Secret Tales of the Temple of Melkor by SteveofCallie

A Brief Summary and Explanation.
This story dares to meditate upon the vast world that first opened to the eyes of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and then to his readers. I am one of his readers. I hope that my thoughts, like the voices in First Song, might harmoniously flow in some tiny way to augment his vast narrative. Any dissonance is mine alone. For this I apologize.
A paragraph from the cited poetic work on the Land of the Silent is repeated here.

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. But in the unfolding of this First Song Within the World, it was clearly voiced in a manner harmonious with the voice of Eru Ilúvatar. So came about the Land of the Quorin in Tol Úpahtëa.

The Time of Turning.
Long after the greatest of ages had passed, and mighty kingdoms and fell prison castles had risen and fallen under wicked hands, and great strife and sorrow had stricken the Children of Ilúvatar, the Council of the Wise in Valinor met and agreed to send a small group of Ainur under the guise of inhabitants of Middle Earth. These emissaries would be called the Istari, or Wizards. Their mission was to check the damaging and poisoning of Middle Earth by the rise of Sauron, the Maia of Morgoth.
One of the Maia, in the family of Yavanna, had long been struggling under great danger and peril in a certain duty long before the mission of the Istari.
Even to the ages of the Two Trees, this Maia was the chieftain of the bravest of the family of Yavanna to tread Middle Earth for unnumbered years and redress the wickedness of Morgoth.
Aiwendil the Keeper of the Beasts, he was to be called in days to come. His life on Middle Earth was held by many to be ineffectual and simple, perhaps even foolish and irrelevant to his charge to oppose Sauron.
But few knew of his true duties, throughout the ages as well as in the days of the rise of the Necromancer. For he was leader of the Walkers for many ages, and the duties of the Walkers was vast and terrifying.

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

Chapter End Notes

To continue

The Walkers
The Walkers were a small group of the family of Yavanna, whose mission was in Middle Earth. Among the Valar, few knew of their mission; it was private to Yavanna and Nienna and Caladan and blended in their faith with the purpose of Tol Úpahtëa. Unlike most things involving the Quorin, Varda helped and protected the works of the Walkers, as one of the few matters of the Orvlann which did not involve peril and foolishness.
To others, the Walkers were spies who braved the depths of Utumno and the horrors of Angmar and other dark places of the world, to bring information of the wicked doings of Morgoth in the World. Such a mission alone would be noble enough, but it was only a simplification of the burden of the Walkers.

The Fear of the Valar.
Great fear arose among the Valar when they first discerned that Morgoth had begun to people Middle Earth with wicked beings. For Morgoth sought to seize the Flame Eternal, and so to give life to horrible creatures during the Dark and Empty Days of Middle Earth, the Úvanimor; creatures that were henceforth to plague Middle-Earth: the orcs and trolls and fell Boldogsi and goblins.
It became necessary to discern the nature of these beings, whether they carried a mockery of the Flame Imperishable, and were of the nature of the Children of Ilúvatar, or contrariwise, bearers of some Dark Flame of life created by Morgoth.
In Máhanaxar, the Ring of Doom, joined the Valar in counsel of this matter. To the delight and amazement of his fellow Ainur, Caladan was present. The argument as to the nature of these beings of Morgoth raged on like a mighty storm, but Caladan was silent throughout, to the vexation of many.
As the Valar became tired, and the discussion waned like the end of a mighty storm sent by Ulmo gives rise to quiet seas, the Valar had reached no more understanding of the question than as they began.
“Let us see.” he said. At this, the Valar waited, but he said no more. “How will you see?” asked Manwë.
“The Orvlann are brave and fearless. Let them go to Utumno and seek the answers to this question.” Caladan answered.
Some of the Valar found mirth in his statement and laughed. Some were puzzled, and some were simply shocked into silence.
“All that is comes from the One, and all that we can know comes from the Song of the One, the Ainulindalë, which gave us being. Melkor arose from the song, as did we all. But Morgoth did not.
Morgoth and Udûn and all things which are evil are merely shadows on the wall, a puppet-show to entertain and frighten the children. Evil does not exist, in the way that things created by the One exist.
And the Valar became querulous and angry with Caladan. For they had seen the many poisonings and wreckage caused by Morgoth on Middle Earth and upon the Lamps, and upon the Trees.
“How can you say that evil does not exist? What bald and pointless causes do you have for the workings of Morgoth, you Lord of Insanity?” one cried out.
“I shall send forth those of the Quorin to be called Walkers, to bring back knowledge of the workings of Utumno and the origins of the fell beasts. The walkurzim shall be those of the Quorin who wish to be excused to leave Tol Úpahtëa.” he answered.
“You all are welcome to come forward, and to bring such members of your families who wish to join the walkurzim in their task.”
None of the Valar themselves could bear the terror of Utumno, nor could they ask of their families to join the Walkers of the Quorin.

The Assembly of the Host of Walkers
Caladan returned to Tol Úpahtëa to begin the assembly of the Host of the Walkers to travel unto Middle Earth. But one of the Maia of Yavanna heard the words of Caladan at the counsel, and wept.
This Maia, who would be later known as Colindo,ii wept in grief from the words of Caladan. Long after the return of Caladan to Tol Úpahtëa, Colindo wept unceasingly. The other Maiar counseled him and brought him to the house of Nienna, to open the depths and relieve the suffering of Colindo.
He met with Nienna, who asked him – “Why do you cry unceasingly?”
He replied, “I cry for the suffering of those who bear the Flame Imperishable, in the darkest and loneliest places of the world.”
“Do you cry for those imprisoned?” She asked.
“Yes, and perhaps more so for the prison-keepers, for their fëa are doubly imprisoned.”
At this, the Maia of Yavanna who accompanied Colindo were surprised, and very confused. But Nienna smiled. Her smile was rarely seen, but so radiant and warm it bathed all who saw it in comfort.
“You are most unusual, spirit Colindo. You shall come with me and Yavanna to visit Caladan on the island Tol Úpahtëa at once.”

i See Tolkien 1993, "Myths transformed", author's footnote to the text X, Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993), Christopher Tolkien, ed., Morgoth's Ring, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-395-68092-1
ii Colindo in the language of the Elves, for Valyaclindafairë; and Fëa-th?ra-ith?r of the Valar.