~24 min read
Encyclopedic overview
17 sectionsContents
- Origin and acts
- The chief Valar
- Lords
- Queens
- Ex-Valar
- Language
- Analysis
- ''Beowulf''
- Norse Æsir
- Godlike power
- Pagan gods or angels
- Luck or providence
- Notes
- References
- Primary
- Secondary
- Sources
thumb|420x420px|Relationships between the Valar.
The Valar (; ) are characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. They are "angelic powers" or "gods" subordinate to the one God (Eru Ilúvatar). The Ainulindalë describes how some of the Ainur choose to enter the world (Arda) to complete its material development, after its form is determined by the Music of the Ainur. The mightiest of these are called the Valar, or "the Powers of the World", and the lesser spirits are called the Maiar.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Valar” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.