Character
Morgoth
The Lord of the Rings·Dark Lord·fictional character from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium; one of the godlike Valar
Morgoth, first named Melkor, was the mightiest of the Ainur and the first Dark Lord, the primordial source of evil in the world. Rejected in his bid for lordship over Arda, he set himself against his fellow Valar and sought to corrupt or destroy all that they made, sowing discord from the very Music of the Ainur onward.
Across the Elder Days Morgoth destroyed the Two Lamps and the Two Trees of Valinor, twisted captured Elves into the first Orcs, and stole the Silmarils, for which the Ñoldor waged war upon him. He raised the fortresses of Utumno and Angband and commanded servants including Sauron and the Balrogs, until the Host of Valinor overthrew him in the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age and cast him into the Timeless Void.
Morgoth belongs to the deep history of Middle-earth; his defeat is recounted in the prologue of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. This overview is licensed CC BY-SA; see the Timeline for chronology.
Ainur fictional tyrant
Explore this entityJump to key sections about Morgoth.
Timeline
Key events in the life and history of Morgoth.
—
Undated
—
Undated
Relationships
Key people, factions, places, and events connected to Morgoth.
Connected Content
Related entities surfaced from across the OLN network.
CelebrimborAppeared together in 2 eventsCelebornAppeared together in War of WrathCirdanAppeared together in War of WrathElrondAppeared together in War of WrathFinrodAppeared together in Siege of AngbandAinurIs AThe Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyAppears InBalrogsReferenced via affiliationBroddaReferenced via affiliationCarcharothReferenced via affiliation
Identity
Appearance
- Gender
- male
- Height
- Great in size—at least 12 feet
- Eye color
- Shone with a daunting light
Origin & End
- Homeworld
- Arda
- Born
- Before the Ainulindalë
- Died
- Immortal—Timeless Void—Valinor
Affiliations
- Affiliations
- Dark Lord, Valar
Relationships
Abilities & Equipment
- Weapons
- GrondPowers of the Valar, Grond, mace, sword, hammer, black spearIron CrownSilmarilsNone explicitly mentioned
Other
Appearances
Where Morgoth appears across works and media.
The Silmarillion
Appendices of The Lord of the Rings
Unfinished Tales
The Rings of Power
Beren and Lúthien
The Children of Húrin
Connections 10
Sources
Community Notes
Discussion, insights, and theories from contributors.
Coming soonCommunity notes are coming soon — a place to discuss and annotate this entity.
Community Curation
This page is maintained and fact-checked by volunteer editors.
Coming soonCuration provenance (last reviewed · contributors) will surface here soon.