All Questions
Tagged with tolkiens-legendarium valar
37
questions
2
votes
0
answers
315
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Were the Valar aware of the surviving Balrogs? And if they weren´t but was made aware would they have removed it themselves? [closed]
In the council of Elrond it is debated whether or not to send the ring across the ocean and transport it to Valinor.
That idea is however quickly rejected as it is mentioned that they would not ...
- 1,285
0
votes
0
answers
95
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Marriage and kinship among the Ainur: symbolic or literal? [duplicate]
Tolkien previously intended the Valar to be just like polytheistic gods, who had children, sex and familial connections among each other, but he later scrapped this idea, to an extent at least: some ...
14
votes
2
answers
3k
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What do the family relations between the Valar mean?
TL;DR:
Some of the Valar are described in the Silmarillion as husband and wife, and others are described as siblings. But it seems that the Ainur don't procreate, and it's unclear what marriage means ...
- 271
4
votes
1
answer
1k
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What did the Valar think of Eru Ilúvatar sending Gandalf back to Middle-earth?
I would like to know if there is anything written in LOTR canon about what the Valar had thought about Eru Ilúvatar sending Gandalf back to Middle-earth as Gandalf the White.
For example, did all of ...
user143126
8
votes
2
answers
2k
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Do Ainur (generally) need to return to the halls of Mandos to reincarnate?
Sauron and Gandalf both suffer physical deaths (Sauron at least twice) but do not return to the halls of Mandos for recovery, but Saruman dies and is then impotent, forbidden to return and will never ...
- 4,962
25
votes
5
answers
9k
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Are the Valar vulnerable to the One Ring?
We know that the One Ring would have corrupted any mortal (humans, dwarves, hobbits, etc) or Elf who claimed it. Only Gandalf or another Maia (Saruman, say, or Radagast) could even have tried to wrest ...
- 117k
5
votes
2
answers
982
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In the absence of the Doom of the Noldor, would Feanor and co. have had a chance against Morgoth? [closed]
This is something that just occurred to me recently - I had always assumed not, but I realized the key quote might not mean what I thought it meant.
Vala he is, thou saist. Then thou hast sworn in ...
- 5,934
6
votes
3
answers
439
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First contact between Oromë and the Elves
Do we have any information (in The History of Middle-earth or other writings) about the initial encounter of Oromë and the Elves after the Awakening, besides the short-spoken description of The ...
- 2,878
9
votes
2
answers
1k
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What we we know about the source of the light in the Two Trees of Valinor?
The sun and the moon were created from the light of the trees of light, Laurelin and Telperion, after they had been destroyed; some parts of them survived the destruction and could thus be used for ...
- 363
1
vote
1
answer
383
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Would the weakened Ainur and Maiar regain their strength after the ending of the world?
We know that the power of the Ainur dwindles as time moves on, some like Melkor have lost power by spreading it too thinly amongst their creations, and the Balrogs and Saruman had become impotent with ...
user46509
1
vote
2
answers
525
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How many of the Ainur did not descend into Eä
We know that many Ainur entered Eä at the beginning of time, the most powerful forming the Valar and the lesser the Maiar, but how many remained behind with Eru? Does Tolkien ever discuss this in any ...
user46509
10
votes
1
answer
1k
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How many of the Ainur were unable to change their physical form?
The Ainur are spirits who do not need bodies, but they can assume them. From the Ainulindalë in the Silmarillion:
Their shape comes of their knowledge of the visible World, rather than of the World ...
- 4,783
7
votes
4
answers
14k
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How could Tulkas defeat Morgoth if he was the most powerful Valar?
Morgoth warred against the Valar in the early years of Arda including destroying the Two Lamps which lit the world, and marring the lands in which the Valar had set to prepare for the coming of the ...
- 10.8k
9
votes
2
answers
1k
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What would happen if an Istar broke the Valar's rule but saved Middle Earth anyway?
If, for example, Gandalf went full Maia, took the Ring and dumped it into Mount Doom before anyone, even Sauron, could stop him—what would happen?
- 34.2k
5
votes
3
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696
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Was there ever a cap on the Valar's power?
It seems like they could do whatever they wanted as long as Eru didn't have any personal bias towards it. Was there a cap on how much power they could possibly use?
- 1,423