What is the name of the supreme creator figure in J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology?

Eru Ilúvatar is the supreme creator figure in J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology.

In The Silmarillion, Eru creates the Ainur, powerful spiritual beings who take part in the Great Music. From that music he brings the universe, Eä, into existence. The Ainur who enter the created world are known as the Valar and Maiar.

Eru is also called Ilúvatar, meaning “Father of All” in Tolkien’s invented Quenya language. He stands above the Valar, including Manwë, and is not equivalent to any one of them. Melkor, later called Morgoth, is a rebellious Vala rather than the supreme creator.

Tolkien’s account therefore distinguishes creation from stewardship. The Valar shape and govern parts of Arda, but Eru remains the ultimate source of existence and can intervene in the history of the world. This hierarchy is central to the mythology’s theological structure.