Maia, as many of you know, were present in the beginning. We were formed of the stuff of the World by Eru Illuvator. He also created at the same time many lesser beings, to serve the Ainur and be their subordinates. We were also given different, powers, if you will. For example, some Maiar, like Balrogs, are of the fire spirit sort. Others, like the Watcher in the Water at Khazad-Dum, are water spirits. Others, like my compatriots, the Istari, and my life-enemy Sauron, are of no particular branch of power, but rather overall power spirits.

Of the Life and Times of ’Thror Manwë’

have already covered the general history of Maia, so I do not need to go over my earliest history. I will start my story in Valinor. I was a servant/companion of Tulkas Astaldo. When he did battle with Melkor in the early days, I was his squire who helped him put his armor on. Eventually, my knowledge of armor and arms grew to surpass that of Tulkas’s armourer. When I got the chance to display my knowledge to my Lord, he was impressed and designated me as the apprentice armourer. An age passed, and the master armourer of Tulkas was slain one day by an agent of Melkor who used an undetectable poison to slay him. Tulkas, furious, appointed me Master Armourer. My first assignment for my Lord was to create a new, perfect metal that was impervious to all blows. After many years of study, experimentation, and trials, I finally developed the perfect combination of metal and magic. In my excitement, I must admit I overloaded on the production and ended up giving the remainder to Aulë the Smith. I decided that as the original maker, I had the right to name this metal. I named it after my love, Myanothryl. The name would be mithril. Aule gave it it’s second name, truesilver. After he had constructed many wondrous artifacts, he set his people to dispersing the remainder all around the world. I, on the other hand, made my lord his perfect suit of mail and plate armor, that he will wear again at the Dagor Dagorlad.

Jumping forward many thousands of years, when my equals, the Istari were sent to Middle-Earth to combat the growing threat of Sauron, my Lord Tulkas presented my case to be included in the number of Five. Lord Manwe ruled that wisdom and knowledge were more important than my brute strength. So was it that I was left out of the number sent to Middle-Earth. However, Tulkas vowed to have me over there before the end, so I could keep an eye on Curunir aka Saruman in Middle-Earth. He didn’t trust him, for he thought he desired to be an Ainur too much.

When word reached Valinor of Curunir being named Head of the White Council, Tulkas was all in a rage, going to Manwe and pleading with him to allow Codinor, armourer of Tulkas, to travel to Middle-Earth to defend the values of Arda. Manwe decided to allow me to travel and not be under the same restrictions of the Istar. Manwe asked Ulmo to allow me to use his water carriage so I could arrive quicker. Ulmo allowed it, and in less than two days I was on the Western shores of Middle-Earth. I traveled for many days and learned that Olorin was known as Gandalf the Grey by Men and as Mithrandir by the Eldar. I learned of Imladris from some passing Sindarin elves. They directed me to continue East and I would come upon Elrond Half-Elven’s home of Rivendell. On my journey, I decided that I would adopt a name of Middle-Earth. I named myself after the dwarf, Thror, and the one who allowed me to come to Middle-Earth, Manwe. And as I was wearing a silver cloak of Tulkas, a mithril breastplate, and a mithril blade called Sertindeth, I would be called ’the Silver’. Thus my name is Thror Manwe the Silver.