Guide to The Silmarillion: Of Aulë and Yavanna (Ch. 2)
Chapter Two: Of Aulë and Yavanna
“For thou hast from me as a gift thy own being only, and no more; and therefore the creatures of thy hand and mind can live only by that being, moving when thou thinkest to move them, and if thy thought be elsewhere, standing idle. Is that thy desire?”
Aulë, impatient for the coming of the Children of Iluvatar, created the Dwarves in secret. Ilúvatar chastised him for doing so but ultimately forgave him and allowed the Dwarves to live — giving them life of their own whereas Aulë had not had the authority to do so. However, the Dwarves were not permitted to awaken before the coming of the Elves and Men. The Dwarves are the Children of Ilúvatar by “adoption,” which differentiates them from the Elves and Men. Afterwards, Yavanna created the Ents and the Great Eagles to defend the living things that could not defend themselves.
