The valar, the angelic powers of the world who entered Ea to fulfill the vision of Illuvatar. There they made the lands, the seas and the stars. They made the sun and the moon, and fought Melkor for the mastery of the earth. And above all; they made the lands habitable for the children of Illuvatar. But with the coming of elves and men their guardianship was wrought with troubles, and their actions were often strangely inadequate and unperceptive.
We will take a closer look at why the valar understood the elves but a little, and men not at all, and how this led them to make truly disastrous decissions. The mighty vala Ulmo was however often opposed to Manwes strategies and together with Mandos he showed great foresight and wisdom in his dealings with the children.
Where did the valar make their worst mistakes, and what was their greatest successes? How did their strategies change over time and who do you think did the most to aid elves and men in their wars with the dark powers? Why did the valar lay down their guardianship when the numenoreans attacked Valinor?
We will also debate the events leading up to the dispatchment of the istari to middle earth, and explore the links between the wizards and specific valar.
Join us in #thehalloffire as we try to decide whether the valar were wise councels or strategic dimwits.
Suggested reading:
The Silmarillion – Ainulindale, Valaquenta and chapters 1,2,3,6,8,11, and 24
Unfinished tales – The Istari
Morgoths ring – Of the coming of the elves
Upcoming discussions:
May 31/April 1
Return of the King Book V, Chapter 8 – The Houses of Healing
Times:
Saturday Chat:
5:30pm ET (17:30)
[also 11:30pm (23:30) CET and 7:30am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat:
7:00 pm (19:00) CET
[also 1:00pm (13:00) ET and 3:00am (03:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
AET = Australian East Coast
Do you have a possible topic for Hall of Fire? Drop us a line at halloffire@theonering.net.
