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Template:Middle-earth portalMorgoth Bauglir (originally known as Melkor) is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium.

Character overview

Morgoth was one of the Ainur, a race of divine beings similar to archangels, the 15 most powerful of which later became the Valar. Melkor was the brother of their king, Manwë Súlimo. In the histories of the Middle-earth, Morgoth played "the great enemy," the ultimate antagonist of Arda. Sauron, Tolkien's better-known villain, was one of the Maiar and a servant to the original "Dark Lord", Morgoth.

A character that appeared in person in The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin, Morgoth is of critical importance to the entire Tolkien cycle. The personification of evil in Middle-earth, Morgoth provided later generations with moral warnings against the sins of pride, lust for power, and greed, as well as the fall from grace and destruction in which these sins result. His story also accounts for the existence of evil in otherwise innocent people's lives in that it rationalizes (to an extent) the pain the characters of Middle-earth must suffer. In these respects his role is similar to that of Satan in Christianity.

The name

Morgoth came from Tolkien's invented language of Sindarin and means "The Dark Enemy"; Bauglir is also Sindarin, meaning "Tyrant" or "Oppressor". "Morgoth Bauglir" is actually an epithet. His name as first mentioned in Ainulindalë (the creation story of Middle-earth and first section of The Silmarillion) is Melkor, which means 'He Who Arises In Might' in Quenya. But this too is an epithet since he, like all the Ainur, had another true name in Valarin (the language of the Ainur before Time), but this name was not recorded. The Sindarin equivalent of Melkor was Belegûr, but it was never used; instead a deliberately resembling name Belegurth, meaning 'Great Death', was employed, though still rarely.

The character was not properly called ‘Morgoth’ until he is given the name by Fëanor of the Noldor. This occurred in the First Age, after Melkor destroyed the Two Trees and stole the Silmarils. Prior to this point, he was only called Melkor, and the Elves called him that name alone. (see "History" below)

Like Sauron, he had a host of other titles: Lord of the Dark, the Dark Power of the North, and Great Enemy. The Edain called him the Dark King and the Dark Power; the Númenóreans corrupted by Sauron called him the Lord of All and the Giver of Freedom.

History

Ainulindalë

Before the creation of Arda (The World), Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur. He contended with Eru (God), via the Music of the Ainur. Melkor was jealous of his father, and wanted to create and rule other wills himself. He spent a long time looking for the Secret Fire (also called the “Flame Imperishable”).

Unlike his fellow-Ainu Aulë, Melkor was too proud to admit that his creations were simply discoveries wholly made possible by, and therefore “belonging” to, Eru. Instead, Melkor aspired to the level of Eru; the true Creator of all possibilities.

During the Great Music of the Ainur, Melkor attempted to alter the Music and introduce what he believed to be elements purely of his own design. As part of these efforts, he drew many weaker-willed Ainur to him — creating a counter to Eru’s main theme. Ironically, these attempts did not, as he hoped, truly subvert the Music, but only further elaborate and beautify Eru’s original intentions: the Music of Eru took on a depth and beauty precisely because of the strife and sadness Melkor’s disharmonies (and their rectification) introduced.

Since the Great Music of the Ainur stood as template for all of history and all of material creation in the Middle-earth cycle (it was first sung before Time, and then the universe was made in its image), there was an aspect of everything in Middle-earth that came of Melkor’s meddling – everything had been somewhat "polluted."

Quenta Silmarillion

After the Creation, many Ainur entered into Eä. The most powerful of them were called the Valar, or Powers of the World; the lesser, who acted as their followers and assistants, were the Maiar. They immediately set about the ordering the universe and Arda within it, according to the themes of Eru as best they understood them. Melkor and his followers entered Eä as well, and they set about ruining and undoing whatever the others did.

For each of the Valar there was a particular aspect of the world which most attracted their interest and became the focus of their powers. Melkor’s 'natural province' was in the area of terrible extremes and violence — bitter cold, scorching heat, earthquakes, rendings, breakings, utter darkness, burning light etc. His power was so great that the Valar were unable to restrain him, and until the entrance into Eä of the Vala Tulkas, which tipped the balance in their favor, it seemed as if Arda would never achieve a stable form.

Driven out by Tulkas, Melkor brooded in the darkness at the outer reaches of Arda until an opportune moment arrived when Tulkas was distracted. He re-entered Arda and attacked and destroyed the Two Lamps, which at the time were the only sources of light. Arda was plunged into darkness, and island of Almaren, the first home of the Valar on Earth, was destroyed in the violence of the lamps' fall.

After the fall of the Lamps, the Valar withdrew into the land of Aman in the far West. The country where they settled was called Valinor, which they heavily fortified. Melkor held dominion over Middle-earth from his fortress of Utumno in the Northeast.

Melkor’s first reign ended after the Elves, the eldest of the Children of Ilúvatar, awoke at the shores of Cuiviénen, and the Valar resolved to rescue them from his malice. The Valar made immediate and devastating war on Melkor, and destroyed Utumno. Melkor was bound in a specially forged chain, Angainor, and brought to Valinor where he was imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos for three ages.

In the published Silmarillion, Melkor captured a number of Elves before the Valar attacked him, and he tortured and corrupted them, breeding the first Orcs. But other versions of the story written both before and after the published text state that the Orcs are soulless beings animated solely by the will of their evil lord. This latter version is associated with the idea of Morgoth dispersing himself into the world he marred, and that his creations were mere imitations, and it also provides a moral basis for the killing of Orcs without compunction.Template:ME-fact In other accounts, Tolkien says that Morgoth bred the Orcs from Men, whose awakening is then placed not long after the that of the Elves.

After Melkor was released, he was paroled to Valinor even though he was not entirely trusted even by some of the Valar. He made a pretense of humility and virtue, but was secretly plotting to do what harm he could to the Elves, whose awakening he blamed for his defeat. The Noldor, wisest of the three kindreds of Elves that had relocated to Valinor, were most vulnerable to his plots, since he had much knowledge they eagerly sought, and while instructing them he also awoke unrest and discontent among them. When the Valar became aware of it they sent Tulkas to arrest him, but Melkor had already escaped. With the aid of Ungoliant, a dark spirit in the form of a monstrous spider, he destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, slew the King of the Noldor Finwë, and stole the three Silmarils, jewels made by Finwë’s son Fëanor which were filled with the light of the Trees. On receiving news of this, Fëanor named him Morgoth, "Black Foe of the World", and the Eldar knew him by this name alone afterward.

Back in Middle-earth, Morgoth resumed his reign in the North, this time in Angband, which had been his lesser fortress before, and not as completely destroyed as Utumno. He rebuilt it, and raised above it the volcanic triple peak of Thangorodrim. The Silmarils he set into a crown of iron, which he wore at all times. Fëanor and most of the Noldor pursued him, along the way committing the Kinslaying and incurring the Doom of Mandos. On arriving in Beleriand, the region of Middle-earth nearest Angband, the Noldor established kingdoms and made war on Morgoth. Soon afterward, the Sun and the Moon arose for the first time, and Men awoke if they had not done so already. The major battles of the ensuing war included the Dagor-nuin-Giliath (Battle Under the Stars, fought before the first rising of the Moon), Dagor Aglareb (Glorious Battle), Dagor Bragollach (Battle of Sudden Flame) at which the long-standing Siege of Angband was broken, and the battle of Nírnaeth Arnoediad (Unnumbered Tears) when the armies of the Noldor and the Men allied with them were routed and the men of the East joined Morgoth. Over the next several decades, Morgoth destroyed the remaining Elven kingdoms, reducing their domain to an island in the Bay of Balar to which many refugees had fled, and a small settlement at the Mouths of Sirion under the protection of Ulmo.

After Nírnaeth Arnoediad but before the destruction of the Elves' strongholds, the Man Beren and Lúthien the daughter of Thingol entered Angband and recovered a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown. It was inherited by their granddaughter Elwing, who came to be among those dwelling at the Mouths of Sirion. Her husband Eärendil, wearing it on his brow, sailed across the sea to Valinor, where he pled with the Valar to liberate Middle-earth from Morgoth.

During the ensuing War of Wrath, Beleriand and much of the north of Middle-earth was destroyed and reshaped. In the end, Morgoth was utterly defeated. His armies were almost entirely slaughtered. The dragons were almost all destroyed, and Thangorodrim was shattered when Eärendil slew the greatest of them, Ancalagon the Black, who crashed upon it as he fell. Those few remaining dragons were scattered, and the handful of surviving Balrogs hid themselves deep within the earth. Morgoth fled into the deepest pit and begged for pardon, but his feet were cut from under him, his crown was made into a collar, and he was chained once again with Angainor. The Valar exiled him permanently from the world, thrusting him through the Door of Night into the void, and he is not expected to return until the prophesied end when he is expected to meet his final destruction. His evil remained, however, as “Arda Marred," and his will influenced all living creatures.

Children of Húrin

This book is a more complete version of events summarized in Quenta Silmarillion. Húrin along with his younger brother Huor are leaders of the House of Hador, one of the three kindred of elf-friends. At Nírnaeth Arnoediad they covered the escape of Turgon to Gondolin by sacrificing their army and themselves. Huor was slain, but Húrin was brought before Morgoth alive. In revenge for his aid to Turgon and his defiance, Morgoth cursed both Húrin and his children, binding Húrin to a seat upon Thangorodrim and forcing him to see all that happened to his children in the succeeding years. There is little additional information about Morgoth in this book, except what is found in the encounter between him and Húrin, which is set out in more detail than in The Silmarillion and in a more connected narrative than in Unfinished Tales. It is the first allusion in such a narrative to some earlier corruption of Men by Morgoth soon after their awakening, and the assertion by Morgoth of dominion over the entire Earth by virtue of his influence.

Appearance and characteristics

The Ainu Melkor could initially take any shape, but his first recorded form was "...as a mountain that wades in the sea and has its head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold." At the time he slew the Two Trees and stole the Silmarils, he took to himself the shape of the great Dark Lord: gigantic and terrifying. The diminution of his power in this time and his own desire for lordship destroyed his ability to freely change shape, and in effect he became bound to this one, terrible form. His hands were burned by the theft of the Silmarils, and never healed. The one time he emerged, to fight High King Fingolfin, he suffered several wounds, including one to the foot which left him with a permanent limp. At the end of this battle, Thorondor, the great Eagle, swooped down and scarred Morgoth's face with his talons, a wound that also never healed. In battle he wore black armour and wielded Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld. Mordor's great battering ram was named after this weapon. He also wielded a black spear, and in early texts a poison sword.

Melkor's powers were originally immense – greater than those of any other single Ainu. He shared a part of the powers of every other Vala, but unlike them used it for domination of the whole of Arda. To accomplish this Morgoth dispersed his being throughout Arda, tainting its very fabric of Arda; and only Aman was free of it. This resulted in his person becoming ever more diminished and restricted.

Pity was beyond Morgoth’s understanding, as was courage; as he alone of the Valar bound himself to a physical (and therefore destructible) body, he alone of the Valar knew fear.

Politics and followers

Morgoth considers himself "Master of the Fates of Arda," and thinks himself the universe's rightful king.

Because he was the most powerful creature in Arda, many "flocked to his banner." Morgoth's chief servants were certain Maiar he corrupted or monsters he created: Sauron, later the Dark Lord of Mordor and his chief servant; Gothmog, the Lord of Balrogs and High-Captain of Angband; Glaurung, the Father of Dragons; Ancalagon "the Black", greatest of the Winged Dragons; Carcharoth, the mightiest wolf that ever lived; Draugluin, Sire of Werewolves; and Thuringwethil, Sauron's vampire messenger.

Melkor was aided in destroying the Two Trees by Ungoliant, a demon in spider form. However, this allegiance was temporary; when Melkor refused to feed the Simarils to Ungoliant, she attacked him. He had spread his power and malice too thinly and had thus weakened himself too much to fight back, and so was forced to call upon the Balrogs to save him.

When the race of Men awoke, Morgoth (or his servant, depending on text consulted) temporarily left Angband to live among them: some men worshipped him, banning Ilúvatar from their hearts. The Atanatári (Fathers of Men) were those Men who repented and fled West toward the rumour of the Valar, but Morgoth and his servants had many legions of fallen Men at his service regardless.

Morgoth was known to have betrayed his own servants: e.g., after the Noldor were defeated, he confined all Men in his service to the lands of Hithlum, forbidding them to enter Beleriand, their promised reward. Since he could never fully conquer Men, he could never really trust them.

Character development and history

In the early versions of Tolkien's stories, Melkor/Morgoth was not seen as the most powerful Ainu. He is described as being equal in power to Manwë, chief of the Valar in Arda. But his power increased in later revisions of the story until he became the most powerful Ainu, and then (in a late essay), more powerful than all of the Valar combined. His character thus developed from being a standout among equals (by virtue of his wickedness and rebelliousness), to being invincible with regards to all the others: no created beings in the universe have the power in themselves — alone or united — to utterly defeat Morgoth.

In the course of the literary development of his legendarium, Tolkien altered both the conception of this fallen Ainu and his name. The name given to him by the Noldor (Morgoth) was present since the first stories, otherwise he was for a long time called Melko, which was later preserved as a variant form. The Sindarin equivalent of this was a matter of hesitation, appearing as Belcha, Melegor, and Moeleg, and so was the meaning of the name, considered to be related in different times to milka 'greedy' or velka 'flame'. Similarly the 'Old English translations' devised by Tolkien differ in sense: Melko is rendered as Orgel 'Pride' and Morgoth as Sweart-ós 'Black God'. Once Morgoth is given a particular 'sphere' of powers: in the early Tale of Turambar Tinwelint (precursor of Thingol) names him "the Vala of Iron".

Much of the text published in The Silmarillion was drawn from earlier, more completely written, drafts of the mythology and thus in places seems to advance the older conception of Morgoth's power; there is less discussion of Melkor/Morgoth's marring of all Arda by diluting himself throughout it. In other sections, such as the 1950s draft used for Ainulindalë, the implication of his "total" power remains clear. While not included in the published 'Silmarillion', the final passages of all other versions of the mythology state that Melkor will escape the guardianship of Eärendil and return at the end of time. In the final battle, Melkor will be slain by Túrin Turambar with his famous black sword.

"The Morgoth"

In late writings a distinction is made between the Ainu Melkor, the most powerful of Eru’s created beings, and The Morgoth, the diminished being that styled itself Dark Lord of Arda. This distinction is not limited to a name-change only (‘Arises in Might’ to ‘Dark Enemy’).

As described in the “Ainulindalë”, Melkor’s musical disruptions marred the Music of the Ainur in Heaven. Melkor’s thematic variations in that Music amounted to his own self-elaboration (each Ainu is, in its conception, the ‘concretization’ of a divine theme, existing beforehand only in the mind of Eru). Eä, or the World that Is, mirrors the Music. Thus, the evil that Melkor weaves into the Music was mirrored in Eä by the evil he wove into the fabric of reality. As a result, the world Arda was "Marred": the conceptions of the Valar never came about, and Melkor's very essence was present in all creation.

Part and parcel with Melkor’s inability to perform true creation was the idea that something of his actual being must pass into the things he ‘created’, in order to give them an effective substance and reality. That is, he could not create a new thing, but he could create a parody of an already-existing thing by cutting off, as it were, a piece of his own being and using it as the clay to make his false creations. From his Trolls to the Sun (which was made from a flower from a Tree poisoned by Ungoliant, and was thus itself imperfect), Melkor’s being was diffused throughout the material (and immaterial) universe, as a kind of "magical" element. Melkor — in his individuated being — was diminished as a consequence. He was reduced to Morgoth, the “Dark Enemy” or, more exactly, “Dreadful Dark”.

Morgoth, once the most powerful being in Eä, had to rely on his armies in the War of Wrath, and with these armies defeated was easily captured by Eönwë, a Maia of much less power. Morgoth's physical body was executed as punishment and his spirit cast out of the world; such a punishment would have been impossible for Melkor at his full might.

To distinguish between the greater Melkor, a being that existed both as an individual (Morgoth) and as a "magical" element of all being (because he had corrupted, to an extent, everything that came from the Music of the Ainur, and his being had — as that corruption itself — been diffused throughout material reality), the former came to be called “The Morgoth”.

Notes and references

1. Roots MOR- 'black', KOTH- 'strife, enmity' and MBAW- 'compell, oppress'. Fëanor actually named him in Quenya (another of Tolkien's languages), Moriñgotho, and later this was translated in Sindarin as Morgoth.
2. Roots BEL(EK)- 'strong' and ORO- 'rise'. The form of the name in ancient Quenya was Mbelekōro; also a variant form of Melkor is recorded as Melko, simply meaning 'Mighty (One)'.
3. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
4. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). Morgoth's Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 72-73. ISBN 0-395-68092-1.
5. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1993). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). Morgoth's Ring. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 416-21. ISBN 0-395-68092-1.
6. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
7. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
8. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1977). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-395-25730-2.
9. See esp. Morgoth's Ring: Tale of Adanel.
10. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1987). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Lost Road and Other Writings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Quenta Silmarillion, p. 206. ISBN 0-395-45519-7.
11. The Lost Road and Other Writings: Ainulindalë, pp. 157, 164.
12. Morgoth's Ring, pp. 390-393.
13. The Lost Road and Other Writings: The Etymologies, p. 373, root MIL-IK-.
14. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1984). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Book of Lost Tales. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 260. ISBN 0-395-35439-0.
15. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1986). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Shaping of Middle-earth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 281-283. ISBN 978-0-395-42501-5.
16. Tolkien, J. R. R. (1984b). Christopher Tolkien (ed.). The Book of Lost Tales. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Turambar and the Foalókë, p. 73. ISBN 0-395-36614-3.
17. Cf. Morgoth’s Ring, pp. 322, 390-393.

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