The Middle Earth Handbook

By Thomas Bentley, 2002

What led to the events detailed in the Lord of the Rings? I have summarized the most significant players from the mythology crafted by Tolkien and I have used his own terminology. This guide is generally presented in the order of their chronological appearance.

ILUVATAR- ERU, THE ONE GOD - Governor of the Universe who is the creator of all life. Iluvatar never directly meddles in the affairs of Earth for two basic reasons: He is working on other projects and he will not restrict the agency of his children. For those reasons Iluvatar interacts with middle earth indirectly through intermediaries known as the Ainur. To these he has delegated his power and authority known as the “Flame Imperishable” to govern the affairs of the Earth.

MIDDLE EARTH- (M.E.)- A mythical Europe that would have existed in distant prehistory. The term “Middle” refers to it’s physical position between the western continent of Valinor and the Eastern lands.

AINUR- The primary beings created by Iluvatar. These existed before the world and under the direction of Iluvatar they first created the world spiritually and then physically. This process was symbolically described as the “Music of Ainur”. They exist primarily as spiritual beings but when they are sent to M.E. physical bodies are created for them. The two orders of Ainur are The Valar and The Maia.

VALAR- “The Powers of the World” are angelic beings that serve as subordinate Gods to Iluvatar. These were created before the world and helped to create it, but only have partial knowledge of creation. The Valar exercise their delegated authority on Earth first to organize and beautify the elements and secondly to watch over the affairs of the world. They are spiritual in nature but can easily take any physical form as it were clothing. After the Children of God arrive on M.E. the Valar retire to a paradise known as Valinor. Manwe is the greatest of the Valar and the dearest to Iluvatar. He is appointed to be “The First of all Kings,” and Lord of the Earth in the fullness of time. His assistants include a race of giant eagles that help in times of great need.

MAIA- Ainur of lesser degree and servants of the Valar. These were sent to Earth as the guardians of the Children of God although their memories of their pre-existence are partially veiled. Essentially the Maia are angels who are given bodies to serve a specific mission on M.E. Gandalf and Sauruman are Maia of a specific order who have been sent to guide & inspire mankind. The Dark Lord Sauron & the Balrog are fallen Maia who were corrupted by Melkor in the first age.

VALINOR- The homeland of the Valar and eventual paradise for Elves. It is an otherworldly continent west of M.E. that can be reached only through the approval of the Valar. In the first and second ages it was accessible by sea until it was physically separated from the earth after the rebellion of the Numenoreans. At the time of the novels Valinor is accessible only via a supernatural ferry.

FLAME OF ANOR- “The Secret Fire” or “Flame Imperishable”- The power to create and govern all life that has its source in Iluvatar. Portions of the Flame Imperishable have been delegated to the faithful Ainur to aid them in assisting the Children of God. It may only be used in accordance to the will of Iluvatar and it may not be used to create anything impure or evil. As an emissary of the Valar and servant of the men, Gandalf wielded a portion of the Flame Imperishable.

CHILDREN OF GOD- Elves (The Firstborn) and Men (The Followers). The Dwarves were not originally children of Iluvatar but were adopted by him.

ELVES- The Firstborn were given the responsibility of beautifying and preparing the earth for the coming of Men. For their service they do not grow old after reaching a prime physical age. When Men arrive, the Elves are commanded to migrate to Valinor and thereby they must “fade” from M.E. Those Elves still dwelling in M.E. at the time of the Lord of the Rings are resisting that command and are only delaying the inevitable. If an ELF dies unnaturally (i.e. in battle) their spirit resides in the Halls of Mandos until the Earth’s final battle. The destiny of the Elves is tied to the Earth and they all shall finally pass away when it does.

MEN- The Followers are destined to inherit M.E. and are given the gift (or curse) of mortality. Men cease to exist upon the Earth when they die but their spirits continues in another realm. The Gods have revealed that men will be part of the next creative process after the final battle between good and evil at the end of this world.

DWARVES- A race created by Aule the Valar and given life by Iluvatar. Aule created the Dwarves out of the Earth and made them strong, long lived, and with a love for metallurgy. Because of Aule’s innocent intentions and humility, Iluvatar adopted the Dwarves as his children.

MELKOR- “The Enemy”. The first incarnation of Evil who claimed kingship of the whole Earth. One of the original Valar who sought to increase his glory by altering God’s plans for creation. He sought to obtain the Imperishable Flame and hoped to fill the void with his own creations. When he was denied, he rebelled against Iluvatar and the Gods. Melkor began perverting the creations of Iluvatar, destroyed the pillars of light that had provided light to M.E. since the creation and tried to enslave the world. He captured an isolated group of Elves into which he bred the twisted race of Orcs. Melkor was conquered by The Valar and chained in the Halls of Mandos (comparable to Hades). After feigning repentance, he was let loose ages later but he soon returned and poisoned the Trees of Light. Melkor then stole the Simarilli from the Elves and under the leadership of his general Sauron he threatened to overtake all of M.E. Finally at the end of the first age, Beren was able to recover the Simarilli and the Gods acted with severe power to thrust Melkor into the “Outer-Darkness” without form or power.

LIGHT OF VALINOR- Two trees of gold & silver that were grown by the Valar Yavanna to light the world with celestial light. From these the Simarilli were formed. Melkor poisoned the trees with the help of a giant spider in the first age but a portion of their essence had already been imprisoned in the Simarilli.

SIMARILLI- Three jewels in which the Elf Feanor collected the Light of Valinor just before the two trees were slain. These were stolen by Melkor and used to garner his power in M.E. The possessiveness and pride of Feanor resulted in the terrible oath to reclaim his great creation at all costs and led to a rebellion against the Gods. Feanor perverted many of his kindred, started a civil war and then returned to ME to reclaim the Simarilli against the wishes of the Valar. His followers are among the Elves that remain in M.E. in the second and third ages.

BEREN- The hero who recovered the Simarilli from Melkor and the first human to intermarry with an Elf. The story of Beren and Luthien is significant because when she chooses to marry the human Beren, she becomes mortal. Luthien chose sickness & death over immortality in order to be with the one she loved. In the Lord of the Rings, Aragorn and Arwen are faced with a similar dilemma.

SAURON- A Maia specializing in metallurgy that was converted to Melkor and promoted to chief captain. When Melkor was defeated, Sauron “repented” in fear, but still lingered in M.E. Initially he intended on rehabilitating M.E. but he was quickly sidetracked by his lust for power. Using his skills in metallurgy and sorcery he instructed the Elves in the creation of the rings of power. After creating the One Ring, Sauron destroyed the main Elf stronghold, seized all but 3 rings and built a theocracy with himself as the “god” of M.E. Sauron however, was quickly defeated and taken prisoner by the powerful Numenoreans. He patiently gained influence with the king through his lies and treachery until he becomes the confidant of the king. Sauron then denied the existence of The One God, saying that he was an invention of the Valar to control men. A new religion under Sauron arose promoting the worship of the “Dark and Void”. When Numenorea was destroyed Sauron was able to escape to Mordor where he rebuilt his strength until he was confronted by the Last Alliance (of Elves and the exiles of Numenorea). When the Numenorean Isildur cut off the One Ring from the hand of Sauron, his body was destroyed and his spirit fled into the shadows. Because the ring was not destroyed, Sauron began to regain his strength and influence. Although he no longer had physical form, he could remain on Earth because portions of his power and spirit was embedded in the One Ring. After the One Ring was destroyed Sauron’s spirit was forced to join his master’s in the outer darkness.

NUMENOREANS- A line of men who interacted with the exiled Elves during their war with The Enemy. As a result of their fidelity, they were allowed to populate Numenorea, an Island paradise near Valinor. During the second age, this nation became similar in thought, appearance and language to the Elves. This resulted in extra long life spans of approximately 300 years but they are still mortal. To the rest of men they were seen as divine benefactors until the Numenoreans become corrupted by power. After being defeated by the Numenoreans, Sauron used his subtle powers of deception to create contention within the hearts of his conquerors. The Numenoreans became cruel and wicked lords of necromancy and the faithful became persecuted and sacrificed. Their pride led them to seek wealth rather than bliss and they exorcised unjust dominion over normal men. Longing for immortality, the Numenoreans started a Cult of the Dead and a great resentment against the Valar. Sauron convinced the king that the Valar were withholding immortality from them and that if he could conquer Valinor, he would be given everlasting life. The king commanded his entire nation to launch a terrible armada to overtake Valinor. Iluvatar destroyed the Numenorean nation by a great flood and the immortal lands of Valinor were forever separated from M.E. The only survivors were Sauron who fled to Mordor and a small band of uncorrupted men who escaped to M.E. These noble men are the founders of Gondor and the defenders of M.E. against the forces of Sauron until his defeat. As a descendant of the Numenoreans and the heir to the throne of Gondor, Aragorn has an extended lifespan and other abilities beyond the norm.

RINGS OF POWER- The chief power of the rings is to enhance the abilities of its bearer and to prevent decay. After the defeat of his Master, Sauron helped the Elves create these rings through which the Elves were able to delay their destiny of “Fading into the west” (Returning to Valinor). The other goal of the Elves was to use the power enhancing benefits of the rings to beautify the Earth. The dark underlying magic that Sauron used to create the rings connected them to the One Ring, which mastered all the rest. The master of the One Ring could read the thoughts of the other ringbearers, could affect their actions, and eventually enslave them completely. The Elves made three rings without Sauron's assistance and hid them from Sauron once they learned his true nature. Sauron seized all but the three Elvin rings and destroyed the main Elvin stronghold in M.E. He then distributed 7 rings to the Dwarves and 9 to the kings of Men. When they learned of the Evil nature of the rings the Dwarves soon rejected them, but the Men could not.