Melkor's Maiar

[Sharkey]

I was wondering - were any Maiar "assigned" to Melkor in the beginning, like Eönwë was to Manwë,Radagast to Yavanna,Sauron and Saruman to Aüle,Ossë and Uinen to Ulmo...etc.?If there weren't any how come? Was it because he was the mightiest of the Ainur and because of that he NEEDED no Maiar to help him in his labours?
Also:To which Vala did the Valaraukar belong? They were associated with fire which could probably have something to do with the element of Earth and forging (Aulë) but their connection to Aulë(or to any other Vala for that matter) is nowhere stated.

[Mithlond]

I think he probably would have had some Maiar under his teaching, had he not turned to evil so quickly and got himself kicked out of the ranks of the Valar.

There were many Maia spirits, not just those that are named in the books. The Valaraukar were probably corrupted by Melkor before they decided to choose which Vala they wanted to follow. Or if they were under the guidence of one of the Valar before their corruption, then it's not stated which Vala it was..as far as i can remember.

[Sharkey]

Hmm...when one thinks of Manwë,one automatically thinks of air.
Varda-light,Ulmo-water,Aulë-earth...
Morgoth-What word comes to mind here (besides evil)?It says in the Sil that Melkor had a share in the knowledge of each of the Valar.So maybe all the Maiar who descended into Arda were "specialized" in some element/craft and none was as diverse as Melkor.But his "jack-of-all-trades" appearance and his majesty as the greatest of the Ainur was probably the reason why Sauron&the Balrogs were drawn to him.

[Mr. Underhill]

I always thought that the Balrogs were originally the Maiar "assigned" to Melkor, with Gothmog of course being the greatest of these.

[Dwimmerlaik]

Dear Ithrynluin,
You may have answered partially answered your own question in your second post.It was probably his power and majesty that drew those Maiar that would follow him.
The Valarauker(or demons of power)did not seem to follow any Valar in particular.It is probable(indeed likely),that Arien-previously in the service of Vana,was of the same spirit of fire as the Balrog's.
It is also possible that Gothmog was Melkor's son.

[Sharkey]

Thank you for your kind response,Dwimmerlaik.
I think Tolkien quickly abandoned the idea of Gothmog being Morgoth's son. The Ainur didn't (couldn't?) have children with each other I think.
I like the Arien idea too!

[Nóm]

Gothmog son of Morgoth? Where did this come from? I haven't heard that notion before? Did Tolkien say that early on for awhile? If so, who would have been the mother? Ungoliant?...Yes, that is it. She was getting fat on more than the light of Aman, she was getting fat with baby Gothmog..and that is why Melkor feared..

[Dwimmerlaik]

Yes you're right.
I threw that in just to see if anyone was listening.
The Arien angle,I do see as possible connection though.

[gate7ole]

About Gothmog being Melkor's son, we read it in The Book of Lost Tales (HOME I). It seems that Tolkien at first thought of giving to all Valar children. But afterwards he abandoned this idea, and just diminished Gothmog to "just" the Lord of the Balrogs.

[Elfarmari]

I'm not sure if the Maiar were 'assigned' to the Valar or if they simply chose which Vala they wished to learn from. If the latter were true, the Balrogs would have either been orginally students of other Valar, or originally followers of Melkor, who chose his evilness to follow. He could have helped them enhance their control of fire, turning them into the balrogs we know in the silmarillion.