Maiar

The Maiar (singular Maia) were primordial spirits created to help the Valar shape the World in the beginning. They were numerous, though not many were named.
Their chiefs were Eönwë, banner-bearer and herald of Manwë, and Ilmarë, the handmaid of Varda. Five of these spirits, in the Third Age, became the incarnated Wizards, also called the Istari.
== History ==
Each of the Maiar is associated with one or more particular Vala of similar stock, though less powerful. For example, Eönwë is the herald of Manwë and Ilmarë the handmaiden of Varda, while Olórin served both the Wind-king and the Star-Queen. Olórin's ways often took him also to the house of Nienna, and he learned from her pity and patience. Curumo and Mairon (who later become a servant of Melkor, taking the name of Sauron) were both servants to Aulë, while Aiwendil served Yavanna. Ossë, Uinen and Salmar, as spirits of the sea, belonged to Ulmo, Alatar; Pallando belonged to Oromë; and Melian served both Vána and Estë.
The Sun and Moon were also piloted by Maiar: Arien, a servant of Vána, was selected to guide the Sun, while Tilion, a hunter in the company of Oromë, was chosen to steer the Moon.
Some of the Maiar were corrupted by Melkor's dissonances since the Ainulindalë and become known as the Úmaiar. Among this race was a group known as the Balrogs (Valaraukar in Quenya).
After the creation of the One Ring and the subsequent rise of Sauron's power, the Valar hold a council in which decided to send a group of Maiar disguised as the Istari, an order of old and powerful wizards, with the quest of unite the Free People of Middle-earth against the power of the second Dark Lord. The Maiar chosen for this quest were Alatar and Pallando (who took respectively the identities of Morinehtar and Rómestámo, the Blue Wizards), Curumo (who became known as Saruman the White), Aiwendil (known as Radagast the Brown) and Olórin (known among the Elves as Mithrandir, among the Dwarves as Tharkûn and Gandalf the Grey among the Men). However for various reasons only Gandalf accomplished his mission and come back to the Uttermost West.
== Characteristics ==
Maiar, like Valar, did not array themselves in a fixed form but could freely change shape. Olórin, or Gandalf, walked among the peoples of Middle-earth in an uncertain form for many years before being sent on the errand of the Valar as one of the Istari.
Like the Valar, however, this power could be lost when abused. Following the dark trails blazed by Melkor, Sauron took upon the form of - and remained - the Dark Lord in the Second Age. And yet, even fallen Maiar retain their immortality. From all indications, when the physical body of a Maia is destroyed, their spirit wanders houseless and their power diminished until they may take a physical form once more, or are restored by their respective Valar. Examples of this can be seen in the threat of Lúthien to Sauron upon his defeat at the Tower of werewolves, whereby it is said:
A further example includes the resurrection of Gandalf after he and the Balrog of Moria were both slain, one by the other, on the mountain peak of Zirakzigil:
It is not clear how or what restored Gandalf, though it can be inferred that Manwë played some role. It was Manwë that sent the Istari on their errand to check the power of Sauron in Middle-earth; therefore, by Gandalf declaring that he was sent back "until [his] task is done," indicates some level of Manwe's involvement; or as argued by some, it was the direct intervention of Eru Ilúvatar that brought about Gandalf's return.
== Powers & abilities ==
Like most of the Ainur, the abilities and powers of the Maiar remain unknown and presumably diverse. Given the nature of the Maiar was to aid the Valar in shaping the world, they likely have considerable power to augment the world around them. Maiar, as primordial spirit beings, are functionally immortal and essentially immune to the ravages of time; even from physical destruction, they remain in spirit form.
Being of divine origin, they can shapeshift if they so choose. They wander the world unseen or shape themselves in any fashion, be they Elves or other creatures; called Fanar in Quenya could be destroyed, but their being, not extinguished.
It is suggested that the Maiar, in their service to the Valar in shaping the world, presumably could manipulate the elements and energies like their Valar counterparts. They were able to be given a physical body again over time or with help from the Valar. Presumably, the Maiar possessed the ability to perform Magic, thus performing blessings, spells, curses, exorcism, etc.
Given the vastness of the universe and the ability of the Maiar to occupy such points, they are capable of teleporting vast distances. By taking the form of a flying creature (like vampires, bats, birds, etc.) the Ainur could fly 
== Rings of Power ==
In the show, the Maia are portrayed as how they are in Tolkien's lore with the exception of Halbrand who is in fact Sauron a student of Aule himself. The Stranger who mysteriously appears is confirmed as a Maia. 
== Translations ==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Amharic 	ማኢኣር
Arabic 	مايار
Armenian 	Մայար
Belarusian Cyrillic	Маіар
Bengali 	ম্ঐঅর
Bosnian 	Majari
Bulgarian Cyrillic 	Маяри
Chinese (Hong Kong)	邁雅
Croatian 	Maiari
Georgian 	მაიარები
Greek 	Μάιαρ
Gujarati 	માયર
Hebrew 	המיאר
Hindi 	मैअर
Hungarian 	Maiák
Japanese 	マイアール
Kannada 	ಮೈಯರ್
Kazakh 	Мэйар (Cyrillic) Méyar (Latin)
Korean 	마이아
Kyrgyz Cyrillic 	Маиар
Macedonian Cyrillic	Маиар
Marathi 	मायर
Mongolian Cyrillic 	Маиар
Nepalese 	माईर
Persian 	مایار
Polish 	Majar
Punjabi 	ਮੈਅਰ
Russian 	Майар
Sanskrit 	म्ऐअर्
Serbian 	Мајари (Cyrillic) Majari (Latin)
Sinhalese 	මයාර්
Slovenian 	Majar
Tajik Cyrillic 	Маиар
Tamil 	மையார்
Telugu 	మేయర్
Turkish 	Maya
Thai 	ไมอาร์
Ukrainian Cyrillic 	Майар
Urdu 	میار
Uzbek 	Маиар (Cyrillic) Maiar (Latin)
Yiddish 	מאַיאַר
== References ==
Category:Ainur
 
Category:Quenya names & words
ca:Maiar
de:Maiar
es:Maiar
fr:Maiar
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nl:De Maiar
pl:Majarowie
pt-br:Maiar
ru:Майар
sk:Maiar
uk:Маяри