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The Maiar (singular Maia) were primordial spirits created to help the Valar shape the World in the beginning. They were numerous, though not many were named.
Their chiefs were Eönwë, banner-bearer and herald of Manwë, and Ilmarë, the handmaid of Varda. Five of these spirits, in the Third Age, became the incarnated Wizards, also called the Istari.
History[]
Each of the Maiar is associated with one or more particular Vala of similar stock, though less powerful. For example, Eönwë is the herald of Manwë and Ilmarë the handmaiden of Varda, while Olórin served both the Wind-king and the Star-Queen. Olórin's ways often took him also to the house of Nienna, and he learned from her pity and patience. Curumo and Mairon (who later become a servant of Melkor, taking the name of Sauron) were both servants to Aulë, while Aiwendil served Yavanna. Ossë, Uinen and Salmar, as spirits of the sea, belonged to Ulmo, Alatar; Pallando belonged to Oromë; and Melian served both Vána and Estë.
The Sun and Moon were also piloted by Maiar: Arien, a servant of Vána, was selected to guide the Sun, while Tilion, a hunter in the company of Oromë, was chosen to steer the Moon.
Some of the Maiar were corrupted by Melkor's dissonances since the Ainulindalë and become known as the Úmaiar. Among this race was a group known as the Balrogs (Valaraukar in Quenya).
After the creation of the One Ring and the subsequent rise of Sauron's power, the Valar hold a council in which decided to send a group of Maiar disguised as the Istari, an order of old and powerful wizards, with the quest of unite the Free People of Middle-earth against the power of the second Dark Lord. The Maiar chosen for this quest were Alatar and Pallando (who took respectively the identities of Morinehtar and Rómestámo, the Blue Wizards), Curumo (who became known as Saruman the White), Aiwendil (known as Radagast the Brown) and Olórin (known among the Elves as Mithrandir, among the Dwarves as Tharkûn and Gandalf the Grey among the Men). However for various reasons only Gandalf accomplished his mission and came back to the Uttermost West.
Characteristics[]
Arien was described as "a spirit of fire"
Maiar, like Valar, did not array themselves in a fixed form but could freely change shape. Olórin, or Gandalf, walked among the peoples of Middle-earth in an uncertain form for many years before being sent on the errand of the Valar as one of the Istari.
Like the Valar, however, this power could be lost when abused. Following the dark trails blazed by Melkor, Sauron took upon the form of - and remained - the Dark Lord in the Second Age. And yet, even fallen Maiar retain their immortality. From all indications, when the physical body of a Maia is destroyed, their spirit wanders houseless and their power diminished until they may take a physical form once more, or are restored by their respective Valar. Examples of this can be seen in the threat of Lúthien to Sauron upon his defeat at the Tower of werewolves, whereby it is said:
- "Ere [Sauron's] spirit left its dark house, Luthien came to him and that he should be stripped of his raiment of flesh, and his ghost sent quaking back to Morgoth; and she said 'There everlastingly thy naked self shall endure the torment of his scorn, pierced by his eyes, unless thou yield to me the mastery of thy tower."
- —The Silmarillion, "Of Beren and Lúthien"
A further example includes the resurrection of Gandalf after he and the Balrog of Moria were both slain, one by the other, on the mountain peak of Zirakzigil:
- "Naked I was sent back – for a brief time, until my task is done. And naked I lay upon the mountain-top. There I lay staring upward, while the stars wheeled over, and each day was as long as a life-age of the earth."
- —The Two Towers, Book Three, Chapter V: "The White Rider"
It is not clear how or what restored Gandalf, though it can be inferred that Manwë played some role. It was Manwë that sent the Istari on their errand to check the power of Sauron in Middle-earth; therefore, by Gandalf declaring that he was sent back "until [his] task is done," indicates some level of Manwe's involvement; or as argued by some, it was the direct intervention of Eru Ilúvatar that brought about Gandalf's return.
Powers & abilities[]
Like most of the Ainur, the abilities and powers of the Maiar remain unknown and presumably diverse. Given the nature of the Maiar was to aid the Valar in shaping the world, they likely have considerable power to augment the world around them. Maiar, as primordial spirit beings, are functionally immortal and essentially immune to the ravages of time; even from physical destruction, they remain in spirit form.
Being of divine origin, they can shapeshift if they so choose. They wander the world unseen or shape themselves in any fashion, be they Elves or other creatures; called Fanar in Quenya could be destroyed, but their being, not extinguished.
It is suggested that the Maiar, in their service to the Valar in shaping the world, presumably could manipulate the elements and energies like their Valar counterparts. They were able to be given a physical body again over time or with help from the Valar. Presumably, the Maiar possessed the ability to perform Magic, thus performing blessings, spells, curses, exorcism, etc.
Given the vastness of the universe and the ability of the Maiar to occupy such points, they are capable of teleporting vast distances. By taking the form of a flying creature (like vampires, bats, birds, etc.) the Ainur could fly.
In adaptations[]
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power[]
In The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the Maia are portrayed as shining beings early on. However the first substantial representations are as Halbrand who is a disguise of Sauron and Gandalf who appears as The Stranger, whose identities are not revealed until the second season.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ማኢኣር |
| Arabic | مايار |
| Armenian | Մայար |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Маіар |
| Bengali | ম্ঐঅর |
| Bosnian | Majari |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Маяри |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 邁雅 |
| Croatian | Maiari |
| Georgian | მაიარები |
| Greek | Μάιαρ |
| Gujarati | માયર |
| Hebrew | המיאר |
| Hindi | मैअर |
| Hungarian | Maiák |
| Japanese | マイアール |
| Kannada | ಮೈಯರ್ |
| Kazakh | Мэйар (Cyrillic) Méyar (Latin) |
| Korean | 마이아 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Маиар |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Маиар |
| Marathi | मायर |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Маиар |
| Nepalese | माईर |
| Persian | مایار |
| Polish | Majar |
| Punjabi | ਮੈਅਰ |
| Russian | Майар |
| Sanskrit | म्ऐअर् |
| Serbian | Мајари (Cyrillic) Majari (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | මයාර් |
| Slovenian | Majar |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Маиар |
| Tamil | மையார் |
| Telugu | మేయర్ |
| Turkish | Maya |
| Thai | ไมอาร์ |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Майар |
| Urdu | میار |
| Uzbek | Маиар (Cyrillic) Maiar (Latin) |
| Yiddish | מאַיאַר |
|
Races of Arda
Ainur (Valar & Maiar) | Dwarves | Elves | Ents | Great Eagles | Hobbits | Huorns | Men | Petty-dwarves | Skin-changers (Beornings) Servants of the Shadow:
Barrow-wights | Ettens | Dragons (Fire-drakes & Cold-drakes) | Ogres | Orcs (Uruk-hai) | Spiders | Trolls | Úmaiar (Balrogs) | Úvanimor | Vampires | Wargs | Werewolves |