Board Thread:Suggestions forum/@comment-31907131-20170209042613/@comment-31907131-20170210055016

I'd hesitate to disagree, but seventeenth is actually altogether too low. Were all the Valar given inherent wisdom? They had differing levels of it. Melkor, if you counted him as one (as he originally was of the same order as those who became the Valar) wasn't really that wise. Wisdom would have been not ever in a trillion aeons doing anything to annoy Eru. Wisdom would have been knowing when to change his ways (permanently) so that he didn't get wrecked by the Valar again. He had a form of evil logic, but not that much wisdom. Now, the Valar were originally the same. Several of them were very wise indeed- mostly the ones whom Gandalf learned from; most likely he learned something from Lorien, whose region he lived in; and Nienna, who taught Olorin pity. Mandos, with his knowledge of the future, was most likely extremely wise; but some of the Valar made rash decisions, like Tulkas with his anger and battle-lust, Aule in making the Dwarves without asking permission, etc, etc. And many of their actions did not show particular wisdom; not guarding the Trees, freeing Melkor, and all of the mistakes they made. Granted, even the very wise cannot see all ends, but they made some downright stupid mistakes cough letting Sauron go cough.