Morgoth ~ In the Beginning Melkor ~ The War of Wrath

 

Morgoth ~ The First Dark Lord

“Then wrath mastered Morgoth, and he said: ‘Yet I may come at you, and all your accursed house;
and you shall be broken on my will, though you all were made of steel.”

The Silmarillion

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In the beginning there was Eru, the one, who in Arda was called Ilûvatar. He made first the Ainur, the Holly Ones, they were the offspring of his thought and they were with him before aught else was made. He gave to them music and they sang. One of the greatest among them was named Melkor, and he began to interweave music of his own imagining and thus discord was first heard in the world.

From the void the world was made and unto it many of the Ainur descended to complete the work of Eru and among them was Melkor. Within this world they were known as the Valar. Unhappy to carryout only the will of Eru and desiring to order this new earth to his own design, Melkor turned away from Ilûvatar and began in earnest his wars with the Valar within the borders of the world. Melkor felt envy for the Children of Ilûvatar and all the gifts bestowed upon them and so he bent his will to the destruction of Elves, Dwarves and Men.

In time Melkor, was given the name Morgoth, the Dark Lord of Middle-earth. He was cursed by Fëanor, who named him Morgoth, and ever after was denominated by the Eldar.

In the beginning before there was a firmament, there was only the sweet music of Ilúvatar and the Ainur…

But now Ilúvatar sat and hearkened, and for a great while it seemed good to him, for in the music there were no flaws. But as the theme progressed, it came to the heart of Melkor to interweave matters of his own imagining that were not in accord with the theme of Ilúvatar; for he sought therein to increase the power and glory part assigned to himself. To Melkor amoung the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge, and he had a share in all the gifts of his brethren. He had gone often alone into the Void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him to bring into Being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Ilúvatar took no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the fire, for it was with Ilúvatar. But being alone he had begun to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren.

Some of these thoughts he now wove into his music, and straight-way discorded arouse about him, and many that sang nigh him grew despondent, and their thought was disturbed and their music faltered; but some began to attune their music to his rather than to the thought which they had at first. Then the discord of Melkor spread ever wider,  and the melodies which had been heard before foundered in a sea of turbulent sound. But Ilúvatar sat and hearkened until it seemed that about his throne there was a raging storm, as dark waters that made war one upon another in and endless wrath the would not be assuaged.

From The Silmarillion from the chapter  ‘Ainulindalë’

 

During the Years of the Trees, after it was discovered that Morgoth had captured and corrupted many of the Children of Ilúvatar, transforming them by torture and other foul craft into orcs, the Valar made war upon Melkor and in his defeat he was captured and imprisoned for three Ages of the earth.

But as the third age of the captivity of Melkor drew on, the Dwarves became troubled, and they spoke to King Thingol, saying that the Valar had not rooted out utterly the evils to the North, and now the remnant, having long multiplied in the dark, were coming forth once more and roaming far and wide. ‘There are fell beasts’. they said,’in the land east of the mountains, and your ancient kindred that dwell there are flying from the plains to the hills.’

And ere long the evil creatures came even to Beleriand, over passes in the mountains, or up from the south through the dark forests. Wolves there were, or creatures that walked in wolf-shapes, and other fell beings of shadow, and among them were the Orcs, who afterwards wrought ruin in Beleriand: but they were yet few and wary, and did but smell out the ways of the land, awaiting the return of their lord. Whence they came, or what they were, the Elves knew not then, thinking them perhaps to be Avari who had become evil and savage in the wild; in which they guessed all to near, it is said.

But it came to pass at last that the end of the bliss was at hand, and the noontide of Valinor was drawing to its twilight. For as has been told and as is known to all, being written in lore and sung in many songs, Melkor slew the Trees of the Valar with the aid of Ungoliant (Gloomweaver, the Great Spider), and escaped, and came back to Middle-earth.

Far to the north befell the strife of Morgoth and Ungoliant, but the great cry of Morgoth echoed through Beleriand, and all its people shrank for fear, for though they knew not what it foreboded, they heard then the herald of death. Soon afterwards Ungoliant fled from the north and came into the realm of King Thingol, and a terror of darkness was about her, but by the power of Melian she was stayed, and entered not into Neldoreth, but abode long time under the shadow of the precipices in which Dorthonion fell southward. And they became known as Ered Gorgoroth, the Mountains of Terror, and none dared go thither, or pass nigh them, there life and light were strangled, and there all waters were poisoned. But Morgoth, as has before been told, returned to Angband, and built it anew, and above its doors he reared the reeking towers of Thangorodrim, and the gates of Morgoth were but one hundred and fifty leagues distance from the bridge of Menegroth: far and yet all too near.

From Simarillion in the chapter ‘Of the Sindar’

 

Húrin, one of greatest warriors of Men in the First Age was captured by Morgoth and his family and kin were cursed.

Then wrath mastered Morgoth, and he said: ‘Yet I may come at you, and all your accursed house; and you shall be broken on my will, though you all were made of steel.’ And he took up a long sword that lay there and broke it before the eyes of Húrin, and a splinter wounded his face; but Húrin did not blench. Then Morgoth stretching out his long arm towards Dor-lómin cursed Húrin and Morwen and their offspring, saying: ‘Behold! The shadow of my thought shall lie upon them wherever they go, and my hate shall pursue them to the ends of the world.’

But Húrin said: ‘You speak in vain. For you cannot see them, nor govern them from afar: not while you keep this shape, and desire still to be a King visible on earth.’

Then Morgoth turned upon Húrin, and he said: ‘Fool, little among Men, and they are the least of all that speak! Have you seen the Valar, or measured the power of Manwë and Varda? Do you know the reach of their thought? Or do you think, perhaps, that their thought is upon you, and that they may shield you from afar?’

‘I know not,’ said Húrin. ‘Yet so it might be, if they willed. For the Elder King shall not be dethroned while Arda endures.’

‘You say it,’ said Morgoth. ‘I am the Elder King: Melkor, first and mightiest of all the Valar, who was before the world, and made it. The shadow of my purpose lies upon Arda, and all that is in it bends slowly and surely to my will. But upon all whom you love my thought shall weigh as a cloud of Doom, and it shall bring them down into darkness and despair. Wherever they go, evil shall arise. Whenever they speak, their words shall bring ill counsel. Whatsoever they do shall turn against them. They shall die without hope, cursing both life and death.’

From The Children of Húrin

 

‘Far to the north befell the strife of Morgoth and Ungoliant,
but the great cry of Morgoth echoed through Beleriand, and all its people shrank for fear,
for though they knew not what it foreboded, they heard then the herald of death.’

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