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Terms
The Ainur are the spirits created by Ilúvatar before the beginning of the world. Each Ainu (the singular of Ainur) is born out of Ilúvatar’s thoughts and understands the specific part of Ilúvatar’s mind they come from. Ilúvatar teaches them music, and together they sing the Music of the Ainur from which the world is created. The Ainur are immortal and can be weakened but not killed; Sauron’s spirit is weakened enough by the destruction of the One Ring that he can no longer affect the physical world. Though, as creatures of spirit, the Ainur don’t naturally possess physical bodies, they can clothe themselves in tangible and visible forms. The Ainur who choose to descend to the world are called the Valar and the Maiar.
Ainu/Ainur Quotes in The Silmarillion
The The Silmarillion quotes below are all either spoken by Ainu/Ainur or refer to Ainu/Ainur. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Ainulindalë
Quotes
Never since have the Ainur made any music like to this music, though it has been said that a greater still shall be made before Ilúvatar by the choirs of the Ainur and the Children of Ilúvatar after the end of days. Then the themes of Ilúvatar shall be played aright, and take Being in the moment of their utterance, for all shall then understand fully his intent in their part, and each shall know the comprehension of each, and Ilúvatar shall give to their thoughts the secret fire, being well pleased.
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But being alone he had begun to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren.
Some of these thoughts he now wove into his music, and straightway discord rose about him, and many that sang nigh him grew despondent, and their thought was disturbed and their music faltered; but some began to attune their music to his rather than to the thought which they had at first.
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And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.
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Chapter 1
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Therefore he willed that the hearts of Men should seek beyond the world and should find no rest therein; but they should have a virtue to shape their life, amid the powers and chances of the world, beyond the Music of the Ainur, which is as fate to all things else; and of their operation everything should be, in form and deed, completed, and the world fulfilled unto the last and smallest.
[…]
It is one with this gift of freedom that the children of Men dwell only a short space in the world alive, and are not bound to it, and depart soon whither the Elves know not. Whereas the Elves remain until the end of days, and their love of the Earth and all the world is more single and more poignant therefore, and as the years lengthen ever more sorrowful.
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Ainu/Ainur Term Timeline in The Silmarillion
The timeline below shows where the term Ainu/Ainur appears in The Silmarillion. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Ainulindalë
Ilúvatar creates a group of beings called the Ainur before anything else exists and teaches them each a different part of a song he...
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Ilúvatar commands the Ainur to harmonize their individual parts of the song to make “Great Music.” He reveals that...
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The theme continues without flaws until Melkor, one of the Ainur, attempts to empower his part of the song by adding a melody that doesn’t harmonize...
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Ilúvatar listens as the music of the Ainur grows more chaotic, then stands, smiles, and lifts his hand. In the song, a new...
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...and raises his hand. Another theme, softer and sadder than the others, rises among the Ainur. The Ainur sing the two themes at the same time, though Melkor’s theme, vain and...
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Ilúvatar then leads the Ainur to the Void and shows them a vision of the World their music will become—a...
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The Ainur contemplate different aspects of Arda as they observe it. Ulmo, a great musician, thinks of...
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Ilúvatar knows the Ainur want the vision to become real, so he says, “Eä! Let these things Be!” and...
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Valaquenta
The elves call the Ainur who descended to earth the Valar and the men call them gods. There are fourteen...
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Chapter 1. Of the Beginning of Days
Since none of the Ainur fully understand the theme of the Great Music that introduced the Children of Ilúvatar, they...
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...it. Still, the Valar know that men will join in the Second Music of the Ainur, though they don’t know Ilúvatar’s plan for the elves after the end of the world.
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Chapter 24. Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath
...world’s fall from beauty into darkness is the fate foretold in the Music of the Ainur, and if it will ever be restored, Varda and Manwë haven’t revealed it.
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