Melkor: Why Evil Was Allowed to Grow in the Beginning

Manwë, the Elder King of Arda, stands as the appointed steward of the world and the chief of the Valar. Yet, throughout Tolkien’s Legendarium, his wisdom and restraint are often seen as weaknesses, particularly in his dealings with Melkor. Why did he permit such evil to persist? Why not strike directly against Morgoth’s malice? In this episode, I explore Tolkien’s writings and letters that address the “folly” of Manwë, revealing the deeper spiritual framework behind the Valar’s choices. Through philosophy, sub-creation, and divine design, I uncover why mercy and restraint may have been the true strength of Arda’s king. 📖 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 03:27 – Valar Apologetics 06:51 – The “Folly” of Manwë 09:50 – Meeting Secrecy with Subterfuge 13:22 – The King’s Authority 17:35 – Averting Greater Evil 21:25 – References: Artists 21:38 – References: Music 21:57 – Supporters 22:25 – Notes and Sources 📕 Support the Channel: Patreon –   / theredbook   YouTube Memberships –    / @theredbook   Members-Only Videos –    • Members-only videos   🤝🏼 Supporters: Callisto_Arcas (Patricia), Brandon Neil Howells, Dovid Nachshon Albright, Wavesailor, Victus Shmmidtt, Seraphim38, ncv199, Moses Gunn, Lynn Seguin, Master of Dungeons, Gundero, steve b, Michael Nørrelykke, Joe Raffurty, Grant Erickson, Inge Marie Schmidlin, John Piccolini, Kevin Blanchard, Mike, amazingmuffinman, boi sophies, Lucy Edling, Brendan Tormey, Bianca Hagenberg, Puddle210 📚 On-Screen Notes & 🎨 Artwork: All on-screen notes, references, artist credits, images, and links are listed here: 👉 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... 🖼️ Thumbnail Art: "The Great War of Arda" Felix Englund https://www.artstation.com/felixenglund 🎵 Audio: All music used is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... “Gregorian Chant,” “Thunderbird,” “Virtutes Vocis” Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com “Lords of Shadow (Intro)” Óscar Araujo   / oaraujo   ❗ Disclaimer: All videos are the result of my own research into the works of J.R.R. Tolkien unless stated otherwise. Permission and/or licenses have been obtained for the use of copyrighted material. All scripts and editing are my own work and property, and no AI tools have been used to create this video.