AsThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerdives further into the deeper mysteries ofJ.R.R. Tolkien’s mythological tale, there is one figure who has not yet made his mark on Middle-earth (or has he?). You’ve likely not heard the name spoken in the Prime Video series, but any deep dive into Tolkien’s larger body of work will reveal a supreme being known as Eru Ilúvatar. Though not mentioned in eitherThe HobbitorThe Lord of the Rings, Ilúvatar is referenced as “the One” in Appendix A ofThe Return of the King, which chronicles the Downfall of Númenor. Considering his role in the history of Eä (the official name for Tolkien’s universe), he’s a mysterious character worth exploring asThe Rings of Powercontinues, especially since he might become involved soon enough.
Eru Ilúvatar Was Tolkien’s Answer to God in His Legendarium
Tolkien’s devout faith was a major influence onThe Lord of the Ringsand the greater world that inhabits it. “The Lord of the Ringsis of course fundamentally a religious and Catholic work,“Tolkien once wrote in a letter (Tolkien Letter 142)concerning his high-fantasy epic, “unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” Naturally, biblical themes of redemption, honor, the fall of creation, rebirth, and resurrection are woven throughout the history of Middle-earth. Though Tolkien himself detested direct allegory (which led to some conflict between him and his good friendC.S. Lewisover the latter’sThe Chronicles of Narnia), that didn’t stop him from building a mythology based entirely on his own religious values.
It’s no surprise then that, even for a world like Arda, there would be a divine creator. In the case of Tolkien’s world, that is Eru Ilúvatar, who exists independent of creation in the Timeless Halls and uses the limitless power of his Flame Imperishable.Eru means “the One” or “Alone” in Tolkien’s own Quenya language, while Ilúvatar means “Father of All.“Before crafting the rest of the world,The Silmarillion’s first chapter, “Ainulindalë” (which itself means Music of the Ainur), recounts Ilúvatar’s creating of the Ainur,the immortal spirits akin to angels who make up the Valaras well as the lesser Maiar. Morgoth was one of the Valar before his Luciferian rebellion, just as Sauron was a Maia before his own corruption.The Istari Wizards, such as Gandalf, were also counted among the Maiar. As Ilúvatar communicated his will through music, the Ainur expanded on his creative thought, only for the One to speak all of Eä (including the Earth, Arda) into existence.
But the Ainur didn’t aid Ilúvatar in every creative venture. It was Ilúvatar then who put all the natural laws in place, and solidified the concepts of good and evil. Likewise,when he crafted the Children of Ilúvatar, known as the Elves and Men, he did so without their help. Even when the Valar smith Aulë crafted the Dwarves, it was Ilúvatar’s blessing that brought them to life (even adopting them as his children). Thus, no other being in Eä can give life and sentience to a creature as Ilúvatar can, which is why Morgoth and Sauron had to corrupt and deform some of the Elves,turning them into the Orcs, evil imitations of what Ilúvatar had once made beautiful and good.
Ilúvatar Rarely Intervenes in the Events of Middle-Earth
After creation,Eru Ilúvatar set the Valar up as the governing forces of Arda. Though he cared deeply about his world, he invented the immortal spirits so that they could rule over the weather and other living forces throughout the world. Placing the Valar leader Manwë as his governing emissary, Ilúvatar allowed his creation to grow. But even as he stepped away there were a few times within Middle-earth’s recorded history where the One was forced to show up and purposely intervene. One such time was near the end of the Second Age.When Ar-Pharazôn(played byTrystan GravelleinRings of Power) leads the Númenóreans to Valinor in an attempt to overthrow the Valar, the spirit beings call upon Ilúvatar to intervene. He does, of course, and this leads tothe infamous Downfall of Númenor, which not only destroys Pharazôn and his forces, but the entire island kingdom as well.
Only Elendil (Lloyd Owen) and some of the Faithful —those from Númenor who still worship Ilúvatar— survive the cataclysm, which is similar to the biblical Great Flood. But Ilúvatar doesn’t stop there. When he first created the world, it was flat as a map, literally. But after this event,he takes the opportunity to reshape the world, turning the Earth into a sphere rather than a flat plane. That means that the world as we know it inThe Rings of Power(set during this period in the Second Age) is actually a flat earth rather than a round one. In Ilúvatar changing the world into a globe, he also removes Valinor from the world entirely, placing it in an ethereal realm out of reach of Men.
But there was one other moment in Middle-earth history that was just as important to Eru Ilúvatar. In the Third Age, in the height of the War of the Ring, Ilúvatar resurrects Gandalf the Grey, who died defending Frodo and the Fellowship from a Balrog in Moria, onlyto turn him into Gandalf the White. His guiding hand was with Frodo and Sam on their journey to Mordor, and when the Hobbit Ring-bearer decided to keep Sauron’s One Ring for his own,it was Ilúvatar that caused Gollum to trip while holding the cursed item, plummeting him into the fiery furnace below. Effectively, Eru Ilúvatar is the one who destroyed the One Ring, ending the evils of Sauron in Middle-earth forever. Tolkien himself put it in another letter, “The Other Power then took over: the Writer of the Story (by which I do not mean myself), ‘that one ever-present Person who is never absent and never named’* (as one critic has said)” (Tolkien Letter 192).
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How Could Eru Ilúvatar Show Up in ‘The Rings of Power’?
While it’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever see Eru Ilúvatar in the flesh inThe Rings of Power— though many have speculated that Tom Bombadil, played byRory Kinnearon the show,is actually the One in disguise—there is another way his presence could be felt: providence. Another recurring theme throughout Tolkien’s writings, and indeed another shared with the Christian scriptures, is the concept of divine providence. Some call it destiny and others fate, but either way, Ilúvatar does most of his work in Middle-earth through the lives of other people.Daniel Weyman’s Stranger could be considered one of the primary vessels here, and though he was sent by the Valar themselves (as the Istari generally were), he still works on behalf of Ilúvatar’s will.
We could also see Ilúvatar, or at least hear his name mentioned, through the lives of the Faithful. These Elf-friends hold the Valar in high regard, and, according to Tolkien’s writings,are persecuted for their commitment to Ilúvatar specifically. Thus far, Elendil and Tar-Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) are the main representations of the Faithful on the Prime Video series, and hopefully, we’ll see more from them going forward. But whether we hear from Eru Ilúvatar directly or not, we know that, as Tolkien himself once wrote, his presence and guiding hand is over all the happenings in Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris available for streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
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