Valar and Maiar... Angels?

[Finrod Felagund]

We know that JRR was a devout Catholic and his supposed impetus for ME was to invent a mythology for Anglo-Saxon England. (If I'm wrong , please feel free to trout me at any time...)
Were the Valar and Maiar his version of Christian Angels or was he inventing a new mythology completely?
IMHO they seem to be an incorporation of polytheism and monotheism, one high, benevolent, omnipotent God (Eru) with lesser "gods" taking care of the day to day stuff...

Thoughts, observations, etc...

(just gave my thesaurus a real workout... )lol

[Saruman]

I believe someone on the forums compared the valar to gods, just as you have, and the maiar to angels, then comparing Melkor to Satan. I can't remember who it was, though. I think there is a thread similar to this somewhere.

[Rumil]

In a letter from Tolkien written in 1951:

"The cycles begin with a cosmogonical myth: the 'Music of the Ainur', God and the Valar (or powers: Englished as gods) are revealed. These latter are as we should say angelic powers....meant to provide beings of the same order of beauty, power, and majesty as the 'gods' of higher mythology, which can yet be accepted - well, shall we say baldy, by a mind that believes in the Blessed Trinity"

It would seem that Tolkien envisages the Valar therefore as designed to be compatible with a fundamentally Christian view of the universe by ranking the Valar as angels. I cannot help but think that in the specifically Catholic tradition it also has a next rank of being who are the blessed saints - could these be some of the elves/immortal beings of ME. I always thought that Galadriel, Elrond etc had a sort of saintly quality to them.

[Gwaihir]

I don't think the Valar and the Maiar are gods. Since Tolkien was a Catholic, which has one God, it seems most likely to me that Eru is the one God, with the Ainur as angels. There are different types of angels in Christianity.

[Charis]

I think that Tolkien probably was thinking of the Vala and Miaer{ I probably spelled it wrong] in more of the angelic sense than the in the sense of dieties. The word "angel" is wrong though, since it primarily means messenger. There are other refferences to spiritual beings of higher nature throughout the Christian bible though, in Genisis, Daniel, and Revalations. He could have been taking his cues off those places.
I personally think that he borrowed a little from all over in his work to make a mytholigy. He diffinatly borrows from the old Nordic legends.
Have you read any of C.S Lewis's science fiction trilogy? C.S Lewis and Tolkien were friends, and Lewis actually has a rather similar type being in his books "Out of the Silent Planet'," "Perelandra," and "That Hidouse Strength," the Eldi. C.S. Lewis goes into much more detail describing the properties of his "Eldi". It might give some insight.
I hope i made some kind of sense with all this.

[Olorin]

I have always seen Eru as God and the Valar as like the greek gods (lower case d) and the Maiar Sprits like angels or nymphs.

[Elvish]

I think that Tolkien borrowed from many myths and religions, not just christianity. in pagan religions, they believe in the all, the all= Eru. The goddess is the Moon, the God is the sun. The valar would be considered gods, Ulmo lord of the waters, roman God of water=neptune, greek god of water=poseidon, cletic god of water=llyr. The maiar would be considerd spirits sent to aid middle earth. I do not see christian comparisons, but i do think that people will see comparisons to what ever there religious beliefs are. I think Tolkien was clever enough to realise that people needed something thay could relate to, so he used many things so that it would appeal to lots of people.

[Gil Galad]

Well my opinion is:
Eru is supposed to be God , almighty(he creates everything basically), all that is done returns good to him(eru says this to melkor)
the Ainur are the Angels, i use angels as the generic term for all the choirs of the heavenly host,of which there are nine.

There are 3 levels or 3 spheres, each containing three levels within each level or sphere. The first level, that which is at the highest level of the astral, is collectively concerned with the universe and the manifestations of divinity within it. These angels manifest energy simply through pure thought, and possess the deepest knowledge , manifestations and inner workings of divinity.
The Angels of the First Level:
Seraphim

The Seraphim (beings of pure light) are the closest to divinity and are considered the angels of pure light, love and fire. They keep negative energy from getting through to divinity and concentrate on keeping divinity intact and its continued existence by creating and carrying positive energy through all the levels of angels as well as into the physical realms.

Cherubim

The Cherubim's function is to guard the light and the stars as well as channel positive energy from the divine. Their name means, "those who intercede". These angels are of boundless love and knowledge and can function as personal guards. They watch over all the galaxies and collect and disperse energy where ever it is needed.they also gaurd all religious temples.

Thrones

The Thrones are known as the "many-eyed ones", acting as investigators for the divine, as they create, send and collect incoming and outgoing positive energies. They are also instructors of humility. Justice is important to them, they will shine their light on injustices and send healing energy to any victim. Thrones are very interested in humans, their intentions and their general existence. They will generally channel energy to you through your guardian angel rather than directly with you

the second level:
Dominions

The Dominions (Dominations) are the divine leaders involved in combining the spiritual and the material, without losing control. They are the order of the law of cause and effect. They bestow "natural leadership" and make sure that humans are happy and healthy under the given leadership. They do not approve of corrupt and unjust churches, civic leaders, politicians and governments whom do not have the highest concern and best interests of the people at heart. They will make adjustments where need be


Powers

These are the Angels that keep track of human history. They are organizers of world religions and send divine energy to keep the positive aspects of the religion going. They dispense justice and regulate chaos. They will send messages when someone or something is out to harm you. They are seen as divine warriors. They are excellent at divulging hidden ego based agendas that can harm others. they also do unending battle with the beings of evil and gaurd the realms of God

Virtues

The Virtues main focus is to send massive quantities of spiritual energy to the collective human consciousness and the earth plane. These Angels are known as "The Miracle Angels". The Virtues love go-getters and those that strive to go beyond and accomplish what others call impossible. They love positive people who try to help, enlighten and lead others toward harmony. They also work and guide the elemental energies: Earth, Air, Fire, Water Spirit and weather patterns. They are the angels of nature. When you are sick or scared, call on the Virtues.


and u can see this level do seem to be very closely compared to Tolkiens Valar(Powers)

and teh third level
Principalities

The Principalities guard continents, countries, cities, and other large groups , as they work toward and for global reform. They are found where groups of people meet and congregate for everything from learning, decision making and having fun. The channel positive energies from the physical to divinity and from divinity to the physical. They are protectors of politics and religions and they watch human leaders to help them make the right and just decisions in human affairs.

Archangels

The Archangels can actually belong to several levels, but they enjoy dealing with humans when and where they can. They are considered the "Special Forces" of the angelic realms. They channel positive energy to the physical from the divine and from the divine to the physical.

Angels

These are the angels assigned to us, such as our Guardian Angels. They are concerned with issues involving human and physical manifestation. They also, like the other angels, channel from divinity to us and from us to the divine. They are our closest companions and are assigned to us through all incarnations on earth. They help us through the transformation of death and birth, help us to carry out our divine plans, defend us and help protect us when we are in trouble, and call in the forces of all of the other angels when we need them.

and ithink these equate with the Maia.
sorry for going on so long, but as Tolkien was a Catholic, i think he'd have taken much of his inspiratoin for his divne beings from the divine being he knew of

[McDLT]

I see Eru as God.

Valar as Archangels (ie. Melkor=Lucifer; Manwe=Michael)

Maiar as lesser Angels.

I think Tolkien adapted some of his Catholocism into the Silmarillion, especially when it comes to the Creation of Arda. But he used Norse mythology in other aspects. (Tolkien wasn't that much into Greek or Roman mythology, from what I remember in my readings.)

[Gil Galad]

yeh they were all for there half human half beast creatures werent they (the egyptiians aswell), i think it can almost all be equated to Catholocism, even the last battle thing, it is mentioned in the bible, altho it is more clearly defined in Norse mythology