The Valar and the Maiar both have an enigmatic presence in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, which adapted a part of the novel per movie, released between 2001 and 2003. Yet, the Maiar (the plural of Maia) feature most heavily in the book and movies.

The most famous Maia from Tolkien's world is Sauron, literature's greatest villain and the main character of Amazon Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Sauron's species is barely discussed in the Peter Jackson movies or the TV show, leaving viewers to turn to Tolkien's lore for answers. Many who are unfamiliar with Tolkien's legendarium don't know that Gandalf is also a Maia and that he was sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to oppose Sauron, proving the complex importance and interplay of both Maiar and Valar.

The Valar & Maiar Are Different Classes Of A Lord Of The Rings Race Called The Ainur

The Valar & Maiar Are Different Only In Power & Status

The Aratar are the most powerful nine Valar, the Valar are the most powerful 15 Ainur, and the rest of the Ainur are Maiar, but they are all the same species. These spirit beings were the first thing created by the One Eru Ilúvatar, who led the Ainur to sing the Ainulindalë, a song that visualized the universe, called Eä, and most of its history. The Valar, along with many Maiar, descended into Eä from their residence in the Timeless Halls and built what was visualized. The Silmarillion clarifies that some Maiar are "well nigh as great as" the Valar.

On Eru's authority, any Ainur (the plural of Ainu) that descended into Eä would be bound there until its end. Morgoth was the original villain of Lord of the Rings, and he was one of the Aratar, but he continuously opposed the other Valar. Originally called Melkor, this Vala corrupted many Maiar to his service, including Sauron and the Balrogs. Meanwhile, he became increasingly violent and tyrannous, destroying what he couldn't control, entailing the Battle of the Powers before Elves or Men had even awoken in Middle-earth.

The Valar Are More Powerful & Important Than The Maiar

The Valar Are The Most Powerful 15 Ainur In The Lord Of The Rings

Of higher station and skill than the Maiar, the Valar each have an area of expertise. The Vala Manwë is the Vala of air and birds, the King of the Valar, and the spouse of Varda, Valier (female Vala) of Stars. Along with Ulmo, Vala of water, and Aulë, Vala of earth, Manwë undertook most of the building of Eä. These four were the Aratar, along with Aulë's spouse, Yavanna, plus Mandos, Nienna, and Oromë. "Though Manwë is their King... in majesty they are peers," according to The Silmarillion.

Melkor (Morgoth) was one of the eight Aratar and one of the 15 Valar, but he turned to evil and was cast into the void and rendered impotent. He is no longer considered Arata or Vala.

"Giver of fruits" Yavanna was a Mother Nature figure, while Nienna was "Lady of Mercy" and Oromë was a hunter. Mandos was Judge of the Dead. The 15 Valar also included Vairë, Mandos' wife, who wove history into tapestries. Oromë's wife was the Valier Vána, sister of Yavanna and of a similar skill set. Nessa was Valier of dance, while her husband, the Vala Tulkas, was Valinor's champion fighter. Vala Irmo was Master of Dreams while his wife, Estë, was Valier of healing. Long after creation, the Valar continued to monitor and subtly shift events behind the scenes.

The Maiar Have A More Direct Influence During The Lord Of The Rings' Timeline

The Maiar Feature More Heavily In LOTR Than The Valar

Since the creation of Arda and the catastrophic Battles of the Powers, the Valar kept to themselves to let the music play out and not cause any more destruction through conflict with Morgoth. Still, Elf Eärendil managed to persuade the Valar to help Elves, Men, and Dwarves in one last fight against Morgoth. Resultantly, the host of the Valar defeated Morgoth in the War of Wrath, but this was so cataclysmic that it changed the structure of Middle-earth. Henceforth, residents of Middle-earth were more likely to encounter the Valar via omens carried by the elements or powers they mastered.

After Númenorean Men betrayed the Valar by sailing to their continent of Aman to assault them, Eru removed Aman from the Circles of the World so that only Elves or those they allowed could sail there.

Meanwhile, Maiar like Gandalf, Saruman, Radagast, and Sauron have a direct influence on events during The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Gandalf and Sauron are the two most important Maiar in The Lord of the Rings, and they play a far bigger role in the story than any of the Valar. Other Maiar of note are Saruman and Radagast, who ed Gandalf as two of five Wizards sent to Middle-earth by the Valar around 1000 years into the Third Age. The other two Wizards, of unknown fate, were the Blue Wizards, explored in Unfinished Tales.

What The Valar & Maiar Have In Common In The Lord Of The Rings

The Ainur Are Spirit Beings With Certain Conditions Applied To Embodiment

Valar and Maiar are all Ainur - spirit beings who can take physical form should they choose, with certain conditions applied to this embodiment. According to a Tolkien text published in the journal Parma Eldalamberon #17, "unclad" Maiar are normally invisible but can be detected by their fragrance, which worsens if they are corrupted by evil. Disembodied Valar can be seen as uncomfortably bright lights by some Elves. At full power, Ainur can take fantastical forms. Morgoth took the form of a mountain at one point. Tolkien goes into Ainur embodiment in an essay called "Ósanwe-kenta."

Ainur nature is explored in The Silmarillion and the 12-volume The History of Middle-earth series, both edited and published posthumously by Tolkien's son, Christopher. Tolkien intended The Silmarillion to stand alone as the mythology of Middle-earth, but Christopher agonized over what to include in The Silmarillion, so after publishing it, he released a far wider portion of his father's writing in The History of Middle-earth. This series helps to explain the inconsistencies in The Silmarillion and provides a more complete picture of the world of LotR, including essays like "Ósanwe-kenta" and "Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion."

Advancing personal purpose or enjoying bodily faculties makes it harder for Ainur to leave or change whatever physical form they chose. Begetting or conceiving a child is totally binding, as in the case of Melian the Maia. Interestingly, this may not have been something that Sauron or Morgoth had to worry about, since Tolkien stated that evil beings were barren in "Notes on Motives in the Silmarillion." However, this essay also referred to one of Tolkien's earlier views on the Origins of Orcs, suggesting that Tolkien may have changed his mind about its content. Regardless, Morgoth sexually assaulted Maia Arien.

Meanwhile, Tulkas pointedly slept after his wedding night, implying that some enjoyment of bodily faculties is a given, even for good Valar. Elves conceive only via willpower, so the same probably goes for Ainur. The closer Ainur replicate another species and the longer they stay in that body, the more they experience that species' needs. The Valar, who switch forms, only eat at High Asari. The Wizards are resistant to aging though "clad in bodies... of Men, real and not feigned," eating and smoking and "able to hunger," implying an almost exact human biology in The Lord of the Rings.