Hey everyone, Welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video,
we’re going to discuss Manwe, the Wind Lord, the king of the Valar,
and one of the most powerful characters in the Lord of the Rings universe.
Let’s get into it.
To Understand how Manwe is, effectively, the Lord of the Rings’ version of Zeus,
we first have to spend a little time outlining the divine hierarchy - its theogony and cosmogony,
which is to say where, when, and how the gods and the universe came into being
In the Lord of the Rings, the divine structure is monotheistic, meaning there is only one true
god. This god is Eru Illuvatar, known as the One. Self-created, Eru existed before all else,
before mountains, forests, and rivers, before rock, branch, or rapid, and before there existed
any other mind to perceive these things had they been there to be seen. Eru’s
first creations were the Ainur. Using the Flame Imperishable, which was itself an aspect of Eru,
the Ainur were brought to life when Eru thought them into existence. They were holy and immortal
beings, similar to God's angels in Christianity, and their cohort was stratified into two tiers,
the Valar and the Maiar. The Valar were the greatest of the Ainur. Originally they were
15 in number - later 14 after one of them turned evil and effectively became Tolkien’s version of
Lucifer, the fallen angel - and were called the Powers of Arda. (Arda is the name of the world on
which the events of the Lord of the Rings take place.) The Maiar were lesser spirits - minor
angels, more numerous but less powerful than the Valar. At this point there existed only Eru and
his created Ainur. A material world had yet to be made. They all dwelt in the timeless halls,
which were similar to heaven in that it existed beyond the dimensions of time and space. Here,
Eru had the Ainur sing in a divine choir. The sounds of each coalesced into a mighty work, which
was a vision of Arda. Then, once again using the Flame Imperishable, Eru manifested what the Ainur
sang, bringing their vision to life, creating the world. Following this, there was a split.
Some of the Ainur chose to remain in the Timeless Halls while others descended to Arda to shape and
rule the world. The Ainur that descended to Arda became the Valar and the Maiar. (Originally the
world was called Ea, the “World that Is”; It was later named Arda, the “world”, by the elves.)
Of the Valar, there were eight that stood above the rest. These were known as the Aratar (other
names for them were the Holy Ones of Arda and the Eight). Their number included: Nienna, the weeper;
Orome, lord of the forest; Mandos, keeper of the dead and pronouncer of the dooms decreed by Eru;
Aule, the craftsman; Ulmo, lord of the waters; Yavanna, the fertility and bounty of the earth;
Varda, the architect of the heavens, weaving the infinitely intricate tapestry of stars
that whirled overhead; and lastly we have Manwe, the Wind King. Though they’re technically angels,
in power, the Valar were equivalent to the gods of the pagan pantheons of bygone
polytheistic religions. Norse and ancient Greek gods were particularly influential
to Tolkien’s invention of the Valar and Maiar. Manwe was the king of the Valar, the leader of
the Ainur, and the head of the Aratar. Varda, the queen of the Valar, was his consort,
and Melkor, the great enemy of Arda, was his brother. At one time, Melkor was counted among
the Valar and the Aratar, but he was stricken from both orders after his evil nature revealed itself.
It was actually Melkor that was the most powerful of the Valar. While each of the other Valar had
their Locus of power rooted in an aspect of the world, an aspect they personified,
Melkor wasn’t limited in such a way; Instead, he possessed a portion of the power of each
of the other 14 Valar. Ultimately, Manwe became king because he best understood the will of Eru.
Manwe made his home on the towering peak of Taniquetil,
the world’s highest mountain. He was the king of all Arda, but of all his vast, dynamic domain,
it was the element of air he cherished the most and had the deepest affinity for; because of this,
he was also called Sulimo, meaning “Lord of the Breath of Arda”. The winds were his to command,
from the gentlest breeze to the strongest gale. Atop Taniquetil, seated on his burnished throne,
dressed in Azure robes, a gleaming sapphire scepter in hand, he cut an imperious and regal
figure. His eyes were like sapphire, too, but more intense, like two jewels that had captured
a storm’s lightning. High above the world on his craggy perch, Manwe observed all the world beneath
the skies, like a solemn sentinel. Turbulence and bluster in the air meant his mind was working,
and storms meant his mind was in a fury. Of all the animals that inhabited the earth,
birds were most sacred to him, especially eagles. He was the lord of speech, for words could not
be spoken without air; thus, song and poetry were the art forms he loved above all others.
To wrap up, we’re going to highlight a handful of the
more obvious parallels between Manwe and Zeus. Here they are:
They’re both the kings of their respective cohorts. For Manwe, it’s the Valar; for Zeus,
it’s the Olympians. They both rule from atop the highest mountain in the world - Taniquetil and
Olympus, respectively. They’re both associated with the sky,
the wind, and storms. And the eagle is sacred to both of them.
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