Valar

vala The Valar (“powers” in Quenya) are characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien, present in Silmarillion .

Valar are most powerful of the Ainur (angelica spirits descended on Arda, Earth), to give birth to there what was foreseen in the Ainulindalë.

Among them, eight more powerful name the “Aratar” (in Quenya, “exaltés”); they were new before the banishment of Melkor, divinity malefic, who was given for goal to dominate, then to destroy Arda:

Manwë Súlimo , King of Valar and the air, noblest of Valar, companion of Varda;
Varda Elentári , Queen of Stars, partner of Manwë, called Elbereth by the Elves;
Ulmo , King of water, the seas and the oceans;
Aulë , the Blacksmith, King of Fire and the Earth, father of the race of the Dwarves, companion of Yavanna;
Yavanna Kementári (Palúrien), queen of nature, the fruits and the trees, partner of Aulë;
Oromë (Aldaron), governing hunting, brother of Nessa and companion of Vána. It is him which guided Eldar at the time of their walk towards Valinor;
Námo ( Mandos ), Judge of Deaths, companion of Vairë, brother of Nienna and Lórien;
Nienna , mourning is its field, sister of Mandos and Lórien.

Other Valar are:

Irmo ( Lórien ), Master of the Dreams, the desire and peace, brother of Mandos and companion of Estë;
Tulkas Astaldo, champion of Valinor and lord of the engagements, companion of Nessa;
Estë the soft one, lady of the rest and healer of talent, partner of Lórien;
Vairë the tisserande, lady of time, partner of Mandos;
Vána the Always-young person, sister of Yavanna and partner of Oromë;
Nessa the dancer, sister of Oromë and partner of Tulkas, famous for its aptitude for the race.

Lastly, Melkor or Morgoth, Enemy Black of the World. At the origin most powerful of Valar, it turned to the Evil and thus precipitated its fall.

Certains Valar is present in the Lost Contes , first version of mythology, but disappears thereafter: thus it of Makar and Meássë, Valar of chaos and confusion is, remaining in Valinor but close to Melkor, and Ómar-Amillo, character who seems to be confused thereafter with Tulkas.

Purely spiritual beings, Valar can nevertheless take with their own way body appearances, the fanar (Quenya, sing. fána ), which is not however truths body like those of the Enfants of Ilúvatar ( hröar ).

It is them which give form to Arda, each one according to its talents. They remain first of all with Almaren then, after the destruction of the two Lamps, with Valinor, the West. When the Elfe S wake up of their sleep, they capture Melkor and ask the Elves to come in Aman, close to Valinor. Their plans are opposed by the escape of Melkor, and revolts it Noldor after the creation of the Silmaril S by the Elf Fëanor. After that, Valar do not intervene almost any more in the businesses of the Children of Ilúvatar, Hommes and Elves - an exception is the destiny of Lúthien and Beren, when Mandos lets them leave the Houses of Deaths. After Eärendil brought back Silmaril to Valar, those intervene again in Arda, carrying out the war against Morgoth which ends in the fall of this one and with its banishment in the timeless Vacuum - it is the end of the First Age.

With the Second Age, Valar work the island of Númenor as a reward for the Men who fought Morgoth. After which, they do not intervene any more, except when they are directly attacked by Ar-Pharazôn, king de Númenor, who in his madness wants to tear off immortality to them. Manwë then calls upon Ilúvatar, which will make Valinor invisible to the mortals and will submerge the island of Númenor. Valar intervene last once at the Third Age to counter the threat of Sauron by sending in Ground of the Medium the Istari. This progressive disengagement of Valar is due to fear to make irrevocable damage with Arda if they were to fight Sauron themselves.

Note linguistic

The word Vala comes from the root mailbox . The sound not existing in quenya (as well as the other voiced plosives and) expeté in the form mb , the sound changed in. In telerin the word for Vala is Bala , in Sindarin Balan (pl. Belain ).

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