#lost valar

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Maiar of Tulkas the Valiant

Among the Valar, Tulkas is the Hercules type of character. He loves combat, entering battle without any weapons or armor and riding no steed. He entered into Arda later than the other Valar, and his presence helped turn the tide of their early struggles against Melkor, who feared him. 

There aren’t any Maiar of Tulkas named or described in detail in The Silmarilion, but there are references in Tolkien’s early works and drafts that can give us an idea of them.

Some of Tolkien’s early writings go into more detail about the Valar, including their dwelling places. Tulkas’ dwelling place is described as having a large courtyard where warriors would engage in combat and feats of strength. It also says that Tulkas’ wife Nessa would bring goblets of wine and drinks to the competitors. This suggests a clear connection to Valhalla of Norse mythology, where the spirits of those who died in combat would feast and practice until Ragnarok. 

Tolkien’s earliest works included a pair of Valar named Makar and Meássë. Makar and his sister Meássë were violent warrior Valar who had joined Melkor during the Music of the Ainur. Even though they had initially supported Melkor, when they entered Arda the siblings sided with the Valar, though they often disagreed with the others on major decisions. They had their own hall where warriors practiced and Tulkas himself would occasionally come there to spar with them in order to keep his strength up. He usually won and he didn’t take battle seriously, so Makar and Meássë weren’t fond of him. As Tolkien’s writings progressed and the Valar became less like Greco-Roman deities and more angelic, Makar and Meássë no longer fit the picture and were dropped. But the concept of the Maiar hadn’t quite been developed, and some characters such as Ossë and Uinen who were originally Valar became Maiar. Thus, some the two siblings could perhaps be reimagined as Valar of Tulkas. 

The precursor to the concept of the Maiar was the Valarindi, who were the children of the Valar. One member of this group was Telimektar, who was the son of Tulkas and Nessa. He was a young warrior who had a long sword connected to a silver girdle, and his weapons and face shown like silver. He was placed in the sky to keep watch against Melkor and was given stars by Varda to mark his presence, making him the Tolkien version of the constellation Orion. He is also described as having diamonds on his sword sheath that will glow red when he draws it at the last battle. When Tolkien dropped the concept of the Valarindi, Telimektar was removed from the story and the only trace is a version of his name (Telumehtar) being used for one of the kings of Gondor. Orion is instead called Menelmacar and is described as being made by Varda.

Makar, Meássë,and Telimektar are all part of a group of early characters referred to as the “Lost Valar” who didn’t make it into the published version of The Silmarilion.

There is a spot on Tolkien’s early writings that mentions “Fionwë son of Tulcas” but Fionwë was usually referred to as the son of Manwë , and this is thought to have been an error. Fionwë later became the Maia Eonwë. 

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Arien and Silmo Caretakers of the Two Trees

In the Silmarillion, the Maia Arien is described as being in charge of watering the golden tree Laurelin, because she was the only one who could withstand its heat. She would also collect the golden dews of Laurelin, and use it to water Vana’s flowers. Her counterpart is Tilion, a hunter from Orome’s company who loved the color silver and was in love with Arien.

But in early versions of Tolkien’s works, Tilion didn’t exist. Instead, there was Silmo, a youthful Ainu who was “loved” by the Vala Irmo-Lorien. Silmo was more like a male copy of Arien (called Urwen and Urwendi in early stages) than Tilion is, being appointed guardian of the silver tree (then called Silpion) to be “ever mindful” of the watering of the tree. This similarity between Arien and Silmo is a reflection of the Valar Irmo-Lorien and Vana, who were both more connected to Telperion/Silpion and Laurelin, respectively; Arien was associated with just as Silmo was associated with Irmo-Lorien. 

When the the Two Trees were destroyed, Arien was selected to guide the last fruit of Laurelin (the Sun) across the sky. But while Silmo begged to become the guardian of the last flower of Telperion/Silipion (the Moon), the Valar ended up choosing Ilinsor, an air spirit and assistant to Varda who was associated with snow, instead. 

Silmo’s connection to the silver tree is made clear through the rootword it shares with Silpion as well as Silindrin, a cauldron that held the collected dews of Silpion which Irmo-Lorien gazed into for divination. They all share the root “sil” or “silip” which means to shine with a white or silver light.

Whereas the conception of the character associated with Telperion changed with different stages of Tolkien’s writings (besides always being male), Arien’s character remained essentially the same from Tolkien’s early drafts all the way to The Silmarillion. Tilion replaced Silmo and Ilinsor in the published Silmarillion, leading the two of them to be included as the “Lost Valar.”

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Irmo-Lorien, Master of Dreams and Visions

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Silmo, Guardian of Silpion

Irmo was the Vala of dreams and visions, and was often called Lorien after the gardens in which he lived. Together with his brother Mandos he is one of the Feanturi, the Masters of Spirits, and their sister is Nienna. His wife is Este the Healer, who sleeps during the day on the isle of Lorellin in Lorien. In early stages of Tolkien's works, Irmo-Lorien was more closely associated with the silver tree, which at one point was known as Silpion. At this stage the dews of Silpion were collected in a cauldron called Silindrin, and Irmo would gaze into it and see strange and mystifying visions.

Silmo is a youthful Ainu in Tolkien's early works who was a servant of the Vala Irmo-Lorien. Silmo was in charge of watering the silver tree Silpion (with his name coming from the same rootword as Silpion and Silindrin) in the same way that Arien was in charge of watering Laurelin. When the moon was created Silmo wanted to be given the task of guiding it through the sky, but he was passed over in favor of Ilinsor, a servant of Varda who was associated with air, snow, and starlight. Both Silmo and Ilinsor are absent from the Silmarillion, with the Maia Tilion replacing them.

The text mentions that Lorien "loved the youthful Silmo" which is an interesting description of two male characters considering that Tolkien was strongly influenced by his Catholic faith. In the Silmarillion it’s mentioned that many Maiar served Lorien and his wife Este in their gardens, but while Melian served both Vana and Este, no Maia specifically associated with Lorien is named. Olorin (later Gandalf/Mithrandir) is mentioned as visiting the gardens of Lorien frequently and his name comes from a rootword for “dream” so there was likely a connection. 

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Nieliqui

The Little Maiden of the Valar

Nieliqui was the young daughter of Vána and Oromë at a point in Tolkien's early works when the Valar were more like Greco-Roman gods and had children with each other. These children of the Valar were referred to as the Valarindi, and these characters existed before the concept of the Maiar was developed. Even Melkor had a son at this stage (Kalimbo/Kosomot) with an ogress whose name was either Ulbandi or Fluithuin. Most of the Valarindi characters were dropped, but a few managed to be reincorporated as Maiar and Kalimbo/Kosomot was reimagined as the Balrog lord Gothmog. Those who were dropped became part of a group of characters known as The Lost Valar who only appear in Tolkien's early drafts.

Not much is said about Nieliqui besides the fact that she was a small maiden who liked to dance in her father's woods. This often took place while Ómar-Amillo (another Lost Vala), who was the Vala of song and music, would sing in the woods. Both of Nieliqui's parents had strong connections to nature, especially trees, and some fans have imagined her as a dryad-like character. Her love of dancing suggests that she also takes after her aunt Nessa, the Vala of dancing.

At this stage in Tolkien's writings, Nessa and Oromë were the children of Aulë and Yavanna, making Nieliqui the grandchild of two of the most powerful Valar. Another of the Valarindi was Telimektar, the warrior son of Tulkas and Nessa, who was Nieliqui's cousin.

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Fanuin Earlier names: Lathos, Lathweg

Fanuin (year) along with his brothers Danuin (Day) and Ranuin (month) were the three sons of Aluin, the Ainu of Time, in Tolkien’s earlier writings. They appear in The Book of Lost Tales, where they are sent by the father to help the Valar govern time. The three sons were said to have the appearance of old men, similar to the Istari, Fanuin is described as the tallest, with a long beard that swept the ground as he walked.

After appearing before the Valar and stating their mission in an ambigous way, they request a room where they can perform their work in private. The Valar were initially confused and suspicious of the three individuals (some of them even suspected this might be a trick of Melkor’s) but they were also fascinated and gave them a room in Aule’s house where the three brothers set to work. The three brothers each create an invisible “cord” that they present to the Valar to help them establish order over time in Arda.

The short passage involving the children of Aluin is interesting, but it is also confusing to readers because many major events happen before this scene. It raises questions about how the Valar could exist and do things and how could things grow and live if “time” didn’t exist until the three brothers enter Arda. Tolkien was clearly aware of these problems and, instead of resolving them, the three brothers and their story were dropped and don’t appear in the Silmarillion. It’s important to note that this story was also written before Tolkien created the character Vairë the Weaver, the Vala who is responsible for recording time.

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Meássë

The Amazon, The Lioness, The Huntress

Other names: Mechos and Mechothli, Magrintha, Rávë, Rávi, Ravenni

Meássë is one of the “Lost Valar” from Tolkien’s earliest works, a warrior-goddess and sister of Makar. Her name comes from the Quenya root for blood or gore, and she and her brother were violent, quarrelsome beings who had sided with Melkor when he began spreading his own music. However, when they entered Arda they sided with the Valar, though in Aman they lived far away from most of the other Valar, near the Halls of Mandos in halls made of iron and full of eternally battling warrior spirits. They are described as wild spirits who rejoice in storms and earthquakes and frequently left Aman to hunt wild beasts. Tulkas was the only Vala who ever visited them, and did so only to spar with them in order to maintain his abilities. Because of their independent, wild, violent nature, they often disagreed with the other Valar on decisions. 

The Book of Lost Tales makes it clear that despite their willingness to spar with Tulkas, the siblings were not fond of him because he was always laughing and didn’t take fighting seriously. Meássë and her brother had a very strong, honorable view of fighting, and disapproved of those whose fighting didn’t meet their standards. 

This attitude towards battle may help explain why, despite their bloodthirsty nature, they sided with the Valar in Arda rather than with Melkor/Morgoth, who they originally supported. Morgoth is willing to resort to the lowest means to achieve his plans, and is known throughout Tolkien’s works for his deception. This clashes with the honorable view of battle that Meássë and Makar have- though they may be violent and bloodthirsty, they still favor a fair fight. Even though their personalities and opinions are drastically different from the rest of the Valar, they don’t try to hide it and are honest about how they feel. It could also be that they understood that Morgoth alone was as powerful as all the other Valar combined, and therefore they supported the “underdogs” to even the fight. They likely recongnized that if they sided with Morgoth the Valar would be easily defeated, and there would be no more battling within Arda. The Book of Lost Tales also mentions the Valar being supplied with armor and weapons from Makar when they prepare to pursue Melkor after the theft of the Silmarils, thus  Meássë and Makar’s home also doubles as the armory of the Valar. 

Meássë and her brother Makar existed at a point in Tolkien’s writings were the Valar were different than how they appear in the Silmarillion. Here, the most of the Valar more closely resemble a specific Greco-Roman deity such as Zeus/Jupiter, Poseidon/Neptune, Demeter and Gaia, Hades/Pluto, etc. and often have children and even grandchildren. Meanwhile Meássë and Makar more closely resembled gods of Norse mythology, mainly Tyr or Thor and Freyja or Skadi. As Tolkien developed the concept of the Maiar and made the Valar more like Christian archangels and saints, the violent and heavily pagan Meássë and Makar no longer fit well into the narrative and were dropped. 

Meássë is often compared to Norse valkyries and warrior or death goddesses, but she also has similarities to Greek Eris, Celtic Morrigan, Egyptian Sekhmet, Mesopatamian Astarte/Ishtar, and Hindu Kali, among others.

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Silmo 

Maia of Lorien, Guardian of Silpion

Silmo is an Ainu from Tolkien’s early works who was associated with the White Tree of Valinor. The Vala Irmo/Lorien who “loved the youthful Silmo” chose him to be the guardian of The White Tree, which in this stage of Tolkien’s writings was called Silpion, to keep it watered. In this sense he is essentially a male, lunar copy of Arien/Urwen/Urwendi. But while Arien was chosen to guide the Sun upon its creation, the Valar chose Ilinsor to guide the Moon instead of Silmo even though Silmo begged to be given this task. They chose Ilinsor because he was a wind spirit who served Manwe and Varda and loved snows and starlight and assisted Varda in her works, so he would be more familiar with the regions of the sky than Silmo, who spent all his time on the ground. Silmo isn’t mentioned after this and neither Silmo nor Ilinsor appear in Tolkien’s later works; Tilion is the Maia in The Silmarillion who is associated with the Moon. 

Silmo’s name comes from the Quenya root sil, which means to shine with white or silver light, and emphasizes how closely he was connected to the tree Silpion (later Telperion) whose name comes from the same root. In Tolkien’s early works there is also a pot called Silindrin that stored the collected dew of Silpion/Telperion. It’s also probably not a coincidence that his name also contains “ilm”, a word for starlight which can be found in the names of Ilmen, Ilmare, and Ilmarin. Ilmen refers to the region of the sky where the stars, Sun, and Moon are, while Ilmare is the handmaiden of Varda and Ilmarin is the mansions on top of Taniquetil where Manwe and Varda live. Tolkien in turn got the inspiration for this root from Finnish ilma (air) which appears in the Finnish epic Kalevala in the names of the characters Ilmatar and Ilmarinen. The Gnomish (earlier name for Noldorin) version of Silmo’s name was Thilim.

The Valar’s reason for passing over Silmo as guardian of the Moon is intriguing since Arien, who they chose as guardian of the Sun, had essentially the same role as Silmo, spending her time watering the golden tree Laurelin. Like Silmo, Arien was associated with a Vala (Vana) who wasn’t numbered among the Aratar, the eight most powerful of the Valar. Even as Silmo disappeared and Vana’s role “shrank” in Tolkien’s later drafts, Arien has remained the guardian (and only candidate mentioned) of the Sun.

Silmo and Arien’s roles as the guardians of the Two Trees also reflect how the Valar Irmo/Lorien and Vana were much more closely connected to the Trees in the early drafts than they are in the published Silmarillion. Lorien, who was associated with dreams, prophecy, spirits, and magic, would gaze into the pot Silindrin (which contained the collected dews of Silpion) and saw many visions. This probably reflects the fact that most dreams occur during the night when the moon is out, and the fact that the moon has long been associated with magic and the supernatural. 

Silmo is an example of how Tolkien’s perception of the character who guided the Moon went through many revisions during his writing process. In the early works we have both Silmo (associated with dreams and visions; servant of Lorien) and Ilinsor (connected with snows, air and wind, and stars; servant of Manwe and Varda) while later on there is the Maia Tilion, who is a hunter skilled in archery who loves the color silver and is one of Orome’s Maiar. The Book of Lost Tales also mentions a being living on the Moon called Uolë Kúvion by the elves, though not much is known about him. The folklore of the Hobbits also mentions The Man in the Moon, an old being who secretly lives on the Moon in a tower. This same character occurs in some of Tolkien’s non-Middle-earth stories such as Roverandom, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and Letters From Father Christmas. In contrast, Arien/Urwen/Urwendi has been the guardian of the Sun throughout Tolkien’s writings and her details have pretty muched remained the the same since the beginning.

Silmo as a youthful, male character who is admired by an older, also male character (Lorien) is also intruiging given Tolkien’s Catholic faith, which he was heavily devoted to and whose influence can be seen in his works, especially in many of his female characters. 

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Ilinsor

The Sylph, The Steersman of the Moon

Before Tolkien developed the concept of the Maiar there were beings that were lesser Ainur spirits that resembled the nymphs of Greco-Roman mythology as well as the various “fairies” that can be found in the lore of the British Isles. There were three main groups of these spirits: the sylphs (air spirits), the sprites (earth spirits), and mermaids (water spirits). The sprites were also known by other names such as fays, brownies, pixies, and leprawns, and could be divided into Nermir (meadow fays/nymphs), Tavari (wood fays, aka dryads), Nandini (valley fays), and Orossi (mountain fays). The mermaids, which were also called nymphs, could be categorized as Oarni/Oaritsi (sea nymphs), Falmarini/Flathwin/Wingildi (foam nymphs), and nendil/nennil or nindari (water fay or river-maid/nymph). Uinen was called Queen of the Mermaids in Tolkien’s earlier works, and river-maid (the English term, not the elvish one) is applied to Tom Bombadil’s wife Goldberry.

Among the Sylphs, there were two different “clans” that are mentioned. These are the Manir (spirits of air) and the Suruli (individual Súru), also called Suluthrim and Sulussin (spirits of the wind) and they served Manwë. Of these individuals, the only one named is Ilinsor, who is described as a Súru who loved the snows and starlight and aided Varda in many of her works. When the Moon was created from the last bloom of Telperion, Lorien’s servant Silmo, who had been in charge of watering the tree, begged to be given the task of steering the Moon. But the Valar ended up choosing Ilinsor for this job, mainly because he was already a spirit of the air who was close to Varda and was familiar with the winds, sky, and stars. 

Ilinsor and Silmo don’t appear in The Silmarillion, and are instead replaced with Tilion. In addition to Ilinsor and Silmo, The Book of Lost Tales mentions Uolë Kúvion, the Man in the Moon, who is described as an old elf who secretly lives on the moon in a tower that he built. This same character appears in one of Tolkien’s other stories, Roverandom, and appears to be the same as the character referred to by hobbits in The Fellowship of the Rings as The Man in the Moon Who Stayed Up Too Late. Ilinsor and these other moon characters are interesting because they show that Tolkien’s conception of the supernatural spirit associated with the moon went through many changes throughout his writing process. In contrast, Arien (called Urwen and Urwendi in earlier texts) is present from Tolkien’s earliest drafts and her association with the sun and fire and with the Vala Vana remained mostly the same as things went through revisions. 

Tolkien’s association of the moon with a male entity reflects the Norse/Germanic mythology that is heavily present in his works. In many other mythologies/religions, the moon is feminine and the sun is masculine.