Posted: April 13, 2000 at 01:09:09: by Aelmer
: : Just to clear things up in my mind. Are the following statements correct?: : 1. Not all of the Ainur(Valar) went to Arda (earth). Only those who wished to go went to Arda. : : 2. Eru sent some unknown spirits to Arda shortly after it was created,but long before any Ainur went to Arda. : Only 15 of the Valar entered into Ea. They were accompanied by what could have been hundreds of thousands of Maiar and other immortal spirits. Also, at some point Bombadil and Ungoliant entered into the world (exactly when is unknown). : At a later time (i.e., after the founding of Aman) other spirits entered into the world. These spirits may account for the origins of the Ents and perhaps other sentient flora (Old Man Willow) and fauna (Huan, or the Eagles). Who sent these spirits is a mystery, although it seems they came at the request of Yavanna. That ties in to my second question. I remember reading, I think in the SIL, that Eru sent other spirits to Arda before the Valar arrived. I was thinking that may explain Bombadil. The other spirits that lived in the Eagles and the Ents were sent by Eru, as means of lessening Yavanna's worries. The SIL doesn't say if the spirits were already in Arda, or that they came from somewhere else.
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