J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional creation myth in The Silmarillion is called Ainulindalë.
Ainulindalë, whose title is commonly translated as “The Music of the Ainur,” is the opening section of The Silmarillion. It describes how Eru Ilúvatar creates the Ainur and gives them a great musical theme. Their music becomes the foundation for the vision of Eä, the created universe, and the world of Arda.
The account establishes major ideas in Tolkien’s mythology, including the relationship between divine creation, free will, and the disruptive influence of Melkor. Melkor introduces themes of his own into the music, but Ilúvatar incorporates the discord into a larger design. The section therefore functions as both a cosmological beginning and a statement about the limits of rebellion.
Ainulindalë is often confused with the Quenta Silmarillion, the much longer central history of the First Age, or the Valaquenta, which describes the Valar and Maiar. All three are sections associated with The Silmarillion, but only Ainulindalë presents the creation through the Music of the Ainur.