For questions about The Maiar, powerful fictional beings from the world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Always use in conjunction with the [tolkiens-legendarium] tag and use with [the-lord-of-the-rings] and [the-hobbit] where appropriate.
The Maiar were those spirits which descended to Arda to help the Valar shape the World. They were numerous, yet not many were named, and few also took visible shapes in Middle-earth. The Maiar were Ainur — technically, any Ainu that is not counted as a Vala is a Maia. The word Maiar comes from the Elvish root Maya meaning admirable or excellent.
Notable Maiar: Saruman, Gandalf, Radagast, and the Blue wizards et al.
See Tolkien Gateway and Wikipedia for more info.
