History NightmareFuel / TheSilmarillion

* The Balrogs. [[EliteMooks The strongest and most powerful unit within Morgoth's armies]], always surrounded in flame and shadow. Those guys are the responsibles for the death and/or capture of nearly all important characters, to the point that, by the Third Age, they're pretty much [[TheDreaded the boogeymen]] for the elves despite the fact they're nearly extinct at that point. Oh, and everytime we hear about someone killing a Balrog, it's a MutualKill the 100% of the time. There's a higher chance of survival fighting a dragon than fighting those guys.

* [[EldritchAbomination Ungoliant]]. Dear Lord, '''Ungoliant'''. As one would expect from the [[GiantSpider giant spider]] who brought Shelob into the world. Originally a simple Maia, she drank the sap of the Two Trees and turned into the ''pure embodiment of darkness and gluttony'', and became the Broodmother of all spiders in existence (sorry arachnophobes!). She's never satisfied, and isn't picky about what she eats. She would devour the entire world if given the chance. She almost ate Morgoth himself. And what's worse, the published version of ''The Silmarillion'' does not confirm her fate. So... she could still be out there somewhere... always hungry...
** One of her potential fates is pretty creepy too: it's speculated that, in the end, she might have ''eaten herself''.
** She utterly triumphed over Morgoth, making him scream with such pain that the mountains echo his scream forever. It took the combined efforts of ''every Balrog in existence'' to even drive her away from him, and none of this managed to actually hurt her.
** Some earlier versions of ''The Silmarillion'' are even more chilling. Instead of being a Maia, Ungoliant was a primeval spirit of darkness from the void (essentially outer space). Perhaps there are others like her dwelling in the darkness.

** Gothmog is the High-Captain of Angband and lord of the Balrogs, meaning that even among them he's particularly powerful and evil. Likely close in strength to Sauron himself if not surpassing him. He cut a bloody swathe through Elvish and Human history with his black axe, only dying in combat against Elf Lord Ecthellion who fell during the Battle of Gondolin.

** Gothmog is the High-Captain of Angband and lord of the Balrogs, meaning that even among them he's particularly powerful and evil. Likely close in strength to Sauron himself if not surpassing him. He cut a bloody swathe through Elvish and Human history with his black ax, only dying in combat against Elf Lord Ecthellion who fell during the Battle of Gondolin.

* The Balrogs. [[EliteMooks The strongest and most powerful unit within Morgoth's armies]], always surrounded in flame and shadow. Those guys are the responsibles for the death and/or capture of nearly all important characters, to the point that, by the Third Age, they're pretty much [[TheDreaded the boogeymen]] for the elves despite the fact they're nearly extint at that point. Oh, and everytime we hear about someone killing a Balrog, it's a MutualKill the 100% of the time. There's a higher chance of survival fighting a dragon than fighting those guys.

* The Balrogs. [[EliteMooks The strongest and most powerful unit within Morgoth's armies]], always surrounded in flame and shadow. Those guys are the responsibles for the death and/or capture of nearly all important characters, to the point that, by the Third Age, they're pretty much [[TheDreaded a boogeyman]] for the elves despite the fact they're nearly extint at that point. Oh, and everytime we hear about someone killing a Balrog, it's a MutualKill the 100% of the time. There's a higher chance of survival fighting a dragon than fighting those guys.

* '''''Everything''''' about [[BigBad /MelkorMorgoth]]. The [[SatanicArchetype Satan of Arda]], Morgoth engaged in MindRape without even having to think about it, and the only sort of pleasure he could experience came from horribly torturing and corrupting Elves and Men. In-universe, lesser ''Ainur'' were driven to insanity by his eyes.

* '''''Everything''''' about [[BigBad Morgoth/Melkor]]. The [[SatanicArchetype Satan of Arda]], Morgoth engaged in MindRape without even having to think about it, and the only sort of pleasure he could experience came from horribly torturing and corrupting Elves and Men. In-universe, lesser ''Ainur'' were driven to insanity by his eyes.

* Everything about [[BigBad Morgoth/Melkor]]. The [[SatanicArchetype Satan of Arda]], Morgoth engaged in MindRape without even having to think about it, and the only sort of pleasure he could experience came from horribly torturing and corrupting Elves and Men. In-universe, lesser ''Ainur'' were driven to insanity by his eyes.

[-''Downfall of Numenor'' by Ted Nasmith-]]]

** Gothmog is the High-Captain of Angband and lord of the Balrogs, meaning that even among them he's particularly powerful and evil. Likely close in strength to Sauron himself if not surpassing him. He cut a bloody swathe through Elvish and Human history with his black ax, only dying in combat against Elf Lord Ecthellion who fell during the Battle of Gondolin

* The Third and final Kinslaying is the most [[MoralEventHorizon terrible of them all]]. Maedhros and Maglor along with the twins, the last surviving sons of Fëanor gathered what was probaly the last functional army in Beleriand and marched on the refuge at the Havens of Sirion. While the first two kinslayings were at least fairly equal battles between Elven tribes, the attack on Tol Sirion is explicitly stated to be the most cruel and evil of all because the vast majority of fighters are dead at this point. The "battle" was a massacre, plain and simple. Due to racial hatreds, the Sindar from Doriath were utterly wiped out and the only known survivors at all were Elwing, Elros and Elrond. This the true power of the Oath of Fëanor. A vow so strong that it led Elven men and women who should be working together to wipe out the very last piece of resistance to the true evil that was coming for them all.

* Ungoliant, as one would expect from the [[GiantSpider giant spider]] who brought Shelob into the world. Originally a simple Maia, she drank the sap of the Two Trees and turned into the ''pure embodiment of darkness and gluttony'', and became the Broodmother of all spiders in existence (sorry arachnophobes!). She's never satisfied, and isn't picky about what she eats. She would devour the entire world if given the chance. She almost ate Morgoth himself. And what's worse, the published version of ''The Silmarillion'' does not confirm her fate. So… she could still be out there somewhere… always hungry…

* Another understated one. At the tail end of the War of the Jewels, Morgoth [[TheBadGuyWins ruled the ''entire world unopposed'' for about 73 years]]. Tolkien, thankfully, doesn't go into great detail about the horrors that await the Elves, Men and Dwarves who fall under his thrall but from what we do know, they were set upon by Orcs, Easterlings and made his slaves. Things only become more horrific after the last few Elven strongholds are overthrown [[HiddenElfVillage (Nargothrond, Gondolin, and Doriath)]] because now whatever free peoples are left are scattered and literally running for the hills trying to escape evil.

* Another understated one. At the tail end of the War of the Jewels, Morgoth ruled the ''entire world unopposed'' for about 73 years. Tolkien, thankfully, doesn't go into great detail about the horrors that await the Elves, Men and Dwarves who fall under his thrall but from what we do know, they were set upon by Orcs, Easterlings and made his slaves. Things only become more horrific after the last few Elven strongholds are overthrown (Nargothrond, Gondolin, and Doriath) because now whatever free peoples are left are scattered and literally running for the hills trying to escape evil.
* The Third and final Kinslaying is the most terrible of them all. Maedhros and Maglor along with the twins, the last surviving sons of Fëanor gathered what was probaly the last functional army in Beleriand and marched on the refuge at the Havens of Sirion. While the first two kinslayings were at least fairly equal battles between Elven tribes, the attack on Tol Sirion is explicitly stated to be the most cruel and evil of all because the vast majority of fighters are dead at this point. The "battle" was a massacre, plain and simple. Due to racial hatreds, the Sindar from Doriath were utterly wiped out and the only known survivors at all were Elwing, Elros and Elrond. This the true power of the Oath of Fëanor. A vow so strong that it led Elven men and women who should be working together to wipe out the very last piece of resistance to the true evil that was coming for them all.

[[caption-width-right:350:''Downfall of Numenor'' by Ted Nasmith]]

[[caption-width-right:''Downfall of Numenor'' by Ted Nasmith]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morgoth_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Before [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]], there was [[GodOfEvil Morgoth]]…]]

** The short story is that they were [[MadeASlave enslaved]] and [[HumanSacrifice sacrificed to Morgoth]], as it is mentioned that Númenóreans did that to Men of Middle-earth. Terrifying.