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.
