In the beginning there was Eru, the One, who in Arda was called Ilúvatar.Of his thought he made the Ainur, the Holy Ones. One day he called them all togehter and declared to them a mighty theme of music. He told them that they should make a Great Music of this theme and adorn it, each with his own thoughts and devices.

The Ainur started to sing and with their beautiful voices they filled the void that was around them. But suddenly Melkor interwove matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Ilúvatar. Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur and he often went into the void because he wanted to fill it with things of his own. Now he wove some of his own thoughts into the music and discord rose about him. Some of the Ainur stopped singing until Ilúvatar gave them a new theme of music.

But again Melkor wove his own thoughts into it until there was a war of sound. Now Ilúvatar gave the Ainur a third theme but again Melkor's theme was stronger. Ilúvatar gave the Ainur a last theme but he couldn't beat Melkor so he finally made the Aniur stop the music. And he said to the Ainur :

"Mighty are the Ainur, and the mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Ilúvatar. Those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall proove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined."

And Ilúvatar brought the Ainur into the void and he gave life to all that they had thought of and also to some new things which the Ainur hadn't thought of, like the children of Ilúvatar. (The children of Ilúvatar were Elves and Men, the Firstborn and the Followers.)

By seeing the world many of the Ainur wanted to descend into it and Melkor was one of these. He desired to subdue to his will both, Men and Elves.

Finally Ilúvatar allowed them to descend into the world but only under the condition that their power should thenceforeward be contained and bound in the world, to be within it forever, until it would be complete, so that they are its life and it is theirs. Therefore those of the Ainur who descended into the world were called the Valar, the Powers of the World.

But the world was still empty. First the Valar, and especially Manwë, Aulë and Ulmo, built halls where they could live but Melkor meddled in all that was done and turned it to his own desires. He also kindled great fires and finally he said to the Valar that the world should be his own kingdom.

Manwë, who was the brother of Melkor in Ilúvatar's mind, called unto himself many spirits and togehter they were finally able to make Melkor depart into other regions.

Now the Valar took visible form and they drew unto them many companions. When Melkor saw that, he was even more jealous and he himself took visible form, but he was terrible to look at.

Thus began the first battle of the Valar with Melkor for the dominion of Arda. But even as Melkor tried his best to destroy everything that the Valar had just made, slowly the earth was fashioned and made firm.