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The beings that created the world that includes Middle-earth do not make appearances in The Lord of the Rings movies, but the beings they formed to watch over everything do. Eru Ilúvatar is the One creator above all, and he created the Valar to help him. The Maiar were the next order of beings created to aid the Valar.
Not only do some Maiar appear in the movies, but they’re also often the most important characters. On the other hand, there are powerful Maiar that were essential to the history of Middle-earth throughout the First Age and Second Age, and movie fans have never heard of them.
9 Aiwendil
Aiwendil was closest to Yavanaa, the Vala that loved all the trees, plants, and green things of the earth, which explains why he became close to the woodland realm and its residents when he became the wizard Radagast in Middle-earth. It is not that he is weak but more that he lost his purpose, and despite this, he still manages to aid his fellow Maia Olórin and his quest to find and destroy the One Ring.
When the first elves appeared, Yavanna sent Aiwendil to guard them against the already malevolent Melkor, and he was known among them by the name Hrávandil. Curomo, a Maia that served Aule, disliked Aiwendil and only took him to Middle-earth as one of the Ishtari when Yavanna requested it.
8 Olórin
It was intended to be ironic that one of the most understated of the Maiar would be the key to saving Middle-earth. A servant of the King of the Valar, Manwë, Olórin spent his early years in Lorien and learned the ways of Middle-earth from the other Valar that lived there. He was one of the Maiar that was sent to guard the primeval elves against Melkor.
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Aside from Manwë, the other Vala that influenced Olórin was Nienna, the lonely keeper of grief and compassion. It might have been this crucial understanding of humanity and mercy that gave Olórin the edge over the most powerful Maia in Middle-earth.
7 Uinen
The Lady of the Waters and the patron of all mariners, Uinen was one of the most important Maiar in terms of authority and was worshipped in Númenór. Ossë, her spouse, controlled the sea, but he was a harsh master, and her benevolence protected travelers and sailors from his wrath. As long as the people of the island kingdom were loyal to the Valar, Uinen was their most important deity.
She eventually proved to be even more powerful than her husband Ossë, who defied his original Valar Ulmo and was on the side of Melkor for a time. Uinen was able to return her husband to the good graces of the Valar, and only because of her influence were they able to forgive him. This courtesy was denied to other servants of Melkor, such as Curomo and Mairon, who did not have such powerful advocates.
6 Curumo
Curumo was a leader among the Maiar from the very beginning, interested in the crafts and machines of Middle-earth like the Vala that was his master, Aulë. This was a Vala of great skill and initiative, and personally instructed Feanor, the elf who eventually created the Silmarils.
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Always the leader of the Ishtari, Curomo volunteered to lead the Wizards into Middle-earth while Olórin, who didn’t have as much confidence in his power, had to be ordered to go. Gandalf once commented that Curomo had grown too prideful as the wizard Saruman, and this weakness led to his downfall.
5 Eönwë
In terms of arms, Eönwë was one of the most powerful beings to ever exist in Arda, and his place was next to his master, the leader of the Valar, Manwë. He tends to stay close to Valinor should he be needed, but was present at some of the most important events in history.
Eönwë was the Maia that greeted Elrond’s father, Eärendil, when he appeared on the shores of Valinor carrying a Silmaril. He was the one that lead the forces of the Valar against Morgoth in a war that the Noldor also fought, a war which not only resulted in Morgoth’s final defeat but the recovery and loss of the other two Silmarils. Despite his vast power, he was willing to show Sauron mercy after his master had been defeated, and bring him to the Valinor to be judged. Rather than face the Valar, however, Sauron ran and hid, quietly building up his forces until the Numenoreans would confront him centuries later.
4 Mairon
Not all the Maiar used their powers for good. Sauron, the big bad of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, was also of this order of powerful beings, and he served the Vala Melkor, who was later named Morgoth. Like his master, Sauron was more of a mage and manipulator than a fighter, and it was under these false pretenses that he made the rings and gave them to the races of Dwarves and Men. His plan was to dominate Middle-earth through guile as opposed to military force and when it came to deception, he was one of the most powerful Maiar in LotR.
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Sauron recruited other Maiar to help him, such as the two Balrogs Durin’s Bane and Gothmog. One survived and slept under Moria, to be awakened by the passing of the Fellowship, while the other was killed at theFall of Gondolin.
3 Arien
In Germanic folklore, the sun is a woman, which seems to be a unique idea on a planet where most cultures see the sun as male as the moon as a feminine symbol. Tolkien was a scholar of ancient Germanic languages and their stories, so perhaps this was the inspiration for Arien, the only Maia powerful enough to be entrusted with carrying the sun across the sky.
The Valar Vána was Arien’s master, and she was the guardian of both light and youth. This was not only the light of the sun, as Arien was also a spirit of fire, but the light of knowledge and understanding. Arien is one of only two beings in the history of Arda that could not be deceived by Sauron, the other being Galadriel.
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After the two trees were destroyed, a single fruit from each one was preserved, and the golden light of Laurelin became the sun. Although it was encased in a magical vessel to hold its heat, only Arien could bear it without being hurt.
2 Gothmog
Gothmog was a Balrog who served Morgoth, and unlike Mairon, he took a role on the front line. He was famous for killing several elf kings until he was killed by Ecthelion, the Warden of the Great Gate in Gondolin.
Gothmog was one of the earliest of the Maiar to be named in the books as a close ally of Melkor and was his close lieutenant before the rise of Sauron. One of his first exploits was attacking and mortally wounding Feanor, the creator of the Silmarils; other notable elves that fell under his hoof include Fingon and Ecthelion, the latter of which managed to mortally wound him in return. It’s a good thing that Gothmog was dead by the time of the War of the Ring and the Fellowship never had to deal with him.
1 Melian
Perhaps the most powerful Maiar that existed, she had already retired to the Undying Lands by the time the One Ring was lost. She was recognized as another being by the people of King Thingol, who called her Melian the Maia, and she had manifested into material form out of love for her king. She used a powerful spell, called Melian’s Girdle, to hide her husband’s kingdom from Morgoth’s servant Mairon, and it was eventually breached by a single traitor as she predicted. Her only child was Luthien, who recovered a Silmaril and made a pact with Men by taking Beren as her husband.
When Thingol fell in the final battle against Morgoth, Melian left Middle-earth forever, leaving her memory with her family. Especially favored among these was her grandniece Galadriel, who continued to rule in Lothlorien, one of Melian’s favorite places.
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