Characters / The Silmarillion: Enemies

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Melkor and his Lieutenants

Melkor/Morgoth Bauglir

Melkor (He Who Arises in Might; later named Morgoth, the Black Enemy, by the Elves) is the originator of evil in Tolkien's universe. He is the most powerful of the Ainur and second in power to only Eru himself. During the "Great Music" that is the creation process, he rebels against Eru by singing his own themes, corrupting many of the lesser Ainur to his side. When he and many other Ainur have entered the world, he tries to claim it for himself, and wars against his fellow Valar (the Powers) in an attempt to wrest it from them. Later, when Elves and Men come on the scene, he attempts to destroy them by using the massive armies of orcs, Balrogs, and dragons that he created. His pursuit of evil causes him to lose most of his original power, and he is eventually banished from the world by the Valar. Sauron was his greatest servant and takes over for his master upon his banishment.

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• Achilles' Heel: His own corruptive power. Mightier than everything else in existence combined, save for Eru himself, Melkor's strength was unmatchable, but as he used up this power to corrupt and influence the physical world, he rapidly weakened to the point where even mortals could potentially harm him. By the end of the First Age, he was a shadow of his former self, reduced to a being that was more or less a mighty but fallible and fearful sorcerer.
• Alien Blood: Black and smoking.
• Ambiguous Situation: Whether or not Morgoth has the ability to interfere in the fate of Elves and Men. Generally, this is impossible in this universe as once something is prophesized, it comes to pass. But he cursed Húrin and his entire family to misfortune and it seems to have held up. Although it's also indicated that Morgoth took special care to make sure his servants made sure the misfortune was inflicted.
• And I Must Scream: He was imprisoned in Mandos for ~3000 solar years (or three "ages" depending on what text you are reading) by the Valar. And then again, after he was thrown out of the world.
• Arch-Enemy: Being an enemy of all the universe, it is hard to say who has the top spot for Morgoth's biggest enemy. But here are some good contenders:
  • His own creator, Eru Ilúvatar. They are basically opposites the one of the other, and his hatred against his creator is an essential feature of Morgoth's being.
  • His brother Manwë. Manwë is the true Elder King of Arda, and the closest Valar to Ilúvatar, while Morgoth tried to usurp his place. Their enmity comes from before the beginning of the universe when Manwë became the main instrument of Ilúvatar against Melkor's discord. They also stand as opposites.
  • Ulmo. Of all the Valar, Ulmo is one of the most responsible for Morgoth's final fall, as well as a constant enemy of his, and one of the few who was not deceived when Morgoth feigned repentance.
  • Varda. The first target of Melkor's lust, who peered into his mind and saw his evil. Of the Valar, he hates her most of all.
  • Tulkas. Morgoth hates and fears Tulkas, given he was the first one that effectively defeated and banished him from Arda for the first time.
  • The House of Finwë. While the entire family hates and is at war with Morgoth, the brothers Fëanor and Fingolfin stand out. Morgoth murdered Finwë and stole the Silmarils, spurring Fëanor into a Roaring Rampage of Revenge and leading to the First Kinslaying. After Fëanor's death, Fingolfin acted in direct opposition to Morgoth for many years, culminating in the two having a Duel to the Death. While the Dark Lord won, he was left forever wounded and seethed over being denied the chance to desecrate Fingolfin's body.
  • Túrin Turambar is destined to be the one who kills Morgoth (this is part of a prophecy of the unfinished tales). Morgoth cursed Túrin and all his family out of spite to their father, Húrin, for defying him.
• As Long as There Is Evil: He poured out his essence into the world so that his evil continues to corrupt people long after he is gone. Just as his servant Sauron could not be destroyed as long as his Ring existed, Morgoth will never truly be gone as long as the world exists.
• Attempted Rape: Of Lúthien. When he heard her song, his mind turned to dark and lustful thoughts, but he was knocked out cold before he could get up and act on it.
• Ax-Crazy: Melkor is a violent, bloodthirsty beast of a deity who enjoys committing mass violence and destruction and his favourite activity is to cause immense pain and torture towards others out of sick amusement. This is one of his many differences with Sauron; while his lieutenant and apprentice was able to temper his violent tendencies enough to desire world domination based on his obsession over order, Melkor felt that suppressing his destructive urges was unnecessary due to possessing great power, making him far less subtle than Sauron as well as being openly spiteful and his goals being locked to worldly annihilation.
• Batman Gambit: Morgoth pulls an epic one on Fëanor, arguing that Fingolfin was trying to usurp the throne and the Silmarils from him. Fëanor reacts exactly as Morgoth expected.
• Badass Boast: Several, particularly his curse upon Húrin.
  • "I am the Elder King: Melkor, first and mightiest of the Valar, who was before the world, and made it. The shadow of my purpose lies upon Arda, and all that is in it bends slowly and surely to my will. But upon all whom you love my thought shall weigh as a cloud of Doom, and it shall bring them down into darkness and despair. Wherever they go, evil shall arise. Whenever they speak, their words shall bring ill counsel. Whatsoever they do shall turn against them. They shall die without hope, cursing both life and death."
  • Or his threat to Ulmo and the seas. "Slime of Ulmo! I will conquer thee yet, shrivel thee to a stinking ooze. Yea, ere long Ulmo and Osse shall wither, and Uinen crawl as a mud-worm at my feet!"
• Bad Boss: Morgoth is not a good boss. To put it in perspective, Sauron, his Lieutenant, preferred hiding from him than coming back to face punishment when he lost Tol in Gaurhoth. Unfortunately for everyone, he is too powerful for anything to be done about it.
• Big Bad: For The Silmarillion, and for Eä in general, Morgoth is both the ultimate source of all evil and the originator and mover of most evil activities.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Briefly acts as half of one with Ungoliant during the Darkening of Valinor. It ends shortly afterward when Melkor betrays Ungoliant and begins fighting with her over the Silmarils.
• Berserk Button: Doesn't like being mocked, especially not if it involves reminding him of his previous jail time. Just ask Fëanor and Húrin what happened to their families…although in that first case he did push things too far and accidentally exposed his actual intended goal to Fëanor resulting in Fëanor‘s famous response of telling him to get off his doorstep, calling him “jail crow of Mandos” and slamming the door to Fornost in his face, effectively dismissing him without so much as a second thought.
• Blatant Lies: Claims to Húrin that he created Arda. Húrin doesn't believe him for a second.
  • This does have a small amount of truth to it. Melkor did partake in creation, he just didn't do it alone.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: One of his favorite pastimes is doing horrible, sadistic things to Eru's creations: the Elves and Men. Sometimes he gets useful information out of this, but he also does it just for fun. He loves making them suffer.
• Consummate Liar: Well, he has lied to practically everyone (like good old Nick).
• The Corrupter: To all his minions, most of whom started off as well-meaning and benevolent creatures but, like him, became eviler as their vices got the better of them. There is even a line about how he used his influence from Utumno to corrupt regular flora and fauna, making out "monsters of horn and ivory" of them. The rest are either Always Chaotic Evil or a result of Being Tortured Makes You Evil. Later, he subverted the Noldor in Valinor with cunning deception, lies, and rumors until they rebelled against the Valar. He also corrupted Men shortly after their awakening, which was disastrous because Men were supposed to fix the Marring of Arda. Even the creations of men, dwarves, and elves weren’t immune to his corruption directly or indirectly because he’d corrupted the song that brought the universe itself into being.
• Creative Sterility: Despite his best efforts to create life, he cannot make, but only corrupt and mock Eru's creations. Orcs are a hollow imitation of Elves and Men, Trolls the same for Ents, and so on. The closest he comes to actual creation is the dragons, which are probably best described as imitations of the eagles of Manwë.
• Cruel Mercy: He used to effect this on many of his prisoners, sending them back to indirectly serve him as spies or to seed discord. He pulled this on Húrin, hoping he would carry the curse put upon him to the remaining free lands of Beleriand (which he effectively did). It also helped to plant the seeds of his own downfall. Also pulled this on the survivors on the Mouth of Sirion (this ended up directly contributing to his downfall).
• Dark Is Evil: He is essentially responsible for this trope's existence in-universe — night and darkness were originally natural parts of creation, but Morgoth corrupted them into being things of fear.
• Deadly Gaze: His eyes were said to be red and terrible, and his stare alone could kill lesser beings.
• Destroyer Deity: Morgoth is unable to create, only corrupt and destroy. If the prophecy of Dagor Dagorath is to be believed, Morgoth will succeed in finally destroying the universe of Eä, starting with the Sun and Moon.
• Determinator: Things always seem to go against him, but he keeps coming back Age after Age. According to the unfinished writings of Tolkien, he's also going to return for a Final Battle after the Fourth Age.
• Dirty Coward: Despite his power, Morgoth repeatedly flees from even lesser enemies, or only fights when he feels he'll embarrass his soldiers otherwise. At the very end, he runs away from the Valar and is reduced to begging on his hands and knees for pity. See his Fatal Flaw below. This makes sense, given that by the time he becomes the Dark Lord of Angband, he has wasted so much power in trying to corrupt the matter of the world, and in dominating his servants, that he is basically a shell of his former self, permanently incarnated and vulnerable to being damaged and "killed", from which even he won't be able to come back.
• Disc-One Final Boss: While he starts out as the greatest foe of the forces of good, he ends up defeated and imprisoned at the end of the First Age, after which his former minion Sauron takes over. According to the prophet Mandos, however, he will return eventually during the Dagor Dagorath.
• The Dreaded: As Sauron's predecessor & former boss, Morgoth was a daunting and terrifying being whose campaigns left tens of thousands of elves and men dead. Challenging him was considered death for most elves, as King Thingol of Doriath, not wanting a human named Beren to marry his daughter Luthien, stated that the only way for Beren to earn his blessing was to go up to Angband, Morgoth's fortress, and take a Silmaril jewel, which was prized among the Elves. The thing is, he only said this because he hoped the terror brought about by such a challenge would scare Beren away, but the human was so in love with Luthien that he did it anyways. Morgoth was also feared for creating horrific beasts in his experiments, from vicious werewolves to firebreathing dragons. His top lieutenant Sauron feared the punishment for failing him, as he avoided returning to his master after being defeated by Huan the wolfhound whilst attacking Beren & Luthien (and this was when Morgoth was at his absolute weakest). It was said that his orc minions, who were elves mutilated into their current form by means of horrific magical experiments, also loathed him for giving them lives of pain and misery, but they feared his wrath too much to rebel. Even the Valar, higher angels second only to Eru in terms of sheer power, only intervened to stop him when it was the only way to save the elves of Middle-Earth and the surviving Edain from absolute slaughter.
• Driven by Envy: He's motivated by jealousy of Eru's ability to create life, which is ultimately extended to include Eru's children the Elves and Men.
• Dystopia Justifies the Means: Every time Morgoth had power over Arda, the world was a disastrous and evil place. Everywhere his influence reaches, there is ruin, misery, and evil. And because he cannot destroy the world, he will corrupt and mar it as much as he can, and everyone on it.
• The End of the World as We Know It: The prophet Mandos spoke of Morgoth returning during the Dagor Dagorath, or "Final Battle". The prophecy states Morgoth will free himself, regain his full power, resurrect all of his servants, and will destroy Eä, the Sun, and the Moon, but will finally be slain for the last time (by Túrin, of all people), after which Eru will recreate the universe in a pure form. According to Christopher Tolkien, his father never planned to expand on this concept but allusions to it, or at least something similar, are all over the Legendarium.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He became so consumed by his evil that he ended up being incapable of understanding mercy, pity, and anything good in the universe (he could not understand why the Valar came to help the elves and men during the end of the First Age. He truly believed they did not care for the rest of the world.)
• Evil Cripple: Walks with a limp due to a serious injury sustained in his duel with Fingolfin. It’s also a sign that his power has waned.
• Evil Is Bigger: Morgoth's imposing stature is sometimes mentioned.
• Evil Genius: Not as much as Sauron who is clearly the brains of the operation but still a brilliant manipulator and trickster but unlike Sauron does have a tendency to unwittingly yet metaphorically shoot himself in the foot on rare occasion.
• Evil Is Petty: Once he was great, but over time became more and more like this. Morgoth became more and more focused on ruining the lives of Elves and Men and ruling over them as a tyrant. He made sure to thwart Túrin in even the most minor matters after putting a curse on him. As the page says, "He's not just evil on a large scale; he's evil on all the tiny little details of everyday life he might experience in any possible situation."
  • Even his overall motivation is this. Despite his power and scale, and for all his might, abilities, and intelligence, Morgoth's actions are less those of an almost omnipotent god, and more those of an angry son lashing out against his father because he could not have what he wanted. The problem is that this "child" is the most powerful being in Eä, by far, and his final objective is ruling the world (or if not, destroying the universe while ruining everyone's life out of spite and hatred, and marring all that he can put his hands on).
• Evil Makes You Ugly: As he continues using his power for evil, he is stuck in his monstrous form.
• Evil Overlord: The original Dark Lord of Arda. He has the look down pat, and he declares himself the King of Arda. Instead of merely ruling the world, he wants to unmake the universe completely, out of jealousy of God for creating it in the first place. This is more evident early on when he destroys the Great Lamps and the Isle of Almaren out of jealous spite before Orcus on His Throne set in. Most likely, once he realized that he can't actually destroy the universe (anymore), he decided to simply rule over it.
• Evil Is Sterile: Even before his attempts to copy the works of Eru failed, he was not a talented creator; while the other Ainur harmonized with Eru during the "Great Music" to create a rich, subtle melody, he sang a "brash and repetitive" theme ever louder and more discordant, as if trying to browbeat everyone and the forming Eä itself into doing things his way. Some ended up corrupted or swayed, but others ceased singing in disgust, and Eru was angered.
• Evil Tainted the Place: Melkor invested a huge chunk of his power into the physical matter of Middle-earth, seeking to bend it to his will. While he was not fully successful, he did leave the potential for evil and corruption encoded into the very fabric of the world, ready for both him and any evil that came after him to take advantage of.
• Eviler than Thou: Melkor was held to be eviler than Sauron because for a time Sauron served him, while Melkor always served himself. A comparison that doesn't say too much, except that they ended up being equal in evil.
• Fallen Angel: Melkor was one of the Valar which are the Middle-earth equivalent to archangels, and rebelled against the equivalent to God in the franchise, Eru Ilúvatar, so he's technically this.
• Fatal Flaw: Envy, pettiness, and reclusiveness are the three things ultimately responsible for his downfall into villainy. Morgoth desired to create things just like his father Eru did and spent most of his time alone in the void searching for the Flame Imperishable, a quest that eventually proved to be in vain. His inability to create things unlike Eru, made him become envious and rebel against him. And despite being the most powerful being in the universe barring Eru himself, he ultimately comes across as more of a petulant teenager rebelling against his parents, rather than a nigh-omnipotent god.
• Faux Affably Evil: Often puts on a very polite, fair, and persuasive guise to those he wishes to manipulate, despite being evil incarnate. It worked when he pulled it with the Valar (most of them) and seduced and manipulated the Elves in Valinor. Sadly for him, he ended up screwing himself before achieving any practical objective (and had to recur to more violent means). After that, he becomes incapable of putting any fair form, so while he is still false and deceitful, he cannot really make people believe he is good.
• Foil: To both Manwë and Aulë. But to many other characters too;
  • Manwë and Melkor were originally equal in the thought of Ilúvatar, and since Melkor had part of all the powers and knowledge of all the Valar, it’s possible that he was Ilúvatar’s original choice for the Elder King’s throne.
  • Aulë is essentially a good version of Melkor in many ways (both enjoy imagining things that no one has thought of before, turning those ideas into created reality, and being praised by others for their creativity), to the point that Melkor is jealous of Aulë and makes a point of messing up his creations. It’s notable that Aulë is the only one of the faithful Valar who was scolded by Ilúvatar (for creating the Dwarves), and Aulë’s two most noteworthy Maiar were Mairon (Sauron) and Curumo (Saruman), both of whom went bad.
• A God Am I: With power far greater than any of the other Ainur, his corruption began when he felt more powerful than Eru and more capable of creating the world. Eru's public scolding of him and the creation of Eä only served to intensify Melkor's malice and jealousy, and though Eru is unkillable and by Word of God not even Melkor could truly harm him, this factor only pissed Melkor off further. By the time he achieved dominion over Middle-earth, Melkor began to proclaim himself as the true God of Arda and its creator, his cult lasting long after his eternal imprisonment.
• God-Emperor: The evil Vala Morgoth Bauglir (originally Melkor) is worshipped as the god of darkness and death by many frightened slave races, including Man. Ages later in The Lord of the Rings, his once-lieutenant Sauron is given much the same treatment by the orcs. Both of them are of course already actual "gods", or as Tolkien referred to them, Powers of Arda; while Morgoth aspired to be God-with-a-capital-G, Sauron was content only to be seen as such after how Morgoth wound up.
• God of Evil: He created evil where before there was only free will. All evil in the universe is ultimately either caused by him or made in imitation of him, with the possible exception of the demonic spider Ungoliant.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Large chunks of the mythology (notably The Lord of the Rings) don't deal with him directly, but that doesn't mean his shadow isn't over the Middle-earth setting even then.
• Hate Plague: Before Morgoth turned evil, everyone got along nice and peaceful-like. When he turned evil, even the Valar started having disagreements with each other.
• The Heavy: The Silmarillion is a history more than a novel and as such can't really be said to have a single central character (unless you count Arda itself), but Morgoth's malice is the thread tying most of the narratives together. Despite being the main force of evil, he is also the closest thing the whole book has to a protagonist or main character (until the end of the Quenta Silmarillion, after which Sauron takes over).
• Hoist by His Own Petard: He Invested much of his power into the very substance of Middle-earth. While this left it ripe for corruption, it also bound Morgoth to physical existence, costing him the ability to discorporate or change his shapes as other Ainur could. This is part of why the Valar were able to beat him up, imprison him, and ultimately exile him to the Void.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: Morgoth goes from the most powerful of all the Valar, second only to Ilúvatar, to a sniveling coward begging for mercy who gets beaten up and dragged back to Valinor by Eönwë, a mere Maia.
• I Am the Noun: When he is confronting Hurin.
  • Hurin: "Yet so it might be, if they willed. For the Elder King shall not be dethroned while Arda endures."
  • "You say it," said Morgoth. "I am the Elder King."
• Ignored Epiphany: He has one when he is beaten in Utumno. For a moment, he realizes how far he has fallen, and how much he has lost because of his actions. But his pride gets the better of him.
• Irony: Sought to derail the "Great Music", but ultimately failed, Eru succeeded in giving it a far deeper meaning and theme.
• I Surrender, Suckers: The Valar released him from millennia of imprisonment and asked him if he had learned the error of his ways. He said yes, and they believed him. And then he plunged the world into darkness once again.
• It's All About Me: His Start of Darkness. When Eru initiates the "Great Music" to form the universe, everyone was meant to be a player, to contribute and make creation glorious. Melkor had other ideas and wanted to exert his power over the Ainur. Some bent to his will, others were dismayed and fell silent from the discord he deliberately had woven. Eru was NOT impressed and admonished Melkor on the path he was taking. Pride further wounded the angelic being desired to steal the 'power to create' from Eru, but failed, and could only corrupt and twist what the deity alone could make.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: He seemed to repent and submit to the will of Eru after three Ages in captivity, but it was all a ruse concocted with the intent of making his next attack alongside Ungoliant.
• Lack of Empathy: One of Melkor's most profound personality traits was his inability for compassion and mercy, as he sought only to affirm himself, and no other.
• Large and in Charge: Even in his weaker Dark Lord form, he towers over most other creatures.
• Light Is Not Good: Described as having eyes glowing so brightly that they drove lesser Maiar insane.
• Loners Are Freaks: The first sign of his impending villainy. Before the Great Music, Melkor spent much time alone looking for the Flame Imperishable that Eru held. It was during these lonesome periods that Melkor started getting ideas about how he should be in charge…
• Made of Evil: Inverted. Evil is made of him! All that is evil in the universe of Eä, save perhaps Ungoliant and her spawn, is due to Melkor causing discord in the song of the Ainur and him disseminating his essence into the world.
• Maker of Monsters: He creates multiple species of monsters in mockery of Eru's creation. However, as he can't create anything entirely new himself nor anything of beauty, he's limited to twisting and degrading preexisting creatures into monstrous servants. His creations include the orcs, created from twisted and debased elves and men; trolls, made in mockery of the ents; and a variety of beasts made from lesser spirits fallen in his thrall, such as werewolves, vampires, and most notably the dragons. All these creatures are bred and perfected over the millennia in Morgoth's fortresses — the dragons, for instance, began as landbound serpents and were later bred to become winged and fire-breathing — and remain in the world long after his defeat, scattering into the wilderness and continuing to threaten civilization in the ages to come.
  • The idea of Melkor being incapable of making new life seems to have been an issue Tolkien was somewhat indecisive about. Though he definitely couldn't create beings in the same way Eru could, the intelligence and independence of his creations would imply they have souls, akin to the creation of Dwarves.
• Malicious Misnaming: "Morgoth" was a name given to him by Fëanor after he destroyed the Two Trees and stole the Silmarils. He himself continues to call himself Melkor, but Elves and Men generally use Morgoth or Bauglir.
• Manipulative Bastard: While Morgoth is widely remembered as being rather shortsighted, especially in comparison to Sauron, his successful turning of the Noldor against the Valar and the other Elves is especially impressive. He started out by giving the Noldor advice that was genuine, and then by revealing the coming of Men, along with arguing that the Valar were trying to imprison the Noldor. His masterstroke is turning Fëanor against Fingolfin which results in Fëanor and the Silmarils being isolated and the oath Fëanor swears plays a major role in allowing Morgoth to almost win.
• Mighty Glacier: To Fingolfin's Fragile Speedster in their duel.
  Each hammer stroke of Melkor sent fire into the sky, though Fingolfin darted around him like a bolt of lightning.
• Moment of Lucidity: In the round world version, he has one when he meets with Manwë in Utumno, and sees how much power he has lost and how far he has fallen. In that small moment, he genuinely considers repenting, but sadly does not go through it.
• Mortality Ensues: After he turned evil, he lost his immortality, compounding his Dirty Coward tendencies.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: As well as sounding evil in itself even in English, "Morgoth" means "the Dark Enemy."
• Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: How Fingolfin suckers him into a duel. Interestingly, he's not angry being called a coward; he just knows that if an uppity little elf walks to his front door, calls him a wuss in front of everyone, and gets away with it, none will ever respect or fear him again.
• Omnicidal Maniac: His goals started with "take over the world and rule it as a God-King in place of the real God" but eventually, realizing that he hadn't created the entire world, single-handedly and couldn't have it all to himself, he slid into just wanting to destroy the entire universe, and all creation, forever. Which ironically became more and more impossible for him, as he did nothing but lose power all the time.
• The Omnipotent: Downplayed. Morgoth was powerful - very, very powerful. According to Tolkien, at the beginning of creation Melkor was mightier than all other beings (besides Eru) combined, forming the greatest part of Eru's mind given form. After he singlehandedly smacked down every other Valar and forced them to retreat from the world, they had to leave him alone for ages, as fighting him was seen as tantamount to suicide. Those who could face him only did so long after he'd dispersed his power into the physical world, as while his power was mighty, it was not unlimited. Even after becoming weakened, he could still warp the physical world around him, and the essence of his will persisted throughout existence forever after he was banished from it.
• The Only Way They Will Learn: Despite outright warring against Eru and all of his creations, Eru himself makes it clear to Morgoth that all of his actions, and his very existence, occur because Eru allows it. Morgoth inadvertently becomes a "message", a lesson to those of the consequences and price of evil and hatred. This doesn't mean Morgoth doesn't leave a terrible impact on the Valar and Eä alike, but Eru was always ultimately in control, and even Morgoth served as an instrument for him.
• Orcus on His Throne: Even when he had the ability to destroy all of Valinor single-handedly, he chose to hide in Middle-earth. When his armies had the strength to wipe out the Noldor, he chose to observe them in amusement instead. Also disdains physically getting involved, due to his Fatal Flaw.
• The Paragon Always Rebels: Before his rebellion, he was the greatest of all the Ainur.
• Person of Mass Destruction: As the mightiest of the Ainur and the closest thing Arda has to a Destroyer Deity, Melkor's powers revolve mainly around destroying and breaking lots and lots of stuff.
  • During the Dagor Bragollach, or "Battle of Sudden Flame", he set fire to the entire region of Ard-galen, until it was an oceanic inferno.
• Pieces of God: Inverted. Every Ainur and Valar has a single part or aspect of the mind of Eru from which they all come. Alone they can't understand the will or thoughts of their creator until they commune and work together. That is, except for Melkor, who carried all of the gifts the other Ainu received and was given independence of Eru's thoughts. Thus making him the first proper creation in that regard. Unfortunately for everyone else, this is the start of his pride…
• Physical God: Though like Sauron with the Ring, his physical power lessens as he divests his spiritual corruption into the fabric of Middle-earth.
• Playing with Fire: Both this and An Ice Person. While most of the Valar have various elemental attributes such as Manwë's affinity with the air and Ulmo's with the sea, Melkor's power rests in the unrestrained extremes of heat and cold. Which explains why Thangorodrim was both Grim Up North and a Volcano Lair.
  • During the Dagor Bragollach, or "Battle of Sudden Flame", he set fire to the entire region of Ard-galen, until it was an oceanic inferno.
• Psychopathic Manchild: Type C. Despite his power and scale, and for all his might, abilities, and intelligence, Morgoth's actions are less those of an almost omnipotent god, and more those of an angry son lashing out against his father because he could not have what he wanted. The problem is that this "child" is the most powerful being in Eä, by far, and his final objective is ruling the world (or if not, destroying the universe while ruining everyone's life out of spite and hatred, and marring all that he can put his hands on).
• The Power of Hate: Since he can't create, Morgoth's only ultimate goal is to wipe out everything in creation. This hatred lets him suffuse his will into the entirety of Arda. He draws on the pain and anger of his many scars and unhealed wounds to continue feeling angry
• Puny Earthlings: One of his flaws is that he's constantly underestimating Men, and instead focusing on the Elves. Often this leads to Men becoming The Cavalry whenever he defeats the Elves in battle, such as the Dagor Bragollach, where Morgoth might have very well ended the war against him there but Men relieved the Elves in a number of critical locations and prevented a total disaster. To additional irony and humiliation, he is foretold to be killed by a mere human, one of his former victims.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: Being the paragon of the Valar, he was made to be more powerful than all of them combined.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: What he does to the Maia of the Sun, Arien, in Morgoth's Ring. He wanted her for a wife and didn't want to take no for an answer, and it was because of this assault that Arien ended up leaving Arda, never to return. In Beren and Lúthien, he tries to do this to the beautiful elven maiden Lúthien, considered to be the vilest thought he could ever have imagined (she is luckily able to lull him to sleep with her singing).
• Reality Warper: He can conjure up fire and ice out of nowhere, and can even curse the entire race of Men to failure, evil, and misery simply because he wills it.
• Sadist: Morgoth has sadism rounding out of his many, many unpleasant qualities. While torturing captives can get him useful information, he often just does it for fun even when it has no practical purpose, and takes great joy in his victims' agony. Something that can be traced to his real motivation behind everything, that he wants to completely nullify any life-form that he encounters as it is a reminder that it didn't originate from him and is and will always be beyond his control.
• Satanic Archetype: Along with God/Eru, Morgoth being essentially the Devil is the closest JRRT comes to identifying one of his characters with a biblical figure, although it's still not explicit in most texts.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: The Valar kept him imprisoned in the Halls of Mandos for a long time, but later released him. His unsealing was actually intentional, as it was promised to him by Manwë, who cannot go back on his word.
• Shapeshifter Mode Lock: Originally, he could change to any appearance at all, or become intangible and invisible at will, like all the Ainur who entered Arda. But after he destroyed the Two Trees and darkened Valinor, he became stuck forever in the form of a hideous, ogre-like Dark Lord outwardly embodying all his hate and cruelty. Though he actually liked this form.
• Slave to PR: Pretty much the only thing that'll get him off his ass outside of the worst-case scenario. He likes being taken seriously as the big bad villain everyone fears and respects, and will always move to maintain his Villain Cred in the eyes of others, such as his duel with Fingolfin.
• Sorcerous Overlord: Given more power and knowledge than any of the other Ainur combined, he possessed tremendous, sorcerous power. He could send out oceans of fire and form frigid tundras, cleave through mountains, corrupt and disfigure all he touched, and even send out waves of pure darkness to destroy all they touched.
• The Sociopath: Morgoth is a classic sociopath defined by great hubris; because he was the best of the Ainur, he felt entitled about being the next in line for creation and took rejection very poorly. As he bore the fruits of all evil on Middle-earth, Morgoth carries with him both high and low-functioning traits of sociopaths; arrogant and boastful about his powers and influence, seeing himself as superior towards others, showing great enjoyment in spreading misery and defilement, showing extreme bloodthirst, unable to accept or take responsibility for his actions and consequences, having poor control over his emotions, and an inability to properly recognize or acknowledge others either as equals or someone worth more than just a pawn.
• Strategy Versus Tactics: The Tactician to Sauron's Strategist. While Morgoth is very good in the short term, he is genuinely incapable of following long-term plans and objectives (besides his great goal of creating life and destroying Eä). Meanwhile, Sauron is capable of making thousand-year-long plans and has the patience and intelligence to pull them off almost without a hitch. Indeed, he's generally only beaten by unforeseen or unexpected events. It's notable that of the two, Sauron is the one who required Eru's direct intervention (explicit with the sinking of Numenor and bending of the Earth, implicit with the alteration of the Ring's path to find Bilbo).
• Stupid Evil: This is one of Morgoth's biggest defects. While he is the second greatest being in the entire universe, he is just incapable of thinking and making long-term plans, basically guiding himself by whims and ideas and leaving them in without finishing them because of his haste and malice. This ends up screwing him in the long term because he does not really think of the consequences of his actions (which leaves him extremely depowered and vulnerable). The only reason he manages to last that long is because he is still the most powerful being in Eä, and almost impossible to put down.
• Tin Tyrant: Morgoth takes to dressing like this after fleeing Valinor with the Silmarils. As described when he prepares to duel King Fingolfin:
  And he issued forth clad in black armour; and he stood before the King like a tower, iron-crowned, and his vast shield, sable unblazoned, cast a shadow over him like a stormcloud.
• Unreliable Narrator: In-universe. Húrin would be Forced to Watch the fates of his children to play out the same way that Morgoth would be seeing them, warped and twisted as to fit Morgoth's point of view.
• Unwitting Pawn: Melkor's pride never let him figure out that he was this to Eru.
• Villain Decay: Classic example, beginning his rebellion more powerful than every Vala combined and indeed the most powerful being in existence, second only to Eru himself; he ended his rebellion still frighteningly powerful, but immensely weaker than before as he suffused his energy into Arda itself.
  • Said to be reversed in prophecy, which states he will regain his power and break out of his confinement to begin a final war against the Valar.
• Villainous Legacy: Even after he is defeated and cast out into the Void, the power he Invested into Middle-earth remains, leaving a legacy of corruption that his successors can take advantage of.
• Villains Want Mercy: Most definitely not too proud to beg, Morgoth swallows his pride and makes false pleas for mercy in the aftermath of both his defeats. The first time he gets it. The second time he's less fortunate.
• Wound That Will Not Heal: There are multiple injuries he sustains and never recovers from: the burns on his hands from the Silmarils, the seven wounds he sustained in his duel with Fingolfin, and the scratches inflicted on his face by the great eagle Thorondor. This is the first indicator that he's losing strength and becoming mortal.

Sauron

A powerful Maia, formerly of Aulë, corrupted to Morgoth's service. He was Morgoth's right-hand man. Ruled Tol-in-Gaurhoth in Morgoth's name, where he caused the death of Finrod Felagund before being driven off by Lúthien. Took over his master's position as the pre-eminent force of evil following his defeat. Sauron is the direct cause of the fall of Númenor, whose king and people he corrupted with promises of immortality. He is most well-known as the Big Bad of The Lord of the Rings — for all tropes relating to Sauron, see his character sheet.

Gothmog

Gothmog was the Lord of Balrogs and High-Captain of Angband, one of Melkor's greatest servants. He was the general of Melkor's armies, leading them in the Wars of Beleriand.

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• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's Melkor's Field Marshal for a reason.
• Casting a Shadow: All Balrogs are shadows wrapped in flame.
• Co-Dragons: He, alongside Sauron and Glaurung, is Morgoth’s most trusted lieutenant.
• Demon Lords and Archdevils: He's one of the most powerful among the evil Maiar.
• Dual Wielding: Both an axe and a whip.
• Fallen Angel: He's among the first spirits of the Ainur to rebel against Eru and join Morgoth.
• Four-Star Badass: Melkor made him the general of his armies.
• Flaming Sword: Although neither are swords, both his ax and whip are made of fire.
• Hero Killer: Gothmog killed Fëanor and Fingon, and later killed and was killed by Ecthelion in the sack of Gondolin.
• Informed Ability: It's said that like Sauron and Glaurung, he likes to spread deceit and lies. However, we never see him doing anything other than frontline tasks.
• Large and in Charge: He's a balrog, so the fact that he's a big dude shouldn't come as a surprise.
• Mutual Kill: In his duel with Ecthelion of the Fountain, during the Sack of Gondolin.
• Related Differently in the Adaptation: In The Book of Lost Tales, he was originally stated to be Melkor's son. Later works removed said relation, making him just one of Melkor's servants.

Dragons

Glaurung

Called the Father of Dragons, Glaurung was one of the greatest of Morgoth's servants in addition to being the first and progenitor of the great worms. He took over as Morgoth's Number Two after Lúthien put Sauron out of commission. He fought at the Dagor Bragollach and the Nírnaeth Arnoediad, and commanded the force that sacked Nargothrond. He was also the primary enforcer of the curse of the House of Húrin, which he executed with tremendous skill and cruelty, only for this to result in his end when Túrin son of Húrin killed him.

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• Arc Villain: He is the main antagonist of most of the Children of Húrin arc of The Silmarillion.
• Achilles' Heel: His soft underbelly, which his descendant Smaug will (almost) correct.
• Alien Blood: His blood is either an extremely corrosive acid, scalding hot, or both.
• Archenemy: Of Túrin, whose life he went out of his way to ruin on orders from Melkor. Túrin returned Glaurung's loathing and dedicated much of his life to ridding the world of the Great Worm.
• Bad Boss: Denies his Orcs any part in the sack of Nargothrond, killing or punishing any who tries, all so that he can keep the whole of its treasure for himself.
• Breath Weapon: He was an Urulókë, which literally means "fire-serpent", and was thus among the Dragons capable of breathing fire.
• Catchphrase: Glaurung has a tendency to greet people (in surprisingly polite fashion) with something to the effect of "Hail (x), son of (Y)…"
• The Chessmaster: Possibly. While he was the enforcer of the curse of the House of Húrin, it's unclear how much of this was his own machinations and how much was him following Morgoth's orders. He goes his way out to inflict psychological torture in which he delights, so he definitely had personal input.
• Co-Dragons: With Gothmog and Sauron to Morgoth during the middle portion of the First Age. Bonus points for being a literal dragon
• Dying Smirk: Glaurung's last act is to laugh in Nienor's face as he reveals the truth about her marriage to her brother.
• Evil Genius: See Manipulative Bastard below for details on how clever this guy is.
• Father Of A Thousand Young: The entire species of Dragons was bred from Glaurung. That's a lot of children for one big reptile. While some are wingless fire drakes like him, there are also cold-drakes, classic flying dragons, and god only knows what else.
• Faux Affably Evil: Glaurung affects the personality and mannerisms of a classic snake-oil salesman, but beneath it all, he is not just evil, he's a complete dick.
• First Of Its Kind: Where exactly Glaurung came from is unknown, but he was undoubtedly the first fire-drake and ancestor of later dragons.
• Genius Bruiser: Not only is he a massive and extremely powerful dragon, but he's also an excellent strategist and manipulator.
• Gold-Colored Superiority: Is the father of all dragons and is called "the Golden".
• Greed: Like most dragons to follow him, Glaurung is wired to desire gold and gems.
• The Heavy: Melkor's in back of him, but it's Glaurung who drives the plot of The Children of Húrin.
• Hypnotic Eyes: Glaurung's eyes can paralyze anyone who so much as glances into them, after which he is free to alter their emotions and memories as he sees fit.
• The Juggernaut: If you don't hit his Achilles heel, Glaurung is all but unstoppable.
• Kaiju: Glaurung's size is never explicitly stated, but he's clearly somewhere in the hundreds of feet.
• Light Is Not Good: According to one of his epithets, he might be gold-colored, a true oddity among Melkor's dark creatures, but he's still a thoroughly rotten being.
• The Magnificent: One of his epithets was "the Golden." There's also "The Father of Dragons" and "The Great Worm" or "Worm of Morgoth".
• Manipulative Bastard: The way he screws with Túrin is horrifically brilliant. Playing off the latter's pride, he manipulates him into abandoning Finduilas, wasting time running off to Hithlum, and marrying his sister.
• Mind Control: His signature ability, as long as he can look a victim in the eye.
• My Death Is Just the Beginning: With his last words, he brought Morgoth's curse to terrible fulfillment. Not that he was planning to die, but he sure took advantage of that event.
• Our Dragons Are Different: For one thing, he's a wingless Urulókë rather than a winged dragon, therefore resembling those from Norse mythology. For another, he's a Manipulative Bastard in the same vein as Sauron, who enforces a curse with skill and panache; for a third, he was the first Dragon ever created and the progenitor of all of Arda's future Drake's and serpents.
• Red Baron: In addition to his epithets "the Deceiver" and "the Golden", he's known as the Worm of Greed, the Father of Dragons, and the Great Worm.
• Smug Snake: Very smug. And in this case, "snake" is almost literal.

Ancalagon the Black

The largest of all winged dragons, Ancalagon was unleashed during the final storming of Angband and was killed by Eärendil after a battle that lasted all night.

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• Back from the Dead: He will be resurrected in the Last Battle, where Túrin will slay him before taking down his master Morgoth.
• Breath Weapon: His fire is noted to possess such an intense heat that he could've destroyed all of the lesser Rings of Power if he chose. The way Gandalf speaks of him thousands of years after his death, it's likely his fire was the hottest of all the dragons to ever live.
• Dark Is Evil: He's mentioned to be black in color.
• Giant Flyer: Ancalagon had the distinction of being the largest flying dragon — and likely the largest flying creature — to ever live.
• Kaiju: All dragons may fall into this category but he stands out the most as he is so enormously large that when he was killed, he destroyed three mountains that have roughly 35000 feet in height and 5 miles in diameter.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Rushing Jaws".
• Turns Red: In-Universe he was essentially this for Melkor. Pushed into a corner and nearing defeat, Morgoth unleashed him as the final weapon he could use to break the siege and turn the tide of battle in his favor. As soon as the Dragon was slain, it signaled the end of his rule, and he was defeated.

Other Monsters

Ungoliant

A horrific creature of darkness incarnate as a Giant Spider, Ungoliant's origins and history are blurred, though she was involved with Melkor on multiple occasions. Knowing that the latter created all the evil in the world, she probably has some close relation to him. She aided the Dark Lord in the theft of the Silmarils and the destruction of the Two Trees but was driven off by the Balrogs after they fell to quarreling over the spoils. She later spawned numerous offspring, including Shelob, and ultimately was believed by the Eldar to have perished after devouring herself, though her true fate remains a mystery.

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• Angels, Devils and Squid: She's the squid to Melkor's devil and the Valar's angels.
• Animalistic Abomination: One of the two Trope Codifiers. Ungoliant is an elder monstrosity whose origin may or may not lie apart from the Ainur, and she eventually swells to nearly godlike power. However, she remains recognizably arachnoid in appearance.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Briefly acts as half of one with Melkor during the Darkening of Valinor. It ends shortly afterward when Ungoliant betrays Melkor and begins fighting with him over the Silmarils.
• Big Eater: Ungoliant is easily the "poster girl" for this trope. Her motivation seems to consist entirely of eating as much light as possible.
• Casting a Shadow: Her "Unlight," which is capable of trapping light itself.
• Combat Pragmatist: She can manipulate her shadows to entrap enemies in webs, and into cords to strangulate them.
• Dark Action Girl: Though she hardly counts as a "girl" (she might have counted when she was a Maia, however, if she was ever one), Ungoliant is a female villain and one who can thoroughly trump all the good guys.
• Dark Is Evil: She's more or less a personification of darkness and the hatred of lightness.
• Diabolus ex Nihilo: At first. No one knew "from whence she came… from the Outer Darkness, maybe." On a meta-level, Ungoliant's narrative purpose was to be an outlying force to destroy the Two Trees. She needed no backstory or follow-up after this event, so Tolkien just let her wander off after achieving that.
• Dragon with an Agenda: Initially, she served Melkor after the creation of Eä, but attempted to abandon his service at some point prior to his capture by the Valar in order to become "mistress of her own lust." She ends up working with him again during the Darkening of Valinor, but the motives for her actions still differ from those of her master to the point where she even becomes The Starscream, and turns on him later on when he refuses to give her the Silmarils.
• Eldritch Abomination: As close to one as it gets in Tolkien's work. Her Unlight is incomprehensible even to the Valar.
• Enemy Civil War: With Morgoth over the Silmarils. He won, but only with the Balrogs' help.
• Evil Versus Oblivion: She wanted to eat the Silmarils, while Morgoth wanted them as a trophy. Not only that, but it is heavily implied that had Ungoliant eaten them, the jewels would've been destroyed because her body can best be described as a walking black hole.
• Extreme Omnivore: Arguably one of her most infamous characteristics is her unusual diet, which includes light itself. She also devours the same spider-creatures that she mates with in the Ered Gorgoroth, and (presumably) the resulting offspring from these unions. Even worse, it's suggested that she met her end by devouring herself when her hunger overcame her.
• Fallen Angel: The final text of The Silmarillion labels her as probably one more of the Maiar seduced by Melkor, just like the Balrogs or Sauron himself. This is all Depending on the Writer, of course, because the first drafts told she was some kind of avatar of darkness unrelated to the Ainur.
• Giant Spider: Her form resembles one in shape (eight limbs, bloated sack-like belly, multiple eyes, venomous fangs, armored skin), and she is capable of weaving webs, but she is actually a demonic entity of (presumably) the same order as Sauron and the Balrogs, who assume humanoid forms. And instead of producing silk, she produces Unlight, which she weaves into her webs of darkness.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: When she is driven by her lust for light, which is damn near all the time, due to her…
• God-Eating: Ungoliant's hunger is so great she ends up trying to eat Melkor, though he manages to fend her off with Balrogs.
• Horror Hunger: Never seems to be satiated, no matter how much she consumes. There is even speculation in the text that she may have ultimately eaten herself.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: She is easily one of the most competent villains to serve Melkor, having made the Darkening of Valinor, the Theft of the Silmarils, and her and Melkor's flight to Middle-earth possible. She was even able to keep Tulkas, who otherwise would have pursued Melkor to the ends of the earth, at bay with her Unlight.
• Karma Houdini: Despite poisoning the Two Trees, contributing as much harm as Melkor himself during the Darkening of Valinor, and becoming quite possibly one of the most powerful villains in the entire Tolkien legendarium by the time she last appears in the story, she never receives her comeuppance by the Noldor nor the Valar for her evil deeds, nor by Melkor for her treachery. The final text states that some believe she ended devouring herself due to her uncontrolled hunger, but if that was her final fate, it hardly counts as retribution for all her victims. It's also worth noting that she was originally meant to be killed by Eärendil in the South as part of his voyage into the West, but Tolkien never finished that part of the story.
• Monster Progenitor: She is the mother of many evil half-spider demigods (including Shelob from The Lord of the Rings), thanks to her many unions with the giant spider-creatures of the Ered Gorgoroth.
• Mother of a Thousand Young: Her brood is initially countless, although, by the end of the Third Age, they seem to have dwindled to Shelob and her own offspring.
• Multiple-Choice Past: Tolkien flip-flopped on what exactly she was; she might've been a creature of the outer darkness, or she might've been a fallen Maia like Sauron.
• Never Found the Body: It is said that she eventually wandered into the far South where she may have consumed herself, but all which is confirmed is that she simply disappeared.
• Outside-Context Problem:
  • Just as Morgoth's evil corrupted Eä, he may have also unwittingly corrupted the Void that exists outside the Timeless Halls, thus Ungoliant and her Unlight are of the void itself and even the Valar have trouble standing against her.
  • Another way that Ungoliant is different from other Ainur (assuming she is one) is that Ainur are always getting weaker in Arda. Melkor is the ultimate proof of this because as powerful as he was he did nothing but suffuse his power into his evil deeds and creatures, ultimately becoming so weak that a Maiar could restrain him and Sauron too only created the One Ring as a counter to this problem. Ungoliant has the distinct honor of being the only Power in Arda who became more powerful, even being able to eclipse Morgoth and possibly even extinguish the Silmarils just by eating them.
• Parental Incest: Mates with her own offspring to make sure she'll never run out of other spiders to devour.
• Power-Up Food: During the Darkening of Valinor, the simple sap she drinks from the Trees of Light causes her to grow to gigantic proportions and strength, to the point where's she nearly as powerful as Morgoth himself.
• Psycho for Hire: Morgoth gets her to help ruin Valinor, despite how terrified she is, by offering to pay her in edible light. She's starving, so she agrees.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She attempts to abandon Melkor's service prior to the latter's capture by the Valar, and settled in a ravine in Avathar. Though she is successful in hiding from the hunters of the Valar, Melkor still found her in her lair and forced her to work for him again. She later does this when she is driven away by Melkor's Balrogs, and again after giving birth to her abominable offspring in Nan Dungortheb, by wandering into "the forgotten South of the world". Her true fate, assuming that her gruesome semi-official ending about eating herself is untrue, is unknown.
• The Smurfette Principle: She is one of the only two female villains that appear in the book (the other being Thuringwethil,) and the only one that actually appears onscreen.
• The Starscream: When Melkor was exhausted after slashing up the Trees of Light, Ungoliant turned on him and demanded the Silmarils. He didn't give them to her, and almost got eaten.
• The Unfought: Ungoliant was never dealt with after the Darkening, although the Elves do note that she went south after being driven off by the Balrogs. The fact that none of the Elves or Valar went looking for her seems to be a mix of sheer ignorance and fear as the Noldor and the Ainur never actually encountered her and Thingol's people likely didn't want to pursue.
• Villainous Glutton: She eats light. As much light as she can. When she drinks the sap of the Two Trees, she "belches forth dark vapor" and becomes so powerful that it terrifies Morgoth.
• You Cannot Grasp the True Form: Even the Valar are confused by her webs of Unlight.

Draugluin

The ruler and father of werewolves. He is sent by Sauron after Lúthien but killed by Huan.

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• All Animals Are Dogs: Returns to his master Sauron's feet to die.
• Almost Dead Guy: Before he dies returns to Sauron and tells him "Huan is here."
• Canis Major: In his day he was both the first and the greatest of the werewolves. He would only be surpassed in this regard by his son, Carcharoth.
• First Of Its Kind: Like Glaurung, the first and father of werewolves.
• Monster Progenitor: For werewolves being the first of the kind and father of the species.
• Mugged for Disguise: After he dies first Huan then Beren wears his skin (perhaps not literally, but you never know).
• Our Werewolves Are Different: An evil spirit bound to Melkor's service and placed in the shape of a giant wolf.
• Savage Wolves: Like all those who followed him he is utterly evil, save perhaps for his loyalty to Sauron.
• Talking Animal
• Undying Loyalty: To Sauron. Fitting as he was basically his pet dog.
• The Worf Effect: Introduced as the most terrible of werewolves but gets killed by Huan shortly after.

Thuringwethil

A mysterious character mentioned in the Lay of Leithian. She was a vampire that took the form of a bat serving Sauron as a messenger. Next to nothing is known of her or her kind, but she is often referenced in the discussion of whether vampires exist in Middle-earth.

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• Cryptic Background Reference: Everything which is known about her in Tolkien's writings.
• Fallen Angel: Possibly; the description of hers, which says that she used to merely "take the form" of a bat, suggests she could have been a Maia like Sauron and the balrogs.
• The Ghost: As said, never appears onscreen. All we know about her is contained in an offhand mention about Lúthien taking her shape after ruining Tol-in-Gaurhoth. We don't even know if she is alive or dead at that moment, or where she is in the former case.
• Meaningful Name: Her name means "Woman of Secret Shadow," and she is such a mysterious shadow that we never get to see her.
• Mugged for Disguise: Lúthien wears her form to travel through Morgoth's lands.
• Our Vampires Are Different: She is vampiric, evil, and connected with bats.
• Posthumous Character: Her status during the time of the story is never revealed, but the most popular speculations are that she was killed or slain before or during the events, possibly in Tol-in-Gaurhoth before Lúthien impersonated her. Lúthien and Beren certainly act as if there was no risk the real Thuringwethil could be in Angband by chance and crash their mission.
• The Smurfette Principle: Almost all of the truly evil bad guys are, indeed, guys. The only other female villain is Ungoliant, and she too is a loner who just happened to side with Melkor momentarily. This makes Thuringwethil the only known female in the servitude of Melkor.

Carcharoth

Morgoth knew the prophecy that Huan the great hound could only ever be killed by "the mightiest werewolf to ever live." So he bred Carcharoth for that exact purpose, feeding him (live) Elves and Men and filling him with power.

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• Angry Guard Dog: He was the guardian of the gates of Angband. Lúthien was able to enchant him to allow her and Beren to get in. Pity he woke up when they came out…
• Axe-Crazy: Driven out of mind by the pain of the Silmaril that he swallowed.
• Avenging the Villain: Bred by Melkor to avenge his father, Draugluin, who was slain by Huan.
• Canis Major: Literally the greatest werewolf to ever live, he contains a part of Melkor's own power.
• I Have Many Names: Werewolf or not, he's still a Tolkien character and as such has several names. None of which are pleasant.
  • Carcharoth, "the Red Maw".
  • Anfauglir, "the Jaws of Thirst".
• The Dreaded: As told by the elves, the sheer carnage that Carcharoth left upon Beleriand on his pain-ladden rampage when he swallowed the Silmaril was beyond anything they had ever seen.
• Large and in Charge: Said to be the largest and mightiest werewolf in existence.
• Mutual Kill: Manages to kill both Beren (who got better) and Huan (who didn't), and in turn was killed by them.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: The single greatest werewolf to ever serve Melkor, he is an evil spirit in the form of a gigantic wolf and infested with a fraction of Melkor's own power.
• The Paragon: As noted above, the mightiest werewolf to ever live.
• Rampage from a Nail: Although evil and violent to begin with, after he bites off Beren's hand and swallows the Silmaril, his innards are set on fire and he goes on an absolute rampage. Probably one of the most extreme examples of deadliness, both in terms of the pain and the rampage.
• Savage Wolves: Even by Tolkien's standards, with his final rampage leaving countless dead.

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