The Races Of Middle Earth Groups of intelligent beings capable of speech, including humans, animals, and gods. For animals not capable of speech, such a horses, see LOTR Animals | ||
THE GOOD | ||
Dwarves |
Dwarves are the creation of Aüle, the smith of the Ainur, made in his own image,
and in anticipation of the creation of Elves and Men by Ilúvatar.
Rather than force Aüle to destroy the dwarves after they were created,
Ilúvatar instructed Aüle that the Seven Fathers of Dwarves should
sleep until the arrival of Elves and Men. When awakened at last, Durin I became
their king, and they dwelt in Moria beneath the Misty Mountains. There they made
vast halls and tunnels filled with great wealth. But their mining awakened
Durin's Bane who killed Durin I and forced the
Dwarves to abandon Moria. They fled northward to the Lonely Mountain
(Erebor) and to the Gray Mountains.
But, the mines in Gray Mountains were then attacked by Dragons, and the Dwarves
moved eastward into the Iron Hills or west to Erebor. Then, Erebor too was attacked
by the dragon Smaug and was lost. Fleeing Erebor, Thrór, the last King of Erebor,
traveled back to Moria, where Azog, lord of the orcs killed him and mutilated his head.
This atrocity began the War of the Dwarves and Orcs (III 2793-2799). At a tremendous cost
in lives, the Dwarves destroyed all of the orc strongholds of the Misty Mountains, and
Dáin Ironfoot cut the head from Azog. The remaining
Dwarves withdrew, and Thorin Oakenshield and his kin,
their wealth was gone, fled to the Blue Mountains. There they worked for Men as blacksmiths
and in coal miners. Returning from one such task Thorin chanced to meet
Gandalf at the Prancing Pony in Bree.
Gandalf saw Smaug to be a great threat in the coming war with Sauron,
and proposed a stealthy attack on Smaug's lair relying on the "thieving skills" of
(Bilbo) to gain entrance to the dragon's lair using
a key given to Gandalf by Thráin, Thrór elder son. "The Hobbit"
tells of Dwarves reclaiming of Erebor, and the death of Smaug. Erebor, and the
Human Kingdom of Dale then became mighty forces that were able to resist the army of
Easterlings and Orcs that Sauron sent against Gondor from the North. Without the "adventure"
of the Dwarves and Bilbo, the outcome of the War of the Ring might have been different.
The Dwarves are shorter, heavier, and more somber than Elves or Men. By Aüle's design they are indomitable by Melkor or Sauron. They are free from disease and they live for centuries. It is possible that they are reincarnated in subsequent generations, but their women (who appear no different from the males) are born only half as often as the males. And, they bear few Dwarflings. Dwarves are known for their love of gold, their stubbornness, their skill in mining and metal-working, and their unequaled artistry in stone. They are fierce, grim, and tireless in battle; for which they typically are armed with an axe. The children of a lesser God, they are a race apart from the other three, with their own secretive language. There are no Dwarf-Elves or Dwarf-Human beings in Middle Earth. At the time of the War of the Rings, there is only one large settlement of Dwarves remaining of the original Seven. Those are the Dwarves of Erebor, ruled by Dáin Ironfoot. After he is killed by by Orcs at the Battle of The Dale, he is succeeded by Thorin Stonehelm. Dwarves persist elsewhere in Middle Earth, in the Iron Hills and in the Blue Mountains, but they are not numerous. | |
Elves |
The Eldar, The "firstborn" children of Ilúvatar. Eru made the Elves more
like the Ainur in spirit and understanding, but lesser in body and ambition than
Men. The power of the greatest elves rivaled that of the Maiar, but they had a
physical body that could be destroyed. Elves are taller, lighter, and more graceful
than men. And they have tremendous long-distance vision and the Elf Lords can read
the thought of men. They are melancholy, but they laugh more often than Men.
They need little sleep, they are never sick, and they live forever, except for injury.
After the Elves first awakened, the Maiar brought to Valinor three representatives of the elves who later became Kings: Ingwë Finwë, and Elwë.
At the time of the War of the Ring four main populations of Elves remain in Middle Earth
| |
Ents |
Onodrim. Shepherds of the Trees.
Tree-like beings 15 feet tall, with thick skins and very deep
eyes - very slow to act, but very, very strong.
Ilúvatar created the Ents before the the coming of the Elves
and Men to Middle Earth to protect the woods from Melkor and his minions.
At the time of the War of the Ring, Ents have lost their Entwives, and
are in steady decline. However there is a gradation from Ents to normal
trees through 'Hurons,' with Ents sometimes slowing to become Hurons,
and vice versa. During the Battle of Helm's Gate, the Hurons are moved
by their hatred of Orcs to travel to the battlefield, there to utterly
eliminate the Orc army of Isengard. See "Treebeard and the Ents" by Timothy Ide at Rolozo Tolkein | |
Half-Elves |
Half-Elves are the descendants of Beren (human) and Lúthien (Elf), who are intermediate between Elves and Humans in most physical ways. Lúthien (Tinúviel) was the daughter of the Elf Lord Thingol and the Maia Melian. She was the most beautiful mortal ever to have existed. Sauron captured Beren but he was rescued by Lúthien and the Maia hound Huan who defeated Sauron, who fled as a werewolf. Then they went to Morgoth, and the song of Lúthien put Morgoth to sleep, and they stole a Simarill from his crown. But the wolf Carcharoth bit off the hand of Beren and the Simarill it held. Later Carcharoth was killed and the Simarill was retrieved, and the Simarill came into the hands of the Dwarves. Finally it was given to Elwing (grandaughter of Beren and Lúthien) and her husband Eärendil, who carried it to Valar. There he beseeched the Valar to save Middle Earth from Morgoth. Manwë consented, but consigned Eärendil to ever after carry the Simarill across the heavens as the evening star. Manwë also decreed that all descendents of Beren and Lúthien could choose (only once) whether they and their descendents should be immortal like Elrond or be mortal as are the Númenorians. At the time of the War of the Ring, Elrond is the wisest immortal half-elf, and Aragorn, his student, is the most powerful Númenorian. | |
Hobbits |
Periannath.
The fourth race of beings, appearing long after the Dwarves, Elves, and Men.
Of the three strains - Harfoots, Fallohides, and Stoors - the Stoors appear to
be most ancient, and were the last to move west of the Misty Mountains to
Eriador. The Hobbits all are small, with large hairy feet,
and loving comfort of all kinds. Perhaps Eru tired of the unrelenting tragedies of the elder races, and created the Hobbits for comic relief. But, it cannot be assumed that Hobbits were the creation of Ilúvatar, because the Valar were also capable of creation. For example, the dwarves were the creation of the Aüle. Perhaps Aüle created a second race, or maybe another Vala -- Manwë, or his Queen Varda (Elbereth) -- created the Hobbits to counter the evil of Sauron, just as they sent the Istari to Middle Earth to thwart his evil. This would explain the Hobbits' incorruptible nature (in comparison with Men!), which was reminiscent of the indomitable will of the Dwarves, whom Aüle bestowed with the ability to resist The Enemy. Creation by the Valar also might explain the historic association between Harfoots and Dwarves, and their habit of living in tunnels and holes. (I am aware that this is somewhat heretical, since Tolkein stated that Hobbits were a type of Men, but then he also had more that one view on other matters, such as the histories of Glorfindel, Galadriel, and Celeborn.) At the time of the War of the Rings, the Hobbits are found only in Eriador, principally in The Shire and some in Bree.
|
|
Men |
The younger children of Ilúvatar, to whom Eru gave disease and the Gift of Death,
by which they leave the world after old age and go beyond it. Men first appear
in the far east 1000 years after the Elves, when the Noldor return from Valinor.
The first men wandered westward for 300 years from the East, to where the
Noldor dwelt. These were the Edain, and their leader was Bëor.
From them were descended the Dúnedain. Although they all share the same "gift," men vary in allegiance and appearance, being far more diverse than Elves or Dwarves. In the Third Age, the groups consist of
| |
THE BAD Evil: that which results from the taking by one, to the harm of the others. That which divides beings one from the other. That which opposes the creative force of nature. | ||
Orcs |
(Goblins) The most numerous spawn of Morgoth. Melkor was not able to "create" because
that is not an act of evil, but he was able to corrupt that which was already
made by Eru, and he corrupted Elves to make the Orcs. Orcs are the size of
dwarves, hairless, with prominent fangs and sparse coarse hair, like pigs.
They have long arms and are by nature cruel and base. Most Orcs live underground and cannot stand the light, coming forth only at night to raid and plunder. Their diet is mostly meat - that of animals and the other human races. At the time of the War of the Ring, a larger breed, unafraid by the sun, was formed by Saruman (the Uruk-hai). He had also made hybrids between Orcs and Dunlendings (humans).
|
|
Ringwraiths |
Úlari, Nazgûl Sauron's evil counterparts to the wizards, turned to his will by the power of the One Ring over the Nine Rings given to men. The nine great rings of men were made by the Elves, but Sauron forged the One Ring to rule them all. The nine rings worn by Men gave them great wealth and power, and the rings preserved their lives until their bodies fell away and they became shadows that existed in the real world only through Sauron's devices. In life they had been Dark Númenórians or other sorcerers and kings. Under the power of the Ring, they became fell spirits whose visages were fear and their voices death. The first and greatest of these was Murazor (Tindomul) born II 1820 the son of Tar-Ciryatan, King of Númenór. Murazor served his master as the Witch King of Angmar, who defeated the Dúnadain kingdom of Arnor in III 1974. The second was Khamûl, the Easterling. He is the Názgul who searched the Shire for Frodo, and nearly captured him at Bucklebury Ferry. Khamûl held Dol Guldur for Sauron, during the War of the Ring. Third was Morendil, born II 1910 in Lond Daer. In life, he knew Murazor and was his superior, but Murazor was favored by Sauron for he turned first to his service. The rest are named Dwar, Indûr, Akhôrahil, Hoarmurath, Ren, and Uvatha. Alternate names include Herumor and Adunaphel. Only Khamûl is named by Tolkein, the others are the inventions of ICE (Iron Crown Enterprises) see http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mr_lucifer/members.html, except Morendil of Lond Daer. | |
Trolls |
Ent-sized monsters made by Melkor in mockery of Ents in the First Age. They are very strong, and as hard as rock. Exposure to sunlight causes them to turn to stone, but the darkness made by Sauron during the War of the Ring allows the trolls to attack the army of Gondor during daylight. | |
THE GODLY | ||
Ainur |
The "Angels" of Tolkien's pantheon - the Valar (archangels or gods) and Maiar (angels) made by Ilúvatar. Although they lived in Middle Earth in The Time Before Days the Sun, the came there seldom thereafter, only to spy on the evil of The Enemy but also occasionally marrying the Elves. Except once. In the War of Wrath all of Valinor attacked the might of Melkor in Middle Earth, and the host of Morgoth was destroyed. But he released on them his dragons, and they were driven back. Eärendil then attacked with the eagles, and the dragons were thrown down, and Melkor's feet were cut off and he was put in chains. And the Valar thrust him through the Door of Night, beyond the Walls of the World, into the Timeless Void; and Eärendil keeps watch on the Door forever. Thereafter the Valar dwelt only in Valinor, a land unseeable to the utter west of Middle Earth. | |
Balrogs |
Evil Maiar that were seduced by Melkor in The Time Before Days. Their physical form is four or five times the height of men, possibly with large black wings on their backs. At the time of the War of the Ring, they are the chief forces of evil, rivaling Sauron, and far more powerful than the Ringwraiths. The served Morgoth before his distruction, and a few fled to hidden places after the War of Wrath, lest they be discovered by the Valar. | |
Istari |
The Istari (wizards) are Maia who were sent from Valinor (III 1000) to counter Sauron and the nine Ringwraiths. Five were sent; and Gandalf, Saruman, and Rhadgast remained in the West; but Alatar and Pallando (the blue wizards) traveled to the east (Rhûn) and never returned. The Istari took on a mortal form in Middle-Earth similar to Elves. And, although that form could be destroyed (as was done with the Sauron and Gandalf), the essence could reform and again take on the mortal appearance. Each has a color - white being the greatest. | |
Maiar |
The lesser Ainur and (except for Sauron who served Melkor) servants or followers of the Valar. Immortal and unaging but less powerful than the Valar, and not central to the creation of Arda. Entering Middle Earth and active in its affairs only at the bidding of the Valar. | |
Valar |
The Valar are the "Gods" of Middle-Earth. They live in Valinor and
they formed Middle-Earth in harmony with the design of Ilúvatar.
They are the most powerful beings created by him.
In ages before the Sun they take
an active role in the affairs of Middle Earth, more than once destroying
portions in battle with Melkor - the evil Vala. But, during
the Ages of the Sun they withdrawn, and only indirectly combated the
influence of Sauron by sending the Istari, and in other subtle ways.
They are named Manwë, Ulmo, Aulë, Ormë, Mandos, Lórien and Tulkus;
and Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána, and Nessa. Chief among them are
| |
ANIMALS / CHARACTERS / EVENTS / PLACES / THINGS |