A Quick Guide To The Evil Creatures In Middle-earth
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J. R. R. Tolkien created a vast world within The Lord of the Rings universe. There are various stories, races, and creatures within Middle-earth. We are currently seeing his many stories play out in The Rings of Power. The creatures within Middle-earth are sometimes helpful, like Treebeard and the Ents in The Two Towers. Other times, they pose a threat or are just plain evil.
Orcs
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Orcs are a race of humanoid creatures. They were conceived by Morgoth and originally served him. They would later serve his successor, Sauron in his quest to dominate Middle-earth. Orcs rarely had non-violent interactions with others in Middle-earth. They are known to be evil, and pitiless, and took pleasure in cruel and wicked acts.
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Nazgûl
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The Nazgûl, which is Black Speech for “Ringwraiths,” were the ring servants of the dark lord Sauron. The nine Black Riders were originally great warriors of Men. They were given the nine rings of power that made them immortal. However, the rings eventually corrupted them. Their cries could strike terror in the hearts of anyone who heard it. They also wielded deadly weapons, like the Morgul-blade that stabbed Frodo.
Shelob
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Shelob was a giant spider and the greatest offspring of the primordial spider Ungoliant. She was alive in the Third Age and lived on the borders of Mordor where she fed on all living things. She would use her venom to paralyze the victim, so she could eat them alive later. Gollum tricked Frodo into entering her lair where he was paralyzed by her venom. Sam would come to the rescue and fight Shelob with a phial given by Galadriel.
Balrogs
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We first saw the Balrog during The Fellowship of the Ring when he fought Gandalf in the mines of Moria. The Balrogs were Maiar who were corrupted by Morgoth. They took the forms of demons and had hearts of fire and whips of flames.
Wargs
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These terrifying hyena-looking creatures were considered the “war dogs” of the Orcs. They were an evil breed of demonic wolves of unknown origin. They may have been bred by Morgoth originally. During the Third Age, Gandalf classified them as part of Sauron’s servants. Part of the fellowship first encountered them on their way to Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers.
Trolls
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Trolls were large monsters with limited intellect. While they were strong and vicious, they could not endure sunlight. At the end of the First Age, they were corrupted by Morgoth. Similar to the wargs, their origins were unknown, but Treebeard had theorized that the trolls were “made in mockery” of the Ents. Bilbo and the dwarves encountered trolls in The Hobbit.
Smaug
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Smaug was a fire drake during the Third Age. He captured the Lonely Mountain and hoarded its treasures for 171 years. During the events of The Hobbit, Bilbo and the dwarves woke up Smaug in the mountain in their attempt to reclaim the treasures for themselves. Smaug left the mountain and caused destruction on the nearby Lake-town, and was eventually slain by Bard the Bowman.
The world of Middle-earth is filled with many creatures, both good and bad. Various creatures have helped and hindered our heroes throughout their various journeys. With The Lord of the Rings, however, we know these creatures will always lose, and that evil will be defeated.
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Source(s): Tolkien Gateway