The Ainur
J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology about Arda (The Realm, Earth) begins with Ainulindalë (The Music
Of The Ainur), a story which speaks of Iluvatar, God, and the Ainur (Holy Ones). The Ainur
were the first children of Iluvatar's thought and they sang for him, at first singly and then
together in small groups, gradually merging into a great chorus.
Melkor (He Who Arises In Might), greatest of the Ainur, began to sow dissension among them
by raising a great discord in the Music. This occurred during the First Theme, and Iluvatar
responded to the discord by raising a Second Theme, in which Manwë brother of Melkor sang
the chief part.
But Melkor fought against the Second Theme, leading the rebellious Ainur in their own brash
Music, clashing with the beauty of the Themes. To this Iluvatar responded with a Third Theme
that the Ainur could not fathom, for they were not its source.
And Iluvatar caused the Ainur to cease their Music, and he showed them a vision which gave
new meaning and symbology to their Music. Many of the Ainur were fascinated with the Vision
of Iluvatar and some of the greatest Ainur desired to bring the Vision into being.
To this Iluvatar consented, and he created Ea (The World That Is). Then the greatest Ainur
entered Ea, and these were known thereafter as the Valar (the Powers) who shaped the universe
and the world. Chief among the Valar was Manwë, who was most closely aligned with the airs.
Ulmo and Aulë worked with him, and they were most closely aligned with Water and the fabric
of the Earth.
But Melkor also entered into Ea, and though he labored with the others for uncounted ages in
bringing the universe to fruition, when in time the dwelling of the Children of Iluvatar (Elves and Men) was made, Melkor rebelled against the purpose he had undertaken and claimed Arda for
his own.
Arda was only a small part of Ea, and Manwë summoned many Ainur to help him drive Melkor
away from Arda. But Melkor only watched as Arda was shaped by the Valar Maiar, and he grew
jealous of all they did. So he descended upon Arda again and strove with the Valar, corrupting
some of the Maiar to his service. But Tulkas, hearing there was war in Ea, entered the universe and lent his great strength to Manwë's cause. And then Melkor fled again.
So in time the Valar and Maiar finished shaping Arda, and they brought forth living plants and
creatures, and to give them light they created two Lamps, Illuin (in the north) and Ormal (in the south).
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In the midst of the land they made a great lake, and in the lake they set an isle, Almaren, where they could enjoy the mingling of the light of the Two Lamps.
But while the Valar rested from their labor Melkor returned to Arda, calling into Ea many of the Ainur who had sung with him in the Music, and these he led to the northernmost regions of Arda
where they constructed the mighty fortress Utumno.
When Melkor felt he was ready he struck down the Two Lamps and destroyed much that the
Valar had built through the ages. The Valar were dismayed but they could not overtake Melkor
before he returned to Utumno. There he settled with many corrupted Ainur, of whom the greatest
were Sauron, Gothmog Lord of Balrogs, Draugluin father of Were-wolves, Thuringwethil, and
other beings of power. But not all whom he had corrupted followed Melkor faithfully. Of these,
Ungoliant fled to the western regions of Arda.
There the Valar settled in a land they named Aman (Blessed), which they hallowed. They raised
up a new chain of mountains, the Pelori, and fortified their land (Valinor) against Melkor. They were reluctant to engage in another war with him because they feared they might do harm to
whatever place Iluvatar had chosen for the Children.
In Valinor the Valar created two new lights, Telperion the Silver and Laurelin the Golden, the
Two Trees which gave light to much of Aman. But outside Valinor, in the shadows beneath the
southern Pelori, Ungoliant spun her webs, creating a region within Avathar where no one dared
venture.
In time the patience of the Valar was rewarded and they discovered the Quendi singing under the stars in the land of Cuiviënen, which lay far to the east in Endor amid the foothills of the
Orocarni, the mountains of the eastern lands. But to their dismay the Valar learned that the
Quendi had already been discovered by Melkor, and they resolved to put an end to his great
realm in Middle-earth. So began the War of the Powers, and the world was changed in the
mighty tumults which resulted. But Melkor was defeated and Utumno was destroyed, except for
a small outpost in the west, Angband, and perhaps one or two other enclaves. Melkor was taken
to Valinor where he was judged and placed in confinement in Mandos, from which halls even
Melkor could not escape. There for long ages Melkor languished in prison until he was released
on parole, and he discovered that the Quendi had been brought to Valinor where they flourished
and created a civilization which astounded him.
So Melkor decided to seek revenge upon the Quendi for the humiliation of his imprisonment. To
that end he strove to win their confidences, but the Vanyar and Teleri would not listen to him.
Only the Noldor succumbed to Melkor's deceits, and in time their greatest princes, Fëanor and
Fingolfin, were drawn into strife which when investigated by the Valar led to the discovery of
Melkor's designs.
But he fled from Valinor and eluded pursuit. And in time he visited Avathar where he recruited
Ungoliant to his service, and led her back to Valinor. There they slew the Two Trees and Finwë, King of the Noldor, stealing many treasures of Finwë's house and the Three Silmarils, in which
alone the Light of the Two Trees still burned.
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Then Melkor and Ungoliant fled to Middle-earth, where they quarreled over the Silmarils, and
Melkor had to call upon the Balrogs to aid him against her. And Ungoliant fled away to dwell in the southern reaches of Dorthonion, there to breed with other creatures and bring forth the Great Spiders which troubled Middle-earth for many ages afterward.
Melkor settled in Angband, building it up and re-establishing his kingdom in Middle-earth. And
he made war upon those Quendi who were living there. But soon the Noldor followed him to
Middle-earth, and for many years they and their allies (the Sindar and Atani) fought against
Melkor in a vain attempt to recover the Silmarils.
In time Melkor was victorious, but he grew too confident and he did not crush the small
remnants of Elves and Men who escaped his wrath. From these came Ëarendil, half-Elven
mariner, who with the power of one Silmaril (which had been recovered by Beren and Luthien)
sailed to Valinor and there won pardon for the Noldor and aid for the Sindar and Men.
Then the Valar sent forth a great army and they waged the War of Wrath against Melkor and his
servants. The world was hurt again, and many lands were destroyed and other lands raised up.
But Melkor was taken at last and thrust out from Arda into the darkness of Ea. Then because he
was greatly weakened he could not return, though it was foretold that in time he would recover
his strength and assail Arda at the End.
The Valar then rewarded the Atani for their great labors against Melkor, but in doing so they laid the seeds for yet a further change in the world. For they gave to the Atani long life within Arda, but it was not the fate of Men to live in Arda until the End, as it was the fate of the Quendi to do so.
The Atani were given the island of Elenna in which to dwell, and they named it Numenor, and
became the Dunedain, Kings of Men. They for a time left the cares of Middle-earth behind them
and lived in a peaceful and near-blessed land. But they eventually came to envy the longer lives and fate of the Quendi.
In Middle-earth Sauron and other creatures of Melkor eluded the Host of Valinor, and he
established a new kingdom of darkness in the southern land of Mordor. Thinking the Valar
would pay no heed to him, Sauron strove with the Quendi for mastery of Middle-earth, but the
Dunedain returned in strength to Middle-earth and lent the Quendi their aid.
Then Sauron turned his attention to Numenor, and he perceived a shadow growing among them.
Thus, in time, despite the persuasions of the Valar, the Dunedain of Numenor rebelled against
their fate, and seduced by Sauron they assembled a great armada and assaulted Aman itself.
In response the Valar laid down their guardianship over Arda and Iluvatar gave them the strength to change the world forever. Numenor was cast down into the sea and Aman and its nearby
islands were taken away from the circles of the world so that Men could not find them again.
Yet the Valar did not forsake Arda, and when Sauron arose again in the Third Age they sent
emissaries to aid the peoples of Middle-earth in their struggles against the Enemy. The ventures
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of the Istari were perhaps the last direct intervention of the Valar in the affairs of the Children of Iluvatar. But in the end one of five proved victorious, and he vanquished the last Balrog and
aided the Free Peoples in overthrowing Sauron.
The Quendi (Speakers, or Elves)
The first speaking people to awake in Middle-earth were the Quendi, the Elves, and they are
called the Elder Children of Iluvatar (whereas Men are the Younger Children, and Dwarves are
the Adopted Children). The Quendi were fated to dwell within Arda until the End, and their
spirits cannot leave Ea. So they may, if their bodies perish, in time be re-embodied by the grace of Iluvatar and the Valar.
The Quendi were divided into three kindreds: Minyar (firsts), Tatyar (seconds), and the Nelyar
(thirds). At the first sundering of the Quendi they were divided into two nations: Eldar and Avari.
Of the Eldar there were in origin three kindreds. All of the Minyar eventually became the
Vanyar, about half the Tatyar became the Noldor, and two-thirds of the Nelyar became the
Lindar. The remaining Tatyar and Nelyar eventually became known as the Avari (Unwilling).
The Vanyar were the fewest in number and they were perhaps the wisest of the Quendi. They
loved the woods and open lands, and most if not all had golden hair.
The Tatyar and Noldor were the craftsmen of the Quendi, makers of things and seekers of lore.
They dwelt most in the hills and mountains, and were miners and smiths.
The Nelyar were the most gifted singers of the Quendi, and they loved water most. Those Nelyar
who joined the Eldar called themselves Lindar (singers), but in time they acquired other names.
When Oromë the Vala discovered the Quendi in Cuiviënen, he learned that they had been
troubled by a Dark Hunter, whom he perceived was Melkor or one of his servants. At Oromë's
bidding the Valar held a great council where they chose to wage war upon Melkor and to
summon the Quendi to live in Aman.
When the war was finished Oromë returned to the Quendi to deliver the summons of the Valar,
but the Elves were afraid and refused to go. So Oromë chose three ambassadors from among
their leaders to visit Aman and report to their peoples what they found there. These three were Ingwë (of the Minyar), Finwë (of the Tatyar), and Elwë (of the Nelyar). Of the three, only Ingwë found peace in Aman.
Ingwë persuaded all the Minyar to follow him to Aman, and they undertook the Great Journey,
leading the way for others to follow. Finwë persuaded half the Tatyar to follow him to Aman,
and they took the road after the Vanyar. Elwë, aided by his brother Olwë, persuaded more than
half the Nelyar to undertake the Great Journey, but they were the most reluctant of the Quendi to leave their homeland, and so they became known to the other Eldar as the Teleri, the Last-comers.
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The three groups of Quendi who undertook the Great Journey were ever after known as the
Eldar, the people of the Stars, even though this name Oromë had originally given to all their race.
Those who remained in Cuiviënen became known as the Avari, the Unwilling, for they refused
the summons of the Valar.
The Teleri became divided on their long road. The first division arose when Lenwë, one of their chieftains, turned aside at the Anduin. He led away perhaps a third of the Teleri, and these
became known as the Nandor. Again, in Beleriand, while waiting for passage to Aman, the
Teleri were divided, for Elwë was lost to the enchantments of the Maia known as Melian in the
forest of Nan Elmoth, and many of his friends and kinsmen searched for him.
When the time came for the Teleri to leave Middle-earth, those who continued to seek for Elwë
were left behind, and they named themselves the Eglath, the Forsaken. But another group of
Teleri stayed in Middle-earth as well. These were led by Cirdan, who for the sake of the
friendship of Ossë, Maia of the Belegaer whose charge was the coast lands of Middle-earth,
stayed to become the Falathrim, the People of the Coast.
Those Teleri who reached Aman, nearly half of the original group, were led by Olwë. There he
became their king, but while the Vanyar and Noldor settled in Aman itself the Teleri lived a long time on Tol Eressëa, until Ossë was sent to them to teach how to build ships (as he taught the
folk of Cirdan to build ships).
Ingwë and Finwë built the city of Tirion upon the hill of Tuna in the Calacirya, the only valley in the Pelori. But in time Ingwë and his people abandoned the city and they settled in many places throughout Valinor.
Olwë and his people settled at last on the shores of Aman, and with the aid of Ingwë's people
they built the city of Alqualondë, the Haven of Swans. For many ages the Eldar flourished in
Aman, increasing in number and learning much lore from the Valar and Maiar.
But Finwë took two wives, a thing unheard of among the Eldar. Miriel, his first wife, died soon after giving birth to Fëanor, their son. And though Finwë was deeply grieved he wished to have
more children, and in time he married Indis, sister of Ingwë. She bore him three daughters and
two sons: Findis, Faniel, Irimë and Nolofinwë and Arafinwë. Nolofinwë was afterwards known
as Fingolfin, greatest of the kings of the Noldor in Middle-earth.
Now, Fëanor was jealous and proud, and he had little to do with the children of Indis. But he in time married Nerdanel, daughter of Mahtan, one of the greatest smiths of the Noldor, who had
been taught much lore by Aulë the Vala himself. Fëanor was for long content to father his own
children (Nerdanel bore him seven sons) and to study the lore of mining and smith craft.
In time Fëanor became the greatest of the Eldar in arts, and he fashioned the Silmarils,
preserving in them forever the light of the Two Trees. This was his greatest accomplishment, but he is credited with other works: the reworking of the Tengwar, the alphabet of the Eldar;
fashioning the Palantiri, the stones of far-seeing; and the invention of silima, a substance which cast its own light; and other things.
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But Fëanor became ensnared in the deceits of Melkor, and he came to think that Fingolfin sought to replace him in their father's affections. Fëanor drew his sword upon him in their father's tower before many witnesses. Then the Valar sent Fëanor into exile in a northern region of Valinor, and Finwë went with his son, and many other Noldor as well. They built the city of Formenos, but
when Fëanor returned to Valimar to be reconciled with his brother at the command of the Valar,
Finwë refused to go with him.
So Finwë was caught by Melkor, who slew the Two Trees while the Valar were distracted by the
matter which lay between Fëanor, and Melkor slew Finwë and took the Silmarils, and the
Noldorin guards could not withstand him, so that others died in Formenos that day as well.
When he learned what had befallen in his absence Fëanor defied the ban of the Valar against his return to Tirion, and he gathered there his people. Then he persuaded most of the Noldor to
follow him into exile, though the Noldor were not wholly behind him in this matter, and many
wished to have Fingolfin for their king instead of Fëanor.
The Valar at first refused to interfere in the Noldor's decision since they did not wish to force the wills of others to their own ways. But Fëanor they cast out of Aman because of the oath he and
his sons had sworn to avenge Finwë's death and recover the Silmarils. Then Fëanor exerted his
will over his people and he led them north to Alqualondë, where he hoped to persuade the
Falmari (the Teleri of Aman) to join in his rebellion.
But Olwë refused to leave Aman, for his people were content under the protection and tutelage
of the Valar, and they had not been ensnared in the deceits of Melkor. So Fëanor tried to steal the swan-ships of the Falmari, and he fought with them in their haven. And when Fingon came upon
the battle he thought the Falmari had attacked the Noldor, so he led a great part of the Noldor into battle on Fëanor's behalf, and in Alqualondë the Noldor committed the first Kinslaying.
For the sake of the Kinslaying the Valar pronounced a curse upon the Noldor and a doom upon
Fëanor and his House. They would fail in their war, and the House of Fëanor would lose their
heritage, becoming known as The Dispossessed. When he heard this pronouncement, Arafinwë
(known also as Finarfin) returned to Aman and earned the pardon of the Valar. There they made
him King of the Noldor who had not gone into Exile.
Their stolen ships proved to be of little use to the Noldor, for many were destroyed in a great storm which arose when Uinen, Lady of the Sea, grieved for the slain Falmari. But Fëanor led a
small part of his people across Belegaer to Beleriand, and he burned the ships in his madness.
Fingolfin led the remaining Noldor north until they came to Helcaraxë, the Grinding Ice, and
they crossed that terrible bridge, though many perished, to come at last to Middle-earth.
Though none of the Teleri went into Exile, a few of the Vanyar did, for they were spouses or
children of Noldor. Elenwë, wife of Turgon, son of Fingolfin, was one of these. Yet she perished in the crossing of the Grinding Ice and she never saw the beauty of Gondolin, her husband's
beloved city, which fell last of the Eldarin realms in Middle-earth.
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In Middle-earth Fëanor soon perished from wounds gained in battle, and though seeing at last the fruitless nature of his war he laid it upon his sons to fulfill their terrible oath. Yet Maedhros the eldest was soon captured by Melkor's forces, and the Noldor withdrew into Hithlum,
accomplishing nothing. When Fingolfin led the greater part of their people into Hithlum, the
Noldor saw the sun rise for the first time (after it was created by the Valar from the last leaf of Laurelin).
In time, to heal the rift between the hosts of the Noldor, Fingon rescued Maedhros from the
peaks of Thangorodrim where Melkor had bound the Noldorin king. But Maedhros ceded the
kingship to Fingolfin, concluding the reconciliation of their people, and fulfilling the Prophecy which said he and his brethren would be the Dispossessed.
In the centuries which followed the Noldor established several kingdoms, and they befriended
the Sindar, the Grey-Elves of Beleriand, who were Eglath, the Falathrim, and the Laegrim
(Nandor who had fled to Beleriand when Melkor's creatures began to afflict Middle-earth). And
they also had the aid of the Naugrim, the Dwarves. But though they fought valiantly and were
aided by the Atani (the Edain), the Eldar failed utterly, and all their kingdoms save a few small refuges were destroyed one-by-one. Yet the greatest evils they inflicted upon themselves. For
when Beren, an Adan of the First House, declared his love for Luthien, daughter of Elwë
(Thingol) and Melian, Elwë commanded Beren to retrieve a Silmaril from Melkor's crown as the
bride-price.
Beren Recovers a Silmaril
Copyright © Anke Eissmann. Used by permission.
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Beren's quest led to the death of Finrod, eldest son of Finarfin and King of Nargothrond; and in time Beren himself was slain by the Wolf of Angband, but the Silmaril was recovered. Then
Beren and Luthien, who had died in body and beseeched Namo for a reprieve, returned to life
and they lived apart from Men and Elves. But she had chosen mortality and alone of all the Eldar had become joined to Men in fate for the sake of her love for Beren.
The Quest Fulfilled
Copyright © Anke Eissmann. Used by permission.
But Elwë took up the Silmaril, and he charged the Dwarves with placing it in a necklace which
had originally been fashioned by their people for Finrod. Yet their greed was inflamed by the
Silmaril and they slew Elwë, fighting their way out of his kingdom of Doriath, though most
perished. The Dwarves then sent an army to seek revenge against the Elves and Elwë's kingdom
was destroyed.
Dior, son of Beren and Luthien, tried to restore the kingdom of Elwë, but after the deaths of
Beren and Luthien the Silmaril was brought to him and he chose to wear it openly. Then the sons of Fëanor sent a demand for the Silmaril, but Dior refused to yield it to them, and they destroyed the remnant of Doriath.
But though Dior himself perished his daughter Elwing escaped, and the Sindar preserved the
Silmaril with her. In time her people were joined by survivors of Gondolin, Turgon's realm, and among them was Ëarendil, who married Elwing and began to seek for Valinor to ask forgiveness
and aid for Elves and Men.
The land where Ëarendil and Elwing lived was assailed by the sons of Fëanor again, and again
though they destroyed an Elven realm they failed to recover the Silmaril, because Elwing
escaped and with the aid of Ulmo the Vala joined Ëarendil on his final sea-voyage. With the aid of the Silmaril they passed over Sea to Valinor and persuaded the Valar to launch the War of
Wrath.
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The Noldor of Aman and the Vanyar marched to war beside the Valar and Maiar, and their army
was larger than any before that time or after. They defeated Melkor and briefly recovered the
other two Silmarils, but Maedhros and his brother Maglor stole the jewels. Yet they had lost their heritage and neither could hold the Silmaril he had taken. Maedhros cast himself into a fiery
chasm with his Silmaril and Maglor threw his into the sea.
This marked the end of the First Age of the Sun, and most of the surviving Noldor and Sindar of Beleriand returned to Aman to dwell in Tol Eressëa. But a few stayed in Middle-earth under Gil-galad, son of Fingon, who established a new kingdom in the last remnant of Beleriand.
The Eldar of Aman befriended the Dunedain of Numenor, and for many centuries they sailed
east to visit the Men of the Sea. But when the Dunedain fell under the Shadow the Eldar visited their friends less and less and then usually in secrecy. But in time when Sauron came to
Numenor the Eldar could not even visit the land in secret, but they gave a parting gift to
Amandil, Lord of Andunië: the Palantiri, the stones of far-seeing.
In Middle-earth Gil-galad opposed Sauron, but the Eldar of Lindon were too weak to confront
the servant of Melkor alone. They had to call upon the Dunedain to help them in the War of the
Elves and Sauron. That war was fought because Sauron had failed to gain control over the Elves
with the Rings of Power, which he had helped forge in Eregion, the easternmost Elven realm of
Eriador.
Until Sauron was taken to Numenor, Gil-galad was never able to recover his power in Middle-
earth, for many Elves had perished in the war, and others continued to flee Middle-earth, sailing over Sea.
Yet after the fall of Numenor Gil-galad befriended Elendil, son of Amandil and leader of the
Dunedain-in-Exile. With Elendil Gil-galad formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, and
together they overthrew Sauron, but their victory was not final for Isildur, the son of Elendil, refused to destroy the One Ring, into which Sauron had cast much of his power.
In the Third Age the Eldar declined in numbers and power. They produced no more great kings,
though Cirdan still dwelt in Middle-earth. Some of the Eldar had settle