Children of Ilúvatar

According to the cosmological account of Tolkien's legendarium, Ilúvatar (Eru) is the supreme creator who brought into being sentient beings called the Children of Ilúvatar. They were introduced into the world as distinct created peoples in the framework of Tolkien’s mythic cosmology (the narrative background includes the Music of the Ainur as the divine creative event), and are identified in summary treatments of the legendarium as the created 'children' of Ilúvatar.

The sources treat the Children of Ilúvatar as a broad category rather than a single corporeal form, comprising two principal peoples: Elves—long-lived, often described elsewhere in Tolkien’s works as fair and immortal in life—and Men—mortal and more variable in appearance. The supplied materials emphasize the category status (Children as created beings) and therefore present their appearance in terms of these two peoples rather than a single uniform description.

Within the cosmological framing provided, the Children of Ilúvatar are a rational, free-willed created order. As a class they possess language, culture, and moral agency; Elves are characterized in the broader legendarium by immortality in that they do not die of old age (though they may be slain or die of grief), while Men are mortal. The supplied sources do not enumerate other specific magical abilities in this summary material.