Lore of Middle-earth: The Ainulindalë: Creation and Related Matters

Once more unto the lore! Today I talk of the Pantheon of Arda.
Final song created and provided by Adrian von Ziegler:
adrianvonziegler.bandcamp.com/

[@gustavogandaramontano7758]

So both Saruman and Suaron were Maiar from Aulë? Man, Aulë really needs to start implementing a “don’t become evil” training program among his minions.

+Gustavo Gandara Montano Hahahaha!

[@Bastardson_]

Hahah! Yep. Well, at least he did a better job with the dwarves, since even Sauron's rings couldn't make them turn to outright evil. I've always thought that it wasn't really anything to do with Aulë himself that caused his chief Maiar to betray the world, but rather the basic nature of those Maiar. Since Maiar who follow Aulë have an affinity for crafting and physical creations, it makes sense that they would be drawn to beings who use physical artifacts and creations to increase their own power.

[@pyronixcore]

That's the problem with assigning free will and emotions to living beings.

[@ulmo5536]

Have been listening to your lore-videos for over 2 years now and I keep coming back part because of my love for the Tolkien legendarium but also because they of way you present the lore of arda and aman etc. These videos work as a form of therapy for me. Just wanted to say thank you and keep it up!

[@ClaytonCampbell]

I would disagree with your point about Iluvatars active role in the world. Although it is true that largely Iluvatar chooses to act through the Valar, he does take action several times. He personally created the elves and men, he acted in the creation of the dwarves, giving them free thought. He acted to awaken the three peoples of elves, dwarves, and men. He grants "the gift of Iluvatar, granting death to men (and presumably dwarves) to give peace after the suffering of life. He sinks the island of Numinor, and protects Elendil and his sons, bringing them safely to Middle Earth. And in Tolkien's letters, he reveals that Iluvatar directly intervenes to cast Gollum into Orodruin. There may be others I've forgotten about as well.

+Clayton Campbell Agreed yes but if you remove the sinking of Numenor and the Gollum intervention. He is practically non existent for essentially all time. Awakening the races kicks off history as we know it but then he is sporadic at best until he is only taking part once every 6000 years. Although said like that, I suppose that is similar to Christian God because it had been 2000 years since he supposedly sent his son and nothing else has supposedly happened since then.

[@spowley6972]

Just wanted to say that I thoroughly enjoy your videos and I find them very entertaining.You got me into playing Total War Medieval II - Third Age Divide and Conquer, I bought TW Med II and got TA and DAC straight after watching your videos and now I really enjoy it. I found channel because I was looking for some lore videos and came across yours. I am very glad that you continue to do them because I love learning about Middle Earth and Tolkien's Writings. Thanks for making this channel because your videos are so much fun to watch.

[@knivessharp5041]

Is there a playlist for your Lore of Middle Earth and "everything pertaining too" videos, that unfolds the events in order? I’m doing my best to start from the beginning and make my way forward. However there is just so damn much. Becoming a big fan of your Lore videos by the way. Superb job, lol high praise coming from someone as picky as me. Lastly it is because of these lore videos that I’m wanting to check out the game/mod you speak of. So kudos in that respect as well.

[@lmamc]

I love hearing about the first and second ages of Middle-Earth. I hope to see more of these videos.

[@andrewsproge]

This Video needs more views, fantastic summary very enjoyable thank you

[@trentonsedlacek2535]

I thought Melkor raised the Misty Mountains to hinder the ride of Oromë, not the Valar making the world. I may be wrong but I read that Melkor raised those mountains (and possibly some others) to prevent Oromë and the Elves to not easily pass into Beleriand and Aman

[@Pickle1762]

hm... I thought Melkor raised the mountains of Angband in the North... Anyway, the descriptions in the Silmarillion are not very precise, moreover, the map of the Middle-earth had been changing for so many times since the creation that I suppose it's very difficult to find some marks of previous ages at the Tolkien's version)

[@nilubensonofnimruzir1637]

Melkor did raise the Misty Mountains to hinder Oromë on his demon-slaying path.

[@philipwest4553]

As interesting as your comments are perhaps it would be worth noting that JRR Tolkien was a Catholic Christian and for him Eru is God almighty (the Blessed Trinity) The Ainur are the Archangels and angels but when they come to Arda they take roles as Valar (archangels) who rule over various aspects of Earthly creation and the Maiar (angels)who are under the authority of the Valar. And so forth. All these serve Eru as his creations. And Eru is (of course) uncreated and eternal all created beings are Eru's creatures and are dependent on Eru for continued existence. The chief theme in the books of Tolkien is that power comes from humble sharing of Eru's gifts with no desire to rule over and control others.

[@tetrahydroscope]

Catholicism is exactly what makes Tolkien's work so worthwhile, being steeped in Christian themes.

[@philipwest4553]

I agree. Tolkien's faith feeds his imagination making for a far more interesting world.

[@richardmartinez6925]

Wire Rubbish Bin - I thought Tolkien's religious inspirations were common knowledge?

[@philipwest4553]

Richard, they ought to be. I do not know if they are.

[@SuperJimUK]

Wire Rubbish Bin He was also deeply interested in mythology and not above using it to illustrate his tales. The Valar rule Arda with no input from Eru at all, with the one exception of the Akallabeth, which Manwe directly asked Eru for help with.

[@mevb]

Elves can't die from sickness because they never get sick unlike men, hobbits or in rare cases dwarves. They only die if they're slain or die from a great sorrow (like Luthien did when Beren subcumbed to his wounds and Arwen after Aragorn died of old age).

[@communist-hippie]

Mats Berglinn not STD's i wanne be an elv

[@tiggergolah]

Elves don't screw like minks, either. They value commitment.

[@datdragonslaya]

I just purchased The Silmarillion so I was pretty happy to see this as the lore video

[@juhoyla-outinen4703]

Your videos are absolutely (literally)awesome for Tolkien geeks like me for instance. I don't know if you are that into pronunciation or so but there are some fantastic sites according that. Also interesting I'd say. Eru bless your work.

[@alicelucy1333]

thx so much for these amazing videos 😀

[@Bastardson_]

Hey Arachîr, I love your lore videos! Just wanted to point out one thing I think you may have mistaken in this video, which is that you said that the Valar intended for the Misty Mountains to be in the center of Arda, with the other 2 major mountain ranges off to the side. I believe the Misty Mountains were actually raised by Melkor, some time after the Valar retreated to Aman, in order to make it harder for Oromë to ride across the continent hunting down his various monsters. It's been several months since I last read The Silmarillion, though, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, keep up the good work!

[@nythyas123]

I would really love a Glorfindel lore video. He had such adventures, even Hercules would be jelly much :p

[@mashfiqrahman9089]

loved the videos so much ^_^ but where is the 2nd video? :( why it is deleted?

[@DawnofInfo]

Nice video! The only thing thats missing is the battle between Tilion and the Shadowdemons that Morgoth attacked him with.

[@tomdavey8315]

Imagine Mandos' day during one of the battles of War of the Jewels. Just a big sigh and saying "this is gonna be a long day".

[@Bastardson_]

Here's my opinion on the question you raised about why Glorfindel returned from death and Ecthelion didn't. I think Ecthelion and many other elves had the opportunity to return, but chose to remain in Valinor. From what I've read, most elves have their bodies restored after being judged by Mandos. Most of them, once re-embodied, remain in the bliss of Valinor. But Glorfindel said, "Aw, hell naw! I'm not done fighting!" And so he sailed back to Middle-earth to continue fighting the "long defeat" as Galadriel calls it.

[@tiggergolah]

Nice introduction for initiates to Tolkien's world. Your descriptions need a little fine tuning to omit a few errors, but overall a good effort. I especially enjoyed the collection of illustrations.

[@enrac]

Question, what is the music that's playing (it's a woman singing/humming something) @39:10 (when you're talking about a thousand halls)?

[@jeffreyjaros5924]

great video...i would add that Galadriel would be able to deal with Durin's Bane....most likely Celeborn too....and maybe even Cirdan as well (before he gives the Ring of Fire to Gandalf though)

[@lolply54]

just a little side note, as far as i remeber, the misty mountains are said to have been raised by melkor to stop the great journey, in fact at the beghinning at he center of the world there was almaren

[@lolply54]

also, i rember that the stars where already there varda lightened the valacirca la schyte of the valara after the first imprisonement of mordor for the elves, but most stars already exist

[@lolply54]

also (sorry if i put this in series but i write as soon as i listen something because otherwise i'll forget what i want to say); the ents where created after the descent of the valr and awoke only after the elves, and was not varda who creates them, she went to manwe complaining about what the dwarfs are going to do and Eru tell to Manwe (so that he can say it to Yavanna) that he will awoke the shaperds of trees to protect nature form the heruini; also vana is the smaller sister of Yavanna

[@lolply54]

it is supposed that Glorfindel returned because his action were necessary to ensure the survival of the line of Earendil, while Ecthelion did what he didi only because he wanted to, but the city was already lost, so Glorfindel's actions were more in line with the project of the valar please forgive me if i sound polemic, i don't want to be polemic, but i'm not an native speaker so i'm not very able to exress thing with kindness ^^

[@joshuaruwhiu5672]

Love the vids man so in depth

[@TheJavaMonkey]

8:39 I can't believe I never drew the parallel there with the Binding of Isaac, with God, Abraham, and Isaac being represented by Eru, Aulë, and the Dwarves, respectively.

[@painlord2k]

A correction: Aule, being a smith, is interested in creation just for the pleasure of creation and not the possession or dominance of the created. He creates the dwarves because he wants someone to pass his knowledge and skills and he can not wait for the Awakening of Elves and Men. Eru sees it and ask him why he is doing it and Aule admit he is overstepping his limits and set to destroy the dwarves. Eru stop Aule from striking the Dwarves with his hammer telling his "Look they are raising their hand to defend themselves, so they have free will even if you could not give it to them".

[@krichardj]

Interesting that the good do little while Melkor grows in strength until he becomes a great danger, recurring theme throughout history of gods and men.

[@SanderAgelink]

29:58 would you say Treebeard is even older then Tom Bombadil? For he said he saw the first acorns drop, and the first raindrops fall.

[@jgarceau3285]

Sander Agelink I interpret it as Treebeard is the oldest being on Earth that is 'of the earth'. Meaning, did not exist before the earth and cannot exist outside it. No one knows what exactly Tom is. He could be Eru, could be an Ainur. I

[@FrostyPhoenix]

Hey I remember you saying that you played Sins of A Solar Empire. Maybe, do a campaign like you're currently doing with Dawn Of War Titanium Wars?

[@thomaslecky5301]

Where have you found all this information? Is all of this information in Christopher's books and the Silmarillion?

It is all in the books yes. This video's content is almost entirely from the Silmarillion.

[@thomaslecky5301]

Arachîr Galudirithon sweet thanks for the quick reply! I'm a real fan of your videos by the way. So useful and makes reading the Lord of the Rings and all other Tolkien books so much more rewarding when you can pick out all the details you outline in these vids. 👍

[@tommccarthy6517]

Good video, but I thought that it was Sauron's ambition to be king of the earth, while Melkor actually wanted to control creation itself and replace Eru Iluvatar as god, or at least be Eru's equal in power. I could be mistaken, but I recall reading somewhere that that was the chief difference between the goals of Sauron and Melkor.

[@SuperJimUK]

I wouldn't say the Valar are like Titans, as some of them have more or less direct equivalents among the Olympians. (Namo/Mandos = Hades; Tulkas = Hercules; Ulmo is Poseidon, Aule is Hephaestus, etc.) I think it would be accurate to equate them to Olympian deities or the Ennead of Egypt.

[@robbefertein895]

I would love to see a "orcs of the mist mountains" let's play

[@hotmale5221]

Just thought you should know that my cat's name is Nienor. Every time you said her name, she woke up and looked at the monitor. LOL!

[@Kingofthehoothoots]

Am i the only one that could see the two Valar that made the dwarves and the Ents just arguing about eachother making something to counter the other. Especially considering their being wed?

[@simondower2298]

That's pretty much what happened in a simplified way.

[@conor63]

Am i right in thinking that melkor has no maiar asigned to him then? They are all swayed by power instead?

[@dhoulmagusrhapthorne9082]

Melkor wasn't initially evil; he was curious, and had a passion for knowledge. Out of curiosity, he ventured into the void to learn what he could, and the void twisted him and he began to crave the Flame Eternal. His song was twisted by the void to create chaos, which created Ungoliant, mother of Spiders

[@NiklasAdv]

from what i have heard it is unknown what and who Ungoliant is. i have only seen speculations so far!

[@dhoulmagusrhapthorne9082]

Xartim she's shelob's mother. And the mother of all spiders. She sucked the life out of the two trees and spun it into web

[@NiklasAdv]

Dhoulmagus Rhapthorne yeah iknow what she have done but the story does not tell what she is other then a manifestation of evil. no info if she is a fallen maiar for example.

[@aaronbaron3155]

Yes I like the void turning him theory much better than the flame twisting him theory

[@dhoulmagusrhapthorne9082]

Aaron Baron neither are theories. In the Silmarillion it clearly states that Melkor wandered into the void, and it warped his mind, and he desired the Eternal Fire for himself

[@dhoulmagusrhapthorne9082]

will you ever do a lore video on Narn Í Chin Húrin

[@epofinltd5675]

Werent there 15 valar(including Melkor)?

[@user-ev8lv7ot1x]

Epofin Ltd Yes there were, 7 lords and 7 queens + melkor

[@cameronleonard2451]

I can just imagine Aulë sittin' there with the other Valar like "Guys I'm a craftsman! How was I supposed to teach them morals?!? They came to me to be good craftsmen! You've seen yourselves- they're good! My job was done!"

[@joelong9352]

thanks for the new lore video

[@iam-mp1pe]

Its difficult to think of a greater power of elements pound pound for pound than those

[@SpacePatrollerLaser]

As I understand "A Elbereth Gilthonial" was a powerful incantation against evil

It is just a hymn.

[@krichardj]

We are not worthy. Thanks again.

[@sirknoxs1299]

these videos have become my life now

[@gregorymacdonnell7914]

+ Arachir Galudirithon I have never seen Tolkien describing elves as having pointed ears. I have read almost everything that Tolkien has written,and he never(to my knowledge) describes them as anything but Tall,agile,almost androgynous features,or at the least very beautiful and radiant. As the Eons pass ,they begin to lose some of that bright radiance of angelical nature. Did I miss something?

[@hugoakerlund5114]

hay why dont you make a unit for one of the elven factions called huntsmen of Erome or something like that. and you know the heaven guard for dol amroth? well i think that a pike unit with their armor would look f***ing fantastic. oh and if you do make an Erome unit then make them have like furs and leather armor like more primal sort of

[@BernddasBrotB7]

36:50 Perhaps Ecthelion didn't want to come back and preferred to stay in Valinor?

[@LeRoiDuFresne]

Hey loved it super awesome video also can your game tank if you cheat to much

[@cutares5340]

A few changes to the valar "pantheon" Lorien/Irmo is more like Morpheus, Greek god of sleep and dreams. Also Nina is more like Hestia.

[@Roberthomas]

Which Maiar were the "People of Tulkas?" Sauron and Saruman are of Aule. Gandalf and the Eagles are of Manwe. Everyone seems to get some people.

[@generalsherman75]

when can you do a video dedicated to Melkor/Morgoth

[@TheZombiefiedNation]

One question: If gothmog is a Baltic...then why is another character named the same who appears in return of the king as a captain of orcs?

[@TheZombiefiedNation]

Balrog* not baltic

The name can just be used again. Limitation of the engine.

[@nathanjensen2773]

What exactly is the great evils of manwe?

[@ericthomas7791]

can you go over the first age and the land of Beleriand

[@ImagineMatthew]

Great video! :D

[@leonardofaber5823]

The Ents were not created by Yavanna. After talking to Manwe, he informs Yavanna about Eru's message. And Manwe tells her that, when the Children come, Yavanna's thoughts will summon spirits that'll walk among plants and animals.

[@lalonmallosson208]

I haven't watched the entire video yet, but I noticed how you decided to consider the Valar as "gods" or "titans" though Tolkien tried to make it fairly clear that the conception of the Valar as gods is a misconception created by men. I'm comparison to the Greek pantheon, you could consider them gods, but Tolkien himself didn't consider them gods. The way I think of them is more like the Valar being higher-level angels, perhaps similar to the archangel Michael, and the Maiar being lower-level angels. It all depends on your perspective, though, I guess.

[@hedition9346]

I believe Eru created Ents, not Yavanna. But He created them after Ainulindale.

[@arshbhullar3093]

Henry Chua no it says in letter 32 that Yavanna created to ents as herders to the forests to protect them from dwarves because they had axes

[@user-ev8lv7ot1x]

Henry Chua Yavanna created their bodies as trees and requested that eru would give them life as he did with the dwarfes

[@ImranYieldsMore]

No, they were in the song. not added after Ainulindale. pg 18 - 'Yet it was in the Song,' said Yavanna. 'For while thou wert in the heavens and with Ulmo built the clouds and poured out the rains, I lifted up the branches of great trees to receive them, and some sang to Ilúvatar amid the wind and the rain.' Its a tricky question whether dwarves were in the song or not. I'm in favour of not. The song was the blueprint but subject to changes with the actual unfolding of time.

[@SuperFantasyChannel]

I'm confused. Treebeard isn't the Oldest from what I understand. I thought Tom Bombadil was the Oldest due to the fact that he is called the Eldest, and The Oldest and Fatherless by the Elves.

Tom Bombadil is an anomaly. Nobody knows exactly who or what he is. So he is often omitted from official charts such as age.

[@ngugitwc6380]

Gandalf twice refer to Treebeard and the Ents as the oldest in Two Towers. Of key importance is that Gandalf describes Treebeard as "...the oldest living thing...", and later "...when you speak with him you will hear the speech of the oldest of all living things." Gandalf himself and all Ainur are technically older than Treebeard, so apperently they're not accounted for as "living things", as Treebeard and the Ents are. That is rational enough, and from it we can draw the conclusion that whatever Bombadil is, he's not counted as a "living thing" in the manner of the speaking peoples of Middle-earth.

[@aaronbaron3155]

You have to understand that Tolkien never finished figuring bombadil out Some kind of miar are probably what tom and goldberry are. The ents were made to protect the forests as a result of aule making the dwarves. Since the dwarves had to sleep til the elves awoke , saying the ents are the oldest living thing on arda isn't wrong. And since bombadil was clearly a Mia lt isn't a contradiction as he existed before arda He was saying he remembers when morgoth returned to arda so he has been in middle earth since the beginning parts of the creation before the trees when they were still on the island in the center of middle earth (the valar)

[@enriquevanleeuwen7719]

I thought Tulkas had more in common with Hercules than anyone else

[@iam-mp1pe]

Ur the man brother, & im a big fan of ur work. Keep up the great work, cuz ur 1 of the greats on these topics

[@BernddasBrotB7]

26:30 Race between Nessa and Tom Bombadil, place your bets! :p

[@twistedvtuber9894]

Bombadil would probably give up the race like 3 seconds in, in all likelihood

[@enriquevanleeuwen7719]

Would have loved to have bob ross narrate this video

[@hotmale5221]

Arguably, if Tolkien had lived long enough, Glorfindel would not have died in Gondolin....

This is very true. :P

[@nicolaufialho9104]

and also that melian teached and lived with galadriel

[@outsidethebox1222]

I Enjoy your videos very much I have one question though, I am relatively new to The Lord of Lord of the rings and the hobbit, from what these videos that you have created is giving me to understand is that there are quite a few other books concerning middle earth, here's the issue, how do I find them? Keep in mind I am visually impaired so I read mainly audiobooks as there is not very much braille material or, is there a way to get a hold of digital copies in PDF or TXT format to be able to read that way I could convert them into braille thanks for your reply in advanced and by the way again I love the videos, I am going to share them with my wife she's kind of getting into the whole Lord of the rings story as well.

[@DasJager13]

I love you videos. They are the best LOTR lore vids I have seen on KZbin. Just one thing, you said Sauron was probably the strongest Maiar and that is why Gandalf can't challenge him directly. I was of the understanding that Gandalf wouldn't challenge him because he was only sent as an advisor to Men and charged specifically not to engage Sauron directly. I may be misremembering.

[@somniussativiaterra7721]

i think they relate most to greek roman mythology alongside classic christianity god demigods than the children of those gods and demigods(thats where its debateable) but if you look that closely they are very similar in terms of archetypal structure to peganistic pantheons

[@flipper84fontes]

I noticed in the video that you mentioned your preference of a pantheon to a monotheistic view of Creation. And in another part that your "atheism was showing" First I need to say that I was not offended nor do I wish to offend. I do however propose a friendly challenge. The God of Christianity is very real to me. Through its love I have experienced from others and through its prophesies that have been filled in the Bible. It was my "God View" that allowed me to cry when Frodo told Sam in "the two towers" about how we are all part of one story or song and without every part the story ceases to continue. In other words, meaningless life can have true meaning! But! Back to pantheons! I argue that Tolkien's pantheon is very similar to Christianity. Biblically, God created Angels. They all have fierce powers that we know not of. The Bible says that there are authorities over the world that we are unaware of. Maybe an angel is responsible for water..... or wind...... or death. One thing we know for sure is that the greatest angel of all became the enemy of all and continuously seeks to control all. So this monotheistic view can be considered a pantheon, in my opinion. But hey, opinions are like, well you know...... everyone's got one. I apologize if I offended anyone. I do enjoy Tolkien and learning about any legendarium I can. Especially the legendarium of Christ. I challenge anyone to read the Bible completely and see the beauty that only evident when one reads it in its entirety. Just as the lord of the rings is much more vibrant and meaningful once one reads the simarillion!

[@ImranYieldsMore]

Is the God of Christianity not also the God of the Mahabharata? christkrishna.wordpress.com/2015/06/25/what-is-christkrishna-consciousness/ and in Islam, do we have an Ali consciousness? That would fit into the sufi way of thinking. This is a selection of quotes on religion on my website - yieldmore.org/topics/religion/ the most potent being the statement by Krishna that "all paths lead to me"

[@flipper84fontes]

I do not personally believe that, but again, my way is my way. I do not expect anyone else to buy into that. Over in America we drive on one side of the road. I'm aware that in England it is the opposite side. If you try to get somewhere in England the same way as in America.... it could be disastrous. I do notice many similarities amongst religions, but I also notice sharp and poignant differences in Christianity vs. other religions. These differences can be the very thing that can get someone from one side of eternity to the other. Thanks so much for the site references. I'm going to look at them. Please check out the Bible in its entirety. Maybe you might see what I mean by this. Maybe not. I'm so glad you responded. Have a Good day. I hope Jesus makes himself evedent to you in a very real way.

[@blz4849]

if I EVER become a movie director/movie writer I would make a series of Arda and i would detail the absolute shit out of it

[@blz4849]

also,if elves aren't totally killed and live forever,doesnt that make them weaker maiar? except eru doesn't revive them of course

[@Laurence0227]

I find the sea valar Uomo resembles the Maori God Tangaroa more

[@jacklewis2019]

hey arachir i love these lore vids but one question is what is all the background music it is so good?

It is just a random assortment of LOTR music that has no copyright issues.

[@jacklewis2019]

ah ok is there a place i can get it from or do i have to find each individual track one by one?

All tracks are from the three official soundtrack albums of LOTR. They just happen to not flag up as copyrighted.

[@jacklewis2019]

Arachîr Galudirithon cheers

[@venom07786]

In response to your atheist remark, have we ever been able to prove the existence of matter scientifically? Or do we now stand at the verge of our knowledge in physics, more in awe of existence than ever before? I ask this because what is your body and the subsequent consciousness that arises from it if not that same life you see outside of yourself? The line of seperation is in your map, not in the territory. Your line of seperation is in your belief, not your actual experience. :)

[@wowstuff9149]

When the Numenoreans attacked Valinor the Valar surrendered up there powers over Middle Earth for a brief moment and Then Eru destroyed the Numenorean fleet by creating a great chasm in the world which swallowed them up and then destroyed Numenore itself.This is one of the very few times that Eru is mentioned as being directly involved of events in Middle Earth.

[@adamhamilton8524]

Isn’t Hercules the God of strength instead of Area? Tulkas would more closely match Hercules.

Heracles wasn't a God (to the Greeks). He was a 'hero' in the same vein as Achilles, Perseus and Bellerophon.

[@jeannebouwman1970]

Didn't eru sink numenor?

[@Grimlock1979]

Yes he did. But it was more than just sinking Numenor. The world was changed from flat to round.

[@massimobozzi1]

RE 5:04 I would differ with you on that. I direct you to a book I am reading on my site. God still does interact with humanity, but He is very subtle and demands faith. If you can believe what is promised it beggars the imagination. The title of the book is the "Poem of the Man God"

+Massimo Bozzi That unfortunately requires you to first believe in him.

[@massimobozzi1]

You are obviously a man of discerning mind. Your analyses of LOTR are very interesting. I thought you would probably find the story in The Poem just as interesting, all the more so, because it purports to be an accurate account of what went on during the three years of Jesus public life. The amount of detail contained therein is so extensive that it would require a computer-like memory to keep it all straight if it was a fabrication. Anyway, thanks for the lore, it really helps with the boredom of routine grading of exams.

[@koscherness]

Massimo Bozzi Arachir Galudirithon There are certainly signs that He shows us, even in modern times. There are the many miracles of the saints. Some of which were canonized this past year. To me, one of the biggest proofs to why Christianity is right and everything else is wrong is it's origin and it's growth. If you look at all of the martyrs from the Apostles who were martyred until Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire and how quickly it spread, it is difficult to brush it aside as a strictly national or regional religious belief. The fact that the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Eastern Orthodox Church has endured the Roman empire, communism, secularism, and heresy and still withstood the gates of Hell begs one's attention.

[@BernddasBrotB7]

Personally I believe that all religions worship God, just in different ways, a polytheistic faith simply worships God in parts rather than as a whole. Sadly some completely misunderstand it (to not assign a gender) and so do evil in his name, or are misled into doing so by manipulative self-serving filth who simply use God's name as an excuse to deceive the ignorant to their own ends; such as those who led the Crusades and their modern equivalents). God most certainly does still interact with humanity, it is simply not in blatantly obvious ways that people often associate with the likes of Zeus, which was simply a lack of understanding of nature. The patterns and order in nature are a clue, repeated patterns (such as circles) and the existence of the laws of physics. Other evidence exists in the creation story in the Bible, which draws many parallels with accepted scientific knowledge, evolution (artistically described, with the error of putting birds before reptiles, but close), the Big Bang, the formation of the Solar System.

[@koscherness]

TFSOO Bernd Why invent your own theology? Do you think everyone else got it wrong until now? Also, you do know that different religions believe different things right?

[@Mesjach]

Oh god make a game about Alatar and Pallando where you travel east side of middle-earth on your epic quest from Orome and where jou can sometimes hear his whispers or something and it could have coop and omg... Why the fuck am I not the head of Ubisoft or something where I could actually make this game? Life is so unfair -.-

[@rgaleny]

IN LOTR, SARUMAN HAS A RING ON HIS FINGER WHEN HE REVEALS HIMSELF TO GANDALF. HE EITHER FOUND IT IN THE TOWER AND PUT IT ON, OR SAURON SENT IT TO HIM

[@Grimlock1979]

He most likely made it himself. (He called himself Ring-maker) But it was a minor ring, just like the Elves started with making minor rings before they learned to make the Rings of Power.

[@stephenandersen4625]

so a guy who says he's an atheist is an expert in a great work of Christian apologetics? that is interesting.

[@smokingowly3607]

Please i am athiest and i know the bible better than any of my christian friends. Being an DnD roleplayer also helps :)

[@ImranYieldsMore]

Amen, I like this quote - God uses atheism as a stone to crush the encrustations of religion

[@stephenandersen4625]

Seems like a broad generalization, Phillip

[@stephenandersen4625]

that's what Tolkien wrote, YieldMore, how each time Melkor attempts discord Eru weaves it into creation. later Manwe and Ulmo note how Melkor's heat and cold allow their air and water to form things of beauty like clouds and snow and rain

[@epofinltd5675]

I liked the vid

[@josephmort4039]

After the creation, Eru sunk Numenor, brought bacj Gandalf and caused Gollum to fall off the Crack of Doom.

[@richardmartinez6925]

No offense but there is no need to be pedantic about the small things. Just hold a solid sentence please because it tends to slow down the story. We of course appreciate what you are doing here, and if we didn't approve, we wouldn't come to you so often. Thank you.

[@richardmartinez6925]

What I mean by pedantic is that say you're explaining a particular verse or person, or whatever, you tend to stop and apologize, and explain your doubts of your own knowledge and basically stop what you're saying to be apologetic when we really just want to hear what you have to say about the topic, not your personal self-conscious assessments. Yes, that sounds rude, but it's true. Just speak and move on. No need for apologies or recanting unless it's absolutely a lie.

[@iam-mp1pe]

Manwe i think its spelt, but something interesting is if he controls air of 1 of his powers i wonder to what extent? If he had enough control its interesting to think he could cut the air off from a enemy in a way to kill & or defeat them. To have control of the sky wind & air r every powerful things, so giving this power to the right hand man is a interesting power & makes sense over the importance of these elements per say

[@shezzy585]

atheist?were do you believe Tolkien and other masonic writers of "fiction" get there foundational beliefs?To say that any art is not an expression of one's beliefs,knowledge,and bias is to misinterpret art itself the simirilian is the bible retold with the knowledge of uncommon truths twisted through the bias of Tolkien period. pls debate ty....

[@kevinjohnbetts]

The Silmarillion is a creation story. It has its roots in any number of creation tales including The Old Testament, The Greek/Roman myths, the legends of the Norse/Anglo-Saxon gods and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Tolkien was very well read, as much a function of his occupation as it was his passion, and would have been fully aware of all of these. Bear in mind that his early forays into epic fiction (rather than 'The Hobbit') were attempts to imagine an Anglo-Saxon mythos unobscured by the powerful, and destructive, influence of Norman culture. The Silmarillion is the product of many things, not the least being Christopher Tolkien's own set of beliefs and biases as he tried to pull together a coherent tale from his father's papers, many of which included half-finished revisions and re-tellings of earlier pieces as he tried to make them fit with his ever evolving fictional universe.

[@noncare9079]

Shzeanette Torres was tolkien a mason i knew he was catholic was he a jesuit is this his way of whisle blowing

[@arshbhullar3093]

10:50 I thought elves couldn't die from illness????🙃

+arsh bhullar They can die from great sorrow and sadness

[@arshbhullar3093]

Arachîr Galudirithon wow did u go to college for this stuff or just study the lore

+arsh bhullar Just studied the lore. :-)

[@thetom12395]

were do you find all the info ? i want to hear more about Tom bombadil :)

[@ImranYieldsMore]

This article leans towards the belief that Tom was in fact Aule, but Tolkien deliberately left that ambiguous. The ring has no power over him but Gandalf had to resist temptation which makes me favour the idea that he must have been Valar (Aule). Also, there is no mention of him in the verse which talks of the various species. www.cas.unt.edu/~hargrove/bombadil.html

[@soorenafirouzabadi633]

You didn't talk about dagor dagorath and turin killing morgoth with his black sword?!

That is the end of all time. This is the beginning.

[@Wolfeson28]

Future lore video, perhaps?

[@dankmemesedgeymemes6732]

bigpollett n any of the imortals can die if illuvatar wills it to happen

[@aaronbaron3155]

What kind of luciferian gnostic spin are you trying to put on an imagined universe? Eru was not created by the flame, it is with him at first then he put it in arda. It is his to do with as he pleases, he does not answer to it

[@stoneryoda9377]

Aaron Baron isn't the flame imperishable what melkor really wants

[@The_Rhodian_Slinger]

Make more Lore videos!!

[@JerodimusPrime]

Tolkien was a Christian Catholic. The Eru is God, the Valar are archangels and the Miar are angels and the host of heaven. Melkor is the devil and the Balrogs are the fallen angels that joined the devil to become demons. The LotR mythos is more akin to Catholic canon than to Greek myths.

I know but I can liken it to whatever the hell I like. You can't be a reader of the deeper lore of Middle-earth and not know of Tolkien's religious affectation. However Tolkien expressly says that he does not write his legendarium to be allegorical or to be a metaphor for existing religion. He is quite critical of his friend and colleague, C.S Lewis, who he feels wrote the Chronicles almost as a way of introducing people to Christianity and singing its praises. The reason I liken the Valar to Greek myth is also because each Valar directly oversees an aspect of creation. Not only that but they are damned well accountable for its creation as each of them brings their own flavour to the song of creation and those intonations become the various aspects of life: Yavanna - fauna, Aule - the earth et cetera. There is a far clearer parallel to the pantheon of Greek and Roman Gods there. Now it cannot be cast aside that Eru may well be heavily based on God and there is no solid evidence for the likening of Valar to Greek Gods but I am getting so bored of being 'schooled' by viewers who think I don't know of the background. I merely omitted it as Tolkien wished not that people take hard and fast metaphors from his work. It is its own thing and I only liken it to Greek mythology so that people might better understand the relationship between the Valar and the aspects they control. Apologies.

[@JerodimusPrime]

Arachîr Galudirithon Dude there's no reason to be so triggered, nobody insulted you or your reasoning. This is all about debate and the spirit of love for Tolkien. I appreciate your KZbin post that's why I watch them and like them. Besides that I still disagree with you on the Greek gods thing. Archangels are also responsible for taking part in creation if you follow Catholic tradition you will know that certain archangels are responsible for certain things like saints are. The link with Greek mythology probably comes about because in an effort to convert pagans to Christianity Roman, Greek and other Pagan gods where attributed and linked with angels and saints in Christianity. I still argue that though the Tolkien mythos isn't exactly the bible, hence why LotR differs so much in legend, but it definitely borrows heavily from Tolkien's Catholic beliefs. As a Christian Tolkien would never want to make a mythos that denied monotheism and advocated polytheistic and pagan beliefs, that goes against his Christian belief and teachings and is the main reason I support my theory instead of yours. Either way it doesn't matter what's important is that we both love the world he created and are able to debate such things in a manner that is civilized and in the spirit of Tolkien.

[@michaelmeech9743]

JerodimusPrime "Dude there's no reason to be so triggered" There is no reason for you to write a comment that outright suggests Arachîr Galudirithon is wrong but you did. I don't agree with likening them to Greek gods but that's just my opinion. That doesn't mean there is no similarities though.

[@Shaden0040]

Saruman also created his own ring of power.

[@stoneryoda9377]

Shaden0040 really ?

[@arshbhullar3093]

Shaden0040 wtf no site it or it didn't happen

[@arshbhullar3093]

Charlie Peake no he's trolling you

[@stoneryoda9377]

arsh bhullar I thought so lol fucjing internet haha

[@Mike60606]

@@stoneryoda9377 Read the The Fellowship of The Ring. Saruman definitely created his own ring of power. And became Saruman Ringmaker, Saruman of Many Colors.

[@nemanjavidic4877]

Tom Bombadill is the only true god

[@stoneddom]

No Yavanna? I unsubscribed from your lack of detail and information. You just sound like a poser Tolkien fan. Plus the personal dig at he same religion Tolkien is from is just low class.

+dominic labriola Well do post me a link when you have created your video so I can watch it. :-)

[@MoreAmerican]

dominic labriola, Lol Owned.