Summary
Though the main stories ofThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbitare riveting enough on their own, some of the most interesting stories in Middle-earth are the ones that aren’t found within those main books and are instead parts of the overall lore that Tolkien expanded upon in other books or just in his notes. The origins of Middle-earth and beyond are fascinating, as these stories aren’t exactly integral to the plot ofThe Lord of the Rings, but are detailed enough that they could have become whole books on their own.
The gods of Middle-earth - the Valar - are figures that pop up a lotin Tolkien’s lore, which makes sense because they’re integral to the story of how Middle-earth came to be, and particularly how it came to be the way that it is when the Third Age begins and the events ofThe HobbitandLOTRtake place. One of the major conflicts involving the Valar was the Battle of the Powers, where they fought against the powers of Melkor. But what exactly was this battle about, and who were the almighty beings that were involved?
Who Were The Gods of Middle-earth?
The gods of Middle-earthwere the Valar, and they were the beings who created and shaped the world, watching over it from afar. Eru Ilúvatar was the supreme deity of Arda, and the other Ainur were molded after his thoughts. The Ainur were the first holy beings created by Ilúvatar at the beginning of time, and the fourteen Ainur who entered Arda to give shape to the world through the Music of the Ainur were known as the Valar. Each of the Valar had their own part in the creation of the world, save for Melkor, who was known as the strongest of them all, but was also the source of evil in the world and was banished from the group.
The Lord of the Valar were Manwë (the King of the Winds and King of the Valar), Ulmo the Sea King (Lord of Water), Aulë the Smith, (Lord of Earth and all that’s underneath), Oromë the Huntsman, (Lord of Forests), Námo the Doomsman (Judge of the Dead), Irmo (the Lord and Master of Dreams, Visions, and Desires), and Tulkas the Wrestler (the Champion of Valinor). The Ladies of the Valar were Varda the Star Queen (Queen of the Valar), Yavanna the Fruit-Giver (Lady of Earth), Nienna the Weeper (the Lady of Mercy), Estë the Gentle (Lady of Healing and Rest), Vairë the Weaver, Vána the Ever-young, and Nessa the Dancer. Most of the Valar were either married to each other or siblings, so they were all deeply intertwined.
What Was The Battle of the Powers?
The Battle of the Powers was the war between Melkor and the other Valar who wanted to free the Elves from Melkor’s clutches. After the Awakening of the Elves, any of the Elves who wandered too far from their homelands were captured by Melkor and tortured until they became corrupted into Melkor’s own forces for evil - which ishow Orcs came to be in Middle-earth. The Valar declared war on Melkor, and they easily defeated his forces in the northwest near Angband. The Valar then sieged the rest of Melkor’s servants at Utumno, where they had fled.
However, because they hurried to Utumno, theydid not fully cleanse Angband of its evil, the remnants of which still lingered in the deep. After this decades-long conflict, the Valar were finally victorious when Tulkas personally defeated Melkor, after which they captured him and took him back to Valinor to determine his fate. He was given a prison sentence in the Halls of Mandos for thousands of years.
What Happened After The Battle of the Powers?
The war between the Valar and Melkor absolutely devastated the lands of Middle-earth, destroying a lot of it and changing the very face of the continent itself. Middle-earth and Aman had been separated before, but now the Great Sea between them had grown even bigger. New rivers and mountains were formed all over Middle-earth because of the damage from the battle. The Elves also saw a change in their cultures and traditions that lasted long afterward when they were invited to Valinor in the aftermath of the war and also began to populate the western parts of Middle-earth. The Balrogs hid in Angband after the war, biding their time untilMelkor returned to Middle-earthonce again, where he used Angband as his fortress.
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