The greatest warrior in creation, Tulkas the Strong served as Champion of the Valar, so
skilled wielded no weapons and fought with bare hands.
Content within the Timeless Halls, it was only after Tulkas witnesses Melkor’s attack
in the First War, that he descended onto Arda, determined to defend the Valar and their creations.
Unlike the selfish rage which propelled Melkor to violence, Tulkas was noble and good-hearted,
laughing as he charged into battle, producing an aura which vanquished darkness.
Fearing his wrath, Melkor retreated from the world, allowing the Spring of Arda to unfold,
when the Valar completed their labors and lived in peace.
Yet the Dark Lord eventually returned, built a secret fortress in the north, built up his
forces and began a campaign of revenge.
Meanwhile, as the Valar enjoyed their last days of peace, Tulkas the Strong married Nessa
the Dancer, sleeping long and deep after the joyous celebration.
Learning that greatest threat to his plans was temporarily neutralized, Melkor took this
opportunity to strike, launching an attack so devastating it reshaped the lands and darkened
the skies.
Resettling upon the continent of Aman, the Valar discovered Melkor was in Middle-earth,
preying upon the newly awakened elves to create the orc race, prompting Tulkas to advocate
strongly in favour of the War for Sake of the Elves, in which he personally fought and
defeated the Dark Lord.
Though Melkor eventually feigned repentance and was freed from captivity, Tulkas never
believed it and argued against his release.
One of the Dark Lord’s most feared and hated enemies, the Second prophecy of Mandos foresaw
a final confrontation during Dagor Dagorath at the end of the world, where Tulkas the
Strong would be joined by the Maia Eonwe and human Turin Turmabar to fight Melkor one last
time.
The wife of Tulkas and sister of Orome, Nessa the Dancer was known for her beauty, grace
and speed, who spent her days admiring the beauty of the natural world while dancing
and running with deer.
Living in the House of Tulkas, within the city of Valmar, their home featured a spacious
courtyard where she served wine to her husband’s friends and champions as they competed in
athletic games.
One of Nessa’s favourite places to visit was the forest of her brother Orome the Huntsman,
who like his sister had a deep bond with nature, breeding the finest animals in the world.
Living in the House of Orome with his wife Vana, the Great Rider delighted in hunting,
trapping, skinning and leatherwork, straying from their homeland further than any of the
other Valar in his purauit of new game.
During the years of the Trees, Orome travelled beyond Valinor into the darkened lands of
middle earth where he was enraged to learn Melkor had created terrible beasts and monsters,
setting off on a crusade to wipe them out.
Whereas Tulkas was known be cheerful even while fighting, Orome was fearsome in his
wrath, creating an aura so menacing it put fear into the Dark Lord.
Matters then grew worse, when the Huntsman discovered Melkor was turning Elves into Orcs,
and thus returned into the west to inform the other of the Valar so they could launch
the War for Sake of the Elves.
As a consequence of the years Orome spent in Middle-earth, travelling with specially
bred animals from Valinor, some had offspring, producing the lineages of highly prized species
in later ages like the Mearas horses and Kine of Araw oxen
The wife of Orome, Vana the ever-young was a beautiful and beloved by the natural world,
with flowers blooming and birds singing in her presence.
The most well-known of her servants were the Maiar Arien best known for moving the sun
through the sky, and Melian, who moved to middle earth, married an elven king, and reigned
as Queen of Doriath for centuries.
Dressed in garments woven from flowers, Vana spent her time visiting gardens and the forest
of her husband.
The brother of both Lorien and Nienna, Mandos the Doomsman acted as Ruler of the afterlife,
serving in the Halls of Mandos, where the spirits of the dead gathered to face judgement.
The husband of Vaire, Mandos knew much about the past, present and future, but did not
reveal it to anyone unless given permission by his ally Manwe, who like him, best understood
the vision they saw in the timeless halls.
Among the few warnings and prophecies revealed, Mandos informed the Valar when the Elves were
set to awaken, allowing Varda to create the Stars in the sky as a source of light over
the eastern continent.
When the Noldor abandoned Valinor to wage war against Melkor in middle-earth, they were
forbidden from returning in the Doom of Mandos, which foresaw terrible consequences upon those
who departed.
He also predicted the end of the world, in the Second Prophecy of Mandos, stating that
Melkor would return for a final confrontation during Dagor Dagorath.
Known for his grim personality and cold judgments, even Mandos was charmed by the famous love
between the Beren and Luthien, who both died before having the chance to live a life together.
Thought to be the greatest love story in middle-earth, the human Beren undertook the seemingly impossible
task of recovering a silmaril from the dark lord melkor, in order to prove himself worthy
of Princess Luthien, the immortal daughter of the elf King Thingol and maia Queen Melian
of Doriath.
Despite succeeding in his quest and winning her hand, it cost Beren his life, which then
caused Luthien to die from grief.
Not only were the robed of a life together, they were also separated in the afterlife
as the Halls of Mandos kept the spirits of men and elves apart, awaiting the differing
fates.
Yet even in death Beren would not be denied, and so refused to cooperate until he saw Luthien
one last time for a proper goodbye.
Meanwhile Luthien’s immortal spirit which awaited rebirth into the world sang a song
of such sorrow it moved Mandos to pity, resulting in an exception to be made for the loving
couple.
With Luthien’s blessing, it was decided she would surrender her immortality to share
in the fate of men, but in exchange she and beren would return to Middle-earth, where
they could live out the rest of their mortal lives together.
The wife of the Doomsman, Vaire the weaver dwelt with her husband in the Halls of Mandos,
where she wove the story of the world onto its walls.
When the Noldor King Finwe sacrificed his life so his first wife Miriel could return
to Valinor, she entered the service of Vaire so she could dedicate herself to recording
the history of the House of Finwe.
The brother of Mandos and Nienna, Lorien was the Master of Visions and Dreams who dwelt
with his wife Este in the great gardens they maintained.
Becoming famous amongst the immortal races, the gardens of lorien were one of the beautiful
places in the entire world, teeming with wondrous and enchanted wildlife.
Gifted with the power to produce a vivid dreamlike state, Lorien was known to grant visions to
the Elves who visited his gardens.
The wife of Lorien, Este the gentle, was the healer of hurts and weariness, known to wear
grey colors and sleep during the day.
Living in the Gardens of Lorien, she spent much of her time resting upon a small island
at the center of lake Lorellin.
Following the destruction of the two trees in Valinor, Este argued vehemently that their
new system of illumination be divided into a day and night cycle, to help with the growth
and prosperity of wildlife.
The sister of Mandos and Lorien, Nienna was the lady of pity and mourning, who spent most
of her time alone in the Halls of Nienna.
Known for compassion and mercy, she sometimes visited the Halls of her brother, providing
comfort for the souls of the dead, and was an instructor to the Maia Olorin, instilling
in him a deep empathy which helped fuel his dedication to liberating Middle-earth from
Sauron in the third age.
A Vala of great power, her tears watered the ground to grow the two trees of light, golden
fruit of the sun and silver flower of the moon.
When the dark lord Melkor feigned repentance in order to be released from captivity, Nienna
was one of the only Valar to speak in his favour, demonstrating her profound sense of
compassion for other living beings.
While the rest of the Valar made their home upon the continent of Aman, Ulmo, the Lord
of Waters and King of the Sea, lived within the depths of his aquatic realm, taking no
wife and little part in the events of Valinor.
Though he was a staunch ally of Manwe and one of the chief architects of Arda, he only
attended councils when absolutely necessary.
Known to play his Ulumuri horn, it was Ulmo who best understood the original Ainulindale,
and as a result the Elves claimed they could hear echoes of this music in the waters of
middle-earth.
Of all the Valar, Ulmo cared most for the children of eru, watching over them and intervening
on their behalf when possible.
Even after the other Valar recused themselves from interfering in the affairs of Middle-earth,
Ulmo continued to use rivers and lakes to stay informed and send help.
Served by the Maiar Osse and Uinen, he told the children of safe and secret places to
build settlements and even sent warnings of imminent attack.
During the years of the trees, Ulmo uprooted the islands of tol eressea and used it as
a ferry to bring the Elves to Valinor.
Nearing the end of the War of Great Jewels, when the Dark Lord was on the verge of conquering
Beleriand, Ulmo saved the life of the heroine Elwing, who held a silmaril and avoided capture
by throwing herself into the sea.
Granting her the ability to take the form of a white bird, Elwing reunited with her
husband Earendil and joined in his mission to seek aid from the Valar, ending in the
war of wrath and defeat of Melkor.
With so many Valar of differing skills and interests, they were sometimes categorized
and grouped together, in order to provide insight into their history, levels of power
and specializations.
Among the many names given to these groups, the 8 most powerful were called the Aratar,
and included: Manwë, Aule, Orome, Mandos, Ulmo, Varda, Yavanna, and Nienna.
Of those considered the chief architects of Arda, there was Manwe, Aule and Ulmo.
As for the Brothers Mandos and Lorien, both gifted with powers focused on matters beyond
the physical world, they were called the Feanturi, meaning Masters of Spirits.
Finally, there was Tulkas, Aule and Varda, who distinguished themselves as the greatest
and most hated enemies of the Dark Lord Melkor.