My Little Brain Dump

Who are the Istari?

In response to the trouble caused by Maia Mairon (Sauron), Vala Manwë (the King) formed the Heron Istarion (Order of Wizards) to deal with the problem.

Vala Aulë (the Smith) offered Maia Curumo (Saruman). Vala Oromë (the Hunter) offered Maia Alatar. Vala Manwë chose Maia Olórin (Gandalf). He was reluctant to go but yielded to the demand. Vala Yavanna (the Earth Mother) demanded her presence there, and sent Maia Aiwendil (Radagast) to accompany Maia Curumo. Maia Alatar requested Maia Pallando to accompany him.

Although not specifically stated, it can be inferred that the five Istari (Wizards, Members of the Order) had some ranking within the Order, indicated by their robes: Saruman the White; Gandalf the Grey; Radagast the Brown; Alatar and Pallando the Blue.

After Saruman aligned himself with Sauron, Gandalf's Fala was destroyed while battling a Balrog. When Gandalf returned, his new Fala was not Grey but White. (Did Gandalf get a promotion? Does 2+2=5 or 4? Discuss)

Radagast was sent mainly to protect Nature (again, Vala Yavanna) and basically fucked off to the woods. Neither the adventures nor fate of Alatar and Pallando were described by Tolkien, other than that they were last present in the East.

Fun fact: Because the Ainur are immortal, the peoples of Arda just assumed the five Wizards were like Elves. All but three people, at least: Galadriel, Elrond, and Círdan. Yes, these three KNOW that Gandalf is a Maia. Put that tidbit in your head next time you watch the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings!

(Search my blog for #ainur for more, including definitions of all the strange words. ;) )

A bad explanation of Tolkien mythology and backstory of Rings of Power

In the beginning, Eru (the Creator) created the Ainur. The Music of the Ainur created Eä (the Universe) and Arda (the World). The Ainur who entered that Creation as its guardians are known as Valar (greater Ainur) and Maiar (lesser Ainur).

In a sense, Ainur are angels. Valar are the upper choir and Maiar are the lower choir. *

Many of the Ainur who entered Creation have names. Among them is Vala Melkor, the bad boy of the group, who was cast out and retreated to Arda. He continued to misbehave on Arda, stealing three Silmarilli and destroying the Two Trees for good measure. The Elves didn’t like this, and gave him a new name: Morgoth.

The Dwarves mention Aulë on occasion. Vala Aulë’s domain is smithing/metalworking. (Get it??) One of Vala Aulë’s associates was Maia Mairon. Maia Mairon shifted allegiances to Vala Melkor, and eventually became known as Sauron.

Sauron, a skilled metalworker (previously under Aulë), approached Celebrimbor about making special rings, while Sauron planned to make one for himself.

And that’s what happened just before Rings of Power.

* The Valar eventually sent a group of Maiar to Arda to deal with Sauron’s shenanigans. They are known as Istari (or wizards!)

p.s. Tap the #ainur tag to see an updated version