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tolkiens legendarium - Why did the Valar call to Eru during the invasion of Valinor?


At the end of the Second Age, the Numenorean king Ar-Pharazon built a huge fleet with the intention of invading Valinor and taking immortality by force. They sailed West until they successfully landed in the Undying Lands, at which point the Valar (according to the LOTR Wiki) immediately "laid down their guardianship of the world and called upon Eru" for aid.


Now, putting aside the question of whether immortality could in fact even be taken by force (if anyone has any information on that please share, but I'm assuming a certain mythological suspension of disbelief there, akin to Pandora keeping "hope" in a box), are we supposed to believe that the Numenoreans seriously built a fleet strong enough to essentially conquer heaven?


I know the Valar may or may not be gods, but they are undoubtedly beings of incredible power. Plus, you know, there are a bunch of them. Was the host of Men truly powerful enough that the Valar gave up their custody of the entire world and appealed to the greatest source of power in the cosmos, before even meeting them in battle?



Or was there another reason that Eru was called upon, aside from the overwhelming might of Ar-Pharazon's force?



Answer



The answer is yes, the host of Men was truly powerful enough that the Valar gave up their custody of the entire world and appealed to Eru.



Faced by this rebellion, of appalling folly and blasphemy, and also real peril (since the Numenoreans directed by Sauron could have wrought ruin in Valinor itself), the Valar lay down their delegated power and appeal to God[...]



(From Tolkien's letter in 1951 to Milton Waldman.)


Especially interesting to note is that Sauron did not actually go with the Numenoreans to Valinor - he was sitting in Numenor when Eru sank it. At any rate, "real peril" does not necessarily mean that the Numenoreans could have actually conquered Aman - "wrought ruin" is not terribly specific.


At the same time, as discussed throughout The Silmarillion and HoME, the Numenoreans would not have actually gained immortality by landing in Valinor without Eru's intervention. Ironically, those who did set foot in Aman did gain a kind of immortality: they sleep in the Caves of the Forgotten until the Day of Doom and the Last Battle.


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