At the time of the making of the Girdle of Doriath, Melian told Thingol that she foresaw the coming of Beren, and he would be more powerful than her magic, since a higher doom drives him. Now, unless Eru revealed to Melian these things only after she met Thingol, she must have known all along about Beren and his doom, her girdle, and, most likely, her presence and role in Middle Earth near Thingol.
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Originally Posted by Lal
Those who take on 'elemental' forms seem to become personifications of those elements - e.g. Varda as the stars
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I don't think that Varda is described as 'elemental', since, as stated in the Valaquenta:
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Originally Posted by Of the Valar
Too great is her beauty to be declared in the words of Men or of Elves; for the light of Iluvatar lives still in her face.
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Concerning the issue of interaction/influence, I would say that even semantically they are almost similar; or, to be more exact, influence is a particular case of interaction. So far, we know of no limitation of the valar and maiar in their incarnate form; the opposite is, actually, true.