Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Silmarillion, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Unity vs. Division
Fate, Doom, and Free Will
Pride and Arrogance
Greed, Jealousy, and Obsession
Inevitable Loss
Myth and Memory
Summary
Analysis
The elves call the Ainur who descended to earth the Valar and the men call them gods. There are fourteen of them, not including Melkor. Melkor is the mightiest Ainu who descended to the World, but Manwë best understands Ilúvatar’s purposes and is appointed King of Arda. His wife is Varda, the Lady of the Stars, who is revered by the elves and called Elbereth. Melkor fears and hates her more than anyone else. Ulmo, the Lord of Waters, loves elves and men but doesn’t often come to land. His waters hear the troubles of Arda, and he reports them to Manwë.
The elven narrator describes the Valar and their roles according to elven tradition. Though Melkor is powerful, he lacks understanding—a flaw that contributes to his arrogance and leads him to many of his defeats. He hates and fears what he can’t control, such as Varda’s light. Though Manwë is called the King, the Valar don’t come to Arda to conquer it, but to foster its beauty and life and guide it on Ilúvatar’s intended path.
Themes
Aulë—who, like Melkor, loves to create, but isn’t selfish with his creations—has lordship over earth, rock, and crafts. His spouse is Yavanna, the Giver of Fruits, who cares for the growing things of Arda. Námo (also called Mandos), the brother of Irmo, obeys Manwë and rules the Houses of the Dead. His wife is Vairë the Weaver, who makes tapestries of everything that happens in Time. Irmo, the master of dreams, lives in Lórien and is married to Estë the healer. Nienna “dwells alone,” mourning Melkor’s influence in Arda, and often visits Mandos’ realm to comfort the dead.
The Valar each have an aspect of the world that they tend to. Some of their domains (like that of Mandos) are not yet relevant before the existence of the Children of Ilúvatar. Nienna, though she doesn’t create the physical features of the world, has already taken up her role as the Valar of grief and mercy. She mourns the world itself and the ways in which Melkor harmed it during the Great Music and mars it still.
Themes
Tulkas, the strongest Vala, descends to Arda to fight Melkor. His wife is Nessa, who loves to dance and runs with deer. Oromë, a hunter who loves the lands of Middle-earth, is married to Vána the Ever-young. When the Valar descend to Arda, they are accompanied by lesser spirits also created before the beginning of time called the Maiar, who act as their helpers. The elves don’t know how many Maiar there are, since they don’t often interact with the Children of Ilúvatar.
Once again, the narrator reveals their elven perspective—there are things the elves still don’t know about the world, such as the precise number of Maiar who came to Arda. What they do know is that the Maiar came to aid the Valar and contribute their strength to the creation and protection of the world.
Themes
Some of the best known Maiar are Ilmarë, the handmaid of Varda, Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, and Ossë and Uinen, the vassals of Ulmo. Melkor almost succeeds in convincing Ossë to join him, but is thwarted by Ossë’s wife Uinen, who brings Ossë back to Ulmo.
Though Melkor can’t corrupt the Valar, he attempts to corrupt and divide the lesser spirits, the Maiar. Though he frequently succeeds, unifying forces like love and trust can combat some of the estrangement Melkor creates.
Themes
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Other famous Maiar are Melian, who serves both Vána and Estë and tends to Lórien’s trees, and Olórin who “learned pity and patience” from Nienna. Though Melian later walks among the elves as a Maia, Olórin prefers to either remain invisible or disguise himself as one of the Children of Ilúvatar, sharing hope and wisdom as a friend to the people of Middle-earth.
Though the Valar keep themselves apart from Middle-earth for the most part, the Maiar sometimes travel there to live among the elves and men. Olórin, who lives in disguise in Middle-earth for a time and helps to rectify the division caused by Melkor and Sauron, is better known as the wizard Gandalf.
Themes
Melkor falls into “contempt for all things” and continues corrupting the works of the Valar and seeking power. He wields darkness to create evil in Arda, and many of the Maiar are corrupted by his lies and promises into joining his side. Among these are the spirits called Balrogs and one of Aulë’s Maiar named Sauron.
Melkor succeeds in dividing the Maiar, bringing many over to his side to oppose the Valar and support his bid for dominion over Arda. Over time, his envy turns into malice and contempt, and he seeks to corrupt and destroy what he can’t possess for himself.
Themes
