...God created the Heavens and the Earth.
Tolkien agreed, and as he created his world, his creation story somewhat echoes that from the Bible.
So what did happen? Well, Tolkien describes the creation of the world, Arda, in his book, The Silmarillion. He describes this heavenly host made up of these awesome beings, all of them powerful. And at first, it seems like they sing the world into existence. However, it is revealed that this song is actually just a foreshadowing of the world, a kind of mental image of what is to be.
Many of these powerful beings, known as the Ainur, desire to go into the world and cultivate it--except one. Melkor. He is the great enemy of the Valar (who are similar to the gods, Ainur with the most power), and of the elves, dwarves, and men.
The stage is set. The Valar have made the world, despite the opposition of Melkor, and have fortified a place from him. Here, they wait, for the first children of Iluvatar--the elves. The Valar are accompanied by the Maiar, two of which feature prominently in The Silmarillion, Sauron and Melian.
Then the elves opened their eyes...
Hello, readers! In these posts, I would like to take you through the wonderful and fantastical world of Middle Earth, hopefully helping to shine some light on Elves, Dwarves, Men, Hobbits, Ents, Trolls, Goblins, Wizards, and the like! I hope you join me on this journey into Tolkien's mind and world.