The Dream-Ruler, Master of Desires, Master of Visions and Dreams
Other names: Olofantur, Fulmur, Losfan, Glurim, Luriel
In the Silmarillion, Irmo is a Vala and one of the Feanturi (Masters of Spirits) together with his brother Namo/Mandos. His sister is Nienna, and he dwells with his wife Este in the Gardens of Lorien in Valinor, where many spirits serve them. Irmo is the youngest sibling in the mind of Illuvatar, and his brother and sister are both counted among the Aratar, the 8 most powerful Valar, while he is not. His gardens are the most beautiful in Arda, and the elves and even other Ainur come there for rest and refreshment. Irmo is more commonly known as Lorien, even though this is actually the name of his dwelling. His power is less physical than other Valar such as Ulmo, Yavanna, or Aule; he sends dreams and visions to provide hope and guidance to the elves. Originally, when the Sun and Moon were created, it was Varda’s intention that they should journey together across the sky, so that their lights would mingle like those of the Two Trees. Lorien and Este intervened, stating that the combined light had caused sleep and rest to vanish from the earth and had dried up the gardens. Thus, Varda changed her design so that each would rest below the earth while the other traveled across the sky to allow for a time of night. After the elf Miriel gave birth to Feanor, she became weary of the world and was taken to Lorien and Este for rest and recovery. However, her spirit departed from her body to the Halls of Mandos and refused to return; Este’s maidens continued to tend and preserve Miriel’s lifeless body. This was a shocking event for both the Valar and the elves as it was essentially the first death to occur in Valinor.
In The Book of Lost Tales Lorien is a more detailed and prominent character. His halls are south of the mountains of Aman and the large gardens wind around until they come near the silver tree Telperion. Yavanna gave Lorien many species of yews, cedars, and pines for his gardens that gave off a soothing fragrance that made one drowsy. He is also mentioned using poppies in his “enchantments” which have hallucinogenic properties in the “real” world.
Here Lorien’s relationship to the Moon is more established: a servant of Lorien named Silmo is tasked with watering Telperion in the same way Arien is in charge of watering Laurelin, the dews of Telperion are collected into a cauldron called Silindrin which is kept in Lorien’s gardens, and after the death of the Two Trees Lorien and Vana try to use the dews of Silindrin to revive them while the other Valar chase after Melkor. It was said that Lorien would gaze into Silindrin and see many strange and mysterious visions in the waters. Lorien’s servant Silmo is later a candidate for steersman of the Moon but Varda’s servant Ilinsor is chosen instead, at a point in Tolkien’s writings when the Maia Tilion didn’t exist yet. In these stories he can also be seen as a counterpart to Vana; both are associated with gardens and with the Two Trees (and eventually the Sun and Moon) and both have Maiar who become the guardians of the Sun and Moon. They also are both described as the younger sibling, and both of their sibling are counted among the Aratar while they themselves are not.
After the Fall of Numenor and the removal of Aman from Arda, Manwe has Lorien create the Olórë Mallë (The Path of Dreams) which is non-physical path that allows the spirits of elves and men to visit the gardens of Lorien while they sleep, since Manwe was unwilling to completely abandon the people of Middle-earth. During the Hiding of Valinor, Lorien placed enchantments on the island of Tol Eressea that caused mariners who set foot on it to fall into a deep slumber for eternity.
The Silmarillion states that many Maiar served Lorien and his wife Este, but doesn’t name them. There is a connection to Gandalf, whose name before he came to Middle-earth was Olorin, which comes from the same elvish root word (olor/olos) as the Olórë Mallë (Path of Dreams) that was made by Lorien, as well as Olofantur (Master of Dreams) which is an earlier surname of Lorien himself. Gandalf was known for his ability to inspire hope and courage in mortal people, a trait shared with Lorien. In earlier works, Silmo is a youthful male Maia who is “much loved” by Lorien and is in charge of watering and caring for the tree Telperion, being that trees’ counterpart to the Maia Arien. After the death of the Two Trees, Silmo begs to become the steersman of the Moon but the Valar pick Ilinsor for this task because of his close association with the sky and Varda. Both of these characters are absent from The Silmarillion and are replaced by Tilion, a Maia of Orome who loves Arien.