“I already left that land twice before. The first time, I left it to be consumed by darkness, and my own wife passed on my second. Let me return, and I will ensure that my children will not suffer the same fate as both the land and it’s inhabitants!”
- Mallien trying to convince the Valar to let him return to Middle-earth.
Mallien was a Maiar of Irmo, better known as Lorien. He was the brother of Melian the Maiar, Queen of Doriath and the lover of Nidril, one of the first Elves to awaken in Cuivenen. He was also the father of Mageth Vorncollo and Giniriel.
Mallien the Maia
Origins[]
Mallien was one of the Maiar spirits of old, being in the service of Lorien, brother to Mandos. Mallien was a lover of plants and flowers, and enjoyed roaming through forests more than anything else. Like his sister, Melian, Mallien travelled to Middle-earth before the awakening of the Elves to explore the land there.
Mallien met the Elf maiden Nidril during the Great Journey. The two slowly fell in love, and they both became parents of a boy named Vidril, who would later be knows as Mageth. For unknown reasons, Mallien did not talk to or spend time with Vidril, but still kept his relationship with Nidril strong, and all three remained happy during the Great Journey.
Life in Valinor[]
Life was blissful in Valinor, with Mallien and Nidril tending the gardens of Lorien and Vidril spending time with the Eagles of Manwe, even from an early age. For years, they lived in harmony, until Morgoth destroyed the Two Trees and stole the Silmarils, plunging Arda into darkness. During this time, Vidril snook away from his family and joined with the rebelling Noldor so that he could see Middle-earth once more, taking on the name Mageth.
These series of events put immense grief onto Nidril, but Mallien was able to make her happy still, and their relationship stayed strong, even through the Rebellion of the Noldor. During the First Age, Valinor remained untouched by the events in Middle-earth, that was until Earendil the Mariner sailed to Valinor with a Silmaril, offering to give the Silmaril to the Valar if they would go to war with Morgoth once more. Manwe heeded the call and rallied the Maiar and the Vanyar, sending them into Beleriand to defeat Morgoth's armies and to finally defeat Morgoth.
Both Mallien and Nidril went with the main force as they were both skilled healers, although it was also a chance for Nidril to try and find Mageth amid the chaos. However, before she could find Mageth in Beleriand, the region collapsed into the ocean, leaving her to live in Lindon, determined to find him. Even though she spent years searching, she could not find Mageth (despite the fact that he was in Lindon) and settled in Emyn Vorn. There, Mallien and Nidril lived a peaceful life right into the Third Age, but a few decades before the War of the Ring, Nidril became pregnant again. Despite Mallien wanting to stay, he was called back to Valinor by Lorien through a dream. He was forced to return to Valinor, but would not remain forever.
Fighting Kashaka[]
By the Fourth Age, Nidril had gone into hiding, and she had left two children in Middle-earth: Mageth and Giniriel, who Nidril was pregnant with when Mallien left. The children became part of a war between the Alliance (a faction of Men, Elves and Dwarves led by the Blue Wizards) against Kashaka, a sorceress of unknown origins. When Thorondor led his Eagles to Middle-earth to aid the Free Peoples (against the wishes of Manwe), they brought news to Valinor of what was happening in Middle-earth. Mallien decided that it was time for the Ainur to finally help Middle-earth, and rallied the Maiar to support him in his quest to return to Middle-earth. However, the Valar opposed the idea, and soon, a political struggle began between the Valar, with many such as Lorien, Varda and Tulkas supporting Mallien, while Mandos, Aule and Manwe opposed him.
After many days of meetings, debates and arguments, a final council was held on the matter. Mallien gave his last words, before leaving the Valar to decide on their choice. While almost all of the Maiar supported Mallien in his cause (mainly Olórin, who took the form of Gandalf as one of the Istari) and Ilmare (one of the Chiefs of the Maiar), Eonwe opposed the idea, a view he held alone. After being counselled by Olórin, Mallien returned to the Valar, learning that they had voted to let him go to Middle-earth with two other Maiar to aid Mageth in his fight. Olórin and Ilmare volunteered and the trio sailed from Valinor, passing through the Straight Road and returning to Middle-earth, docking in the Grey Havens.
While the Maiar spoke with Círdan the Shipwright, a message was sent to Mageth and the Alliance, who were now in Bree, preparing to make a stand against Kashaka's armies in Angmar and the Weather Hills. Mageth and Giniriel, discovering that Mallien was at the Havens, were carried there by Thorondor, and finally met their father for the first time. Mallien inquired who the enemy really was, and was stunned when Mageth revealed it was Kashaka, as it turned out the sorceress was once one of the Maiar, allured to darkness by Morgoth but abandoning her master before his defeat at the end of the First Age.
Before they went to Evendim (where the Alliance were to make a permanent stronghold), Mallien asked his children to go to Emyn Vorn with him, so he could pay his respects to Nidril. Arriving there, they found Giniriel's childhood home burned to the ground, an incident caused by Kashaka to taunt her enemies. Mallien, finding Nidril's “grave” untouched, realized that Kashaka was unable to desecrate the grave because atop it was Nidril's necklace, which bore a diamond from the Pelóri mountains of Aman.
Asking Mageth about the Silmaril, Mallien revealed it was not a Silmaril, but was similar, as when Feanor was working on creating the Silmarilli, he made many more gems as gifts to the Elf kindreds. One of these was given to Nidril by King Ingwe of the Vanyar, and she brought it to Middle-earth with her. Now realizing that the Undying Lands were out of danger and that the gem could be used to combat Kashaka's magic, the group travelled to Evendim.
Personality[]
Mallien was unique among the Maiar in that he took great affair with the Elves, just as his sister did. He was thought to be the greatest healer that ever lived, being able to heal even the most serious of wounds and being able to get rid of almost any ailment. This skill in healing was extremely useful during the War of Wrath, as he was able to save the lives of hundreds alongside Nidril.
Mallien was most alike to his son in personality, bearing his stern personality and passionate cynicism. Defensive of his views to the point that he questioned the Valar's authority, he was still devoted to the Ainur, especially his fellow Maiar, who he was fiercely protective of. However, he looked more like Giniriel, having the same colour hair and a similar accent, though he shared the face of Mageth.
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