J'Accuse...Aulë!

Could it be that Aulë, Lord of the Valar, was and is secretly in the service of Melkor? There are hints in the canon upon which to speculate the defection of this high-ranking Vala... 

Aulë is one of the greatest of the Valar and most like Melkor 'in thought and in powers'. In the creation of the Dwarves, Aulë is the only Vala who we know has the capacity and will to disobey Ilúvatar, and 'both [Aulë and Melkor], also, desired to make things of their own that should be new and unthought of by others.' We know that Melkor's skill is in manipulating small weaknesses and doubts between allies, and 'others he corrupted afterwards to his service with lies and treacherous gifts.' To concentrate his efforts on corrupting Aulë would have been a bold strategic move typical of Melkor. Aulë was upset when reproached by Ilúvatar for the creation of the Dwarves. It fits with everything we know about Melkor that he would seize upon any seed of disobedience and manipulate it. His unique understanding of the mind of Aulë would have given a way in. Not only that, but 'he had secret friends and spies among the Maiar whom he had converted to his cause'. The most important of whom was Mairon, later known as Sauron, who was of the people of Aulë. Melkor knew the mind of Aulë and had a spy embedded within his camp, would he not have tried to manipulate him into defection? And then we have the coincidence that the other great fallen Maia was also of the people of Aulë - Curumo, later known as Saruman. Was something rotten in the house of Aulë?

If true, the consequences could be far-reaching. We know that previous battles between the forces of the Valar and Melkor's armies were close-run, as 'long and grievous was the siege of Utumno, and many battles were fought before its gates'. What role the Powers will play in the Dagor Dagorath is known perhaps only to Mandos, but the allegiance of Aulë could play a pivotal role. As one of the most powerful of the Valar, with 'lordship ... over all the substances of which Arda is made', if Melkor were to give Aulë free reign to create new creatures, weapons, and strongholds, it is plausible that the events of the Last Battle could be quite unexpected... 

All quotes from The Silmarillion.

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