Tolkien's Villains: An (Almost) Complete Guide
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- Опубліковано 31 сер 2023
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Let's talk about the 4 biggest bad guys of Middle Earth!
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Images Used: (In order of appearance):
Eru Illuvatar Timeless Palace- enanoakd
Ainulindale- Anna Kulisz
Melkor- Valentina_st
Manwe- ralphdamiani
Tulkas the Strong- Rylyn84
Utumno- Silinde-Ar-Feiniel
Melkor destroying the Lamps- William Thomy
Angband re-vsited- Stirzocular
The two trees of Valinor IV- SarkaSkorpikova
The Chaining of Melkor- Jay Johnstone
Vulcan- GeorgeLovesyArt
The Oath of Feanor- BellaBergolts
They are coming- Silvana Massa
Of the Darkening of Valinor- Snow-Monster
of the darkening of Valinor 6- Titita
Feanor, Melkor and Silmarils- Kapriss-Art
Melkor-Morgoth- Álvaro Fernández González
Imprisonment of Melkor.- voyvodaS
Ungoliant-Bosonflows @bosse_ton_art on instagram
Dark Lore of LOTR - Into the Storm- Sheppi-ArtHouse
Morgoth and Ungoliant-Protoguy
Shelob- the Lord of the Rings- Loïc CANAVAGGIA
Lord of the Rings: Sam vs Shelob- Alex Rosko
Shelob About to Leap on Frodo- John Howe
Mairon the Admirable- alystraea
Mairon - The Admirable- SaryaN94
Sauron the Deceiver- toherrys
"On the bridge of woe, in mantle wrapped at dead of night, she sat and sang"-Alan Lee
Thuringwethil by Yzah
Lúthien and Húan in Tol-in-Gaurhoth- randyvargas89
Will you forgive me?-SarkaSkorpikova
Annatar- nicolachibbaro
The Forging of the Ring- Alan Lee
Numenor Court- Main Hall- Roberto F. Castro
Annatar chained- Skullbastard
Sauron, the Deceiver- ralphdamiani
Sauron and Ar-Pharazôn- Bohemian Weasel
The Temple of Melkor- EKukanova
The Fall of Numenor- Alan Lee
Battle Of The Last Alliance- Entar0178
The fate of Isuldur- Anato Finnstark
Commission: Isildur and Sauron-Tulikoura
Barad-Dur- Paul Lasaine
Mount Doom II- John Howe
The Crack of Doom- Ted Nasmith
The Shadow of Sauron Ted Nasmith - Фільми й анімація
Jess saying "The Lord of the Rings is a pretty feel-good franchise" while wearing that is a mood
I'm Goth, and didn't realize the fact that this was ironic until reading your comment three times. XD
Like that women from Legend.
Hell, my ex-wife wants Jess’ headpiece and she hasn’t even seen it yet!
LOTR may be "feel good" in some aspects...THEN THERE'S CHILDREN OF HURIN 💀!!!
@@obadijahparks Just remember that no matter how Goth you become, Melkor is Morgoth.
I've taken to using the name 'Wormtongue' as an adjective for people who try to convince you not to take courage, not to have hope, not to do the right thing. Wormtongue was one of the best villains because he was so real.
So the vast majority of politicians. Works for me.
The old word Poltroon covers it better methinks. Poltroon = man of a craven character.
I think of his name as referring to his rhetorical skills, used for evil purposes in general.
Worm means dragon, and we all know what an overwhelming presence Smaug had.
sophists who wants to rid the world of masculinity
@@johnisaacfelipe6357 What lmao
Gollum is the worst villain for not rhyming ‘web’ with ‘dead’ while taunting Frodo.
Can you please add a trigger warning? Hearing what he did just sent me into cardiac arrest from pure terror
Always upset me that did
Worst single of the third age 😂
I reckon his failure to rhyme pissed off Frodo enough to break free of Shelob's web.
FerdiKlnc please, stop, the trauma is too much. That line always killed me inside as someone with a fondness for rhyme schemes...
A few things. 1) Melkor was very much inspired by Satan from Milton's "Paradise Lost". 2) The "evil Jess" look is amazing. 3) Avoiding looking crosseyed as "evil Jess" was probably a lot of work.
"2) The 'evil Jess' look is amazing." Oh, man. "Amazing" is an understatement.
"3) Avoiding looking crosseyed as 'evil Jess' was probably a lot of work." LOL
That was a lot of cabochon dangle.
@@michaelbaughman8524 As a complete novice when it comes to Tolkien (apart from the three books of the "Ring") I have no idea who "evil Jess" might be, but if she looks anything like what I can see on the screen ... Oh Boy!!
@@frenzalrhomb6919 lol "evil Jess' refers to our lovely hostess's outfit. The look is definitely working for me.
@@michaelbaughman8524 I kinda realised that at the end of the video, when I had a closer look at the channel name, and then I thought "nah, just leave your post up, you deserve whatevers coming, stupid!!"
Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. She was no Melkor, but she stole Bilbo's silverware. Or tried to. Allegedly. 🤨😑
Quibble: Sauron as a lidless eye is a Peter Jackson invention. Certainly by the time he is chased from Dol Guldur as the Necromancer he has physical form, and Gollum’s dialog confirms “he has only nine fingers on the black hand, but they are enough.”
Sauron’s symbols in the books are a four-fingered black hand and a single red eye. The flaming, lidless eye is an invention of Jackson to give us something visual to actually give a presence to Sauron in the movies
To answer everyone in this thread: Sauron could no longer take fair form, he was barred from maintaining a physical body. PJ should have had a black robe-swaddled figure on an iron throne with a blazing gem that had that eye burning from it, perhaps that being his Palintir, or his Palantir could have been on a plinth to mimic the one in Orthanc. The "eye" could have had movement and been shown searching, since it worked through the aether or invisible realm it wouldn't need to be a big scary silly looking lighthouse beacon. The robed figure seated on the throne could have been speaking, leaning forward, gesturing and consulting (at which time we see gauntleted hands of nine fingers, the gauntlets being similar in grotesque form as the Nazgul, further visually tying them together) with it's lieutenants, sending them forth on errands. That would have been a far more unsettling and accurate portrayal of the Big S, than some immobile floating eye stuck on top of a tower like some evil Christmas tree topper.
Yeah, definitely one of my least favorite Jackson interpretations. It looked pretty ridiculous.
@@joshpotter9261the distinctions you make are valid but i think you are forgetting that they had to go on a lowest common denominator as far as symbolism and understanding for laypeople (non readers) to grasp and also enjoy the movie. Thats why the book is always better especially lotr because it is saturated in history and mythos and allegories. It simply wouldnt translate. Like trying to describe a sunrise to a blind person. You can give some of what it is but never all. However despite its failings it likely inspired many to go an read the books so theres plenty good there.
@@HadrianGuardiola no dispute.
Didn't cover Ugluk because he was a good guy, giving Merry some medicine in front of his boys. Telling Grishnakh that the Hobbits are not for eating. Also making sure his boys were fed meat.
I wouldn't say "good". "Lawful" is better for Ugluk. He had his orders from Saruman and stuck to them.
Ugluk is the unsung hero of the story.
Pour some medicine out for him lads.
Haha, right.
Reckon he might’ve gone on to start a restaurant in the Ring of Isengard…
Rip
@Liquidsback i want your comment made into a thorough video !!
Sauron: lawful evil - the terror of order
Morgoth: chaotic evil - the terror of Chaos
Sauron was the COO to Melkors CEO
D&D alignments are stupid and do not really fit
@@Entropy3ko Au contraire, they are surprisingly inventive abstractions of human behaviors. It is very impressive that they appeared so early in the hobby in their simplicity and beauty.
As a Rolemaster man myself, I find myself always coming back to them in spite leaving the AD&D system behind many decades ago.
A villainous look for a villainous subject, well played :). Tolkien's ability to create truly epic villains is such a fundamental part of why his works are so enthralling and enduring. They make the triumph of his heroes so much more impactful and memorable.
But very very attractive!
The "evil" caracter I prefer in Tolkien's work is Eol. I like that he is not directly corrupted by Melkor but headed to the darkness by itself. Sadly he is kind of a minor caracter.
Love the video.
I just got 2 small corrections:
1. Getting Númenor whiped out was very much Saurons plan all along. That he lost his physical form wasn't quite part of it, since he hoped that the Valar would go to war against Númenor, rather than have a literal divine intervention. His efforts weren't in vain though, when Ilúvatar sank the whole island, so overall he was happy with the outcome.
2. The great eye on top of the tower was invented for the films. Sauron had a physical form near the end of the war of the ring. Gollum at one point mentions something about that. Whenever the eye is mentioned in the book, it was more a methaphore for Saurons vigilence and a symbol used by his servants.
Hope to see more deep dives into Tolkiens villains from you. Would love the see Saruman and the Witchking on your next list.
Fantastic video. Thank you; but less a part time hobbit, and more an elven Queen. "In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn!"
I like to think I can do both haha
I love how Sauron could have been redeemed, when he went for judgment, yet its like going to the parent you know will punish you lighter than the other.
It’s worth noting that Sauron was defeated in the duel with Elendil and Gil-Galad, not after. Isildur took the ring from his finger after he’d already fallen in the books.
Isildur’s blow was more of a final death blow to a guy who was basically dead. Had Isildur not taken the ring, Sauron would have regained his strength in just a few short months, maybe a year or two, but definitely not as long as it did take him
These casual LOTR youtube channels get so much wrong, yet they title their videos as if they are experts and the knowledge they spew should be trusted
@@pyropulseIXXI Everyone makes mistakes. To err is human.
Tolkien's faith is seen a lot in his characterization of his different villains. In Christian Scripture the three primary enemies are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. We see the World's evil in the many wars that occur between Illúvatar's Children, such as the kinslaying of the Teleri Elves or Feänor's fall; the Flesh is seen in Ungoliant and her children like Shelob; and the Devil is seen in Morgoth. I loved how you brought out that Morgoth was very petty in his pride. Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis characterized Satan as a petulant child in "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" and "The Screwtape Letters", the latter of which he dedicated to Tolkien. Chesterton who influenced both Tolkien and Lewis also characterized Satan in such a way.
You are forcing a trinity paradigm where one doesn't exist. And the Scriptures do not have 'three primary enemies.' Satan is the god of this world, and the flesh is apart of that. You can either be of the flesh, or of the spirit. There is no 'enemies;' Satan is an adversary
Also Lewis shows evil as childish in Perelandra... with Weston leaving a trail of "frogs" he killed with his talon-like fingernails, for no reason but to hurt something.
@@pyropulseIXXI James 3:15 says, "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." That is, the World, the Flesh, and Satan. Also, Satan is not the god of this world. The word in 2 Corinthians 4 means AGE, not world, and refers to the Old Covenant Period which passed away with the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.
@@michaelkelleypoetrythe “ages”
were taken from Greek Paganism, and 99% of Tolkien’s work was taken from European Paganism. Even the musical creation of the world is directly from Greek Paganism. Even the concept of God as “The One” comes from Greek Paganism, it isn’t found in Christianity. Tolkien based much of his work on Pythagoras, Plato & Norse Paganism.
@@chad.avatar Paganism is simply the True God walking incognito. I suggest you read C.S. Lewis's essay, "Myth Became Fact", as well as Dr. Michael Ward's book, "Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis".
A few small things: We don't in fact know the origins of Orcs. Neither did Tolkien. He could not make up his mind. Even THE SILMARILLION says this story is believed, but is not certain.
Also, the Valar and Maiar believed that in attacking Melkor when they did, they would likely be destroyed, so mighty was he. But he had infused himself into the very fabric of Arda and in his monsters, he had diminished himself so he could be defeated--much to his surprise and theirs.
Also, Sauron during LOTR in fact had a physical form. Gollum even mentions how it had only nine fingers. The eye was his sigil but it was not his form.
And Gandalf himself says Sauron was "reduced" to a spirit of malice without the means to do anything. He still exists, but is now nothing but a spirit of hate and rage, powerless.
These are nuances, only. You express in wonderful storytelling form the heart of this marvelous tale. And I eagerly await your next video (as I ever do)
Sort of like voldemort when he lived on unicorn blood in the forbidden forest.
One correction. In the book Gil Galad and Elendil killed Sauron although they died in the process, not Isildur. He just cut off his finger from his dead body
I caught that one too
But if Isildur hadn’t cut the ring from Sauron’s hand the dark lord would have been able to return much more quickly
Never thought of that, good point
facts
@@ethanannen2608 from the description, I'd say the ring was about to resurrect him, you're not wrong.
The Black Numenorean is revealed! But seriously... I think it's interesting that there is a very "Catholic" theme to evil in Tolkien's work. Evil is often characterized as not a force of its own, but rather as the absence of good. It holds no power except to deceive. We see this with Sauron among the Numenoreans, and Grima in Theoden's court. Also, is has no power to create, but only to destroy. Even the Ring was only crafted by taking some of Sauron's power from him. The most notable evil creatures, Orcs and Nazgul, are both corruptions of the good. They are not creations of evil, but good creatures who have been twisted by the Enemy's deceptions into serving his cause.
Just a note that the Great Lidless Eye was more like a metaphor than literal in the books, it was just in the Peter Jackson movies were they made it to be his actual form. Gollum mentions at one point that he saw Sauron only has 4 fingers on his black hand, which quite clearly proves that Sauron had actual physical more or less humanoid form still.
The eye in the movies does make sense in a visual adaptation, but it's funny when people think Sauron is literally just an eye
@@haleywilson520 I like to think that the eye in the film is kind of like a reflection of his vigilant and cautious spirit. He’s always scanning all around him for potential threats, and it’s all because of fear. Sauron lives in perpetual fear of the West or Eru Himself. He’s scared that they might counterattack unexpectedly, just like how God destroyed the island of Numenor in its entirety, destroying Sauron’s physical body along with it. It was a completely unforeseen disaster that struck him. He might make it seem to his followers that the Powers of Good have forsaken Middle-Earth, but he knows deep down that his time is over. He would fall into the Void, just like his master before him.
Seeing how villains play out in stories like Tolkien’s can shed a lot of light on what evil is and how it functions in our world. I see a lot of parallels between Morgoth and the Christian understanding of who Satan is, where he came from, and what he does in this world.
Oh, praise heavens, praise heavens! Our goodly welcoming Jess delivers a brilliant piece, and one that has come as an extra element of surprise, because I totally forgot it was Friday! Speak about confusion!
Happy friday!!
Souron did have a body as Golem spoke 'His hand still has but 4 finders' [paraphrased] . That burning eye on the top of Barad dur was just a movie prop .
Tolkien also described a wide window at the top, through which Sauron looked out at the world. Was there a flaming eye in the window? I guess it's possible 🤔
I thought Numenor was destroyed when Sauron persuaded the Numenoreans to sail to Valinor. When they set foot on the Undying Lands the destruction of their isle was unleashed.
I've always believed that the Mirkwood spiders are also descendants of Ungoliant, though I've never read any confirmation of that fact in Tolkien.
It’s a fan theory. The theory claims that all giant spiders of the 3rd Age are her descendants
There were spiders in the forests on the borders of Doriath in the First Age and the spiders of Mirkwood are probably the descendants of these. However, it is said that Ungoliant mated with spider like creatures and Shelob is probably a descendant of one of those unions.
The Two Towers reveals that they're Shelob's offspring.
Actually, like all spiders both in fiction and in real life, they are manifestations of evil incarnate and exist only to spread terror and make webs right at head level so when you are walking in the woods you randomly get a face full of web.
For me the pride and arrogance of Feanor, and the many evils that resulted from it, make him one of the great villains of Middle Earth.
@2:58 : The singular is Ainu. I love your videos btw, keep them coming! Maybe a Part II with Glaurung, Smaug and maybe Gothmog?
"Now you see that Evil will always triumph, because Good is dumb." -Dark Helmet
Any list without Lotho Sackville-Baggins is an incomplete list of the worst villains in middle earth
I don't think Sauron failed in his plans for Numenor. He was so successful that Eru left his rest to destroy Numenor entirely.
He failed in the sense that there was nothing left of it to rule himself, as well as forever losing his ability to appear "as an angel of light."
The Bible explains that evil was allowed to be a choice because God wants man to choose righteousness and eschew evil of his own free will and not because it is the only choice. Your assessment of the various baddies in Tolkien's universe is spot on and very well done in my humble opinion.
To be fair, the Bible actually gives a few different explanations as to why God allows evil to exist.
@@SonofSethoitaefree agency IS the reason. Evil is the desire to take agency away
@@brettmuir5679 And that's one of several different explanations the Bible gives
I've got a question for you, Jess: If Melkor submits after the rebuke of Iluvatar, does he have a spot in Middle Earth? I mean, Aule jumped the gun on creating dwarves which could be akin to Melkor's theme, but when rebuked, he submitted and then Iluvatar made the dwarves part of the story. Could the same have been done if Melkor doesn't persist? Describing Melkor as a "petulant child" was spot on. I've seen too much "sympathy for the devil" posts online lately! Good video, Jess!
That is the difference between Aule and Melkor. One repented while the other persisted
@@ethanannen2608 The makers in Tolkien seem very prone to this. Gandalf offers Saruman the opportunity to repent and he scorns it too.
@@ethanannen2608Indeed, Aule was willing to redress what he did in slaying the dwarves but Iluvatar stays his hand and allows the dwarves to live with some caveats.
This is easily one of the best looks you've had so far! Humanity needs more goth Jess in our lives. Also, @HelloFutureMe has two videos called "The Philosophy of Sauron | Nietzsche and Lord of the Rings" and "Why did Sauron turn evil? | LOTR Lore" that I think you would absolutely love.
That’s a pretty awesome headpiece I can’t lie
I hope you eventually get around to discussing the nazgul, esp the Black Captain. They're the scariest of all: terrifying shadows of what were once men. Shrieking ghosts of the netherworld void. The stuff of nightmare. Worse, in a way, than Sauron.
Yeah, and I love how farmer Maggot told a Nazgul to sod off
Illuvatar came into an emptiness and began to sing, creating an island of music within a silent void. Ungoliant, being of no known creation, may be surmised to be a residual of that original void, and her hunger is the hunger of the abject empty.
When I was young, well before the internet, I was a very precocious reader. New "Big Words" knew what they meant, no clue as to pronunciation. Also, I salute you ability to wear that attractive jewelery, do your script, and not go bonkers with it dangling between your eyes.😊
Good stuff Jess - nothing like analysing evil while in the Wicked Queen outfit. Maybe Galadriel if she took the Ring mode?
Saucony did NOT take the form of a lidless eye after he lost his ring. He slowly regained physical form, first in Mirkwood as "The Necromancer" and later returned to Mordor itself. The book says that Sauron tortured Gollim himself, and Gollum saw he eas missing a finger.
The big lidless eye on top of the tower is a movie invention based on Saurons symbol on his banners.
A great example of competing songs, where the enemy singers only contribute to the heroic tune, can be seen in Casablanca. The Nazis start singing Die Wacht am Rhein, only for it to be subsumed by the other bar pstrons singing La Marseillaise.
It is very typical of Tolkien's villains not to start out as evil. "For nothing is evil in the beginning."
Not just Tolkien... he borrowed this from Scripture.
@@kevinrussell1144Were they created evil, or were they created with great capacity and through their own free choices set that capacity to evil?
IF I knew the answer to that I'd likely be a lot smarter, would be richer, and possibly better looking. Isn't that typically the $64K question? How free are any of us to act? The chemicals involved in a reaction, given certain conditions, act according to laws of chemistry and matter; doesn't matter what they "think" or their "will" to be something else. We say that much behavior among "lower" animals is by instinct (patterns baked into their DNA). Other behaviors seem to be guided (mostly, entirely?) by past experience. How different are we? I wonder.@@brittoncain5090
How about dragons?
I suspect dragons can be viewed as flying crocs. Yeah, they like eating things, but they are evil (harmful), not sinful.@@magallanesagustin4952
I just finished listening to the Simarilllion read by Andy Serkis…so a lot of this is pretty fresh for me. But I think you are pretty spot on.
Knowing Tolkien was catholic and wanted to be a hobbit…it is pretty easily to see what the thought the ultimate evils of the world to be.
You're so right... Morgoth is the embodiment of where pride gets you. I think that the reason Melkor was so successful in baiting Feanor into the mistakes he made is because Melkor, probably subconsciously, knew where an overinflated sense of pride can lead you. It was his downfall, so he instinctively knew how to do the same to Feanor, who was somehow even prouder than a literal god lol.... man I hate Feanor lol
Melkor is not an idiot, dude. He is super intelligent and knows how to manipulate beings. He doesn't need to have an overinflated sense of pride in order to manipulate someone; this is an obvious place to go
I feel that people just force shallow analysis via any connection that they can grasp onto
@@pyropulseIXXI I feel that people make rude comments like yours to make themselves feel better or more important I guess?
Either way, I'd rather chat with friendly people about Tolkien than have to read anymore of you making yourself feel smart, so do me a favour and just skip my comment next time you feel the need to do this. Thanks!
The headpiece is really pretty.
The story of the object that characters craved, while its mere ownership twisted and pained its wearer. Weighing more and more over time, yet the wearer unable to remove it or give it away. Wars were fought over it, that crushed all in their path, wasting innocents.
This is the story of the (One Ring/Silmarils).
Jess is giving me Mia Sara from Legend vibes with her outfit. :)
Yes.
Astaldo just be flexing. Too much of a badass for Melkor.
Love the way they seem to echo as it goes, starting off a loud primal roar of power that can shape the world with Morgoth, the uncontrolled chaos that gets quieter upon return, once he is gone can still hear the resonance in Sauron a more controlled chaos that can't make the same power moves but slowly fading out, trying to piece together what remains whispering in ears until it's just all gone.
Sauron was honestly kind of a clown. Everything he did without Morgoth around ended in abject disaster. The one ring ended up being a complete failure not once, but twice. It didn’t work on dwarves. The elves were too smart to be tricked into getting enslaved by it. He got nine humans out of the deal, but all of their kingdoms failed. He lost the war when he was at the peak of his power, with the ring on his finger, and then allowed two halflings to walk into his back door to destroy it later on down the road. 30 INT, 30 CHA, 8 WIS…
Have you ever read the Lore? Everything Sauron "lost" was always a result of the miracles and pure chance. (Spoiler; the divine intervention)
First: The defeat of Gwatlo. His orcish armies easily eradicated Eregion/Hollin and later almost perished Gil-Galad's reinforcements led by Elrond but the Dwarves of Kazad-dum made a surprise attack to Sauron's armies from behind and this helped Elrond from the total annihilation and he was able to establish the Rovendell. However Sauron had to split his army to keep the Rivendel and Elrond's forces in check and to prevent any attack from backside again. Sauron besieged Gil-Galad but unexpectedly Numenor came to save the elves and Saueon had to retreat but another Numenorean army appeared from the south and Sauron's retreating a army annihilated between the 2 armies. As we can see "the luck" has a big role here.
Second: Sauron's surrendering to Ar-Pharazon. Despite the common fan-fiction of "bUt NuMenOreAns CaptUReD SaUroN" it was Sauron who willingly surrendered. In the History of Middle Earth books, Tolkien explained that going to Numenor was already Sauron's own desire even before all of this because he knew that he wasn't able to go or conquer Numenor because the seas were protected by Ulmo. Tolkien also stated that fake-surrendering was Sauron's only option and ticket to the Isle of Numenor. It was all of his plan! However professor Tolkien stated that it was not possible for Numenoreans to "imprison" Sauron actually but he let them do it for the sake of going to their blessed island. Later on (According to HoME, The Lost Road and Other writings book: after they 'arrested' Sauron, the dark lord raised the sea like a mountain and CAST THE ENTIRE ARMADA OUT OF THE SEA to the the shores of Numenor to show them his true power! So he was always able to throw and play with the "mighty" Numenorean Armada like boats made of paper but he chose to "play with them" instead.
And as the third time, his defeat in the battle of the Last Alliance. In the Letters and Appendix of Return of the King, Tolkien noted that Sauron was in both diminished and weakened state and he needed "bodily rehabilitation" but Gil-Galad and Elendil attacked him first before he ragained his own power back. Despite in a weakened and diminished form, he was able to break the siege of Barad-dur and push the entire army of the Last Alliance 30 miles(48 kilometers) back to the slopes of mt.Doom and slay the High Kings with his bare-hands *singlehandedly!!!!* He was such a beast despite all the odds when you think about it. He was weakened and Diminished by Eru Illuvatar because of the downfall of Numenor but look what the dark lord managed to do! lol
And the last one: his defeat at the end of the story. This is so easy... If you read or listened the entire story from the beginning, you'll notice that there are countless cases of pure luck and the divine interventions which caused the fall of Sauron. Eru's plan was always keep going as he wished. Even in the very end of everything, it was Eru illivatar himself who caused Gollum to slip and fell into the lava with the One Ring! Yes, Frodo failed!, Gandalf's plans failed! Valar's plans failed/didn't work as they wished! It was Eru who stepped in and do the job! (In one of his letters, professor explained that it was really Eru who caused gollum to fell in the vulcano)
The conclusion is it was always Eru who caused Sauron's and Melkor's fall. The Dark lords had not even any chance to win against the literal God!
MY FAVORITE UA-camR UPLOADED AND IM EARLY LETS GOOO
The music of Melkor was "loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated". In other way, the techno music was the source of evil.
The Lord of the Rings may have an optimistic view, but the mythology as a whole is somewhat depressing:
- The Valar made the Spring of Arda, but Melkor destroyed the 2 lamps.
- The elves created great kingdoms in the first age, Morgoth destroyed them all.
- The men created the great kingdom of Númenor in the second age, Sauron destroyed it.
On and on, the world diminished. While the stories are beautifully written, it is depressing to see the destruction of everything, and only scraps are saved.
32:31 The plans of Sauron did not come to ruin, they succeeded behond his dreams: he only wanted the death of the Númenorians, he got the complete destruction of the land.
34:30 no, the big eye at the top of Barad-dûr was the artistic choice of Peter Jackson. In the book, Gollum said that Sauron had 9 fingers, the last one being cut by Isildur. Sauron had a physical body.
Morgoth wanted to own the world, Sauron wanted to order it. When each was denied, they both ended up with the goal of destroying what they could not control.
Loving the dark sorceress aesthetic 👍
What a fabulous costume, Jess. Another triumph!
Don't have time to finish the video today, but I will say you're clothing aesthetic is on point!
Edit: Finished the video, loved it! There's so much to Tolkien's work that I never knew!
That jewel in the middle hanging down would drive me crosseyed.
This is one of your best videos. It is not easy to explain so much with so much material. Most impressive. Live long and prosper 🖖
Your outfits are one of my favorite parts of this channel
Great video! I await the second part where you delve into LOTR greater villains: Lobelia Sackville, Ted Sandyman, and the wicked Bill Ferny
I was told that when Morgoth first turned his eyes from Eluvitar and looked out upon the Void, Ungoliant was already there. And I find that most poetic. She isn't a created being; she is a coalescence of primal chaos into a tangible force.
Moru, the primal darkness. Perhaps the leftover of a previous creation? Or the shadow or negative of the present one. An implied dualism.
To be totally fair, and transparent, that is purely speculation and therefor headcanon. Ungoliant is never explained or given an origin. Maybe Morgoth created her during his Song. Maybe the discord caused by it indirectly made her. Maybe she's just a very powerful Maiar. Maybe the mentioned "echo of the Music" made her. We simply *do not know*
So to claim she was already there in the Void is totally unknown and unproveable. Though it is a cool idea!
@@Glorfindel_117 I didn't know that. Thank you for explaining it.
The thing I like, that no one ever really thought about, is that Morgoth and Ungoliant had a relationship of sorts. A non-romantic association, if you will. If Sauron was Morgoth's chief heir, and Shelob is Ungoliant's daughter, then Sauron and Shelob are siblings, in the loosest sense of the word. And perhaps that's why Sauron left her be? She was like a sister to him.
Ilúvatar* And you are just making up bullshit. Eru Ilúvatar created everything; you are just making up a weird head canon, which makes no sense within the context of the legednarium, and claiming it as fact
@@tomhoornstra9533 There is no implied dualism at all, and dualism is for fools. There are privations of things, not dualisms. For instance, dark is the absence of light; it doesn't exist, just like the absence of a chair isn't an existence. You don't say a chair and a non-existent chair are dualistic opposites. Evil is the absence of good
You are totally awesome. Thank you for your videos and being you.
Crazy how there is straight up COSMIC HORROR in Lord of The Rings. Makes one wonder if Tolkien had read Lovecraft.
I love how some mysteries allways are left behind in Tolkiens words
Listened today, will listen again tomorrow. Great review of what i read over 50 years ago. I have to dig out my old books and reread. Thank you for your inspiring videos.
I love your book examinations, and you are always a vision
Well done video> Yes there's other great villains - Gothmog, Ancalagon, Glaurung. But also Feonor. SO much to cover, look forward to it
Another fantastic vid! Great description of the song of the ainur. You are a gifted story teller, and do the professor proud!
Such a good presentation! Thank you for the video.
Wow!! A fantastic effort, Jess!! Costume is splendid 😃 ... I could sit and listen to you all day long 😁 ... looking forward to the next one! Thanks for another great deep dive 👍❤
I think you missed an obvious point about Morgoth: he is literally a stand in for Lucifer, cast out of Heaven because of his pride, which turned into hatred and jealousy, a desire to warp, destroy and invert God's order.
Great analysis as always, Miss Jess.
Great job of summarizing this aspect of Tolkien's Middle Earth!
Keep doing what your doing..I enjoyed sitting through and listening to your interpretations through their entirety with great interest....very entertainting..wonderful narrator
Amazing job! Great video! Loved it
I think you would really enjoy Iceland and its language poetry people etc. Keep making great videos and sharing knowledge so creatively.
I just found your channel and I am absolutely obsessed! Such great info and breakdowns! Thanks so much for your videos.
I could listen and watch you talk for days.
Great video! Great analysis and assessment, you made some interesting points.
LOVE a longer deep dive! 😍😍😍
Tolkien being a Catholic like me truly warmed my cold dead heart❤❤❤
1) Jess looks amazing, once again. 2) Really good video.
Sauron is one of my favorite villains of all time, if not my absolute favorite. It's interesting how he embodies the creative spirit of perfectionism taken to an extreme in a desire for power and control. And Melkor's role as an adversary whose spite toward Eru only plays into fulfilling Eru's own vision for the world is tragically beautiful as well
Overall, you hit the nail on the head. Other than that, you could’ve maybe spent more even time on each, but that’s knit picking. Great video, sublime content. Keep it up 👍🏼
Another great video. first video, today, that gave me a reason to put down my book and just watch and listen. 👍👍👍👍
Very pleasant recounting to listen to, your voice is very soothing and melodic. 😊
One of my favorite moments is when Sam calls on Varda, and she causes the light of the Phial to blaze painfully bright so that Sam was able to defeat Shelob.
It's as if the Trees themselves returned to fight the descendant of the creature that killed them.
My brother and a couple of fellow soldiers wrote a version of the fight between Ungoliant and the Balrogs where the Balrogs are a biker gang. My favorite line is when one of them says that Milky is going by Morgoth now because he thinks he's More Goth than anyone else.
❤️ your voice and theatrics. So easy on the ears
Just because it is impossible for evil to win, doesn't mean you won't get pulled down with them.
That's why virtue is so important. Not because evil might win if you aren't virtuous, but because you and all you love may be dragged into hell with the evil if you fail to stand against it
Well done. A challenging topic and I learned things from you this evening. 👍🏻 Peace.
There's a lot if good LOTR channels out there. I really love yout videos. You're very well spoken and they're very well done 👍🔥
Thanks for all of your effort.
I admire your passion for storytelling and narration. I love your look my lady. God bless you 💜😇💜
Beautifully done!
Back in my high school days I tried to escape into "The Silmarillion," but it was a slog for me. This video took a lot of time and effort. Thank you Jess for explaining it so well and so thoroughly. Have a Happy Hobbity Halloween: hope you make a video of your festivities. You are so pretty 🥰😍
Love the look, Jess! I also appreciate the work you put into your content. 🧒 🧒
Very informative video! I enjoyed this backstory view of most of the LOTR villains.
Love the headdress :) great episode, I need to try again with the Silmarillion one of these days
amazing video, sweet to listen to :3
Great video! Love all your vids. I'm not sure how you didn't get cross-eyed with the dangly thing there. It would be like a keychain to a baby for me lol
I feel like Fëanor also deserves a mention. So far as Tolkien's villains go, few altered the history of Middle-Earth as much as he. The same might be said of Pharazôn. In regard to Tolkien's four most important villains, I might rank them as follows:
1. Morgoth
2. Sauron
3. Fëanor
4. Ungoliant
Shelob does not appear mainly because she didn't actually do a whole lot in the story.
Medieval depictions of Satan and, more importantly, theology about him, would probably be one of the main inspirations for Morgoth, considering Tolkien, I imagine.
(Yes, Fëanor did things that were wrong…)
Not sure we should give Feanor this platform. Yes, he's done some evil things and caused others to do the same but this was the result of a poorly thought out Oath and he was painted into a corner as a consequence. He was selfish and foolish but I guess these might be considered the seeds that could grow into evil in full bloom. I have different opinions of Feanor on different days - he's so complex.
@@GreyPilgrim_Mithrandir Yes… he also refused to save the Two Trees, massacred the Teleri Elves, and made his sons promise to continue his disastrous oath at his death. In some ways I might call him a little Morgoth.
@@mariyontil I think Fëanor did wrong, but to put him as a villain is to diminish a complex story.
The oath was already made; it doesn't matter what Fëanor said to his sons when he was about to die. He could have said, "Well, we are all doomed, so prepare for the everlasting darkness" or "keep trying to fulfill it." In both ways, Fëanor didn't have the power to stop the oath or free his sons from it.
The Teleri incident was more complicated than "he massacred them." If we remember the book, Fëanor didn't go with the intention of killing them, the start of the fight was unplanned, and both sides were on par until Fingon arrived.
@@krozas5187All villains, historical or fictitious, have complex history. What makes a person villainous is one's actions and disposition toward good.
The words are: "he cursed the name of Morgoth thrice, and laid it upon his sons to hold to their oath, and to avenge their father". What he could have done, if he so willed, was admit his evil and he might have come out of Mandos sooner. His last words show that his current disposition toward good was still lacking. Further (from a Christian perspective), I doubt Tolkien actually thought that by swearing an oath by Eru to do evil one was bound to fulfill it, since Eru should be directly opposed to evil.
Going by the version in The Silmarillion, Fëanor started that prior to Fingon arriving. Fingon did not know who had started the battle in the first place. Hence, it was Fëanor's fault far more than Fingon's. At very least, he intended to steal ships that were not his own (after being a brat about the idea of giving up the Light of the Silmarils, which were also not really his own), and he was willing to murder people to take them:
"When he judged that his strength was enough, he went to the Haven of the Swans and began to man the ships that were anchored there and to take them away by force. But the Teleri withstood him, and cast many of the Noldor into the sea. Then swords were drawn, and a bitter fight was fought upon the ships, and about the lamplit quays and piers of the Haven, and even upon the great arch of its gate. Thrice the people of Feanor were driven back, and many were slain upon either side; but the vanguard of the Noldor were succoured by Fingon with the foremost of the host of Fingolfin, who coming up found a battle joined and their own kin falling, and rushed in before they knew rightly the cause of the quarrel."
Big respect for crediting the images' artists!