Tolkien’s universe is full of creatures of all kinds. Magnificent monsters, impressive and terrifying creatures, all of which have their own background. Most creatures of Middle earth are a creation of Morgoth, the being of pure evil, who brought them to Earth to destroy those who would oppose to Sauron’s plans. So here are 16 little-known secrets about the creatures of Middle-earth:
1) Huan has already defeated Sauron
Huan is a great hunting dog the size of a small horse, and first appears in The Silmarillion. It can also be found in The Hobbit, be it the paper version or the Peter Jackson version. Huan is the size of a small horse. But did you know that Huan has already defeated Sauron in the past? Indeed, in a prophecy, Sauron transforms into a werewolf to fight Huan. But the latter finally manages to hit Sauron fiercely, who prefers to flee. A victory ! Huan, however, later loses his life while defending Beren and Luthien in their quest to retrieve a Silmaril from Morgoth. He is murdered by the horrible Carcharoth, a werewolf trained by Melkor. If he manages to kill the creature, Huan eventually succumbs to his wounds.
2) Gripoil: the fastest horse in Middle-earth
Gripoil (or shadowfax in VO) is considered as the lord of all horses. It allows Gandalf to move through Middle-earth even faster than the wind itself. Gripoil is so intelligent that he can understand human speech.. Truly indomitable (except for Gandalf) this famous steed hails from the Meara race, a legendary species of horses with unusual talents and extremely long lifespans. Gripoil is a direct descendant of Felaroffthe legendary horse ridden by the first king of Rohan.
3) The Uruk-Hai are hybrids between humans and orcs
The Uruk-Hai are vicious and dangerous creatures created and bred solely to be Sauron’s elite warriors. Born in the pits of Isengardthey are a cross between Men and Orcs. Their creation remains secret, but Gandalf provides some answers in The Lord of the Rings. He says they have traits of Orcs and Goblinswithout their weaknesses.
4) The origin of the Balrog
In The Fellowship of the Ring, the characters travel through the mines of Moria and come face to face with the mighty Balrog. This last, powerful demon which results in the apparent death of Gandalf is actually an ancient wizard. The Balrogs were indeed once Maiar, pure and powerful spiritual beings. The evil Morgoth gave them false promises of greatness and power to drag them to the dark side. Morgoth’s temptation causes them to become violent and filled with rage, thus transforming into demonic beings.
5) The Ouargues are gifted with language
The Ouargues (or Wargs in VO) are a race of highly intelligent wolves, native to the Misty Mountains. Larger than a typical wolf, they are incredibly fast, powerful and intelligent. They are also able to communicate with each other. The Wargs are generally ridden by the Orcs, and serve, without asking too many questions, the forces of Sauron.
6) Ungoliant: the giant spider that devoured all the light in the world
Ungoliant is a being of pure mischief and darkness. This character, which usually takes the form of a giant spider, has the ability to feed on light itself. Being totally insatiable, he eventually retreats into obscurity, far from all temptations. It is Morgoth, who hears about her, who decides to bring her out of her exile to serve his troops. Ungoliant agrees. Together they go to Valinor and destroy the last two sacred and luminescent trees, responsible for the light on Middle-earth. Through this desecration, Ungoliant causes all light to disappear in Middle-earth, waiting for the birth of the sun.
7) Smaug: the last great dragon of Middle-earth
Smaug is a huge dragon who steals the wealth of the Dwarves of Erebor in The Hobbit. Smaug is slightly different from other dragons. Much younger than most of his peershe is undoubtedly the Last Great Dragon of Middle-earth. In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Gandalf notes that the dragon is not yet fully developed and has not yet reached its final size. Although smaller dragons may still exist in Middle-earth, Smaug’s death led to the demise of the great dragons.
8) The Watcher of the Waters: a creature without a master
In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ringthe protagonists cross paths with the Watcher of the Waters, a sort of sprawling monster straight out of Lovecraft’s imagination. Well, the latter is, like Ungoliant, a monster without a master. He does not serve Morgoth, let alone Sauron. However, its aggressiveness is unparalleled, and the Watcher of the Waters has notably took the life of Oin, one of the dwarves of Erebor.
9) Orcs are created from kidnapped and tortured Elves
While the Elves live hidden in the land of Cuiviénen, Morgoth finally finds their trace. Thanks to his demonic tricks he kidnaps a large number of Elves. He takes them away from their homeland and subjects them to horrible torments. After decades of torture and transformation via black magic, the condition of the Elves deteriorates and they then turn into hideous Orcs. In the ages that follow, Morgoth breeds thousands of these creatures, to form the bulk of his army.
10) The origins of the dragons that the Nazgûl ride
In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo and his friends are regularly pursued by the Nazgûls. These overlap fierce and impressive little dragons. These have no feathers, and sport horned fingers on their wings. They give off a foul smell that overwhelms their enemies. These cursed beings would be from an older world but their true origin remains unknown. The pack that the Nazgûls ride was raised by Sauron himself and entrusted to the Nine after their encounter with Frodo.
11) The origin of the dragons remains unknown
The true origin of dragons in Middle-earth remains unknown. But there are many speculations surrounding their appearance. Some think dragons are actually Maiar. But this theory doesn’t actually hold water, since dragons still appeared in later Maiar ages. Others think dragons were fashioned by Morgoth himself. The very first identified dragon is Glaurung, known as the Father of Dragons. The latter seems to have been created directly by Morgoth. However, the origin of the dragons remains unknown.
12) Arachne is more than just a spider
Arachne (or Shelob in VO) is a huge spider that appears in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Arachne is more than just a spider. Son of Ungoliant, the primordial spider, Arachne is said to be the greatest and most feared of the children of Ungoliant.
13) Where do the barrow beings come from?
The Barrow Beings (or Barrow Wights in VO) are changing ghosts that haunt the darkest places in Eriador. They are able to possess the remains of the dead, and to revive them. They can also appear unenveloped, as dark wraiths with cold, bright eyes. We say that their voices are both unbearable and hypnotic. They are able to put their victims to sleep in a state of numbness. The Barrow Beings use their songs to trap the minds of unfortunate travelers.
14) Goblins and Orcs are actually the same species
In truth, Goblins and Orcs are one and the same creature. Tolkien himself explained that the use of the word “goblin” in The Hobbit was to designate the word Orcs, which does not exist in the English language. Despite this, over time the Goblins and Orcs split into two different lines.
