Valar
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The Valar are characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. They are "angelic powers" or "gods" subordinate to the one God. The Ainulindalë describes how some of the Ainur choose to enter th
Some critics have noted the similarity of the Valar to the Æsir, the strong and combative Norse gods of Asgard. Painting by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, 1817.
Other scholars have likened the Valar to Christian angels, intermediaries between the creator and the created world. Painting by Lorenzo Lippi, c. 1645
Tolkien's Valar behave as a group, so that readers perceive them as a pantheon like the Olympian gods of the Greeks.
Sauron
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Sauron is the title character and the main antagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, where he rules the land of Mordor. He seeks to conquer Middle-earth using the power of the One Ring,
Valar
…over the rest of the world. The Valar, now including even Ulmo, remain aloof from Middle-earth, allowing the rise to power of Morgoth's lieutenant, Sauron, as a new Dark Lord. Near the end of the Second Age, Sauron convinces the Númenóreans to attack Aman itself. This leads Manwë to call upon Ilúvatar to…
J. R. R. Tolkien's unfinished watercolour illustration of Sauron
Sauron, portrayed by Sala Baker, in Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring