Valar

According to the mythic account of the Ainulindalë, the Valar are those Ainur—the primordial spiritual beings—who chose to enter the created world after the Music of the Ainur. The greatest of the Ainur who enter Arda become the Valar, taking on stewardship of the world's shaping and governance under the authority of the single creator, Eru Ilúvatar. They first dwelt at Almaren, later moving to Aman and founding Valinor.

Source materials present the Valar primarily as personified spiritual authorities rather than providing a uniform, detailed physical description for the group. Individual Valar are depicted as personified figures capable of acting in the world (for example Manwë, Ulmo, Tulkas), but the summaries provided emphasize roles and deeds over fixed bodily form.

The Valar complete and elaborate the themes of Ilúvatar's Music by shaping the physical world—mountains, seas, lights, and living things—serving as creative and formative forces. They found Valinor, make polity-level decisions affecting Elves and Men, oppose and wage war against Melkor/Morgoth and his corruptions, and can send or command Maiar (e.g., sending hosts in the War of Wrath, or the Istari in the Third Age). They are subordinate to Eru Ilúvatar, are not omnipresent, and their direct activity varies by Age.