"You have no knowledge of the Ainur?" It should not be a surprise to him; Oromë might have hunted wide and far in Middle Earth, and Morgoth sent his emissaries further still, but neither should have brought knowledge of the Valar thence. And neither might the Maiar have revealed themselves, if they dwelt in those lands far away that Luke hails from.

"Mighty beings are they, in spirit alone determined and taking shapes to their liking; yet if children are born to them, their power takes shape, and with the passing of time they might become less inclined to leave a shape once taken; and furthermore their shape will show their mind, and dark thoughts will give them an appearance terrible and dark."