Morgoth

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The first Dark Lord of Arda.

## The Begining

In the beginnings, Eru Ilúvatar (Eru means One that is Alone, Ilúvatar means father of all), created the Ainur, a group of immortal spirits that aided him in the creation of the world. Among these spirits was one named Melkor. Melkor desired the Creation power of Ilúvatar and entered the Timeless Void in search for the Flame Imperishable, the source of Creation's power.  During his wandering, he grew rebellious against Ilúvatar, and failed to find Creation's power. The Ainur created music under the direction of Ilúvatar, and Melkor rebelled against it, weaving dissonance among the melodies. Those near him matched their music to his own, but despite his attempts, Ilúvatar used the music of the Ainur to create Arda, also known as Middle-Earth.

## Arda

In Arda, Melkor continued to rebel against Ilúvatar and the other Ainur, even convincing some of the Maiar, lesser spirits of Ilúvatar, to follow him. Of these was a Maiar named Mairon, later known as Sauron. While the Maiar cultivated Middle-Earth, Melkor was creating his fortress called Utumno, far to the North. While the spirits of Ilúvatar tried to find Utumno, Melkor attacked, destroying the two lamps of Arda, which were the sources of light for all the world. Their destruction broke the continents, and in the process the spirits of Ilúvatar fled to Valinor (the undying lands)When the Valar entered into Arda and began to shape the unwrought matter, Melkor saw the Field of Arda and claimed it for his own. However, the other Valar took Manwë to be their lord, for while Manwë was not nearly so powerful as Melkor, he understood the thought of Eru better than any of his peers. Bitter, Melkor set himself against the other Valar. Whenever the Valar worked to better the world, Melkor disrupted their efforts. For a long while, Melkor fought alone against the might of all the other Valar and Maiar of Arda, and he long held the upper hand. During this time, Arda was kept essentially shapeless, as Melkor ruined virtually every early work that the other Valar attempted to create. Fortunately for them, the mighty Valar Tulkas eventually descended to Arda, and his strength tipped the balance in favor of the Valar. Melkor fled before him, and left Arda for a time.

Years of the Lamps

The peaks of Angband

After Melkor's departure, the Valar managed to quiet the tumults of the world, and set about ordering it in preparation for the coming of the Elves. To give light to the world, they constructed two Great Lamps in Middle-earth and set their place of dwelling in the midst of them. During this time, Melkor re-entered Arda with the various Maiar spirits who had attuned themselves to his music, and delved a mighty fortress at the very north-most part of the World and named it Utumno.[3] To defend it he raised the Mountains of the East in the northeast of Middle-earth, east of the Sea of Helcar. Decay arose in the North, and the Valar thus knew that Melkor had returned. Before they could begin to search for him however, Melkor came forth from Utumno with sudden war, and cast down the Lamps. The fire within the Lamps scorched a great portion of the world, and containing the catastrophe caused by their breaking kept the Valar occupied long enough for Melkor and his forces to retreat back to Utumno.

After the destruction of the Lamps, the Valar withdrew to the continent of Aman and there built Valinor. In doing so however, they gave Melkor virtually free-reign in Middle-Earth. As a result, the continent languished in darkness, and Melkor filled it's lands with terrible creatures and decay. During this time, Melkor built his second, lesser fortress ofAngband in the west, as a defense from the West should the Valar attack. Angband was delved into the Iron Mountains, and was given to Sauron to command.[4] While the Valar were unsure where the Children of Ilúvatar would awake, they were reluctant to wage war against Melkor, fearing the clash of powers might result in massive collateral damage the likes of which they had seen when the Lamps were destroyed. As such, most of them remained in Aman and forsook Middle-earth. Due to this, Melkor discovered the Elves before the other Valar, captured many of them, and transformed them by torture and other foul craft intoOrcs.

Years of the Trees

Melkor is chained

When it was discovered by the Vala Oromë where the Elves were, the Valar took immediate action against Melkor, instigating the War of the Powers. The Valar overcame the hosts of Melkor and he retreated into Utumno. After a grievous siege, the Valar rent the doors open and Melkor was captured. Melkor was bound with Angainor and brought back to Valinor. There, he pleaded for pardon, but was cast into the Halls of Mandos for three Ages. However, in their haste to overthrow Melkor, the Valar left many of Utumno's pits and vaults unexplored, and Sauron remained at large. Additionally, they did not capture or destroy the Balrogs, who gathered at the ruins of Angband and went into a long hibernation, awaiting Melkor's return.[4]

After the passing of the Ages, Melkor was brought before Manwë, and feigned repentance. Unable to comprehend the evil of Melkor, being himself free of it, Manwë ordered him released. At first, it seemed as though the evil of Melkor had been cured, for all who sought his counsel and aid in that time benefited greatly from it. However, Tulkas and Ulmo were both very slow to forget Melkor's evils, and watched him closely. In truth, Melkor was more filled with malice than ever, and began to put his extraordinary cunning to use in devising a way to ruin Aman. Seeing the bliss of the Elves and remembering that it was for their sake that he was overthrown, Melkor desired above all things to corrupt them. Of all the three primary groups of Elves, he found the Ñoldor to have a perfect balance of usefulness and open ears, and so worked his malice almost exclusively among them.

Over a long period of time he spread lies concerning the intentions of the Valar in bringing the Elves to Aman, telling them, among other things, tales of the coming of Men, the existence of which the Valar had not revealed to the Elves. Due to his carefully crafted lies, many of the Ñoldor began to believe that the Valar had brought them to Aman so that Men might inherit Middle-earth, taking the lands and the glory that could have been theirs. Eventually, a shadow fell upon the Ñoldor, and they began to openly rebel against the Valar. Chief amongst the disgruntled Noldor was Fëanor, the firstborn son of the Ñoldor King Finwë. Though he hated and feared Melkor, his overwhelming pride caused him to be the most vocal of the Ñoldor in expressing discontent. For their part, the Valar remained unaware of Melkor's work, and saw Fëanor as the source of the Ñoldor's unrest. Though perturbed, they let the situation continue until Fëanor threatened his brother Fingolfin with violence, at which point the Valar summoned him to the Ring of Doom in Valinor to explain his unlawful actions.

Fëanor's testimony revealed the lies of Melkor, and Tulkas immediately left the Ring of Doom to recapture him. But Melkor could not be found. After a time, he went to Formenos and feigned friendship to Fëanor in order to acquire the Silmarils. But Fëanor, seeing Melkor's greed, refused him and shut the doors of Formenos in the face of Arda's mightiest being. Melkor then passed unseen to the south, and came upon Ungoliant. Promising to sate her unrelenting hunger, she and Melkor came back to Valinor, intending to destroy the Trees. Then, during a time of festival, Melkor and Ungoliant suddenly attacked. Melkor thrust a great spear into the Trees and Ungoliant drank the sap that poured from the wounds, draining the Trees and poisoning them. The Trees quickly withered and died, plunging Aman into complete darkness for a time.

Melkor and Ungoliant killing the Two Trees.

In the fear and confusion that followed, Melkor sped to Formenos and broke into the fortress. There, he slewFinwë, father of Fëanor, and stole the Silmarils along with all the other gems that lay there. The Silmarils burned Melkor's hand, causing him immeasurable agony, but he did not release them. He and Ungoliant fled to the North, and the Valar gave chase, but the Unlight of Ungoliant bewildered them and the two escaped. The two thieves crossed the Grinding Ice of the Helcaraxë and entered into Middle-earth, completing Melkor's revenge.[1]

In Lammoth, Melkor and Ungoliant approached the ruins of Angband, with Melkor hoping to escape and leave his promise to feed Ungoliant unfulfilled. Ungoliant however, saw through his plan and stopped with him before they reached Angband. She demanded that he surrender the treasure of Formenos to sate her hunger as he had promised, and begrudgingly he gave her the lesser treasures he had taken, but he would not give her the Silmarils which lay hidden within his right hand. With his refusal to surrender the Silmarils, Ungoliant attacked Melkor, weaving her dark webbing about him. His resulting cry of pain and anguish roused the Balrogs from their slumber in the darkest depths of Angband. With a tempest of fire they came to his aid, and drove away Ungoliant, but Melkor recalled them, and thus Ungoliant escaped. He then began to rebuild Angband, and to gather his servants there.[1]

When Fëanor found his father was slain, he cursed Melkor and named him Morgoth, meaning "Dark Enemy", and by that name was he known ever after. The name Melkor was never spoken again by his enemies.

As Morgoth finished rebuilding Angband, the slag and debris created by his vast tunnelings was plied into three huge volcanoes, collectively known asThangorodrim. He hastened then to rebuild his forces, breeding innumerable Orcs and other fell beasts.

First Age

In Beleriand

Fëanor followed Morgoth to Middle-earth with the greater part of the Ñoldor in rebellion, hoping to recover the Silmarils. This action triggered the tragic War of the Great Jewels, in which the Elves would be utterly defeated in the end.

Upon learning of the arrival of the Ñoldor in Middle-earth, Morgoth sent armies of Orcs against Fëanor's host, hoping to destroy them before they could establish any viable defenses. Though the Ñoldor were outnumbered, they swiftly and completely destroyed the Orcs; only a handful returned to Angband. But Fëanor, in his pride and arrogance, thought to come at Morgoth himself and pursued the Orcs. Soon, he and his vanguard drew far ahead of the main host, and the Orcs, seeing this, turned and gave battle at the gates of Angband. Due to their proximity to Angband, a number of Balrogs emerged to aid the Orcs and the Elves with Fëanor were quickly killed. Fëanor fought on alone, but was eventually struck down by Gothmog, the Lord of the Balrogs. Though a relief force under the command of his sons saved him from being killed on the field of battle, Fëanor's wounds were mortal and he perished soon after.[5]

Shortly after Fëanor's death, Morgoth sent an embassy to the Noldor offering terms of surrender, even promising a Silmaril. Maedhros agreed to the parley, but both sides, expecting treachery, came with greater force than was agreed. Unfortunately for the Elves, Morgoth's force was the greater of the two, and was accompanied by Balrogs. The Elven company was quickly slain with the exception of Maedhros, who was captured and chained by his right hand to one of Thangorodrim's many cliffs.[5] Morgoth sent word to the Ñoldor, promising to release Maedhros on the condition that the Elves would depart from the North and cease their war against him. However, the Elves knew that Morgoth would not honor his word, and sent no reply.

Morgoth

It was at this time that the host of Fingolfin, which had been betrayed and abandoned by Fëanor's host in Aman, came at last to Middle-earth. Tension between the two hosts quickly developed and Morgoth, seeing that the Noldor were divided, made plans to destroy his distracted foes. To his dismay however, the Valar revealed the creation of the Sun and theMoon, which confounded Morgoth and his servants for a time. To counter these new lights, Morgoth sent up nigh-impenetrable clouds of smoke from the Iron Mountains to darken Hithlum.

During the time of confusion and inaction caused among Morgoth's forces by these new lights, Fingon traveled to Angband, aided by the very darkness Morgoth had set upon Hithlum, and rescued Maedhros. In doing so, he set into motion a series of events that united the Noldor and allowed them to establish mighty kingdoms in Beleriand and Hithlum. When Morgoth initiated his next offensive, the Ñoldor swiftly and completely destroyed his forces and set a siege upon Angband, hoping to forever contain the evil of Morgoth. When he had waited many years, Morgoth made trial of his foes, causing the Iron Mountains to erupt and sending an army of Orcs down through the passes but to no avail, for the Orcs were easily defeated by the Noldor. After this failure, Morgoth took to capturing what Elves he could, breaking them with the power of his will and chaining their lives to his. These Elves became his spies among the Ñoldor, and they kept him appraised of the movements and plans of his enemies.

The burning of Ard-galen at the beginning of the battle, by Filat

One hundred years later, Morgoth sent an army into the north to approach Hithlum from the side, but an army under the command of Fingon destroyed them yet again. At this point, Morgoth came to realize that the Orcs unaided were no match for the Ñoldor, and began experimenting with ways to create more deadly creatures for his armies. Another century passed, and the issuing of the first dragon, Glaurung, demonstrated the results of Morgoth's long labor. Glaurung's sudden appearance scattered the Elves in the immediate vicinity of Angband, but a company of archers under Fingon's command engaged him before he could do much more than frighten the Elves. As Glaurung was barely half-grown, his hide was not yet invulnerable to the Elven arrows and he fled the field. Morgoth was displeased with Glaurung for revealing himself before Morgoth had planned, but ultimately Glaurung's youthful foray was of little consequence.[5]

Some time later, when Men first arrived in Beleriand, it was revealed that Morgoth had left Angband and walked among the fathers of Men. Hoping to corrupt them to his service, he spread his lies among them, and found them to be considerably easier to sway than the Elves had been. However, the strengthening of the Elven kingdoms worried Morgoth, and he returned to Angband before his labors were complete. Nevertheless, most Men believed or half-believed his lies and either departed from the North or joined with Morgoth's forces. However, a small group of Men that became known as the Edain resisted him.[6] They provided the Elves with vital intelligence as to the doings of Morgoth in the North, as many of their hardiest chose to live within sight of Angband's gates.

Dagor Bragollach

The Siege of Angband was broken 455 years after Fingolfin came to Middle-earth, when Morgoth initiated the Dagor Bragollach. One cold winter night, when the Elven watch was least vigilant, Morgoth sent forth terrible rivers of fire and lava from Thangorodrim and poisonous fumes from the Iron Mountains. The Elves were completely unprepared for such an assault, and a great many Ñoldor perished on the Ard-galen, as the fires consumed it and transformed it into a lifeless wasteland, forever after known as the Anfauglith.

Morgoth in battle with Fingolfin.

With the exception of Maedhros and his fortress upon the Hill of Himring, the sons of Fëanor and Finarfin were overthrown and utterly defeated. Fingolfin and Fingon only just barely managed to defend Hithlum from Morgoth's onslaught, as the mountains surrounding it provided an effective barrier against Morgoth's fires. The Elves were completely driven from the forests of Dorthonion, and many of the Grey elves forsook the war altogether and went toDoriath. When news came to Fingolfin of the defeat of the Elven forces, a great despair came upon him. Believing the Noldor to have been defeated beyond any hope of recovery, he rode forth from Hithlum to the gates of Angband in a wrath so potent that he was said to have resembled Oromë himself. When he arrived, he smote upon the doors of Morgoth's fortress, challenging the Dark Lord to come forth to single combat. Though Morgoth did not wish to, Fingolfin's challenge was heard by all in Angband, and was given in such an insulting manner that to ignore it would have been to lose face before his captains.[7]

Morgoth issued forth in black armour from Angband to confront Fingolfin. Wielding the terrible hammer Grond, Morgoth repeatedly attempted to smite the Elven king, but succeeded only in carving many fiery pits in the ground from his missed strikes. Fingolfin long managed to avoid Morgoth's blows, and wounded the Dark Lord seven times. But at last, Fingolfin grew weary, and Morgoth thrice drove him to his knees. Fingolfin arose each time to continue the fight, but eventually he fell backwards into one of the many pits formed by Morgoth's missed attacks. Morgoth then set his foot upon Fingolfin's neck and killed him, but not before Fingolfin, with his last stroke, hewed Morgoth's foot with his sword. Then Morgoth broke the Elven-king's body, but Thorondor, theKing of the Eagles, swooped down upon Morgoth, marring his face with his talons, and rescued the body of the Elf-king.[7]

Fingolfin's last stroke gave Morgoth a permanent limp, and the pain of his seven wounds could not be healed, nor were the scars ever erased.

Morgoth and Fingolfin, by Ted Nasmith

After the battle, Morgoth sent out many spies, and he feigned pity to Men. When the Edain refused his false offers of peace he summoned the Easterlings over the Blue Mountains. However, he soon realized that he had underestimated the resolve and valor of his foes, for the Elves and Edain, recovering from the initial shock of Morgoth's onslaught, had begun to make small gains against his outlying forces. He therefore checked his advance, and withdrew the main host of the Orcs to Angband. For though Morgoth's victory had been great, his own losses had been as numerous as the losses that had been accrued by the Elves. Seven years passed before Morgoth renewed his offensive. He assailed Hithlum with great strength but just as he was on the verge of victory, Círdan and a host under his command came at the last moment and helped Fingon to turn the Orcs back.

The Quest of the Silmaril

Some time later, the Elven-maiden Lúthien and her human lover Beren, seeking to recover a Silmaril, came disguised to Morgoth's court. Morgoth was able to see through her disguise, but she was undaunted by his eyes, and offered to sing for him. As she sang, Morgoth conceived a lust and an evil more abominable than any he had yet committed, and allowed her to continue singing. This was his downfall; suddenly shadow hid her, and she sang a terrible song of power that cast a spell of sleep.[8]

Lúthien and Morgoth

All Morgoth's court was cast down in slumber by her song, but the Silmarils burned, and became so heavy that the head of Morgoth sagged upon his chest. He fell from his throne, the Iron Crown rolled away with a clang, and Beren cut a Silmaril from the it. However, rather than leaving immediately with his prize, he tried to take another of the Silmarils. As he attempted to pry the second jewel loose, his knife snapped. One shard struck Morgoth's face, and he began to awaken. Beren and Lúthien fled, but the werewolf Carcharoth bit off Beren's hand. Then Morgoth awoke, and in a rage he and his court roared up in pursuit, only to see Thorondor carrying off the raiders. Morgoth's rage at the loss of the Silmaril caused the Iron Mountains to begin erupting, terrifying all those who could see it. Ultimately however, he was unable to recover the Silmaril.[7]

Soon after, Morgoth became aware that Maedhros was making a great league against him, and driving his orcs off the northern heights. As such, he took council against them and prepared his forces for a major confrontation. When the Elves eventually made it to Angband, the Battle of Nirnaeth Arnoediad, began. Ultimately, the battle was a complete and decisive victory for Morgoth. The power of the Elves and their Edain compatriots to make war against Morgoth was utterly and permanently broken. The Noldor from the north of Beleriand, and all their great kingdoms besides Gondolin were destroyed. The Edain who did not flee were enslaved by Easterlings, and Húrin was taken captive.[9]

The Cursing of Húrin

Morgoth was also well known for the imprisonment of Húrin of the House of Hador during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. In the last hours of the battle Húrin and his kin defended Turgon, for he was the last heir to the throne of Gondolin and of Fingolfin after his brother, Fingon, fell in battle. Turgon narrowly escaped the clutches of the host of orcs due to the valor of Húrin and Huor and their men.

Unfortunately, all but Húrin fell after the onslaught of Morgoth's forces. After slaying untold numbers of Trolls and Orcs, Húrin was captured by Gothmog and sent to Angband. Morgoth knew that Húrin had been to Gondolin, and knew of its location. Morgoth sought to extract the information from him but, despite inflicting terrible torment upon his captive, was unsuccessful.

Morgoth sentences Húrin, by Ted Nasmith

From a distance Morgoth put the son and daughter of Húrin, Turin and Nienor, under a species of diabolic oppression: his thought followed them and gave them bad luck, though they were not possessed. By this means he drove them at last to madness and despair; though there is doubt as to whether in the extremity of his malice he cheated himself, as their madness saved them from damnation.[10]

"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."

—The Children of Húrin

Then continuing his curse, roared:

But 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. Wherever 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.

And so Húrin stayed  and was chained atop Thangorodrim, forever watching his homelands fall under the shadow of Morgoth until he released him. Túrin, who was valiant and powerful, nearly escaped the curse, as feared by Morgoth, but could not leave it. He and his sister perished. Thus, the curse of Morgoth on the Children of Húrin was fulfilled.[10][11]

Fall of Gondolin

Though he had been unable to force Húrin to reveal the location of the last great Elven kingdom, Morgoth eventually captured Maeglin, sister-son of Turgon, the King of Gondolin. Threatened with unimaginable torment, Maeglin offered the secrets of Gondolin's defenses in exchange for his own wellbeing. Additionally, he made a promise to kill Tuor personally, and was given permission by Morgoth to take Idril for himself. With the promise of having Idril, Maeglin became Morgoth's servant willingly, and Morgoth sent him back to Gondolin to aid the invasion from within when the time came.[12]

Soon after, Morgoth assailed Gondolin, the last great realm of the Ñoldor and, with a vastly superior force and Maeglin's treacherous information, the city was beleaguered without hope and quickly fell.

With the Sacking of Gondolin and the defeat of the Noldor and their allies, Morgoth's triumph was complete.[12] The great kingdoms of the Elves had all fallen, save for the Havens of Cirdan and the survivors at the Mouths of Sirion, and these were ruled by Eärendil; and Morgoth esteemed them as nothing. He even came to care nothing for the Silmaril that had been taken from him, and laughed when he saw the last and the most cruel Kinslaying when the Sons of Feanor destroyed the dwelling at Arvernien.

Final defeat

The War of Wrath

However, Morgoth's triumph was relatively short lived. Due to the plea actions of Eärendil, the Valar were persuaded once again to take up arms against Morgoth's tyranny. Morgoth himself did not expect that the Valar would ever help the Ñoldor after the terrible sins they had committed, and did not foresee the assault from Aman. But the Valar took pity on the Ñoldor, and a great battle began between Morgoth and the Host of Valinor. Morgoth emptied all of Angband, and his devices and engines and armies of slaves were so various and powerful the fighting spilled across all Beleriand.

In the end, Morgoth's forces were utterly defeated. The Balrogs were destroyed, save some few that fled and hid themselves in caverns at the very roots of the earth, and the Orcs were slaughtered. Then Morgoth quailed, and dared not come forth himself, but he had one last weapon at his command; the monstrous Winged Dragons. From out of the pits of Angband they issued, and so sudden and ruinous was their attack, with great power and a tempest of fire, they drove back the host of the Valar. But then Eärendil came with Vingilot, accompanied by Thorondor and all the great birds, and Eärendil slew Ancalagon The Black, whose great bulk fell upon the towers of Thangorodrim, breaking them in his ruin.[13]

Morgoth, utterly defeated stood at bay, and was yet unvaliant. He fled into the deepest of his mines and sued for peace and pardon, but his feet were hewn from under him, and he was cast on his face. He was bound with the chain Angainor, his Iron Crown was beaten into a collar for his neck, and he was thrust through the Door of Night into the Timeless Void.

Legacy and Prophesied return

The Door of Night, by John Howe

Melkor's lies, sowed in the hearts of Elves and Men, were a seed that did not die and could not be destroyed, but ever and anon sprouted anew, and bore dark fruit ever after.[13]

According to material in some of Tolkien's writings compiled (but not published) by his son, in the last days Melkor will learn how to break the Door of Night and re-enter the World, and initiate the Dagor Dagorath, the Battle of Battles.[14][15]

However, the published Silmarillion does not include this information, and instead asserts that, if the Valar know how the end of Arda will present itself, they have not revealed it.

Etymology

The name Melkor was a Quenya word that meant "One who arises in Might"; his name in Sindarin was Belegûr or Belegurth ("Great Death").[16]

Other names

Before his defeat in the War for Sake of the Elves, the fearful early elves of Cuiviénen called him the Dark Hunter.[4]

The name Morgoth, which he was called by Fëanor at Valmar after Melkor stole the Silmarils, meant "Dark Enemy", even though it was Black Foe of the World that Feanor named him out loud.[17] It was also used by lore masters and the Wise when discussing Melkor's latter state of being, when he became "ever more bound to the earth", having dissipated his power, and becoming in consequence "the Morgoth." He was also known as Melkor Bauglir when he returned to Angband towards the beginning of the First Age. Bauglir meant "the Constrainer".[16]

His Old English name is Manfréa Bolgen, from the Old English words man ("evil, wickedness"), fréa ("lord"), and bolgen ("wrathful").[18]

Titles

He was the world's first Dark Lord. Melkor was also known for giving himself titles and referred to himself as King of the World[1] and the Elder King.[10]After his defeat, his most powerful servant Sauron called him Lord of All and Giver of Freedom and Lord of the Dark as a way of getting the corruptedNúmenóreans to worship him.[19]

Earlier names

In the books The Book of Lost Tales and The Book of Lost Tales 2, Tolkien called him Melko, Belcha (from the Quenya velka "flame"),[20] Ulban(d)("monster")[20] Melegor,[21] and Meleko.[22]

Material in The Lost Road and Other Writings refers to him as Melko, Alkar, and Mardello.[23]

Character

Melkor unmasked

Initially, Melkor could take on any form he chose. The Ainur took on forms reflective of their moods and might. Melkor, in his arrogance, malice and power, took on a form recorded 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."

—The Silmarillion, Ainulindalë

It is said that out of all the Valar, Melkor was most like Aulë for his craftsmanship. Originally the brightest, most beautiful, most powerful Ainu, he fell through jealousy, pride and hatred of others, into Darkness with ever after a desire to conquer and to rule. When he built Utumno he took on a form shaped roughly manlike but great in size, "a Dark Lord, tall and terrible." This form was chained by the Valar. When he walked in Valinor he wore a much fairer form, so noble and lofty and benevolent not even the Elves (save only Fëanor and Galadriel) are recorded as seeing through it to the malice underneath. This he cast off to escape unclad from the hunt of the Valar, and when he faced Ungoliant he put back on the form of the tyrant of Utumno. In that form he remained ever after. As he spent his might and poured out his power into the very fabric of matter, as well as into all his creations, he grew more stooped and less majestic, and his hands were burned black from the touch of the Silmarils. His eyes shone with a daunting light.

There is some dispute over Morgoth's size. The Silmarillion states:

"He stood over the king as a tower...and...cast a shadow over him like a storm cloud."

—Quenta Silmarillion, "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"

As Elves typically reached about six feet tall, or close to seven feet for the Noldor, (Men were of similar height to Elves, however, Númenóreans averaged was similar with those Noldor elves and Elendil was said to be nearly eight)... Morgoth must have stood at least twice this length, and with the shadow he robed himself in he may well have seemed taller. In most artistic renderings Morgoth is depicted as towering over other beings, most notably elves (Fingolfin in particular) of the FA.

"Morgoth set his foot upon his neck, and the weight of it was like a fallen hill."

—Quenta Silmarillion, "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin"

This again implies a huge size. It may be wondered how Fingolfin stayed alive so long; but Elves were possessed of a strength and agility many times greater than a human (save exceptional ones like Turin), and Fingolfin could probably leap to great heights.

Initially, Melkor's power was so great that he could contend with all the other Valar and Maiar of Arda and beat them (ere Tulkas came). Over time however, his power was dispersed into the fabric of Arda and into his servants, lessening his might. At the time of his visit to Fëanor at Formenos, Melkor was still referred to as "the greatest being in Eä", though this was before his capture and final defeat by the Valar. It is unknown how much of his power he put into his various slaves after returning to Angband.

Other versions of the legendarium

In Tolkien's early concept of the Children of the Ainur, Melkor had a son Kosomot (later Gothmog) with an ogress called Fuithluin.[20]

Nienna, the Vala of Mourning, was Manwë and Melkor's sister until Tolkien made her the sister of Námo and Irmo instead.[24]

In other writings, it was said that Melkor wanted to claim the Maia Arien as his wife and ravished her, to "destroy and disdain her, not to beget any fiery offspring".[25]

In some versions, Melkor will be defeated by Eönwë during the Dagor Dagorath, driven by his love for Arien, instead of Túrin Turambar.[26]