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Morgoth

Morgoth


Home(s)
The Void; formerly Angband and Utumno
Language(s)
People
time period
Gender
Male


In the beginning, Melkor (Q. "He Who Arises in Might") was the greatest of the Valar. He shared primacy with Manwe as lieuteniants of Eru Iluvatar, but he never enjoyed the favor that the One accorded his brother; for Manwe was closer to Eru in thought and mind, while Melkor created discord amidst the Ainulindalë. Melkor sought mastery, and dictatorship over the rights of his bretheren, rather than regency over the world according to Eru's vision; akin both to Manwe and to Aule, Melkor was a smith and a king, forging works of hand, and governing with his wisdom. But pride doomed his talent; he rebelled against those higher than he and oppressed those below, and upon the forging of Ea, he claimed it frightfully unto himself. Melkor forsook his pledge to Eru, rebelled and raided against his brethren, and corrupted a realm for himself amidst the world; and so his name is not spoken by the Powers. He cursed, a fallen Vala, and no longer is he titled Melkor; he was named Morgoth (the "Black Enemy") and dreaded as the Dark Power of the North, the Foe or the first Dark Lord.

Appearance[]

The Fána of Morgoth took many forms; as Vala, he took the form of a mighty and titanic, Elf-like man (12'-40'-5000'ft), strong-built and broad, his face fair but pale like ice, his hair fair but heavy like dark cloud, upon his head a crown of ice and fire, and in his dark countenance a pair of lidless serpent's eyes, piercing cold and burning like flame at the same time. These eyes he maintained unto his latest darkness, but his countenance became dark, his skin became as grey and dark as rock. Upon his long, mangled hair like fire or smoke, with gems woven in, sat a forged Crown of Iron, a titanic circlet rimmed with cruel pinnacles, set with cursed shapes in relief, and upon its foul rim were imprisoned, in iron claws, the Silmarils of Fëanáro, stolen from Aman in the deathless day. These holy jewels burned his accursed hands, leaving them scared and black, as though he wore gauntlets of volcanic rock. Black armor he wore, foul plates of iron rusted, and about it, he donned a black cloak, the hood of which lay underneath his hateful crown. His visage was that of absolute hate; a wicked king, corrupt and oppressive, who mistreated those below him, rebelled against those above him, and saw the universe as his property and playground: a spirit wasteful and pitiless.

Realm:[]

Darkness, evil, violence, pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, abuse, mistreatment, the unnatural, volcanic activity, natural disasters, plagues, iron, hunting beasts, insects, reptiles (as opposed to Birds), wolves, cats, bats, brambles, dust, ash, waste, lies

Personality:[]

Morgoth was truly the incarnation of evil. Even in his beginning, he was a prideful and domineering spirit; no less than the ownership of all the realm of Iluvatar was his desire. In this desire, he drove himself through pride into wrath on into wickedness, and by his actions, the concepts of evil became active traits. He was a fearsome tyrant, tormenting his subjects as an abusive father or the cruel master of a pet. At the same time was a skilled, conniving, and manipulative deity and could charm his enemies with politics, or with gifts of the hand; yet when his schemes came to fruition, he cast aside those that served no further use to him. In his ancient form as Melkor, he could disguise himself as resplendent, majestic, and noble, even to his enemies, and in this form he was known as the deceiver; for dishonesty originated with him. Yet as Morgoth, he lost all simulance of nobility, and his sinful, wrathful countenance became visible to all before him; he became the greatest threat on Earth. Wicked he was, speaking in roars and shouts, lust and greed was on his forked tongue, wrath for those who displeased him, debauched pleasure for those that didn't, and all that he knew was for his own sadistic pleasure. Alone of his divine kind, Morgoth knew fear and pain; a punishment caused by his attachment to the mortal world resulting from his intrusive dominance, and an edge of the other Valar over he. Morgoth was the source of arrogance, as in his pride he loved nothing more than challenging those with less skill than himself and reducing their wills to dust. He prided himself on his powers, size, and intelligence, and divine skills; which, for long, he held in truth, despite his foul heart. However, this power had shriveled like dry dirt through his evil, and by the time of his reconquering of Angband he had become little more than a proud giant, sitting on his dark throne drunken on his own authority over countless slaves; for he poured his spirit into innumerable creatures of darkness, from his Orc-subjects to his Balrog-councilors, and even his own legendary offspring. This petty degradation proved to be his downfall, for he did not prepare for foes greater than himself; nor did he prepare for the wrath of his brethren, and their vengeance for his countless sins.

Servants:[]

Canonical Councilors:[]

Non-Canonical:[]

Morgoth's Armies[]

Cults:[]

Names:[]

Among the many names, titles and epithets he possessed were:

Melkor

Melkor's beautiful Fána

Morgoth2

Morgoth's abhorrent Fána

Artifacts:[]

  • Black Armor
  • Black hooded Robe (can make him invisible)
  • Black Spear
  • Crown of Smoke and Fire
  • Great Shield
  • Grond
  • Iron Crown
  • Jewels (in the Hair)
  • Raiments of Ice
  • Raiment of Silver and Gold
  • Ring
  • stolen Sword of the Noldor
  • the Ulûkai
  • Void Sword (Wielded during End Times)

Powers:[]

Melkor originally boasted many powers. He could shape and change the land of the world as he saw fit, he could control and create ice, he could cause earthquakes volcanic eruptions to erupt from the earth, he should shapeshift into clouds, he could make people "see worlds through his eyes," and he could control light and darkness. In MERPS, he knows all spells.

Offspring[]

In the Book of Lost Tales Gothmog was still considered the son of Morgoth and his consort Ulbandi.However later Tolkien redivised him as a corporeal Maia in his own right.

In the MERP book The Court of Ardor, Morgoth spiritually sired two half-elven children.he mother was Ardana, a fallen Noldo who conspired with Morgoth to bring down the sun and the moon in hopes to open up the door of night and release Morgoth from his prison. Part of the ritual was to sacrifice a being who bore Valarin blood within her veins. Morelenĕ was to be sacrificed while Morrána was thought to be stillborn--he was actually alive and grew up to be a powerful being who eventually slew his evil mother with simplicity. He was considered a pure being and none of Ardana's powers could work on him!

In the "Ishar" series, "Morgoth" has a son named Krogh with the Witch Morgûla.

Notes[]

  • His attributes are Grond and the Iron Crown.
  • He was lame since the fight with Fingolfin.
  • At the beginning he was stronger than Manwë.
  • In the early phase of writing books by J.R.R. Tolkien's name was Melko.
  • The name Bauglir was used among the Ñoldor and meant "the one who forces".
  • In Peter Jackson's films, his name is mentioned twice.
  • In Letter 294, Tolkien referred to Morgoth as "the Devil", a title reserved in many cultures and religions for the supreme spirit of evil: Satan. Both are fallen angelic beings, both bear similar titles (Dark Lord and Prince of Darkness respectively), and both rebel against God (considering themselves equals to the demiurge), and marring all creation. Morgoth personifies Lucifer as the prime mover of evil; Sauron, however, represents Satan as a seducer.

References:[]

  • Lords of Middle-earth Vol I: The Immortals
  • MERP:Middle-Earth Adventure Guidebook II
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