Manwë

Nature and rank

Manwë is the chief of the Valar and the one whom Eru Ilúvatar appointed as the first of all kings, lord of the realm of Arda and ruler of everything that dwells in it. He is a brother of Melkor in the mind of Eru, sprung from the same thought, but where Melkor sought mastery, Manwë sought understanding, and he came into the World as the mightiest of those who remained faithful. His element is the air: winds, clouds and all the regions from the depths of the atmosphere to the borders of the stars answer to him. His name among the Elves, Súlimo, refers to the breath and the wind. In the Music, and in the World, he was Melkor's chief opponent, chosen by Eru as the instrument by which the second theme would be upheld.

Manwë is not the most powerful of the Ainur in raw might; that was Melkor. He is the wisest in the sense that matters most, being the Vala who best understands Eru's purposes. His weakness, if it is one, is that he does not understand evil from the inside, because there is no evil in him. This led him to release Melkor after his sentence and to believe his repentance, with catastrophic results. Yet the histories treat this as the flaw of a good ruler rather than a fault of judgement: Manwë could not conceive of the depth of Melkor's malice because nothing in his own nature answered to it.

Dwelling and household

Manwë and his spouse Varda have their seat in Ilmarin on the summit of Taniquetil, the highest mountain in Arda, at the eastern edge of Valinor. From there, with Varda beside him, he can see across the whole of the World, and when the two are together his sight and her hearing reach farther than either could alone. His herald and banner-bearer is Eönwë, mightiest in arms of all the Maiar. The Great Eagles are his particular servants: Thorondor, king of the Eagles in the First Age, and later Gwaihir, acted as his eyes over Middle-earth and intervened at his bidding. All swift birds are his, and they bring him news.

Manwë loves the Vanyar, the fairest of the Elves, best of all the Children, and they dwell near him on the slopes of Taniquetil. He also loved Fëanor's craft and grieved at his fall.

The shaping of Arda

In the first ages of the World Manwë led the Valar in their labour of shaping. He called Tulkas to their aid against Melkor and ordered the building of the Two Lamps. After Melkor cast down the Lamps and the Valar withdrew to Aman, it was under Manwë's rule that Valinor was built and hallowed. When the Elves awoke, he heard Oromë's report and, after taking counsel, decided to make war on Melkor for the Children's sake; the Battle of the Powers broke Utumno and brought Melkor in chains to the Ring of Doom. Manwë then summoned the Elves to Valinor, a decision opposed by Ulmo and later regretted by many, but made out of love and fear for the Children.

The judgement of Melkor

After three ages Melkor was brought before Manwë and begged for pardon. Manwë granted it, against the doubts of Ulmo and Tulkas, and Melkor was allowed to walk in Valinor and eventually to teach the Noldor. When Melkor and Ungoliant destroyed the Two Trees, it was Manwë's ruling that the Valar would not pursue him; and when Fëanor swore his Oath and led the Noldor into exile, Manwë sent a herald to warn them but did not hinder them, because their choice was free. He wept when he learned of the Kinslaying at Alqualondë, and he pronounced that the Noldor would find no aid from the Valar while they persisted.

He did not, however, abandon Middle-earth. He set the Eagles to watch from Thangorodrim and the Crissaegrim, so that Thorondor could rescue Maedhros, carry away the body of Fingolfin, and save Beren and Lúthien before the gates of Angband. He also, with the other Valar, made the Sun and the Moon and set them in the sky under the guidance of the Maiar Arien and Tilion.

Eärendil and the War of Wrath

When Eärendil came to Valinor bearing a Silmaril and pleaded for both Elves and Men, it was Manwë who gave judgement. He ruled that Eärendil and Elwing should not die for having set foot in Aman, since they had come for the sake of the two kindreds and not for themselves, and he gave them and their sons the choice between the fates of Elves and Men. He then sent the host of the Valar to Middle-earth under Eönwë. In the War of Wrath Angband was broken, and the Valar bound Melkor and thrust him through the Door of Night into the Void, where Manwë's watch is set for ever.

The Second and Third Ages

Manwë received Elros and the Edain into Númenor and, with the Valar, laid the Ban on sailing west. As Númenor fell into pride, he sent messengers to reason with the kings, and the Eagles gathered in warning clouds over the island. When Ar-Pharazôn invaded Aman, Manwë laid down the Valar's guardianship and called upon Eru.

In the Third Age Manwë acted through emissaries. He summoned the council that chose the Istari, and according to Unfinished Tales it was he who named Olórin, later Gandalf, when Olórin held back out of fear of Sauron. Through the Eagles he intervened repeatedly: Gwaihir freed Gandalf from Orthanc, carried him from Zirakzigil, and bore Frodo and Sam out of the ruin of Mount Doom. When Gandalf died in Moria and was sent back, he returned with an authority beyond that of the Valar, but he came to Middle-earth still as Manwë's messenger.

Legacy

Manwë remains King of Arda. He rules in Valinor to this day, beyond the reach of mortals, and will do so until the end of the World. His legacy in Middle-earth is chiefly in the Eagles, who are still spoken of with awe in the Fourth Age, and in the memory among the Elves of a king who never sought dominion and who wept at the wrongs he could not prevent.

Manwë remains King of Arda in Valinor, beyond the reach of mortals, and will endure until the end of the World.