Morgoth

==Summary==
Morgoth, (Sindarin for "Dark Tyrant" or the "Dark Foe"), originally known as Melkor (Quenya for "He who arises in might"), is the primary antagonist of The Silmarillion. He was once the greatest of the Ainur, servants and creations of the Creator, Eru Ilúvatar, before becoming the first Dark Lord out of jealousy of his creator's power, the Secret Fire, the creator's ability to create true life and free will. 
Melkor would originally search for the Secret Fire within the Void before creation, but would fail to find it as the fire only resided with Eru Ilúvatar himself. The jealousy Melkor felt would result in his rebellion against Eru during the Ainulindalë, or Great Music, wherein he would seduce many fellow Ainu to his side during his disruption of the Music, as he gave birth to a discord to contest the theme of the Ainur.
Whilst Melkor would fail to overcome the Music, being publically rebuked by Eru upon the ending of the Ainulindalë, he would not cease his rebellion, and upon the creation of Eä, Melkor would declare creation his own, beginning his conflict with the Valar, their loyal Maiar, and later the Elves and Dwarves of Beleriand. Morgoth would ultimately be defeated by the Host of the Valar during the War of Wrath, after which he would be caputred and cast through the Door of Night into the Void beyond Eä, bound in the great chain Angainor.
During his wars against the Ainur loyal to Eru, and later the Elves and Dwarves of Beleriand, Morgoth did not fight alone. He was joined by various members of the Ainur loyal to him, chief among which was Sauron, the greatest of the Maiar under his service, and the Balrogs, powerful spirits of fire. He would later corrupt many of Eru's designs, giving birth to creatures such as Orcs, Trolls, with Dragons being chief among his creations.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: | | 
Key: Following his corruption of Eä | Within the confines of Eä | Prior to entering Eä
Name: Morgoth, Melkor
Origins: Lord of the Rings
Gender: Male
Age: Existed before the creation of time
Classification: Ainu, Vala (Formerly), Dark Lord
Powers and Abilities:
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|-|Within the confines of Eä= 
|-|Prior to entering Eä=
 Powers and Resistances of the Ainur (Abilities and Resistances of the Aratar from "Prior to entering Eä"), Resistance to Mind Manipulation and Soul Manipulation due to verse-wide resistances.
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Attack Potency: High Universe level (As Morgoth spent his might corrupting the material universe, his power is said to have decreased dramatically overtime, although he was still described by the narration as the mightiest being within Eä prior to his destruction of the Two Trees.The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: XII SpiritThe Silmarillion: CHAPTER 7, OF THE SILMARILS AND THE UNREST OF THE NOLDOR By the time of the War of Wrath, Morgoth was substantially weaker than he was before, but was likely still superior to his subordinates)Silmarillion: CHAPTER 11, OF THE SUN AND MOON AND THE HIDING OF VALINOR, can ignore conventional durability with Soul Manipulation (Ainur can directly influence the fëar/soul to attack it directly)The Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: Body, Mind and Spirit, XIII SpiritThe Silmarillion: AINULINDALËMorgoth's Ring: Notes on motives in the Silmarillion (iii) | High Universe level (Alongside the Ainur who had joined him, Melkor successfully warred against the Valar and their loyal Maiar for dozens of millenia.The Silmarillion: VALAQUENTA Melkor was said to be the mightiest of all the Ainur who descended into the world, including the Valar, who are individually capable of greatly affecting and controlling the entirety of Eä)The Silmarillion: VALAQUENTAThe Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, XIV The Visible Forms of the Valar and Maiar, can ignore conventional durability with Soul Manipulation | Low Complex Multiverse level (The Ainur, as described by Eru, are considered to be powerful and genuine entities, being capable of shaking the Timeless Voids as a result of their strife during the Music of the Ainur. As entities that exist in a realm beyond the world depicted in The Lord of the Rings, the Ainur perceive the space-time of Eä as a lower and secondary plane of existence, with them dwelling alongside Eru within the Timeless Halls, a higher and more primary level of existence.Letters of Tolkien: Letter 200 As the greatest among the Ainur, Melkor is superior to even the most powerful members of the Valar), can ignore conventional durability with Soul Manipulation
Speed: Unknown travel speed with Massively FTL+ combat speed and reactions (Likely superior to Ancalagon the Black, who could fight Eärendil piloting the Vingilot. The Vingilot was capable of traversing an innumerable number of stars and return in a reasonable timeframe), Immeasurable when discarding his physical form (However, this ability would become lost to him during the return of the Noldor to Beleriand in the First Age when he became permanently incarnated)Morgoth's Ring: Notes on motives in the Silmarillion. (i) | Unknown travel speed with Massively FTL+ combat speed and reactions, Immeasurable when discarding his physical form (The Ainur are still capable of travelling at any speeds they desired, being able to instantly appear anywhere they desired within Eä and exploring the past at will. However, the future is something they can only explore so far as the design was made clear to them during the Music)Morgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. Text XIThe Nature of Middle-Earth, Chapter XIV THE VISIBLE FORMS OF THE VALAR AND MAIAR | Immeasurable (In their origin, the Ainur were unbound by space-time, and were capable of exploring both the past and future with their movements)Morgoth's Ring: PART FIVE. Text XI
Lifting Strength: Infinite (Comparable to Manwë and Varda before his weakening) | Infinite (Comparable to the Valar) | Immeasurable
Striking Strength: High Universe level | High Universe level | Low Complex Multiverse level
Durability: High Universe level | High Universe level | Low Complex Multiverse level (Was able to endure attacks from the Valar, including the likes of Manwë)
Stamina: Superhuman (The Valar are said to require no sustenance, and their physical forms are described as akin to clothing, which they can discard at will. Despite Morgoth eventually becoming bound to his physical form, he was still capable of fighting with crippling wounds) | Superhuman | Superhuman | Limitless
Range: Extended Melee Range. Unknown with his abilities | Extended Melee Range. High Universal with his abilities (Comparable to Varda) | Low Complex Multiversal
Standard Equipment: Being the Dark Lord, Morgoth is famous for his black armor and weapons. He also possesses an Iron Crown which contains the Silmarils.
Black spear: Morgoth wields a massive black spear. This weapon appears to be incredibly sharp, perhaps even poisonous, as it was able to pierce the Two Trees and drain their light.
Black armor: Morgoth wields a massive, indomitable suit of armor. This suit is huge and black, the size of a "tower." It does, however, have its limits, as Fingolfin was able to breach.
*Black shield: Morgoth also wields a black, "unblazoned" shield. He used this to bash Fingolfin to the ground three times.
Grond: He also possessed a legendary warhammer known as Grond, which, upon each strike brought down lightning bolts and created a crater in the earth. He used this weapon in single combat against Fingolfin, High King of the Ñoldor, who, although passing away, managed to greatly injure the Dark Lord. "Grond" means "Hammer of the Underworld." Given that "Underworld" was another name for Utumno, this was likely forged there, perhaps by one of the Maiar of Aulë under Morgoth's control (Maybe even Sauron), as the latter later carried within his ranks a massive battering ram under the same name, as well as using a mace which resembled his master's weapon.
The Silmarils: The Silmarils are the three great gems of Fëanor. They were awe-inspiring in their beauty yet wielding a terrible power. They likely fed Morgoth's power, as they did Carcharoth's, yet because of their hollowed nature, they caused him great pain. They burned his hands and bowed the Iron Crown within which they were held. 
*Cosmic power: The Silmarils together held the full power of the Two Trees. The fruit of Laurelin, the golden tree, each held as much power as the Sun, if not more, as the one that made the Sun was from a weakened and dying Laurelin. Teleperion, the silver tree, produced the light needed to make every star in the universe. The power of the Silmarils seemed to feed whoever wielded them, but also cause them great pain if they are wicked (See Carcharoth). 
**Holy aura: The Silmarils were hollowed by Varda and thus possessed a holy power. This power could be used in many ways. For example, it amplified that beauty of Lúthien. Sadly, Beren and Lúthien's bodies were consumed by its power, and they died.
**Illusion banishment: The energy of the Silmarils can be focused into a blast of power, undoing illusions, such as the Griddle of Melian (See Carcharoth). This power was so immense that it could break a barrier not even Ungoliant could.
*Protection: The Silmarils are holy objects that protect their wearer from evil. Unfortunately, as Melkor is a creature of darkness, this power only causes him harm.
Intelligence: At least Extraordinary Genius (As the hierarchy of minds detail, the Valar were considered to be those whose limits were second only to Eru as the "greater minds" of Arda.The Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Two, IX ÓSANWE-KENTAThe Nature of Middle-Earth, Part Two: Body, Mind and Spirit, X Notes on Órë They would thus be superior to the intellect of "The Wise", such Gandalf or Saruman, who can deduce the future as foresight with mere deductions), possibly Supergenius (The Valar are described as possessing a complete understanding of the Erma (Prime Matter) and all its variations. They thus have a complete understanding of all the matter of the universe which extends limitlessly.The Nature of Middle-Earth: Part Three, III Power of the Valar They can therefore theoretically understand an infinite amount of knowledge, with the entirety of the past and much of the future also being theirs to comprehend as all Ainur can. Morgoth was extremely cunning despite his immense cruelty, and is said to have a share in the knowledge of all the Ainur. However, despite his immense knowledge, Morgoth is said to be impatient and unwise, leaving his knowledge of matters incomplete as he mistakenly believes he has complete understanding of all concepts and beings. Indeed, despite his knowledge, he knew little of the Music compared to other Ainur who partook in it, such as Sauron, rather than in his Discord)Morgoth's Ring: Notes on motives in the Silmarillion. (i) | Possibly Nigh-Omniscient (The Ainur acted as the origin to all that which existed within Eä, except for that which Eru himself withheld. Melkor himself had a share in all the knowledge of the Ainur, and thus likely knew something about them all.)
Weaknesses: When Morgoth spends his power affecting the material universe, his reserves of strength become increasingly limited. Prone to cowardice, and tends to grossly underestimate his foes. He was also increasingly more bound to his physical form, to the point that he was unable to assume an incorporeal state | None notable | None notable
Feats:
Morgoth:
*Created a massive tempest of fire. This flame was so massive and powerful that it drove back Eönwë.
*Caused volcanic eruptions several times, including once when he killed many hundreds if not thousands of Elven warriors.
*Summoned dark spirits to defeat Tilion. Though they were defeated, it was a very close fight.
*His foot was as heavy as a small hill.
*Blocked out the Sun, perhaps even in direct opposition to Arien
*Terrified the entire race of Man.
*Rent massive pits in the ground.
*Was so massive his blood filled those pits.
*Bashed Fingolfin to the ground three times.
*Raised mountain ranges.
*Cursed Húrin so that he may never leave his chair, and had to watch the misfortune of his house.
*Cursed the house of Húrin to misfortune and death.
*Granted Sauron enough power to surpass Eönwë.
*All of Arda is Morgoth's ring.
*His scream of pain was so loud that it could be heard in Angband all the way from Lammoth, and shattered rocks.
*He was still the strongest Vala, including Varda, who created the stars, and Ulmo, who controlled all of space.
Melkor:
*Maintained the upper hand over all the Valar combined, as well as most of the Maiar.
*Spilled oceans.
*Raised valleys.
*Destroyed mountain ranges.
*Cast down the Two Lamps, each of which were taller than Taniquetil (A mountain so high you can see the entire world from it).
*The destruction of the Two Lamps ravaged the entire world, yet Melkor was unharmed even by the tremendous chaos.
*Appeared as "...a mountain that wades in the sea, and has its head above the clouds, and is clad with ice and crowned with smoke and fire, and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that whithers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold."
*Destroyed the Sun and Moon during Dagor Dagoroth.
*At his strongest even Tulkas could not best him (As seen in Dagor Dagoroth), and required he presumably be weakened before he could.
True form: 
*Existed in a realm without Discord, and was able to comprehend it.
*Created the concept of Discord in the Anulindalë.
*Existed beyond linear time and the physical universe.
*The greatest and "oldest" of the Ainur.
*Was able to match the collective power of all the Ainur.
*Corrupted the First Theme of the Anulinadalë in what amounts to universal destruction.
*His music was so loud many gave up their own during the Anulindalë.
*Corrupted the Second Theme of the Anulinadalë, which was stronger than the First, in what likely amounts to universal destruction.
*Was able to match the collective power of the Ainur that was bound in the Third Theme of the Anulindalë.
*Stood in the midst of the war of music that enveloped the Timeless Halls and was unharmed, even during the Third Theme.
*Was unharmed by the ending of the Third Theme of the Anulindalë, an action performed by Eru Ilúvatar himself.
Notable Attacks/Techniques: As the greatest of the Ainur, Morgoth possesses a large variety of powers. He can also wield dark magic and corrupt the world around him.
Shield bash: Morgoth can use his shield to bash his opponents to the ground. He used this strategy to attain victory in his fight with Fingolfin, hurling him to the ground three times.
Greatest of the Ainur: As the first and greatest of the Ainur Morgoth is far above his brethren. He posses a share in all their power, thus having all of their powers to a lesser degree. He is thereby a sort of jack-of-all-trades. This may be one of the reasons for his great control over life and death. 
*Healing (Power of Estë): Estë was the Vala charged with tending to the hurt an weary, and as such her magic is likely connected to healing and tending. Further supporting this is how she and her servants could preserve a corpse's appearance indefinitely.
*Telepathy (Power of the Istari): The Istari can keep in telepathic contact with allies, gain information from the minds of others, detect and resist mental compulsion (Such as that used by Sauron, or Saruman's corruption of Théoden), and even dominate the minds of others. They can also intimidate others, causing themselves to appear gigantic and threatening to others.
Corruption: Morgoth can corrupt anything, slowly twisting it into something dark and profane. Certain elements seem harder to drain the power from. Water is almost invulnerable to his corruption, whereas gold can be twisted to darkness very easily. This is likely the reason for the One Ring being made of gold. This grew so severe that it is said all of Arda is Morgoth's ring. 
*Power absorption: Morgoth can "sap" the power out of anything, consuming it and turning it into something dark. He seems to be able to absorb the energy of light (And should possess the powers of Ungoliant), though it causes him great pain (See the Silmarils).
Creation: Morgoth can create new things within Arda. However, he cannot grant them, souls, instead only twisting the creations of others. However, he can create soulless things, such as Dragons or dark spirits (See below).
Dark Lord: Morgoth is a massive and terrifying Dark Lord. As such he has several powers related to darkness and evil. He uses these powers during the War of the Great Jewels to help defeat the Elves and Edain. His mere presence is terrifying and awe-inspiring.
*Volcanoes: Morgoth can force volcanoes to erupt, creating massive waves of lava and fire. He used this power to attain victory in the infamous Dagor Bragollach. In that famous battle, he caused Thangorodrim to belch forth fire and smoke, killing many Elves and Edain.
*Storms: Morgoth can create massive storms of ash and smoke to shroud the presence of his armies and sow confusion among his enemies. His servant, Sauron, later used this ability to hide the Sun and ease the passing of his armies
*Shadow: Morgoth can create shrouds of darkness, similar to his storms, to hide the presence of his armies and intimidate his enemies. He used this to create a layer of darkness over the home of the Atani (Men) to convince them to serve him.
*Terrible aura: As Dark Lord, Morgoth is surrounded by an aura of fear and dread. The existence of this aura is unsurprising given his nature as a mountainous giant, clad in black armor. He is also surrounded by an aura of unnatural terror, like that of the Balrogs.
*Godlike strength: Morgoth has incredible strength and endurance, having survived blows from Fingolfin and rent massive pits in the ground. He was so enormous that his blood could fill even these pits and was described as smoking.
True form: As one of the Ainur, Morgoth posses a vastly more powerful true form. In this true form, he posses far stronger abilities, transcending linear time and having the power to warp concepts and physical laws.
*Ainulindalë: To unleash his conceptual power, Morgoth (Known as Melkor at the time) most take part in the Ainulindalë, the song that brought the world into being. Here his voice allows him to change the rules of reality, creating and destroying physical laws and pocket universes.
Clairvoyance: Morgoth was implied to have clairvoyant abilities, as, when Húrin saw all that Morgoth saw, he could see all the misfortune that befell his children, caused by the curse of Morgoth. It was likely that Morgoth could see most of Arda, and knew much of its happenings, given that within it was bound most of his might.
Dark magic: Morgoth is a sorcerer and practitioner of dark magic, likely having invented it along with Sauron. He almost certainly possesses the powers of Sauron, and is confirmed to wield magic such as the creation and control of dark spirits (See below). 
*Words of Command: The Words of Command are powerful spells, much more dangerous than normal ones. The first recorded use of a Word of Command was when Gandalf used it to close a door, with the Durin's Bane using his magical knowledge to try and open it, leading to its destruction. Words of Command may have a relation to the Anulindalë, where the entire world was formed by words strung together in song, with the Words of Command possibly being extensions or continuations of the music. If so, this may be the only way to change the original music except for by the actions of man, making it one of the most potent forms of magic in Lord of the Rings. The spells Gandalf referred to may be Words of Command, with men not needing any do to being able to work outside the music without needing Words of Command, which might work as a sort of cheat code.
*Necromancy: Necromancy in Lord of the Rings is very vaguely defined. All that is known of it is that it is practiced by Sauron (Hence his title the Necromancer) and likely by Morgoth. However, given the existence of undead in LOTR, necromancy probably still has the classic definition of resurrecting the dead and using death-related magic. 
**Dark spirits: Morgoth posses the power to create dark spirits, such as the ones he summoned against Tilion. There have also been cases of sorcerers like Morgoth creating and controlling barrow wights; terrifying spirits that haunt the barrow downs. In all likelihood, this is an application of necromancy.
*Spellcraft: Spellcraft is not an official term, yet rather the best term to capture the art of creating spells via potions and metals. Examples of spellcraft include the plantiri, magical stones crafted in Valinor; Durin's door, an ithildin door crafted by Celebrimbor; the Rings of Power, magic rings that grant invisibility to those who use them, which where crafted by the Elves of Eregion and the Silmarils, magic jewels crafted by Fëanor. Spellcraft can be used to manipulate objects and give them special properties, making them far more potent in combat. Most Elven swords appear to have magical qualities. Spellcraft usually revolves around using and/or creating magical substances runes and other, more obscure forms of magic. Being one of the Ainur, and a sorcerer himself, this should not be beyond the reach of Morgoth's magic. 
**Catoptromancy: Catoptromancy, or mirror magic, is the practice of enchanting an object so that it can be used to give the user clairvoyance or precognition. This was used by Galadriel to enchant her mirror, allowing her to see the past, present, and future, presumably via spellcraft. Being a skilled sorcerer Morgoth should be more than capable of using this power.
*Control over the Unseen World: The Unseen World, also known as the wraith-world, is a parallel universe in which wraiths and spirits reside. To enter the wraith-world requires one to bring a portion of their essence into it, such as via the use of Rings of Power. Those who enter the wraith-world become invisible, and it is possible that if they brought the entirety of their essence into it, they would become completely intangible. Morgoth almost certainly has great control over it, perhaps even creating it.
Cursing: Morgoth can curse his enemies to doom and despair, such as when he cursed the house of Húrin to despair and darkness. However, eventually, this backfired on him, leading to his death at the hands of Húrin's son, Túrin. However, whether Túrin was given the power to kill Morgoth by the curse, or for some other reason, was never confirmed.
Powers of the Ainur: As the strongest Valar, Melkor has access to a wide variety of potent and devastating supernatural abilities, for the Ainur (The Valar specifically) were created as elemental spirits, and each has divine authority and absolute control over a certain aspect of nature. Each one of the Ainur is also able to manipulate magical energies and reality to serve their needs, and take any form they wish, even intangible and non-corporeal spiritual forms. Given he is a Vala (And the strongest of them no less), above any of the Maiar, there is no doubt he can use all of the basic Ainur powers. 
* Shapeshifting: Morgoth can change his form to appear both pleasing and terrifying. During his fight with Fingolfin, he appeared as a terrible Dark Lord, while he appeared pleasing when he met with the first Men.
*Elemental manipulation: As one of the Ainur, beings who are foremost elemental spirits, Morgoth has great control over said elements. Each of the Maiar have varying control over a sub-element, whereas the Valar have full control over a true element. Melkor, however, has a share in the power of all Valar. 
**Life and death manipulation: It seems that Morgoth has great control over life and death; far greater than all other Valar. Examples of this can be seen when he cursed Húrin to never die, and twisted the Elves to give life to the Orcs. This may be connected to his nature as the first and greatest of the Ainur (See above).
*Empathy: The Ainur are surrounded by an a powerful aura, which can affect those around them, bringing joy and presumably sorrow to those near him: "In Beleriand King Thingol upon his throne was as the lords of the Maiar, whose power is at rest, whose joy is as an air that they breathe in all their days, whose thought flows in a tide untroubled from the heights to the deeps."
*Foresight/Hindsight: As one of the Ainur, Morgoth can see the past and future. Given his nature as leader of the dark powers and his part in the War of the Great Jewels, this ability should be very useful for him.
*Spirit form: As one of the Valar, it was highly likely that Melkor had the typical Ainur ability to cast off his physical form like a snake shedding its skin, and take on an intangible and non-corporeal spiritual form. In this spiritual state, the Ainur can travel forward and backward in time (Though they are unable to affect the future or the past, only see it). Though, it is possible that Melkor lost this ability after becoming Morgoth. Of the Ainur's spirit forms and precognitive powers this was said:
==Gallery==
Melkor3.pjpg.jpg|In battle with Fingolfin. By John Howe
Melkor-and-Ungoliant.jpg|Ungoliant aids Melkor in his attack upon the Two Trees of Valinor. by John Howe
Morgoth_1.jpg|Morgoth and the High King of Noldor. by Ted Nasmith
John_Howe_-_Melkor_Calls_Forth_Ungoliant.jpg|Melkor calls forth Ungoliant
Nasmith34.jpg|Morgoth Punishes Húrin. By Ted Nasmith
dark_lore_of_lotr___into_the_storm_by_tsrodriguez-d9vja3b.jpg|"Morgoth gave out a terrible cry of pain as she attacked, which was heard by the Balrogs hibernating under the ruins of Angband. They awoke and immediately rushed to the aid of their Lord, tearing apart Ungoliant's webbing with their fiery whips and forcing her to break off her attack"|link=https://tsrodriguez.deviantart.com/art/Dark-Lore-of-LOTR-Into-the-Storm-597163223
Morgoth david_day.jpg|As seen in the Tolkien Bestiary by David Day.
ac867b2e135eafc15a275f50ff368765-d8jvolk.jpg|"And he descended upon Arda in power and majesty greater than any other of the Valar, as a mountain that wades in the sea and has its head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with a deadly cold."|link=https://spartank42.deviantart.com/art/melkor-517120328
Morgoth-frederic-bennett.jpg|By Benef
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
The Dovahkiin (The Elder Scrolls) The Dovahkiin's Profile (Dragonborn DLC Dovahkiin and True Form Morgoth were used)
Inconclusive:
==References==
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