Morgoth Print

Melkor (Quenya; IPA: "He who arises in might"), later known predominantly as Morgoth (Sindarin; IPA: "Black Foe of the World"), was the first Dark Lord, and the primordial source of evil in Eä. Originally the most powerful of the Ainur created by Eru Ilúvatar, Melkor rebelled against his creator out of pride and sought to corrupt Arda. After committing many evils in the First Age, such as the theft of the Silmarils, which resulted in his name Morgoth, and the destruction of the Two Lamps and the Two Trees of Valinor, Morgoth was defeated by the Host of Valinor in the War of Wrath. As punishment he was cast out of Arda into the Void, though it was prophesied he would one day return. He was created by Eru Ilúvatar in the Timeless Halls at the beginning of creation. His brother was Manwë, though his was greater in power and knowledge than any of the Ainur. Impatient with the emptiness of the Great Void outside the Timeless Halls, and desiring to create things of his own, he often went forth into the Void in search of the Flame Imperishable. But the Flame was of Ilúvatar and resided with him, and Melkor never discovered it. He continued to search, however, and as such was often alone and apart from his fellow Ainur. It was during these lonesome periods that he began to have ideas and thoughts of his own that were not in accordance with his fellow Ainur. When the Ainur sang the Great Music before Eru, he wove some of these alien thoughts into his music, and straightaway Discord arose around him. Some of those nearby attuned their music to his, until two musical themes were warring before the Throne. To correct the Discord, Eru introduced a Second, and then a Third Theme into the music. But Melkor succeeded in holding back the Second theme, of which Manwë was the chief instrument. The Third was the theme of Elves and Men, and while it was not overwhelmed by the Discord as the Second theme was, it too failed to correct it. When Eru brought the Music to an end, he rebuked Melkor, praising his strength but reminding him that, as an aspect of his creator's thought, anything that he could bring into being ultimately had its source within Eru himself. As such, even the Discord redounded in the end to the glory of Eru's work. This rebuke shamed Melkor, but brought on anger in him as well, though he hid it. Thus when the Music was made incarnate as Arda, it was already flawed through the Discord, and immoderate heat and great cold stalked it. Melkor then took in the interest of the World and descended to it with the other Valar. Source: The One Wiki to Rule Them All Morgoth Bauglir ([ˈmɔrɡɔθ ˈbau̯ɡlir]; originally Melkor [ˈmɛlkor]) is a character, one of the godlike Valar, from Tolkien's legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, and The Fall of Gondolin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings. Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and was renamed Morgoth, the definitive antagonist of Arda from whom all evil in the world of Middle-earth ultimately stems. Mairon, one of the Maiar of Aulë, betrayed his kind and became Morgoth's principal lieutenant, Sauron. Melkor was renamed "Morgoth" when he destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, murdered Finwë, the High King of the Noldor Elves, and stole the Silmarils in the First Age. The darker name was then bestowed by Finwë's son Fëanor, and the Elves called him thereafter by that name alone. The name Morgoth is Sindarin (one of Tolkien's invented languages) and means "Dark Enemy", "Black Foe", or "Black Foe of the World". Bauglir is also Sindarin, meaning "Tyrant" or "Oppressor". Fëanor actually named him in Quenya (another of Tolkien's languages), Moriñgotto or Moriñgotho, and this was later translated into Sindarin as Morgoth. "Morgoth Bauglir" is thus an epithet. His name in Ainulindalë (the creation myth of Middle-earth and first section of The Silmarillion) is Melkor, which means "He Who Arises In Might" in Quenya. This too is an epithet since he, like all the Ainur, had another true name in Valarin (in the legendarium, the language of the Ainur before the beginning of Time), but this name was not recorded. The Sindarin equivalent of Melkor was Belegûr, but it was never used; instead a deliberately similar name Belegurth, meaning "Great Death", was employed. In earlier versions of Tolkien's legendarium the form of his name was Melko, simply meaning "Mighty One". Like Sauron, he had a host of other titles: Lord of the Dark, the Dark Power of the North, the Black Hand, and Great Enemy. The Edain called him the Dark King and the Dark Power; the Númenóreans corrupted by Sauron called him the Lord of All and the Giver of Freedom. He was called "Master of Lies" by Amlach of the House of Hador. Source: Wikipedia