own "idealized" (read:hellish) image. Whereas Morgoth was more motivated by jealousy and vengeance against Iluvatar and the Valar, and used brute strength to impose his will, Sauron was motivated by a desire for order, and favoured guile and manipulation, especially when he successfully corrupted the kingdom of Númenor and brought about its ruin, or when he used his Ring to dominate the wills of others. He's taken on other guises as well; such as "Annatar the Lord of Gifts" to deceive the Elves of the Second Age, or the Necromancer of Dol Guldur when he was in hiding. Sauron poured practically all of his power into his ring, which not only prevented his power from fading (as it did with Morgoth), but also allowed him to survive his initial disembodiment until the War of the Ring, when the destruction of it robbed him of all his power and reduced him to an angry and completely-powerless ghost floating through space.
	* '''[[Balrog]]s''': Balrogs are greater Maiar who sided with Morgoth and took the form of fiery demons. The one in the Fellowship of the Ring, '''Durin's Bane''', is one of the last remaining ones; Morgoth used to field ''armies'' of these guys.		* '''[[Balrog]]s''': Balrogs are greater Maiar who sided with Morgoth and took the form of fiery demons. The one in the Fellowship of the Ring, '''Durin's Bane''', is one of the last remaining ones; Morgoth used to field ''armies'' of these guys.

1d4chan>Piroko at 04:11, 21 May 2023

2023-05-21T04:11:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:11, 21 May 2023
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	One thing that some people end up asking themselves when the read or watch [[The Lord of the Rings]] for the first time is "what makes this [[Sauron]] guy such a big deal?" or "so what exactly is this Gandalf character?" The answer to that is that they are '''Ainur''', which could basically be considered [[Angel]]s created by [[God\|Eru Ilúvatar]]. They are spiritual beings who were created from Ilúvatar's thoughts before the beginning of time, each having their own free will and varying levels of innate power. They sung [[Arda\|the world]] into existence and shaped it afterwards, for good or bad. Some of them went into the world and were bound to it, these are the '''Maiar''', and had physical form that Tolkein calls a 'raiment' that they used to interact with the world; the Ainur have the ability change the appearance of these forms, but the more an Ainur becomes embodied in a particular form, the more they become locked in and limited by that form, and can even be destroyed and their spirits "disembodied," which is the closest thing to death a Maiar can experience. For the story timeline, see the [[Silmarillion]], [[The Hobbit]] and [[Lord of the Rings]] articles in that order.		One thing that some people end up asking themselves when the read or watch [[The Lord of the Rings]] for the first time is "what makes this [[Sauron]] guy such a big deal?" or "so what exactly is this Gandalf character?" The answer to that is that they are '''Ainur''', which could basically be considered [[Angel]]s created by [[God\|Eru Ilúvatar]]. They are spiritual beings who were created from Ilúvatar's thoughts before the beginning of time, each having their own free will and varying levels of innate power. They sung [[Arda\|the world]] into existence and shaped it afterwards, for good or bad. Some of them went into the world and were bound to it, these are the '''Maiar''', and had physical form that Tolkein calls a 'raiment' (an archaic Norman word for fancy clothes) that they used to interact with the world; the Ainur have the ability change the appearance of these forms, but the more an Ainur becomes embodied in a particular form, the more they become locked in and limited by that form, and can even be destroyed and their spirits "disembodied," which is the closest thing to death a Maiar can experience. For the story timeline, see the [[Silmarillion]], [[The Hobbit]] and [[Lord of the Rings]] articles in that order.

	==Eru Ilúvatar==		==Eru Ilúvatar==

174.48.165.232 at 22:08, 20 May 2023

2023-05-20T22:08:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:08, 20 May 2023
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	One thing that some people end up asking themselves when the read or watch [[The Lord of the Rings]] for the first time is "what makes this [[Sauron]] guy such a big deal?" or "so what exactly is this Gandalf character?" The answer to that is that they are '''Ainur''', which could basically be considered [[Angel]]s created by [[God\|Eru Ilúvatar]]. They are spiritual beings who were created from Ilúvatar's thoughts before the beginning of time, each having their own free will and varying levels of innate power. They sung [[Arda\|the world]] into existence and shaped it afterwards, for good or bad. Some of them went into the world and were bound to it, these are the '''Maiar''', and had physical ~~forms~~ that they used to interact with the world~~, though~~ these forms ~~could~~ be destroyed and their spirits "disembodied," which is the closest thing to death a Maiar can experience. For the story timeline, see the [[Silmarillion]], [[The Hobbit]] and [[Lord of the Rings]] articles in that order.		One thing that some people end up asking themselves when the read or watch [[The Lord of the Rings]] for the first time is "what makes this [[Sauron]] guy such a big deal?" or "so what exactly is this Gandalf character?" The answer to that is that they are '''Ainur''', which could basically be considered [[Angel]]s created by [[God\|Eru Ilúvatar]]. They are spiritual beings who were created from Ilúvatar's thoughts before the beginning of time, each having their own free will and varying levels of innate power. They sung [[Arda\|the world]] into existence and shaped it afterwards, for good or bad. Some of them went into the world and were bound to it, these are the '''Maiar''', and had physical form that Tolkein calls a 'raiment' that they used to interact with the world; the Ainur have the ability change the appearance of these forms, but the more an Ainur becomes embodied in a particular form, the more they become locked in and limited by that form, and can even be destroyed and their spirits "disembodied," which is the closest thing to death a Maiar can experience. For the story timeline, see the [[Silmarillion]], [[The Hobbit]] and [[Lord of the Rings]] articles in that order.

	==Eru Ilúvatar==		==Eru Ilúvatar==
	While not an Ainur himself, and is barely involved in the legendarium beyond the Music of the Ainur and a handful of other events, it's worth mentioning him here. As previously stated, he's the singular all-powerful being from which all other sentient beings originate, whether they be Ainur, Elf, or Man (and Dwarves on a technicality), as he alone possesses the Secret Fire, the source of free will and independent being. Its perhaps because of this that he takes a very hands-off approach with his creation, though not 100% of the time; while people can point to obvious interventions like allowing Beren and Luthien to return to the world of the living, or sinking Numenor, Ilúvatar also works in very subtle ways; multiple times in the Lord of the Rings, many coincidences, premonitions, lucky breaks, and chance encounters happen throughout. While one might be able to attribute them to the Valar individually or as a whole, none of them have as much foresight as he does, and a loooooot of shit had to go right just for the ring to end up with the Baggins family, for the Fellowship to form, for the ring to make it to Mordor, and for the ring to actually be destroyed in such a way that Sauron couldn't anticipate.		While not an Ainur himself, and is barely involved in the legendarium beyond the Music of the Ainur and a handful of other events, it's worth mentioning him here. Eru Iluvatar lives not in Middle Earth or Valinor, but "Beyond the Circles of the World" in the Timeless Halls, with the rest of the Ainur who didn't enter Arda. As previously stated, he's the singular all-powerful being from which all other sentient beings originate, whether they be Ainur, Elf, or Man (and Dwarves on a technicality), as he alone possesses the Secret Fire, the source of free will and independent being. Its perhaps because of this that he takes a very hands-off approach with his creation, though not 100% of the time; while people can point to obvious interventions like allowing Beren and Luthien to return to the world of the living, or sinking Numenor, Ilúvatar also works in very subtle ways; multiple times in the Lord of the Rings, many coincidences, premonitions, lucky breaks, and chance encounters happen throughout. While one might be able to attribute them to the Valar individually or as a whole, none of them have as much foresight as he does, and a loooooot of shit had to go right just for the ring to end up with the Baggins family, for the Fellowship to form, for the ring to make it to Mordor, and for the ring to actually be destroyed in such a way that Sauron couldn't anticipate.

	==Valar==		==Valar==

174.48.165.232: /* Istari */

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Istari

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	==Istari==		==Istari==
	The Istari is the formal name of the Wizards, all of whom were Maiar who were sent to Middle Earth to aid the free peoples and provide them with wise counsel during the Third Age between Sauron's initial defeat and his final one. Though they appear to take the form of elderly men, they're still quite powerful in their own right, both physically and [[Magic\|magically]]. There are five of them in total. In order of power and rank they are Curumo (Saruman), Aiwendil (Radagast), Alatar/Morinehtar and Pallando/Rómestámo (the Blue Wizards), and lastly Olórin (Gandalf). The important thing to understand about the Istari is that they are not spellcasters or conjurers; their magic is an inherent part of their nature as Maiar, and we get a glimpse of that when Gandalf drives away the Nazgul with what looks like a blinding light coming directly from his body.		The Istari is the formal name of the Wizards, all of whom were Maiar who were sent to Middle Earth to aid the free peoples and provide them with wise counsel during the Third Age between Sauron's initial defeat and his final one. Though they appear to take the form of elderly men, they're still quite powerful in their own right, both physically and [[Magic\|magically]]. Compared to the other Ainur on this list, the Istari have a fully embodied experience while in Middle Earth; meaning that they have fully physical bodies capable of hunger, weariness and death, making them more vulnerable to both physical harm and corruption, but also better able to interact with the people of Middle Earth. There are five of them in total. In order of power and rank they are Curumo (Saruman), Aiwendil (Radagast), Alatar/Morinehtar and Pallando/Rómestámo (the Blue Wizards), and lastly Olórin (Gandalf). The important thing to understand about the Istari is that they are not spellcasters or conjurers; their magic is an inherent part of their nature as Maiar, and we get a glimpse of that when Gandalf drives away the Nazgul with what looks like a blinding light coming directly from his body.

	They were sent by Manwë to inform mortals about Morgoth's lieutenant Sauron and raise forces amongst the Free Peoples to oppose him, they were however restricted from directly leading them or otherwise doing all the fighting, as there was the (justified in hindsight) fear that they could fall just like Sauron did and desire to dominate and rule Middle Earth instead of liberating it. The Istari also do not use their real names, instead using names given to them by the peoples of Middle Earth. While the Istari are all immortal beings from Valinor, their memories of that land become dimmed upon reaching Middle Earth; if they abandon their mission, they forget nearly all of it. Readers only learn to what happened to three of them.		They were sent by Manwë to inform mortals about Morgoth's lieutenant Sauron and raise forces amongst the Free Peoples to oppose him, they were however restricted from directly leading them or otherwise doing all the fighting, as there was the (justified in hindsight) fear that they could fall just like Sauron did and desire to dominate and rule Middle Earth instead of liberating it. The Istari also do not use their real names, instead using names given to them by the peoples of Middle Earth. While the Istari are all immortal beings from Valinor, their memories of that land become dimmed upon reaching Middle Earth; if they abandon their mission, they forget nearly all of it. Readers only learn to what happened to three of them.