# What is the Chance of the Valar Fighting for the Free People During the Third age?



## 1stvermont (Nov 12, 2018)

*What is the Chance of the Valar Fighting for the Free People During the Third age?*


“_Long years in Arda [Melkor] held dominion over most of the lands of earth.”
-Valaquenta_

If Sauron had the upper hand and was winning the war of the ring would the valar send help? Or, even, why did the valar not destroy Sauron in the third age the first place? I think there are a few reasons. In the first age of course the valar intervened and fought against Melkor and Sauron, yet they are not perfect divine beings but created by Eru, just look at Melkor. When the valar did come to ME it was usually by the efforts of a few to convince the rest to act.Even during the first age they most often neglected middle earth even when arda was under the dominion of melkor and darkness. Even those who lived in ME like melian who married an elf, left Doriath to destruction and returned to the west.

“_They [valar] became more and more enamored of valinor, and went there more often and stayed their longer. Middle-earth was left to little defended, and too little protected against Melkor.”
-J.R.R Tolkien Myths Transformed_

The valar resided in Aman, not middle earth, and they rarely came to ME and only fought in two battle [against morgoth who was no longer in ME in the third age] in the first age and none in the second.

“_Middle earth they [valar] left it for long unguarded, and the lordship of Morgoth was uncontested save by the valor of the Noldor”
-Of men the sillmarillion_


In Morgoths Ring* A*inulindale D it reads “But in valinor the valar dwelt with all their kin and folk and because of the beauty and bliss of that realm they came seldom now to Middle earth” What was omitted the earlier version C where yavanna and orome came to ME to visit. Tolkien seemed to be moving towards a more distant valar even in the first age. So the valar in part neglected a corrupted Middle Earth [by morgoth] because they dwelt in paradise, hard to blame them. So instead of protecting middle earth they

“_The valar took refuge from Melkor....and built and fortified Valinor.”
-Myths Transformed_

It might seem odd but another reason was their love of middle earths natural beauty and not wanting to see it further destroyed caused some valar to not intervene with its affairs. In the later sillmarillion it reads “Aule was grieved, and it is said that he [and others of the valar] had before been unwilling to strive with Melkor, foreboding the hurts of the world that must come of that strife.” Morgoth had put some of his power into the matter of earth itself and caused corruption and the “fall”, to destroy him would also hurt the earth itself.

“_These lands upon either side of sirdon were ruinous and desolate because of the war of powers.”
-Grey Annals the war of the Jewels_

But other reasons also must have played a role. The valar must of felt betrayed by the children of iluvatar. In the first age the elves betrayed them and left paradise for middle earth and brought death to valinor. A few times elves sent boats west to ask the valar for help. They all went unanswered and it appears at times they were killed by Osse.

“_His ship [Voronwe] foundered in a great storm within sight og land, and he alone survived for Ulmo saved him from the wrath of Osse.” 
-Grey Annals the war of the Jewels_


“_During the period of the exile of the Noldor the valar had for the time being cut all communications between Aman and Middle-earth.”
-MR -Athrabeth Finrod Andreth_


Men more often sided with Morgoth in the fist age and fought against the valar in the war of wrath. In the second age Amadil went west to ask the valar for help but was denied. Than the numoneeans attacked the valar and almost brought destruction to valinor. As a result eru remade the world and removed valinor and it became distant from ME.


“_We of the eldar believe that men are often a grief to Manwe, who knows most the mind of illuvatar.”
-Morgoths Ring Ainulindale D [latest version]_


Eru might not have allowed the valar to interfere after this change in the world. So we read in Morgoths Ring “Many other valinor creatures....have not yet been seen upon Middle-earth and perchance never now shall be, since the fashion of the world has changed.”


“_Valinor and even eressea are removed, remaining only in the memory of the earth.”
-Letters 131_

And we read in the later sillmarillion during the first age Orome hunted melkors servants “but the valaroma [his horn] is blown no more upon Middle-earth since the change of the world a_nd the fading of the elves_.” So we see also the fading of the elves as a cause for the neglect of ME by the valar. The Sillmarillion in of Fenor it reads “Melkor most hated the Eldar....because.... he saw the reason for the arising of the valar, and his own downfall.” Andreth [human] in the first age says


“_The valar do not trouble us [mankind] either with care or instruction.”
-Andreth Athrabeth Finrod AH Andreth_


“_There came no vala to guide men, or summon them to dwell in valinor and men have feared the valar, rather than loved them, and have not understood the purposes of the powers being at variance with them.”
-Of men the sillmarillion_


“_The dealings of the Ainur have indeed been motley with the elves.”
-On the beginnings of days_


And by the war of the ring, very few Noldor elves were left on ME and even those few were leaving. The war of the ring was the time for mankind to rule ME.

“_Manwe knew that before long the dominion of men must begin. And the making of history would then be committed to them.... Manwe knew of Sauron, of course.... Sauron however was a problem that men had to deal with.... Sauron's first defeat was achieved by the Numenoreans alone.” 
-Myths Transformed_

The strength of the valor was also greatly reduced by the third age and might have contributed to their reluctance to act. Feanor argued in the first age after the destruction of the two trees they could not even protect Valor from Morgoth how could they protect Middle-earth. In Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth Tolkien says of the valar “They had sufficient power for their functions.” Their main functions were to create the world, help the Noldor elves and most of all to fight morgoth. By the third age those were no longer needed functions and the valar became obsolete and likely since the power Eru granted them was no longer in need, their power was reduced. After the destruction of Morgoth we read in myths transformed “it was also, in a sense the end of manwe's prime function and task as Eldar king.”

“_The valar were like architects..... they become less and less important as the plan was more and more nearly achieved. Men will also fade when they complete their function.”
-J.R.R Tolkien Myths Transformed_

Further the valar had lost a great deal of power creating the world as well as healing the world's ills of Melkor and the war of wrath. By the third age it is likely they were reduced a good deal, even maiar such as Gandlaf it is said, was scarred of Sauron and did not want to go to ME. Sauron's power was great.

“_Sauron was greater, effectively, in the Second Age, than Morgoth at the end of the First.”
-MR Myths Transformed_


Of course one would say, the Valar did act, they sent the Istari. True. Would they just have sent more maiar to help if the battle went ill for the free peoples? I am not sure. Maiar at times sided with Melkor and Sauron and at least one of the Istari, Sauroman, turned against the free people. In this way the valar hurt rather than helped the free peoples. The two blue wizards did nothing to help the free people and most likely followed sauroman's lead.


“_I really do not know anything clearly about the other two – since they do not concern the history of the N.W. I think they went as emissaries to distant regions, East and South, far out of Númenórean range: missionaries to 'enemy-occupied' lands, as it were. What success they had I do not know; but I fear that they failed, as Saruman did, though doubtless in different ways; and I suspect they were founders or beginners of secret cults and 'magic' traditions that outlasted the fall of Sauron.”
-J.R.R Tolkien Letters 211_

If this is true and these wizards started cults [evil magic of sauron/sauroman] for the eastlings, than three of the maiar helped Sauron rather than the free people. Of the two who helped the free people. Radagast did little as he fell in love with birds and the animals of Mirkwood and did not concern himself with anything outside of his animals. The only maiar that fulfilled his role was Gandalf. Surly this was not the intention of the valar. I think it could be argued they hurt rather than helped the free peoples. Asking the valar for more help might do the same.


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## Lómelindë Lindórië (May 23, 2022)

I would have to say that, from a general point of view, the Valar don't normally intervene. Ulmo was the one that did the most for the Elves in the First Age. Considering that the Elves generally faded as time passed on, by the Third Age, the Valar would not have fought for the free peoples regarding the matters of the Third Age and the fate of Arda during so late a time in the history of the world.


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