The Story of the Silent from the Beginning of the World by SteveofCallie

The Days of the Valaquenta

The Home of the Silent The Sundering of the Valar Morgoth and his Servants Caladan of the Quorin The Ban of Caladan

The Home of the Silent

A secret mantled island lay, enwrapped by Belegaer the Sundering Sea, alone in the vast ocean between Aman and Middle-Earth.

The lands and seas of all the world came forth in song at the Start of Days, the Song of Creation sung by Eru Ilúvatar the One, with his beings created by the great song of beholding.  But the island of Tol Úpahtëa was not brought forth in song on that day.

Tol Úpahtëa came into the World from the voice of Eru Ilúvatar, joined in harmony by only a few voices of the Valar.  The Song of the Island of Tol Úpahtëa was the First Song of the World After Creation, and the last chant of Eru Ilúvatar within the World for many ages. 

Tol Úpahtëa existed from almost the Beginning of Days, long before the Land of the Valar was raised in Aman.  And when long hence the Valar created the place of Valinor upon the nearest shore in Aman to Tol Úpahtëa, Ulmo cast up a screen of rough seas and great storms between the island and Valinor which prevented any travelers who were not given leave by Ulmo to cross the sea, instead washing them in wreck back upon the shores of Aman.

Neither Ulmo nor most of the Valar were disposed to kindness towards the people of the island, who were called the mute, Quorin; the island was called the Island of the Voiceless People; and they were greatly displeasing to most of the Valar, who turned their thoughts away.[1]

Only Yavanna and Nienna knew the mystery of the island, and its people the Quorin, and treated them kindly.  But even these Valar would not contemplate that island with others of the Valar, nor speak of the inhabitants.  Only the voices of Yavanna, Nienna and Ulmo had ever blended with the voice of Eru to cause this island, and the great purpose of Tol Úpahtëa was hidden from all others, even those who became alive at Start of Days in the Song of Creation of All, called Ainulindalë.  Manwë did know; but he kept his own counsel, as he did in most things.

Among the rest of the Valar, little more was known about the island or whom might reside there and turned their thoughts from it.

The sinless servants of Melkor, the Pen-úgarth, were placed on Tol Úpahtëa, and began to speak again, and to sing again.  Nienna and Yavanna were their sponsors and only voice in the rest of Aman.  But still, ever they remained the Servants of Melkor. 

Amongst themselves was laid the ban from leaving the island, save any mission of the Valar who watched over them.  They requested Yavanna and Nienna to let them build a temple upon Tol Úpahtëa to honor Melkor.

This desire gave great disquiet to the Ainur, it was indeed voiced in the unfolding of the First Song Within the World. So came about the Land of the Quorin in Tol Úpahtëa.

The Sundering of the Valar

Of all the Valar who mistrusted the Pen-úgarth, Varda was the most harsh and strident.  She did not believe that those who loved Melkor with all their hearts could resist his clever wickedness.  Throughout the Song at the Beginning, it was her voice that strove most mighty with the threnody of Melkor when it began to take shape.

Varda grieved and resented the silence of Caladan and rebuked him for abandoning the burden of bearing light to creation, that she took on alone. Perhaps she was pained by the apparent innocence of Manwë her husband towards Melkor; rather than instigating endless strife and quarrel with Manwë, she felt it better better to place upon the shoulders of Caladan alone her grievances.

Varda mistrusted the strength of the two Valar sponsors of the Pen-úgarth, Nienna (who would later plead to release of Melkor from his bondage after the Age of Peace), and Yavanna, to perceive crafty and subtle manipulations by Melkor and his servants.  She doubted the belief of the Quorin, that purity from the Flame Imperishable could remain within the heart of Melkor, which she considered irredeemably corrupt.  She thought they were fools and was relieved by their oath to stay on the island.

It was only by the promise of Manwë King of the Valar to remain vigilant over Tol Úpahtëa, that she could rest from her desire to drive them all to Morgoth.  For of the will of Eru Ilúvatar in making Tol Úpahtëa, only Manwë could discern a noble purpose.

Varda suspected that the tolerance of the Quorin by Eru Ilúvatar came from an over-abundance of mercy, and the blindness towards evil that a creator might have for his creatures; and disagreed bitterly with Eru Ilúvatar in refusing to let the Quorin pass away into nothingness and die.  In such subtle ways did Morgoth sunder the unity of the Valar.

Varda and her Maiar visited Tol Úpahtëa frequently, by the leave of Yavanna and Nienna at any time Varda desired, in order to search for any signs of corruption of the Quorin by Morgoth. But they found none, and Caladan would not speak to her or her emissaries.

Morgoth and his Servants

The caution of the Valar and the mistrust in the wisdom of the Song of Creation of Tol Úpahtëa was not without sense. Tol Úpahtëa itself was older than Valinor, which was created by the Valar. Several of the Valar greatly feared placing of Valinor so close to Tol Úpahtëa, the home of the Quorin.

By the infernal brothers of the Quorin were they judged, and not unwisely.  For their brothers in service of Melkor, the vast majority of those who did love Melkor at the beginning, did forever cleave to Melkor, and did follow him down through his corruption and degradation, and were to fall and become part of the wickedness that is Morgoth.  Those traitors from the beginning, the úgarth, or First Traitors, of Morgoth were Ainur who joined his song as it became arrogant and prideful and strident; but there were others, too.

Many other Ainur were to desert their people after the Ainulindalë, the Song of Creation and join Morgoth out of despite, the Second Traitors. This Second Betrayal gave rise to most of the servants of Morgoth, including the Valaraukar, and one named Sauron who was a Maia of Aulë.  But the most powerful and feared of the all the wicked host of Morgoth were the úgarth, the First Traitors.

It was against the úgarth that the Quorin were compared and beheld with great mistrust.

Caladan of the Quorin 

Great were the Quorin and esteemed and feared amongst the inhabitants of Aman, although little was known of them.  One of the greatest was Caladan the Light Smith, who could forge light in the manner that Aulë could forge the metals of Arda.

It was said that Yavanna and Nienna sought out the wisdom of Caladan in the creation and care of the Two Trees; and that the especial hatred by Morgoth for the Trees was out of jealousy and fear of Caladan and his knowledge of the forging of light, which lay not in the understanding of Morgoth.  Aulë sought counsel from Caladan in the forging of the Two Lamps, and the grief at the destruction of the Lamps by Morgoth weighed heavily on Caladan to the end of days, and he forswore aid to the Valar in teaching any craft for the shaping of Middle Earth or for their other works.

The casting down of the twin pillars of Helcar and Ringol by Morgoth and the destruction of the Two Lamps pained Caladan deeply, and he foreswore the use of any of his craft and skill outside Tol Úpahtëa.

It was also said that long into the later days of the Two Trees, which were crafted by Aulë by his tutelage under Caladan; did Fëanor traveled to Tol Úpahtëa greatly desiring to apprentice himself to Caladan in order to the create anew the Silmarils, which were admittedly beyond even the skill of Aulë, master of craftsmanship, to create. 

But the Oath of Caladan was unbreakable, and he warned Fëanor of the dangers of the forging of the Light of the Trees into the Silmarils and refused to teach him.  Still, Fëanor in his cleverness learned many things due to the kindness of the other Quorin while at Tol Úpahtëa in learning the craft of smithy, that allowed him to create the Silmarils, to the woe of the world.

Caladan was said to trust only Eru Ilúvatar and none of the Ainur created; for even the sponsors of the Quorin, Nienna and Yavanna, fell victim to the manipulations of Melkor upon his return from the House of Mandos, at the unchaining of Melkor.  Caladan did not come.

Fëanor, on his return to Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom, for judgment did show through his own actions the dishonesty of Melkor and the error of Fëanor in listening to Melkor.  This also reminded the Valar of the wisdom of Caladan and their own failings in understanding the perfidy of Morgoth.

The Valar were to call on Caladan at the War of Wrath, and again at other times; but he did not come.

The Ban of Caladan

When the Host of the Valar was assembled to join in the War of Wrath, they called upon Caladan to cease their mutual mistrust and join in the host of the Valar.  Again, when the Numenorian king Ar-Pharazon struck at Valinor, the Valar sought his aid.  The pleadings of the Valar show that they considered Caladan great even among the Valar, and the people of Tol Úpahtëa possessed of great might. 

But Caladan refused to aid the Valar even at that time.  Caladan stated in his refusal that he had no power or influence in the later days of creation after the Children of Ilúvatar came. His voice had ceased to join in creation upon the lighting of the stars and was silent long before the rising of the Children.  Especially of Morgoth Bauglir, Caladan claimed to understand nothing. He and the people of Tol Úpahtëa did not believe in the reality of Morgoth Bauglir, that he was an illusion; and that Melkor would someday repent and resume his duty as a servant of Eru Ilúvatar. 

The voice of Caladan indeed took form only until the first discordant chants of Melkor.  But before the song of Melkor became strident, so powerfully did the rising voice of Caladan pair with the voice of Melkor, and so purely did it echo the underlying themes of Eru Ilúvatar, that those others being created saw a great pairing and twining of the voices of Melkor and Caladan, becoming as though the two great Masters of Arda under Eru Ilúvatar.  For much that Melkor craved was embodied in Caladan, power and grace; and Caladan loved the being, the Flame that dwelt within Melkor.  Many of the Ainur coming to be, saw them as the Two Pillars of the World to be ever standing.

But as threnody crept into the melody of Melkor, thus did the voice of Caladan fall mute and silent. Many then of those who loved Melkor with all their hearts believed that Melkor had vanquished Caladan and the Quorin and delighted in their demise.  It was long believed by many of the Ainur that Caladan had been vanquished and thrown down into wreck by the power from the striving in the song of Melkor with the first voice of Eru Ilúvatar.

Caladan and the Quorin were silent during the later parts of the Song of Creation at the Beginning.  Their voices were not present in the later events and strife from the time of the Awakening of Elves and Men.  Since their voices never engaged the thoughts of Melkor while he manifested the dark thoughts of Morgoth, the evil of Morgoth Bauglir was unreal to their thoughts and minds.  The works of Morgoth and his servants could not touch any of the Quorin, for they were as fables to them.

[1] The names of the people of Tol Úpahtëa, Quorin, Orvlann and Pen-úgarth, differ only in custom but not in significance.