Morgoth’s 10 worst crimes in the history of the Lord of the Rings

This article contains spoilers for The Silmarillion.

Morgoth was the original villain of The Lord of the Ringspreceding Sauron in his wickedness and committing many crimes in Middle-earth. Meaning “Dark Enemy“in the Elven language Sindarin, Morgoth was the name given to the Vala Melkor in the First Age by the Noldor Elf Fëanor. Morgoth’s discontent arose from pride in a land before time known as the Timeless Halls. Created, along with the others of his Ainur race , by the One, Eru Ilúvatar, Melkor was one of the nine Aratar, the greatest of the 15 Valar, who were themselves the greatest of the Ainur.

Served by the Maiar, the lower order of the Ainur, the 15 Valar descended from the Timeless Halls to Arda to build it from the ground up. Eru gave the Ainur a theme, and they began to sing the Ainulindalë, which visualized Arda. Once in Arda, the Valar were bound to it forever, promising ages of trouble to come – Melkor tried to impose his rule, but the other Valar opposed him. The ensuing conflict lasted for millennia, but even after being cast into the void, Morgoth contaminated and affected Middle-earth.

10

Attacking Arien

Morgoth’s predatory nature emerged throughout the Legendarium

Morgoth was that rare breed of evildoer who somehow managed to encompass almost every type of heinous act, including those of a carnal nature. Morgoth plotted to attack Lúthien in “The Lay of Leithian”. In Morgoth’s RingChristopher Tolkien published an essay that JRR Tolkien had written called Notes on the motifs of the Silmarillion. This work discussed how Morgoth attacked the Maia Sun Arienalthough Tolkien did not necessarily intend to publish it. It gave an idea of ​​Morgoth’s worst tendencies.

Interestingly, Tolkien in this essay referred to evil as being sterile but fissiparous – incapable of reproducing sexually, but capable of generating types of offspring by dividing itself into multiple parts. Tolkien referred to Morgoth’s attack on Arien, which was also covered elsewhere in the legendarium. Morgot”violated“Aryan and in Morgoth’s RingTolkien chillingly confirmed that “this was to destroy and distance her, not to generate ardent descendants.“Morgoth also carried out invasive breeding programs for species such as Orcs.

9

The destruction of the two lamps

Morgoth destroyed Almaren and its light

While in Arda in the Old Days, Morgoth destroyed a monumental part of the world’s history and beauty. Long before the Elves awakened on Cuiviénen or the Two Trees were formed, the Valar were based on an island called Almaren. This island was central to Arda and lit by two giant lamps called Illuin and Ormal. The lamps were made by the great blacksmithAulë. This Vala did not make the lamps alone – the Valier Varda filled them with a magical light, blessed by the Vala Manwë.

Lighting up the entire world, the lamps were completely unique and have never been remade. Unfortunately, at that time, Vala Melkor was involved in constant fights with the other Valartrying to gain full control. What Melkor could not master, he wanted to destroy. He demolished the lamps and his enormous size caused them to collapse, destroying Almaren and changing the structure of the entire world.

8

The destruction of the two trees

Morgoth and Ungoliant stole the light of Arda

Morgoth teamed up with a giant spider named Ungoliant to put an end to the Valar’s next attempt to illuminate Middle-earth. As if the Two Lamps hadn’t been a big enough loss, Morgoth destroyed and poisoned the Two Trees with Ungoliant. Unlike the destruction of the Two Lamps, the end of the trees was remembered by the Elves, who inhabited Valinor at the time of its fall. Tolkien confirmed in The Silmarillion that “no story could contain all the pain and terror” which happened after the destruction of the Trees.

Ungoliant was able to weave webs of darkness that were more than just the absence of light, but a suffocating ill will, capable of “enter the heart and mind.” Melkor escaped with Ungoliant, but quarreled with her over payment for his assistance, ending in a fight that saw Ungoliant overpower him. With precious stones called Silmarils in hand, Morgoth called for help and Balrogs came to his rescue, sending Ungoliant away. In the However, the damage was done and the Valar raised the Pelóri Mountains and the Enchanted Isles to protect their kingdom.

7

Corrupting the Noldor

Morgoth poisoned the Noldor against the Valar

In what was arguably one of Morgoth’s worst acts while in Arda, he corrupted the Noldor Elves against the Valar. Melkor was imprisoned and was only released when he began to work sowing seeds of hatred among the Eldar Elves. Allowed to roam Valinor under the supervision of the Valar, Melkor was seething with resentment and worked subtly to undermine the Valar. Melkor befriended the Noldor Elveswhile the Vanyar Elves were more suspicious and the Teleri didn’t have much to do with him.

The Noldor were great blacksmiths and scholars and were very interested in the esoteric knowledge that Melkor could provide. Melkor shared useful information with the Noldor but he filled his words with false rumors about the Valar which gradually made the Noldor suspicious of them. Melkor also poisoned the Noldor Elves against each other. They ended up ignoring the Valars’ guidance, which had dire consequences, such as exiling them from Valinor.

6

Corrupting the Maiar

Morgoth corrupted Balrogs and Sauron into his service

It is not known exactly when Melkor began corrupting Maiar into his service, but some evil Maiar of note were the Balrogs and Sauron. Known as Umaiar in the elven language Quenya, these spirits were Morgoth’s chief servants. THE Umaiar continued to torment Arda long after Morgoth’s demotion to the void. If not for Morgoth’s initial persuasion of his fellow Ainur, Sauron would never have been unleashed on Middle-earth as a tyrant, creating the One Ring.

It was Sauron’s love of order and distaste for “wasted friction” this drew him to Morgoth. This evidenced how, unfortunately, Morgoth was able to corrupt the best in people. Sauron was good at Lord of the Rings for so long that it developed a huge legacy among the people of Vala Aulë and remained “powerful in the tradition of that people“even after his fall. This demonstrates what might have happened if Morgoth had not been so determined to attract so many spirits to his cause.

5

The Battles of Beleriand

Morgoth’s wars eventually ended the first age

Before the events of The Lord of the Rings and even before the events of The Rings of PowerMorgoth fought the War of the Jewels in several battles against Elves, Men, Dwarves, and Ainur. This war of the First Age saw A great tragedy befell the Elves in Morgoth’s Sack of Gondolinwhich destroyed one of the greatest elven fortresses in the history of Middle Earth. The great Battles of Beleriand included the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, a decisive victory for Morgoth. Also known as the Battle of Untold Tears, this battle left such a large heap of fallen that it became known as the Hill of the Dead.

Morgoth’s forces were so repelled by the Hill of the Dead in later years that they did not come near it. Morgoth fought against the High King of the Noldor, Fingolfinin single combat, during the Dagor Bragollach, or the Battle of Sudden Flame. Fingolfin managed to injure Morgoth’s foot, and he limped forever, but lost the fight. Morgoth killed one of the greatest Elves in the world. But most impressively, Morgoth fought the Host of the Valar in the last Battle of Beleriand, the War of Wrath, which was so cataclysmic that it sank Beleriand.

4

Stealing the Silmarils

Morgoth’s theft triggered more than just a war

Morgoth infamously stole the Silmarils, the namesake of Tolkien’s work The Silmarillionwhich means “of the Silmarils“in Quenya. The Silmarils were three powerful jewels created by Fëanor. In his possessive nature, Morgoth naturally became as obsessed with the jewels as Fëanor. Killing Fëanor’s father, Finwë, to obtain the Silmarils, Morgoth’s robbery followed another heinous crime – his attack on the Two Trees of Valinor. Representing one of the darkest times the people of Arda have ever seen and would see, Morgoth stole the light from Arda and the Silmarils, fleeing to Middle-earth.

Fëanor and his sons swore to get them back no matter what. This oath would guide them through three bloody family murders. Following Morgoth to Middle Earth, the Noldor were exiled and cursed by the Valar. With a Silmaril ending up in the sky with Eärendil the half-elf, Maedhros and Maglor each encountered a Silmaril in the end, but were unable to bear it, due to the curse. Maedhros threw himself into a pit of fire and Maglor threw his Silmaril into the sea and disappeared, ending two of Fëanor’s greatest sons in the tragedy the Valar had prophesied.

3

The discord and destruction of Arda

Morgoth ruined Arda over millennia

The destruction of Arda may actually be Morgoth’s worst crime, but it happened in several stages and faces another devastating sin that Tolkien himself cited as Morgoth’s worst. Melkor introduced discord into the Ainulindalëbased on his growing pride that told him he was worthy of granting life itself, which was the exclusive province of Eru Ilúvatar. He wanted to present his own independent ideas because he essentially distrusted Ilúvatar’s authority. This discord manifested itself in the plan for Arda, setting the wheels in motion for a troubled and tense future.

This was the beginning of Melkor’s Marring of Arda, a complex process by which Morgoth stained the entire course of world history. The Marring of Arda ensured that even Morgoth’s defeat in the First Age could not cleanse his influence from Middle-earth. The “bonds that Morgoth had imposed” Sauron was strong and just as Sauron was unable to escape following Morgoth on his path, Arda was unable to escape Morgoth’s impact until he was broken and remade in a final battle called the Dagor Dagorath. Tolkien never finished the Dagor Dagorath, but referred him in many stories.

2

The battles of powers

Arda was Morgoth’s ring

Morgoth vied for control of Arda with the Valar during the Battles of the Powers, during which Morgoth incorporated his corrupt essence into the fabric of the world itself. After introducing his discord into the Song of the Ainur, Morgoth descended to Eä – the universe that contained Arda – and created Arda with the Valar. The Valar would create beauty and Morgoth would destroy it and corrupt it. This struggle resulted in tumultuous landscapes that were never quite as the Valar intended.

Eru revealed how even Morgoth’s disobedience resulted in a plan more beautiful than anything anyone could have imagined. However, Morgoth poured his being into Middle-earth in the same way that Sauron poured his being into the One Ring. Arda was the Ring of Morgoth and many things born in it contained the “Melkor ingredient,“corruptible to cruelty. Morgoth and Sauron’s immorality bound them to their physical formsbut this sacrifice did not overcome the permanence of its effect in Middle-earth.

1

The creation of orcs

Melkor’s Most Vile Deed

Although the Destruction of Arda was arguably more comprehensive, the creation of the Orcs was a vicious insult to life itself. JRR Tolkien said it was “the vilest act of Melkor and the most hateful to Ilúvatar.“This crime exemplified the sin at the heart of Melkor’s actions. Morgoth’s pride led him to seek the Imperishable Flame in the void and the ability to grant life. This ability was practically synonymous with Divinity. Wishing to rise to the level of Eru himself, Morgoth made the race of Orcs into The Lord of the Rings in “mockery of the Children of Ilúvatar.“

Cruelly, Morgoth approached the Elves not long after his awakening and, “by slow arts of cruelty,” corrupted them into the first Orcs. This Orc origin story was one of many, but it seemed to be the dominant one and was the one that Christopher Tolkien chose in his final edition of The Silmarillionwhich his father entrusted him to finish. Orcs were victims of Morgothused as cannon fodder. But more clearly in The Lord of the RingsOrcs have fought the forces of light time and time again, causing untold misery and death.