Who is Morgoth in Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power? The great enemy's history explained
The looming threat of evil is a large part of what makes a Lord of the Rings story a Lord of the Rings story, so it's no surprise that The Rings of Power is as drenched in dread and sorrow as it is hope and magic. Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, the Prime Video prequel series charts the forging of the titular rings and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, while Galadriel and the like grapple with their emotional and physical scars from the First Age's War of Wrath.
'Shadow of the Past', the first episode, begins with a prologue that mentions the Great Battle, where Elves, Men, and Valar stood against Morgoth – and ended the malevolent Middle-earth tyrant's reign. For now, it's unclear how much of a presence the big bad will have in the series, or if he'll appear in flashbacks, but if you're curious as to who he was, then we've got you covered.
Below, we break down Morgoth's beginnings, wrongdoings, history with Sauron, and demise, too. So what are you waiting for, keep scrolling and get up to speed with the being who's keeping Galadriel up at night...
In Tolkien's works, Morgoth actually pre-dates Middle-earth. Before he was known as Morgoth, he was Melkor, the most powerful of the angel-like Ainur. Unlike the rest of his kind, Melkor was rebellious, a trait that led him to stray from the path of his creator Eru Ilúvatar (think the Christian version of God) and weave his dark thoughts into the creation of the universe. In short, all evil present in Middle-earth stems from him (think the Christian version of the Devil).
While his fellow Ainur went on to become Valar (sort-of angels), or the lesser Maiar, and attempt to build Arda up in accordance to Ilúvatar's vision, Melkor sought to dominate it and
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