Middle Earth characters

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Much like a certain other popular franchise that is the bread and butter of nerds everywhere, describing even the cursory information is a massive job. But hey, that's what we're here for. Below you'll find a guide to the many beings who call Middle Earth home. For a guide to the places in Middle-Earth and the location itself, see here.

Humans[edit]

The second-born of Eru Ilúvatar’s children. Humans are split across many tribes and nations throughout Middle Earth. Unlike the immortal Elves, who are tied to the world and reincarnate in Aman if they die, the souls of men leave the world altogether to parts unknown by all save Ilúvatar himself. Men are also a mystery to everyone else in Middle Earth and are given "strange gifts," for they alone are able to shape their fates beyond the Music of the Ainur. It's noted that while Men are more corruptible to evil than the Elves and were the most similar to Morgoth in nature, Morgoth still greatly feared Men, including those who served him, since they were such an anomaly in Arda. Nevertheless, most of evil's footsoldiers in the franchise who aren't Orcs/Goblins/Uruk-hai are corrupted humans. Their capacity for corruption has, in fact, given the race of Man something of a mixed reputation among Elves, who sometimes regard them as weak. Luckily, there's always an Aragorn or Faramir just waiting to prove them wrong.

Edain of the First Age and Outlaws[edit]

The Edain were the first three tribes to arrive in Beleriand and make contact with the elves. The Edain and their descendants were staunch allies of the elves and the forces of good, despite taking terrible losses during the first age. It should also be noted that, while the elves were always superior to men in beauty, craft and wisdom, the Elves and Edain were equals in strength and endurance, and an Edain could be mistaken for an elf from long distance.

  • Beren Erchamion (the Renowned in Sindarin) - Member of House of Bëor and the protagonist of "Beren and Lúthien" story. Is notable for stealing a gem from the crown of Evil Satan guy and marrying an Elven woman (the first time in the Legendarium). Beren’s ring of Barahir becomes the only relic of the Numenorean Royal family that survives into the Third Age, used to mark Aragorn’s royal lineage. Based off of Tolkien himself, which is a bit self-indulgent on his part, but most would say the man earned it.
  • Hurin Thalion:(the Steadfast) - One of mankind’s bravest warriors and a close ally of Turgon of Gondolin. He and his men fought to allow Turgon to escape Morgoth, with Hurin being the sole survivor. Morgoth tortured Hurin for the location of Gondolin, but Hurin refused to betray them, so Morgoth cursed Hurin’s children and for Hurin to witness their doom from afar.
  • Turin Turambar (Master of Doom) - Member of House of Hador, son of Hurin, known to be THE Kullervo expy way before Elric. Went from great hero to An Hero thanks to Morgoth placing a curse over his family. It is said that he will finally get his revenge against Morgoth in the Dagor Dagorath (Middle-Earth's Ragnarok), by being the one to finally killing him.
  • Tuor Eladar (the Blessed) - Cousin of Turin and a great human hero during the war with Morgoth, chosen by the vala Ulmo to find Gondolin and warn its inhabitants that the city will fall. In spite of Turgon's reluctance to leave he was able to convince the city's population to listen. Also married an elf princess and is the grandfather of Elrond. His symbol is the Swan, a motif kept by his human descendants.
  • The Gaurwaith: The Gaurwaith were a band of outlaws who Turin came to be in control of. They died in the battle at Amon Rûdh after Mîm's betrayal (see Mîm's section for the cause and details). Androg, the one indirectly responsible for the betrayal through an accidental murder, sacrificed himself to save Turin, Beleg and his own son Andvir. After Beleg was accidentally killed by Turin and Turin's suicide, Andvir was the last survivor. He related the portions of Turin's tale relevant to him to the poet Dirhaval, whose account of Turin's life make the primary source of the story of Hurin's family.
Followers of Melkor in the First Age[edit]

Númenóreans[edit]

The Edain were rewarded by the Valar after the first age with their own island nation and extended lifespan; by 25 their aging slows down dramatically and can live for potentially hundreds of years, though they also have the ability to die willingly; some do before senility and infirmity sets in, but later Númenórians held on to their lives as long as possible out of fear of death. The Númenórian empire grew powerful, establishing many settlements across Middle Earth during the Second Age. However, Númenor was destroyed following a split between its people, as explained below.

  • Pre-Schism Edain:
    • Elros, or Tar-Minyatur as a King (Kings of Númenor always took an Elven Regnal name, and when that stopped -see below- it meant the end of the human golden age), was the first ruler of Númenor and Elrond's brother who chose a human fate (but still got around 500 years to live). He is also an ancestor of Aragorn.
    • Tar-Minastir: the eleventh king who ruled during the War of the Elves and Sauron; Minastir sent an army to aid the elves, but because Numenor had no standing army at the time, it took weeks to prepare an army and they arrived too late to save Eregion. Tar-Minastir's rule marks the beginning of Numenor's shift, as now they had a taste for war and an envy of the elves, and started permanent settlements in the mainland. But things wouldn't fully go south until the rule of his grandson Tar-Atanamir, as seen below.
  • The King's Men - the majority faction in Númenor. With the support of the royal house, they were an Imperialist, faithless (later satanic), human-supremacist faction that opposed the Valar and desired power, wealth, and immortality. They would fall to Sauron's lies, and become the Black Númenóreans after Númenor's destruction.
  • The Faithful - the minority faction who still retained their devotion to Eru Ilúvatar and respect for the Valar and Elves. The Faithful became more oppressed over time by the King's Men.
    • Tar-Palantir - The final Faithful king and second-to-last king of Númenor. Tar-Palantir tried his best to reverse the damage brought on by his predecessors, but it was too little too late, and much of Númenor's population opposed his policies. Tar-Palantir prophesied that the line of kings would end if the White Tree was felled; this came partially true, as the kings of Númenor ended with Ar-Pharazôn after he sacrificed the White Tree to Sauron, but a sapling of the tree was saved and the line of kings continued through the line of Elendil.
    • Tar-Miriel - The daughter of King Tar-Palantir, and the last rightful heir of Númenor. Ar-Pharazôn was like "fuck that, I want to be in charge" and married her to get the power against her will. Sadly dies when Númenor goes under. Actually gets to be in charge in Rings of Power as Queen-Regent while her daddy's locked up as a prisoner in his own kingdom. Blinded later on, which in conjunction with her foresight gives her an "Oracle of Delphi" feel.
    • Amandil - The last Lord of Andúnië, which is a cadet branch of the Royal line and had been the centre of the Faithful presence in Númenor; though once Amandil had been close friends with Ar-Pharazôn, the lordship had later been revoked, thanks to the cunning of Sauron. When Amandil had learned of Ar-Pharazôn's plans of invading Aman, he with three other servants travelled to the West to warn the Valar and have mercy upon Númenor. Though, just in case that plan didn't work, he also warned his son and grandchildren to flee the island with as many of the Faithful as they could find. Nothing more is known of Amandil's fate. Just as likely he could have died instantly as he stepped into Valinor, as he could have been welcomed by the Valar and become immortal, like Tuor.
    • Elendil - Son of Amandil, Elendil and his family did their best to preserve their ancestor's traditions, including saving a fruit of the White Tree of Kings (Nimloth) before it was destroyed. They organised the evacuation fleet to Middle Earth during the fall of Númenor, where they settled new Kingdoms in Gondor and Arnor. As the new High King, Tar-Elendil lead the Men of the West during the War of the Last Alliance, where he fell in combat against Sauron.

Gondorians, Arnorians and Black Númenóreans[edit]

Gondor and Arnor were kingdoms established by the Faithful after the fall of Númenor. Though Arnor in the North fell to Angmar, Gondor lasted through the entire Third Age and well into the fourth, becoming the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor (since the heir to Arnor's throne, Aragorn, inherited Gondor's, what with his original kingdom being gone and all).

  • Isildur - second High King of both Gondor and Arnor. Finally defeated Sauron in the War of Last Alliance, but became a victim of One Ring's power and tragically died in an Orc ambush, leaving the Ring without a host for a while. Body was never found. Becomes a Nazgul in the Shadow of Mordor/War continuity, until Talion frees his spirit from Sauron's control...and then later takes his ring and his place as one of the Nine.
  • Anarion- Isildur's brother, died before their father Elendil during the early months of the War of the Last Alliance.
  • Gondorians: The Dúnedain of the South. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor.
    • Denethor II - Ruling Steward of Gondor at the beginning of the books. He originally was a great and capable ruler whose sanity was damaged by usage of the Anor-stone Palantir, as instead of helping in espionage against Sauron it showed the death of everyone and the triumph of evil. By the time of War of the Ring he is majorly depressed, almost insane, and highly incompetent. Finally snapping completely during the siege of Minas Tirith, he tries to immolate himself and his unfavorite son, Faramir, but only succeeds in the first of these.
    • Boromir: Elder son of Denthor and a great captain of Gondor (also daddy's favorite). Despite being a great warrior and leader, Boromir ultimately fell to the temptation of the Ring and tried to take it from Frodo. Despite this, he redeemed himself by sacrificing his life to serve as a decoy for Frodo and Sam, and acknowledged Aragorn as his kinsman and king. Somewhat infamous for being one of the only major heroes in the trilogy to die, and the only one of the Fellowship to die (well, him and Gandalf, but the latter got to come back). Remember kids, this isn't that other popular Fantasy series where good guys drop like flies (even though Boromir's actor would end up being in and dying in that too!).
    • Faramir: Younger son of Denethor and leader of Gondor's Ithilien Rangers. Faramir, while a skilled warrior, he had no love of war and preferred to study and sought council with Gandalf. Denethor disliked Faramir and even told him he would've preferred Faramir to die and Boromir to live. Despite the toxic family environment, Faramir became a worthy steward and passed the rule of Gondor to Aragorn. Like Beren, Tolkien has admitted to basing Faramir off of himself, though also admits that Faramir is more courageous than he.
    • Prince Imrahil: Prince of Dol Amroth, who aided in the defense of Minas Tirith and accompanied the Host of the West on the march against the Black Gate. Sadly reduced to a bit role in the movies proper (he isn't even mentioned by name in the films). Fun fact he is also the Uncle to Boromir and Faramir, with his sister Finduilas Marying Denethor.
  • Arnorians: The Dúnedain of the North. They are descendants of the Faithful from Númenor. After the fall of Arnor and its successor kingdoms, the Dúnedain chose to live in hiding rather than rebuild the kingdom, protecting the people from the shadows.
    • Chieftains of the Dúnedain:
    • Aragorn II (Elessar Telcontar): Last Chieftain of the northern rangers. He was a member of the Fellowship and contributed to the defeat of Sauron. He later claimed the kingship of Gondor and restored Arnor, as the third High King, and married his Half-Elven kin Arwen. One of the main heroes of the franchise, and all-around badass, especially in the films where he does shit like cleave through Uruk-hai like they're made of twigs, throw torches in Nazgul's faces, and parry sword strikes from Olog-hai. As an aside, while the movie's take on Aragorn is as well regarded as the rest of the films, it is still nevertheless the case that his characterization is different: Book Aragorn is more of a stoic, mythical figure similar to King Arthur, who accepts the call to become King of Gondor without any question and is more of a wise, benevolent fighter-King than Movie Aragorn, who is rejecting his destiny at first due to him having severe feelings of inadequacy and far less of a poetry-reciting philosopher (though still very selfless and noble). This was done in order to make the character more relatable to greater audiences, and is a rare case of a change to the source material that has generally been accepted by the die-hards.
  • Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar: Descendants of the King's Men from Númenor. The Black Númenóreans who did not directly serve Sauron in Mordor continued their predecessor's ways and held sway over Umbar and Harad as their own colonial possessions. Over time, the Black Númenóreans intermixed with the native population or died out altogether. Some Black Númenóreans were actually renegades from Gondor, who stole large parts of Gondor's fleet during a civil war and became pirates ever since. That Harad's people suffered under their control makes them throwing in with Sauron to get revenge deeply ironic, but that's Sauron for you.
    • Mouth of Sauron: The "not Nazgul" who serves as Sauron's herald and envoy (and implied to serve as a torturer as well). A Black Númenórean of great rank and magical might within Sauron's cult, who's served Sauron for so long, that he forgot his own name and only goes by the aforementioned title Sauron gave him. Puts the "ass" in "ambassador" and in the movies has one of the most dangerously toothpaste-neglected set of chompers in all of fiction. He has lived for a long time, having entered into Sauron's service when "the Dark Tower first rose again", which depending upon interpretation, either makes him an extremely long-lived Black Númenórean if said rising was post-Downfall of Númenor in Second Age 3320, or makes his servitude a much more reasonable 68 years if said rising was Sauron's return in Third Age 2951. Either way, his life was no doubt extended with foul sorcery and dark arts. Despite being a cowardly wuss in the books and getting beheaded mid-sentence without a fight in the films, he's playable in a few video games where he's actually allowed to kick ass for a change.

Men of Middle Earth[edit]

Men not related to the Númenóreans, but who also play significant roles in the world.

  • Northmen/Men of the North

Men who live north of Gondor and west of the sea of Rhûn. This includes the Rohirrim, the Dalish, and the Woodsmen of Rhovanion. The Northmen are distantly related to the men of Gondor, as their ancestors came from the same group as the Edain.

    • Rohan
      • Eorl the Young: Founder of Rohan.
      • Helm Hammerhand: The Ninth King of Rohan, during a time of protracted war against the Dunlendings as well as great civil strife within Rohan. Said strife came to a head when a rich noble named Freca with greatly mixed Rohirric and Dunlending ancestry claimed that his family line had a greater claim to the throne and attempted to coerce Helm to marry his daughter to his own son Wulf. After a great many insults and arguments, Helm punched him so hard in the head that Freca was said to have died instantly from the sheer power of that single blow, which gave Helm his byname of Hammerhand. Helm declared Freca and his kinsmen to be enemies of Rohan, and they fled into Dunland, only to return four years later with a great host of their own led by Freca's son Wulf. Edoras and the Westfold was overrun by the invaders, and Helm and his sons were made to endure a long siege at the then-named Súthburg. By all counts he was an unstoppable warrior, capable of killing scores of Dunlendings with his bare hands and routing their lines with only a blow of his great war-horn. Such was the carnage he single-handedly inflicted that he was likened to a Snow-Troll. Thus was the fortress of Súthburg renamed into Helm's Deep, with the keep where his war-horn was kept renamed to the Hornburg.
      • Théoden: King of Rohan. For a time he was possessed by Saruman the White as part of his ploy to conquer Rohan, but was freed by Gandalf. Théoden led Rohan in the successful defense against Isengard and rode to Gondor's aid in the battle of Pelennor Fields. Died in battle, but by all accounts was one hell of a leader (except in the Rankin Bass animated film, where his death sucks utterly).
      • Théodred: Son of Théoden. Théodred was killed by Saruman's forces, but Théoden didn't learn of this until after his mind was restored.
      • Eomer: Nephew of Theoden and heir to the throne, after Theodred's death. As such, Eomer became King after Théoden died at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
      • Eowen / Eowyn: Niece of Théoden and sister of Eomer. Eowen was a shieldmaiden and long desired to win glory in battle, but was often left behind as Théoden feared Rohan would be left leaderless. Eowen developed a crush on Aragorn, but when he refused her claiming she only loved the idea of him, Eowen went to Pelennor Fields in disguise and fought against the Witch-King of Angmar in one of the most badass duels in the whole book series. After the battle she met Faramir and settled down with him, claiming she no longer wished to fight, but to restore what had been destroyed in the war. Much like Princess Leia from Star Wars, one of the original badass ladies, nerd-crushes, and feminist role models in fiction all rolled into one. The PJ movies make her even more badass by having her bring down a Mumakil solo and holding her own against an army of Uruk-hai that get into the glittering caves at Helm's Deep in a deleted-but-mentioned-in-reference books scene.
      • Grima Wormtongue: Advisor to the king, but in reality a pawn of Saruman. After his treachery was discovered, Grima ran back to Saruman, where he was regularly abused and mistreated by him until Grima finally stabbed Saruman in the back (literally) during their misadventure in the Shire and was shot with arrows for his troubles; in the movies he instead dies at the Orthanc and it's Legolas who kills him. Widely recognized in-universe and out as a slimy prick and complete coward.
    • Dale
      • Bard the Bowman: First king of the restored Kingdom of Dale. Bard was an accomplished bowman who could communicate with birds and had a black arrow that always reached its target. This combination helped him to kill Smaug after finding the weak spot on its chest. After the Master of Lake-Town disappeared, he became the new King.
      • Master of Lake-Town: An unnamed character who ruled Lake-Town during the events of the Hobbit. He was a greedy SOB who was only interested in his own power and wealth; he abandoned Lake-Town when Smaug attacked, then later ran off with a good chunk of the loot following the Battle of the Five Armies. Died alone and starving to death in the barren wilderness.
  • The Wildmen of Dunland: Primitive men who lived in the hills. Unlike the Northmen, the Dunlendings were much more hostile to outsiders, having been enslaved and abused by the conquering Númenóreans of the past. They allied with Saruman as he promised that their original lands would be taken from the Rohirrim and returned to them.
  • Beornings and Woodsmen: Named after their progenitor Beorn, a large wild man who could transform into a bear, an ability some of his descendants would share. They lived primarily in the lands between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood. While not overly friendly to outsiders, they were willing to aid the Free Peoples in the fight against Sauron and his minions. They are likely distant relatives of the Rohirrim. The Woodsmen were minor tribes of Edainic men who lived in Mirkwood and were allies of Thranduil and the Beornings. After the War of the Ring with Dol Guldur destroyed, the Beornings and Woodsmen reclaimed Central and Southern Mirkwood (now Greenwood) for themselves.
  • Woodwoses/Druedain: A name borrowed from medieval legend; they are wild men who live deep in the forest and remain isolated from the rest of men. They are short and stocky, so some confuse them for Dwarves, but they are definitively of mannish stock. Despte their reclusiveness, the Druedain had been allies of the Edain and their descendants as far back as the First Age, so they appear periodically among the free peoples. The Druedain helped the Rohirrim reach Minas Tirith by way of secret highway through the forest, so they could reinforce the city and avoid an ambushing army. Somewhat like a smaller version of a Sasquatch, or more size-accurate, the Orang-Pendak of Vietnam.
  • Men of the East: Commonly referred to as “Easterlings”, and come from the vast lands East of the Sea of Rhun.
    • Rhun: Men from the vast and uncharted lands of the East. Rhun is made up of many kingdoms and tribes, most of which are under Sauron’s dominion. However, it should be noted that one of the missions of the Blue Wizards was to raise a resistance in the lands of the East and South; we don’t see them in the stories because they likely were too busy fighting in their homelands. In the Peter Jackson films (and video games based off of them), they become basically Sauron's Chaos Warriors, being elite, well-armored humans who are fanatically devoted to the Dark Lord.
  • Men of the South: collectively referred to as “Southrons” and live south of Gondor and Mordor.
    • Haradrim of Near Harad/Far Harad: Tribesmen of the deserts and jungles of Harad. Like the Easterlings they lived under the sway of Sauron, but earlier in their history they also suffered under the dominion of the King’s Men of Numenor (who became the Black Númenóreans and Corsairs of Umbar); this would give them a pre-existing hatred for the descendants of Númenor. Also like the Easterlings, some had allied with the Blue Wizards and refused to fight for Sauron. The Southron's usage of heavy cavalry and scimitars at the battle of the Pelennor Fields suggests a Saracen-like aspect; which together with the inclusion of the tribal and African elements suggested by Sigelhearwan; implies that the Haradrim are organized in an empire-like fashion held together with tribal confederacies. Though in the books they initially keep fighting even after Sauron is beaten (which the men of Gondor and Rohan actually respect), they're implied to eventually live in peace with the other kingdoms of Men after Aragorn lets them have Sauron's now empty lands as their own.
    • Men of Khand/Variags of Khand: Of all the Men under Sauron’s rule we know about Khand the least, other than that they were horsemen who attacked Gondor, it is not even clear as to whether the nomadic horsemen natives and Variags are the same or separate peoples, although the etymology of the word Variag being derived from the Russian word for Varangian implies that the Variags are viking-like mercenaries in some fashion, and thus are separate (and possibly even foreign) peoples.
  • The Nazgûl: The Nazgûl were the nine holders of the Rings of Men and as such, bound to Saurons will. They were his foremost Lieutanants ever since they fell into his grasp and powerful foes. Tolkien left their origins deliberately vague, the only details that were given that they were once Kings of Men who couldn't withstand the temptation of the Rings giving them limitless power and immortality and that they first appeared in the second age, where they already lead Saurons Armies against the Free People. Their appearance and powers are tied to Saurons influence in the world, but also to proximity to the One Ring. Fellowship describes the Nazgûls appearance during the chase to Rivendell as those of imposing riders wearing black robes and riding tortured, wicked horses. Their foremost power was their unnatural incorporealness, which was distinct from those of normal Undead like those that haunted the Barrow-Downs and instilled a strong sense of primal fear and disgust in everyone in their presence. When their powers were at their strongest, during the Siege of Gondor, they could weaken the resolve of even their most stalwart opponents by merely being in their vicinity. They are, however, not invulnerable, the Dúnedain blood of Aragorn gave him a natural immunity against their aura of dread, for example. They could be slain and wounded like most creatures of Middle-Earth, the right weapon provided and held a strong aversion to running water. The books tip-toe around the question if they could be killed permanently as long as Sauron was around; Elrond swept them away by conjuring up a massive tidal flood from the river Bruinen, from which they recovered after some time, but the Witch-King was explicitly stated to have been killed permanently by Eówyn and Merry at the height of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. All but two of them were never named, which is where many apocryphal authors insert their own version of Nazgûl origin stories into their narratives.

Elves[edit]

Elves are the first of Ilúvatar’s children (meaning they were created by him alone, without any help from the Valar). They are descended from three main tribes of people, listed below; the Teleri tribe was so large that it separated into several different groups, depending on how far they migrated from the Elves original homeland. Elves are immortal, but suffer from weariness if they remain in Middle Earth for too long, hence why nearly all ended up living in Valinor. Elves' spirits are bound to the world as well; when they die, either they reincarnate in Aman in the Halls of Mandos, or if they reject Mandos, they become disembodied spirits that haunt the land and are vulnerable to corruption by necromancers, especially Sauron. The nature of Elven spirits appears to affect marriages as well, as once they marry they never divorce, cheat or engage in polygamy as their very souls would rebel against the idea (except for that one guy but he was a prick). Elves are also immune to illness, but are more vulnerable to extreme distress, in some cases causing rapid aging or even death. Elves have skills and abilities that seem like magic to mortals, but to the elves it is little different than interacting with the natural world.

Vanyar[edit]

The first and smallest Elvish tribe; they never left The Undying lands to return to Middle Earth except during the battle at the end of the First Age where the Valar finally got sick of Melkor's shit, in which Vanyar forces marched to war for the only time in history, so we know the least about them.

  • Ingwë: The Leader of the Vanyar, went to Aman during the great Elven Migration, stayed in Valinor and thusly became utterly irrelevant for the World's Story, even before the great Migration fully ended.
  • Ingwion: The only known son of Ingwë, and even then he is only known for commanding Valar ships that landed in the Middle Earth during the War of Wrath which means he got more done than daddy, though that's not saying much.
  • Indis: second wife of Noldor king Finwë, and the mother of all of his children barring Fëanor. She had a bad relationship with her step-son.

Noldor[edit]

The second tribe of Elves. They are great craftsmen and seekers of knowledge. Because if this, they were the only tribe that Morgoth was able to manipulate during his time on Aman, causing half of the Noldor to rebel against the Valar and live in Middle Earth in exile.

  • Finwë Ñoldóran (Finu): The original leader of the Noldor and their first King. Generally a relaxed dude with the questionable fame of being the first being to be killed in the undying Lands, iced by the Big Bad himself, Melkor.
  • Curufinwë Fëanáro (Fëanor): Finwë's most incredible son and second King. Unparalleled craftsman, he created the Silmaril, possibly the Palantiri and outstanding weapons as well. After Melkor stole the Silmaril, he unfortunately became a massive hothead, swore vengeance, and went on mad teamkilling rampage, effectiely doing an Elven Horus Heresy. Which pissed the Valar enough that they doomed all the Noldor who followed him to Middle Earth. Died in one of the earliest battles the Elves had to fight, though it took seven Balrogs to beat him down. He also renamed Melkor to Morgoth. Infamous in-universe and out as the guy who fucked everything up bad.
  • Nelyafinwë Maitimo (Maedhros): The (nominal) third King of the Noldor and the eldest son of Fëanor. Sadly, wasn't as badass as his father and was captured by Morgoth before he managed to assume power. He spent several years in captivity before being rescued by his cousin, after which Maedhros did a controversial move and passed the crown to his cousin's father Fingolfin, which was not approved by his younger brothers. After that he was reduced to a minor Elven princedom that hopelessly tried to oppose Morgoth, but at the end he gave into his Oath for the Silmarils, trying to steal one from Beren and Luthien's children; and later stole the other two from the Host of the West. Though he eventually repented and killed himself.
  • Ñolofinwë Aracáno (Fingolfin): The first High King of the Noldor (in Middle-earth) and one that didn't lose power as fast. Followed his half-brother Fëanor to Middle-earth and founded one of the Noldor kingdoms there. After another battle with Morgoth's forces, he went to the Dark Lords massive Fortress by himself, yelling taunts and pounding on Morgoth's door so hard he had a Fear (3). Morgoth didn't even want to fight Fingolfin but couldn't weasel out of it in front of his underlings, and when he did finally come out the fight took hours and Fingolfin got seven wounds on him (that never healed) before dying. What a Chad.
  • Arafinwë Ingoldo (Finarfin): The other half-brother of Fëanor, and the one that's less important. He set out with his brothers, but turned around and went back to Valinor, becoming the third King of the Noldor. He later commanded the Noldor that had remained at the War of Wrath, along with Ingwion.
  • Kanafinwë Makalaurë (Maglor): The second son of Fëanor and a great singer, did the same evil shit as his brother Maedhros to get the Silmarils. While his brother sent himself into a hell, Maglor threw Silmaril that Eonwë gave him after Morgoth's defeat into the ocean. It is said he is still wandering the shores of the World regretting every decision he made.
  • Telperinquar Kurufinwion (Celebrimbor): He ruled over an Elven kingdom of Eregion, which uncharacteristically was situated in the mountains and was a Dwarven ally. He is to blame for the creation of the Rings of Power and other fuckery in the Third Age (although to be fair Sauron deceived him).
    • In the Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War games, he attempted to use the Ring against Sauron and was corrupted by it, with the predictable end results. Afterwards he became a wraith, who's bonding with Talion allows the latter to fight on after his apparent death, as well as keep coming back every time he's killed and just generally being a superhuman badass. Eventually convinces Talion to forge a new Ring of power that's intended to be a copy of The One Ring. Tolkien himself made clear that doing this would just result in another Sauron, and indeed Celebrimbor and Talion's plan ends in disaster and tragedy for both of them. Widely considered one of the best parts of the Shadow duology, especially thanks to Alistair McDuncan's god-tier voice acting.
  • Findekáno Ñolofinwion (Fingon): The second High King of the Noldor. He rescued Maedhros when he had been imprisoned. After inheriting the kingship, he and Maedhros planned to confront Morgoth with everything they had. Unfortunately it wasn't enough and Fingon ended up loosing his his head to Gothmog.
  • Turukáno Ñolofinwion (Turgon): The third High King of the Noldor and one who got to build Gondolin, where all the cool swords Orcrist, Glamdring and Sting are from. Had very strict views on immigration and even stricter ones on emigration. He died with his wonderful city.
  • Artafindë Ingoldo (Finrod): Eldest son of Finarfin, king of Nargothrond and one of the big elven cave-dwellers. Helped a Human in his love-quest, which ended up being his demise.
  • Artaresto Angarátowion (Orodreth): The nephew of Finrod. The resided in Minas Tirith and had become king of Nargothrond, after his uncle's death. He maintained his kingdom in secret from Morgoth and fought him in stealth, until he listened to Túrin. He died in open battle and the realm was destroyed in the process.
  • Artanis Nerwen (Galadriel): Among the last survivors of the leaders original exiles who didn't leave until after Sauron's death. Never forgave Fëanor for being a creep, and in an insult to him she gave Gimli three strands of her hair after being asked for one, Fëanor having asked for one three times and being rejected each time. Galadriel is arguably the most powerful magic user in Middle Earth by the Third Age (she literally destroys Dol Guldur with a wave of her hand), being one of few elves still alive who came from Valinor and learned magic directly from Melian; however, the two parted ways when Melian learned of the Noldor’s role in the Kinslaying. Despite her image and reputation as the purest of the pure and one of Middle-Earth's "Big Good" characters, Galadriel in her youth was more prideful and fallible, and was unable to return to the Undying Lands until she was finally pardoned after the War of the Ring. Galadriel earned her pardon after resisting the One Ring when Frodo offered it to her; as her original failing was her joining Feanor's rebellion to satisfy her desire to rule her own kingdom, and instead accepting that the Elves’ time in Middle Earth was over. Even before learning magic from Melian, Galadriel had a special talent for knowing the minds and motives of others, which came in handy when Sauron in disguise came to deceive the elves.
  • Artanáro Artarestowion (Gil-galad): The son of Finrod Fingon Orodreth. Cirdan's best friend, last High King of the Noldor, and the guy who got his face burned by Sauron.
  • Earendil the Mariner: The son of Tuor and his wife Idril, father of Elrond and Elros by his wife Elwing. Earendil was a half-elf who lived in the final days of the First Age; after his homeland of Gondolin was destroyed and his people scattered across Beleriand, his own family was nearly destroyed because his wife was in possession of one of the Silmarils and the sons of Feanor wanted it by any means. Earendil and Elwing were forced to flee, eventually sailing to Valinor to beg the Valar to intervene on behalf of elves and men. Earendil and his wife never returned to Middle Earth, but Earendil’s ship was blessed and made to fly, carrying the Silmaril on its prow and became the morning star. Earendil fought in the last battle of the War of Wrath, killing Ancalagon, the greatest of Morgoth’s dragons. As half eleven, Earendil and Elwing were given the choice of the fate of men, or the fate of elves. Earendil would’ve preferred to live as a mortal man, but chose the fate of elves with his wife.
  • Elrond Half-Elven: son of Earendil, and head of the House of Elrond. He was born toward the end of the First Age, having been witness to the final atrocities that sank Beleriend beneath the sea. While his brother Elros chose the fate of men and became King of Numenor, Elrond chose the fate of Elves and remained in Middle Earth, serving as herald and loremaster for Gil-Galad. After Gil-Galad's death in the War of the Last Alliance, Elrond took the Noldor elves that remained to Imladris, where they lived in peace and he served as an advisor to the other free peoples. Notably, Elrond did not take up the title of High King after Gil-Galad's death; while he was of royal lineage, its probable that Elrond didn't see any point since there was hardly a kingdom left to rule, and every single High King had met a grizzly demise beforehand.
  • Glorfindel: Legendary Elf warrior who died fighting a powerful demonic foe, only to be resurrected later. Rode against the Nazgul during the Third Age to bring Frodo to Rivendell (Arwen takes over this role in the films, leading to Glorfindel getting cut entirely in one of the bigger changes made in the films).
  • Arwen Undomiel: Elrond's daughter and Galadriel's granddaughter (as Elrond's wife was Galadriel's daughter), she is the love of Aragorn's life. As such she decides to stay in Middle-Earth with him even though this ultimately results in her dying alone and unhappy. Barely a character in the books, she's fleshed out heavily in the films (even taking Glorfindel's place rescuing Frodo and sweeping away the Nazgul with water magic).

Teleri[edit]

The third and largest tribe of Elves. After the great migration to Aman, the Teleri mostly refers to the members of the tribe that reached Aman. The Teleri were the ones who had the misfortune of happening to be standing between Fëanor and Morgoth when the former went Sith Lord to get his stolen jewels back.

  • Olwë
  • Eärwen

Sindar[edit]

Members of the Teleri who reached Beleriand but stayed behind to wait for their king Elu Thingol, who had gone missing (he was in fact entranced at his wife to be). Unlike the rest of the Elves who stayed behind, the Sindar were far more advanced and powerful, because Elu had reached Aman before and taught them what he learned. As a result, Sindarin is the primary elvish dialect in Middle Earth.

  • Elu Thingol (Elwë Singollo): The only Sinda to have ever seen the light of the Two Trees. He is King of Doriath, along with his wife Melian, and (self-entitled) Lord of Beleriand. Famous for having given Beren the quest of retrieving a Silmaril from Morgoth and for fostering Túrin Turambar. He had been capped by Dwarves, who wanted to keep the Nauglamir, which had the retrieved Silmaril in it, due to a payment dispute.
  • Eöl Moredhel (the Dark Elf): Easily mistaken for an Avarin Elf of Teleri descent, but is in fact described as a Sinda and Thingol’s kinsman. Eöl was a master craftsman but also one mean SOB. His tribute to Thingol was the cursed black sword Anglachel (later reforged as Gurthang), which always brought misfortune to its owner and was a big part of Turin’s fall. Eöl also kidnapped and forcefully married Turgon’s sister Aredhel when she wandered into his woods, who bore him a son named Maeglin. When Maeglin and his mother fled to Gondolin, Eöl followed them there and demanded the king to return his wife and son. After Turgon denied his demand, Eöl tried to kill Maeglin with a poisoned javelin; but instead killed Aredhel, who flung herself in front of Maeglin. For the murder of the king's sister, Eöl was judged and thrown from the city's walls to his death.
  • Lúthien Tinúviel: Thingol's daughter and a stand-in for Tolkien's wife. Part of a power couple with Beren (himself a stand-in for Tolkien). As a beautiful Elf woman with light skin and black hair who marries a mortal man and then dies as a result, she's pretty explicitly the Arwen of her time. Fitting, as she is one of Arwen's ancestors.
  • Elwing the White: Granddaughter of Beren and Lúthien, wife of Eärendil, and mother of Elrond and Elros. Elwing inherited the Silmaril from her father Dior, but was forced to flee Doriath when it was destroyed. In the Moths of Sirion the dwealt and married Eärendil. She and her husband both fled Middle Earth entirely when the Sons of Fëanor later came looking for the Silmarils; as her husband had already left by ship to beg the Valar for aid, she jumped into the sea and was transformed into a swan, flying across the sea with the Silmaril to join her husband. Upon arrival in Aman, Elwing convinced her kinsmen, the Falmari, to aid the Hosts of Valinor in freeing Middle Earth (though they still didn’t participate in the war as they still hadn’t forgiven the Noldor for their part in the kinslaying). After the war, she and Eärendil were given the choice of the gift of elves or the gift of men; Elwing chose the gift of elves in honour of her grandmother.
  • Círdan Ciryatan (The Shipwright): Master of Grey Havens and one of the three Elven Ringbearers (although he eventually gave his ring to Gandalf). He is insanely old (to the point that he is the only Tolkien Elf to have a beard) and works as the overseer of Elven migration to Aman. Despite all of previously given information, he is not really relevant and barely appears even in Silmarillion. Sailed to Aman along with the very last Elves in Middle Earth.
  • Mablung
  • Beleg Cúthalion: Beleg shared in the accursed fate of Turin, unwittingly causing the betrayal of Mîm due to the memories of the Petty-dwarves being hunted like animals. Beleg died at Turin's hand when he tried to wake Turin up and was struck down by the panicked Turin.
  • Celeborn: Galadriel's husband.
  • Thranduil: Second (and presumably last) king of Elven Mirkwood and the OG Fantasy Wood Elf ruler. Was bitter that his father died in the war with Sauron and due to that really haven't interfered in the Middle Earth politics before the War of the Ring, although he still helped some Dwarves to get to Erebor.
  • Legolas: Son of Thranduil and prince of the Woodland Realm. Legolas was sent as a representative for the Council of Elrond, eventually becoming one of the Fellowship of the Ring. Legolas became close friends with Gimli the dwarf - ironic since both their fathers had bitter enmity due to the events of the Hobbit - with both eventually leaving together for the Undying Lands after the death of Aragorn. One of the most iconic "archer heroes" in all of fiction, especially after the movies came out, though he can also hold his own in melee (with a single long knife in the books, with two of them in the movies and video games).

Nandor[edit]

Teleri Elves who diverted at the Misty Mountains during the migration to Aman. The Nandor became the Silvan Elves, aka Wood Elves, who eventually came under the rule of their Sindar kin.

  • Haldir: Marchwarden of Lothlórien, who alongside his brothers stumbled upon the Fellowship as they fled Moria. Unlike his relatives, he actually knew Westron and as such was able to help them reach Galadriel, and a little bit later helped them pack the boats for their journey south.
    • In a major departure from the books, the movies had Haldir somehow also lead a troop of Galadhrim Warriors all the way from Lothlórien to Helm's Deep to assist in its defense during the Battle of the Hornburg.
  • Nimrodel: An ancient Elf-maid and the tragic lover of the last Lórien King Amroth. She was a bit antisocial and deeply mistrustful of the Noldor and Sindar Elves (with the exception of Amroth, of course), feeling that they brought nothing but war with them; a sentiment that was not factually incorrect, especially in the case of the Noldor. Nimrodel felt the awakening of the Balrog Durin's Bane and tried to flee her homeland, but was found by her boyfriend, who promised her life in Aman. On the road to Edhellond in Belfalas they accidentally separated, with the King boarding the ship and his love getting lost in the White Mountains. After a storm forced the Elves to leave the harbor, Amroth leapt overboard to go back and find her, but drowned. Nimrodel eventually found her way to Edhellond, but the last of the Elves and their ships had already left the ancient city, leaving it abandoned and her alone. Fucking hell.

Avari[edit]

Elves who refused the journey entirely. Mostly irrelevant.

Dwarves[edit]

The Dwarves are sometimes referred to as the “Adopted children of Ilúvatar;” their forms were created by Aulë the Smith in his desire to have beings that he could teach his craft to, but because he didn’t possess the Secret Fire, he could not give them true life or free will. Ilúvatar, though disappointed by Aulë acting out of turn, took pity on Aulë’s creation and breathed life into them. However, he also put them to sleep since the elves were preordained to be the first-born children. Because the Dwarves were designed by Aulë and not Illúvatar, they have a few quirks to them compared to the other Children; they're extremely hardy and resistant to corruption, but also very warlike and aggressive, and were prone to pick lots of fights including with other dwarven houses. Also, they tended to suffer from population decline due to a lack of females. It is said that when the Dwarves die, their bodies return to the stone they were made and their souls are gathered to separate chambers within the Halls of Mandos; waiting for the Dagor Dagorath (Last Battle). After the Last Battle, the Dwarves would be hallowed by Eru and ordained to rebuild the world, along with Aulë.

Dwarves of the First Age[edit]

  • Durin (the Deathless): The eldest of the seven Fathers of the Dwarves. He's founder of the royal House of Durin and is the ruler of the Longbeards. He awoke in Mount Gundabad and travelled southwards, along the Misty Mountains, until he saw a starry crown reflected on a pool upon his head. There he'd founded Khazad-dûm, greatest of the Dwarf mansions, and which would later be known as Moria. He lived for more than two-and-a-half thousand years, hence the title "The Deathless", until the ending years of the 1st Age. Yet even after his death, it's believed that Durin returns from the Halls and incarnates as a new King Durin (presumptively thanks to massive favouritism from Aulë). In later unpublished works, Tolkien may have retconned this instead to where Durin doesn't reincarnate so much as his body regenerates and returns to the world of the living anytime that Durin's Folk is without an heir. Thus Durin restarts the royal line, and that the other Dwarf Fathers have this ability as well.
  • Telchar: One of the most famous Dwarf smiths of all, whose craftsmanship could only be matched by Fëanor or equalled by very few on Middle Earth. He's the creator of Narsil, of the knife Angrist which Beren used, and of the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin.

Petty-Dwarves[edit]

The Petty-Dwarves were a sub-species of Dwarf who were cast out by the other Clans for wicked behavior. They were hunted like animals during their exile by Elves who weren't aware that other sentient species could exist. When the Elves made contact with other Dwarves, they stopped and left them in peace. By the late 400s of the First Age only three remained, a father and his two sons.

  • Mîm's Family: Mîm was the last Petty-Dwarf alongside his sons Ibun and Khîm, who presumably wouldn't be allowed to marry other Dwarves because of their exile, leaving them without potential spouses, and their mother's death sealed their fate. The three lived together in their fathers home in a hill/small mountain, Amon Rûdh and were left alone until, by misfortune, Túrin's gang of anti-Morgoth resistance outlaws happened upon Ibun and Khîm and one of them, Andróg, killed Khîm with a bow during the panic. Túrin repented of his followers mistake and offered their service to Mîm, who accepted and assisted Túrin with resisting Morgoth for a year. Unfortunately, Beleg's arrival pissed Mîm off, understandably so as a genocide victim meeting a warrior of the people who slaughtered all his kin, and arranged to betray the outlaws with an Orc warband, on the condition that they spare Túrin and Ibun and also leave Beleg for Mîm to kill. Andróg, mortally injured, scared Mîm off from the wounded Beleg, then sacrificed himself to repent of his accidental murder and to save Túrin, Beleg and his son Andvír. Ibun either died in the battle, or of some other cause before his father. Mîm then took Nauglamír in the ruins of Nargothrond, and held home and hearth there until 502 of the First Age, whereupon he was killed by Húrin, who saw him as partially responsible for his sons accursed life. Mîm's dying curse on the treasure doomed Doriath and King Thingol and caused the Second Kinslaying. Mîm's death rendered the Petty-Dwarves extinct.

Dwarves of the Second Age[edit]

  • Narvi

Dwarves of the Third and Fourth Ages[edit]

Dwarves apparently peacefully went extinct after reclaiming all their lost homes and holds, with the possible exception of Gimli who was allowed into the Undying Lands and may had been given the immortality of an Elf.

  • Gimli, son of Glóin: Of the non-royal branch of the house of Durin. Generally recognized as the archetypal Dwarf hero in fiction, bar none. Fact is, if you see any Dwarf hero in a Fantasy work who uses an axe and isn't a magically powered Cleric-type, then that character is probably at least somewhat inspired by Gimli.
  • Thrór: Ruler of Erebor before it was taken by Smaug. After the great exodus of the dwarves, Thror attempted to retake Moria. Thror was killed by Azog, but was avenged by his grandson Thorin.
  • Thrain II: Son of Thror. Thrain was imprisoned by the Necromancer of Dol Guldur, later revealed to be Sauron, and had his Ring of Power stolen. He was discovered by Gandalf, and Thrain gave Gandalf the map and key to Erebor, dying shortly after.
  • Dáin II (Ironfoot): Ruler of the Iron Hills; after the death of Thorin Oakenshield, he inherited rule of Erebor. He took an active part in the oft-forgotten northern theatre of the War of the Ring, but was killed at the gates of Erebor by a countless number of Easterlings.
  • Thorin III (Stonehelm): Chronologically, the last known King Under the Mountain before Durin the Last. He rebuilt Erebor and Dale, helped Gimli settle the Glittering Caves in Rohan, and started a new campaign of mining Mithril in Khazad-dûm.
  • Durin VI: Famously known for having awakened up the Balrog that laid beep in Moria. Said Balrog slew many-a Dwarves and even Durin was killed. And so the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm were forced out and went on a great exodus.
  • Durin VII (The Last): The last reincarnation of Durin the Deathless, cleared out Moria and fully rebuilt the Dwarf kingdom. The Dwarves are strongly implied to have quietly died out some time after his death.
Thorin Oakenshield & Companions[edit]
  • Thorin II (Oakenshield): Heir of Erebor and leader of the dwarves in exile. Thorin leads the quest for Erebor, eventually succeeding in retaking the kingdom from Smaug. However, he succumbs to dragon-sickness and very nearly goes to war with the Elves, but recovers from his madness long enough to join the battle against the Orcs outside the city gates. Thorin died in battle.
    • Balin, son of Fundin:cousin to Thorin and Dain. Balin served as Thorin's advisor during the Quest for Erebor, and later attempted to retake Moria with a small expeditionary force of Dwarves. Balin's fate was unknown until the Fellowship passed through Moria and discovered his dead body. According to Gloin, he was convinced by "whispers" to retake Moria despite the obvious dangers; its speculated that Sauron or his agents may have been involved as Erebor remained a target of interest after it was retaken."
    • Glóin, son of Gróin: Gimli's dad. One of the few real links between Hobbit and LoTR, as he was actually present at the Coucil of Elrond alongside his son.
    • Óin, son of Gróin: Glóin's brother. Died in Moria alongside Balin.
    • Fili and Kili: Thorin's nephews. Died in the Battle of Five Armies defending their relative. Yes, that's LITERALLY all of their character (at least in the books). Peter Jackson films flesh them out some, though as this entailed giving one of them a romance with a made-for-the-films character, many fans were not impressed.
    • Dori, Nori, and Ori: Dori is a pessimistic yet strong (literally the strongest one in the team) and reliable one. Ori was killed by Durin's Bane. Nori is uhhh...
    • Bombur, and cousins Bofur and Bifur: Bombur is a fat one who is slow and complains a lot, but also gets his character development by being so traumatized from Mirkwood that he becomes a complete wreck of a... well, Dwarf. Latter two are irrelevant.
Other Dwarves[edit]
  • Nauglath/Nauglir/Nornwaith: The Wicked Dwarves of the East who had fallen under the Shadow, of which little is known about. Briefly encountered in the First Age by the freshly awoken Men, who could tell that they were of "evil mind" and distrusted them. May have existed in the Third Age as well, where they may have possibly made alliances with Orcs.

Hobbits[edit]

Hobbits appear to be a sub-species of human. Their origins are left deliberately vague since they were always meant to be an unremarkable people who did not take part in the great tales of the world, instead preferring to keep to themselves and living simple, peaceful lives. See Hobbits for more details.

  • Bilbo Baggins: The protagonist of the original Middle-Earth story. Starts out as a standard Hobbit (likes food and smoking pipes, not ambitious, deathly afraid of adventure, etc.) But Gandalf ropes him into the quest to Erebor, and he becomes the group's "burglar", making him the Ur-example of the "Halfling Thief/Rogue member of an adventuring party". Found the One Ring and managed to "win" it from Gollum by outwitting him in a game of riddles. Though not a fighter himself, his actions were still instrumental in helping the Dwarves reclaim their ancestral home from Smaug and stopping the forces of the Necromancer after. By the time of the War of the Ring, he retires to Rivendell and then accompanies the Elves on their journey to the West. The One Ring is thus inherited by...
    • Frodo Baggins ...Bilbo's nephew. Main hero of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and initially a total nice guy. So nice, in fact, that he's able to resist the One Ring's corrupting influence longer and better than most. This makes him "the Ringbearer", and he is tasked with being the one to take the One Ring to Mordor to destroy it. Sadly, while Frodo means well, he's also as useless in a fight as one would expect a guy who's lived a pastoral existence his whole life to be. This not only requires the other good guys to bodyguard him throughout his adventure, but also results in him being (in order) stabbed by the Witch-King, stabbed by a Troll, stabbed by Shelob's stinger (notice a pattern?), captured by Orcs, and finally getting a finger bitten off by Gollum. Suffice to say, after being Middle-Earth's biggest punching bag for so long, Frodo is so shell-shocked that he realizes he can no longer stay in Middle-Earth, and so after helping to kick Sharkey (AKA Saruman) and his gang out of the Shire, joins his uncle Bilbo in sailing to the West with the Elves, bringing his story to a bittersweet close.
  • Smeagol / Gollum: Found the One Ring alongside his brother long after Isildur's death. Sadly, where Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam were all able to resist the One Ring to varying degrees, Smeagol...didn't. Instead, he succumbed to corruption and killed his brother. From there, the One Ring morphed him into a "not-Goblin" monster who lived a tormented existence for centuries...until Bilbo swiped the Ring from him. By the time Gollum found the One Ring again, it was now in Frodo's possession, and for a time Gollum agreed to serve Frodo and Sam. Gollum swears his loyalty upon the Ring itself, which Frodo warns him repeatedly that the Ring itself would punish him by casting him into the fire if he ever betrayed Frodo- yes this is foreshadowing, and its probably why it was cut from the films, so as not to basically spoil the ending. Unfortunately, whether because his dark side is just too strong or because of a Faramir-caused misunderstanding (depending on the version of the story), Gollum regresses to evil and betrays Frodo and Sam to Shelob. This does not actually let him get the Ring back though. Ultimately meets his end, perhaps fittingly, where his "precious" was first forged; he bites the Ring off of Frodo, but then falls into the lava below shortly after (in the books he falls on his own, in the movies, he's falls over while struggling with Frodo). Widely hailed as one of fiction's great tragic villains, and, since the movies, a veritable fountain of memes.
  • Samwise "Sam" Gamgee: If there's a candidate for main hero of the Lord of the Rings besides Frodo himself, it would be Sam, his best bro, gardener, bodyguard, and hypercompetent sidekick all rolled into one. As the guy who sticks with Frodo no matter what Middle-Earth throws at them, resists the One Ring's corruption even better than Frodo does, and able to face down threats many Men would balk at (like Shelob), Sam is acknowledged in-universe and out as the greatest Hobbit to ever live. So in summary, incorruptible, loyal, and better than you.
  • Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took: Frodo's cousins and closest friends besides Sam, and basically the "comic relief duo" of the story, though they do both know how to get serious when needed. Among other things they help get the Ents to join the War of the Ring and kick Saruman's teeth in and partake in many of the big battles of the War of the Ring. Merry helps Eowyn kill the Witch-King (albeit by stabbing him in the back while he'd distracted), and Pippin kills a Troll. They also each get to don the attire of one of the great kingdoms of Men (Rohan for Merry and Gondor for Pippin).
  • Fredeger "Fatty" Bolger: Frodo's other friend, but never makes an appearance in the movies. Fatty gets a bad rap for not wanting to leave with Frodo and go through the Old Forest, but he still had a part to play in staying behind and convince people that Frodo still lived in the Shire. When the Nazgul arrived, he raised the Horn of Buckland to drive them off, and later aided Frodo in the Scouring of the Shire. On a darker note, after being locked away by the ruffians to starve, no one called him Fatty anymore.
  • Farmer Maggot: Local farmer...or so he seems. In fact, he is one of the few Hobbits in the Shire who not only knows about what goes on in the greater world, but actively works in conjunction with Gandalf as needed to ferry and receive information. So basically a Hobbit Secret Agent.
  • The Sackville Baggins: Proof that even Hobbits can be unlikable assholes, the Sackville-Baggins are relatives of Frodo who neither he nor anyone else particularly like. Basically a couple of obnoxious gold-diggers who Frodo sells the Shire to before heading off on his journey (an action he doesn't enjoy more than anyone else). If there's any nice thing that can be said about them, it's that they do later assist in the ejection of Sharkey and his goons from the Shire, showing they, like all Hobbits, can be courageous when it matters most. Absent in the movies, but unlike Glorfindel and a certain someone, most aren't likely to mind too much.

Valar, Maiar, and anything in between[edit]

Have their own page.

Orcs[edit]

Orcs/Goblins: See Orcs. Though not what you see with Imperial Stormtrooper variants, they still come in a few varieties:

  • Snaga: The Black Speech word for Slave or Servant. This contemptuous term is used amongst the Orcs of Mordor and Isengard to refer to the "lesser" AKA regular Orcs, with the implication that they are only fighting for their master because they are being forced to.
  • Uruks: A superior breed of Orcs created by Sauron in the middle of the Third Age through either eugenic practices or dark sorcery, most likely both. Uruks are resistant to sunlight (or at least far more able to tolerate it), and are taller and stronger than their lesser kin, though possibly only almost as tall or strong as Men. Uruk is the Black Speech word for Orc, which opens up a whole mess of questions as to why regular Orcs are not called Uruks while these orcs of superior breeding are, although it could simply be a matter of social hierarchy given the existence and roles of Snaga within Orc society.
    • Black Uruks: Another name for the Uruks of Mordor who served Sauron. May possibly have been a title only granted to the cream of the crop of Uruks, being those were of the strongest breeding and greatest devotion to Sauron, and were possibly further augmented by being "infused" with Sauron's will or dark sorcerous enchantments.
    • Uruk-Hai: Saruman's take on the above project, with these Orcs being the product of either crossbreeding lesser Orcs with Goblin-Men or crossbreeding Goblin-Men with Men, all with his own sorcery added to the mix. This experiment is said to been even more successful than Sauron's own, with the Orcs produced being as tall and strong as Men and very-resistant/tolerant of sunlight. The etymology of their name has some interesting implications, as said above, Uruk is Black Speech for Orc, while Hai is the suffix for "Folk"/people, with the result being "Orc-Folk". By calling themselves this, the Uruk-Hai are saying that they are the Orc-People, while all the other Orcs are merely just Orcs and not worthy of being called a people, which sounds very master-race-like doesn't it? In-universe, the other Orcs who interacted with them hate and distrust the Uruk-Hai of Isengard for placing themselves above them and looking down on them, which lends credence to this implication.
  • Goblin-Men/Half-Orcs: A hybrid of lesser Orcs and Humans. Look mostly human, albeit rather ugly and "sallow-skinned". Often serve as spies for their full-blooded kin, but most seemed to exist as outlaws and bandits, possibly being the descendants of fully Human criminals and outcasts who shacked up with the Orcs who lived in the Misty Mountains and other isolated areas. Half-Orcs may have been a distinctive breed apart from Goblin-Men, but the differences between the two are never made clear. Very, very minor part of the lore, and you hardly ever see them outside of the books proper.
  • Mountain Orcs/Goblins: Orcs that live in the Misty Mountains and other northern mountain ranges. Largely left to do their own thing, they mug random passersby and launch raids against human settlements. Looked down on by Mordor Orcs and Uruk-Hai as being a bunch of feral tribals, who in turn look down on them for being "slaves to the Shadow" even though they are quick to bend the knee when emissaries from Mordor come calling. Sometimes called Goblins due to linguistic shenanigans, but either way they are the same size and "race" as other normal Orcs, although many extra-canonical works (including the movies and the video games based off of them), tend to call Mountain Orcs "Goblins" and portray them as being the smallest of the Orc breeds, distinct from "regular" Orcs.
  • Snufflers: A race of small, darkfurred orcs with big nostrils who were used like humanoid hunting hounds by their larger cousins. May have simply been a mutation or breedable trait rather than an actual sub-race. Never seen or mentioned outside of the books, so they're a concept that didn't catch on with most folks.

Similarly, while they get less attention than the Free Peoples, there are still some named Orc/Uruk-hai characters in the franchise:

  • Azog the Defiler: An Orc Chieftain of Moria prior to the events of The Hobbit. He murdered the Dwarven King Thrór, and had the gall to say that he executed him for "trespassing" in Moria. He beheaded Thrór, branded his own name on his forehead in Dwarven Runes, and even dismembered his corpse after insulting Thrór's companion Nár and throwing a small bag of gold coins to him. This event started the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, which ended when Dáin II Ironfoot slew Azog at the Battle of Azanulbizar. Azog was succeeded by his son Bolg.
    • The Peter Jackson Hobbit movies had him survive his canon death so as to effectively become the main villain of the trilogy. Most fans were not impressed.
  • Bolg: Bolg, son of Azog, was an Orc Chieftain who led a coalition of Orcs during the time of The Hobbit. Vengeful over his father's death at the hands of the Dwarves, he rallied the Orcs of the Misty Mountains along with the Orcs of Goblin Town at Mount Gundabad, and along with a host of Wargs, marched them to battle at Erebor for the Battle of Five Armies. Bolg was killed in battle by Beorn, who had taken the shape of a bear.
    • In the Hobbit Trilogy, Bolg is demoted to a second-in-command due to dad still being alive, and Legolas kills him instead after a battle that involves him defying gravity.
  • Uglúk: An Uruk-Hai of Isengard who led the company which attacked the Fellowship at Amon Hen and captured Merry and Pippin. After being harried and encircled by Riders of Rohan under Éomer's command, Uglúk and his entire company were slain in battle, with Uglúk being personally killed by Éomer in a sword-fight.
  • Gothmog: Only mentioned briefly in Return of the King and no other description given than "Castellan of Minas Morgul", he took command over Mordors force that was still besieging Minas Tirith after the Witch-King was slain. The reason he is listed here is because Peter Jackson made him a heavily scarred Orc in the movie adaptation, the books never mention his race. Some Tolkien Scholars hold the opinion that he was actually one of the Nazgûl.
  • Grishnákh: An Orc Captain of Mordor who led his own raiding party of Mordor Orcs in search of the Fellowship. He crossed paths with Uglúk's company in Rohan and tried to intimidate him into turning over Merry and Pippin to his custody, but was unable to do so and lacked the numbers to overtake the individually superior Uruk-Hai. He attempted to depart to the east, but was driven back towards Uglúk's company by the encircling Riders under Éomer, and thus made his last stand together with Uglúk's company near the eaves of the Fangorn Forest.
  • Gorbag: A Black Uruk Captain of Mordor who personally served the Nazgûl in Minas Morgul. He; together with Shagrat; found a paralyzed Frodo while on patrol near Cirith Ungol. He was rather observant and wily for an Orc, and was able to deduce that Frodo was not alone in his trespassing and was merely paralyzed by Shelob instead of dead. He attempted to steal Frodo's mithril shirt for himself, but in doing so provokes a fight with Shagrat, which in turn sparks a small insurrection which pitted Gorbag's patrol against Shagrat's garrison. After shanking Shagrat and failing to finish him off with a broken spear, he is killed and trampled by Shagrat. In the movies, it's Shagrat who tries to take the shirt and Gorbag who is loyal to Sauron, and Sam kills him instead.
  • Shagrat: A Black Uruk Lieutenant of Mordor who commanded the garrison of the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Shagrat disagreed with Gorbag about what to do with Frodo, and tensions between him and Gorbag's troops sparked a small insurrection. After slaying Gorbag and defeating his underlings, Shagrat took Frodo's mithril shirt and journeyed to Barad-dûr. After delivering the mithril shirt and news of the incident at Cirith Ungol, he was executed by Sauron. In the movie, he's the one who tries to take the shirt for himself, but otherwise presumably dies in the same way.

Dragons[edit]

The classic, archetypal dragon. Created by Morgoth in the First Age as his most powerful agents. Sub-Types include:

  • Cold-drakes: Lesser Dragons who are unable to breath fire, but they are still a couple tons of muscle and scales and are more numerous than the proper Fire-drake Dragons. Those that remain live in the frozen wasteland of Forodwaith in the desolate north of Middle Earth, although even then they still fuck with the Dwarves who lived in the Grey Mountains, even managing to infest the valley of the Withered Heath.
  • Sea-serpents: Also known as Fish-dragons, little is known about this particular breed of dragons except what they were called by, and that Morgoth had also created them. It can be devised that they were either intended to fight Cirdan and the Elven ships in Beleriand; to battle the Host of the West, which would have to cross the ocean; to contest with Ulmo, just as the winged-dragons contested with Manwë and his eagles; or some combination of these possibilities.
  • Spark-dragons: Sometimes known as Shock-dragons. Nothing is known about them save for this Elven nomenclature.

As for named Dragons of note:

  • Glaurung: The Father of all Dragons, and a thoroughly sadistic prick whose main claim to infamy is hypnotizing and cursing Turin into marrying and knocking up his own sister for sick kicks before his death. He is slain by Turin's cursed sword, Gurthang, but gets the last laugh by revealing Turin's marriage is incestuous with his dying words.
  • The Fire-drake of Gondolin: An unnamed Dragon that partook in the Sacking of Gondolin. Big enough to carry multiple Balrogs on its back. Its physiology and its being unleashed on Gondolin alongside the Balrogs suggests it may have been meant to be Glaurung's replacement, but it too was presumably eventually slain (although its death is never outright shown).
  • Scatha the Wyrm: So named for his long, serpentine body, he was a treasure-hoarder like Smaug. Got killed by an ancestor of Eorl the Young named Fram after the local men and Dwarves got sick of him stealing from them.
  • Gostir: This dragon is only known by name and was one of Morgoth's dragons. Nothing else is written about him, not even what kind of dragon he was! However, considering that Gostir is Sindarin for "Terrible Sight", he must have been either one extremely ugly or especially scary-looking dragon. Alternatively, if you interept the "thîr" comprisant component of his Sindarin name to refer not to his face, but instead his expression as per one of the alternative definitions of that word; then Gostir might have been a dragon that had an especially potent hypnotic or mesmerizing stare like that of Glaurung.
  • Ancalagon the Black: Morgoth's ultimate Dragon, he saw action during the epic War of Wrath and fell during the battle despite initially beating back the entire host of the Valar. Also one of the biggest fucking Dragons in all of fiction, as multiple "Dragon size comparisons" on the internet have shown. Seriously, this guy was the size of mountains, and his death destroyed some too when he fell from the sky. How in the heck the good guys were ever able to beat Morgoth with this dude on his side is anyone's guess.
  • Smaug: The last, and by far the most famous, of all the Middle-Earth Dragons, he lived into the Third Age where he took over Erebor, slaughtered the Dwarves there, and helped himself to their treasure. He lorded over the mountain and its hoard for many years until a company of Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield and aided by Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey finally coaxed him out of his lair, leading to his eventual death when Bard the Bowman shot an arrow that hit him in his one weak-spot. Probably the single most iconic part of The Hobbit, and a highlight of both movie adaptations (yes, even the widely disliked Hobbit trilogy).

Other Creatures[edit]

Trolls: Made by Morgoth "in mockery of the Ents", Trolls are giant and stupid creatures often used by the orcs as warbeasts. Like the Orcs themselves, some specially bred Trolls are called "Olog-Hai" and are used as especially dangerous shock troops. Certain breeds, called "stone trolls," will turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

  • Olog-Hai: Sapient trolls who were the troll equivalent of Uruk-Hai.
  • Half-trolls of Far-Harad: A possibly mythical race of allegedly half Troll and Men crossbreeds. The confusion is due to them only being referenced a single time within canon at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, where the warriors of Far Harad who fought for Sauron were likened to "Half-trolls" and described as being rather large and having "black skin with white eyes and red tongues". May have just been African-type warriors, but the fact that they were described as having "white eyes and red tongues", suggests that they were not actually normal Men, and instead Salamander-like giants with pitch-black skin and blank, pupil-less white eyes and scarlet red tongues. Alternatively, they COULD have been actually half-man, half-troll, Norwegian myth had that as an explanation for people who were especially ugly hermits or mighty yet ugly warriors. The warrior culture of the Far Harad tribals could view the jungle trolls as virile symbols of barbaric power and Savage Fertility, resulting in zulu-looking men and women boning wild trolls in the jungle, resulting in these bestial half-kin.
  • Frost Trolls: A large, shaggy breed of furred trolls native to the far north. Very minor part of the lore, with even more video games and other expanded material not using them.
  • Ettens: Another name for Trolls, in the same sense that Goblin is another name for Orcs. Namesake of the Ettenmoors, as Trolls used to infest the region during the time of the Witch-realm of Angmar. "The Etten" was the disguise of an Orc and Troll wearing the same costume to disguise themselves as a massive mutant Troll warlord in the Shadow of War game, so in that version of Middle Earth, Ettens could refer to the more popular pop culture version as two-headed trolls/giants with orcish blood popularized in D&D.

Ents: Tree-herders, created by Yavanna to protect the forests. The Ents are extremely old, perhaps the only beings that can rival elves in age. They speak their own unique language that sounds like creaking wood, and are very slow and deliberate in their actions. The Ents are divided into males and females, but by the Third Age, the Entwives have disappeared, leaving the Ent race to eventually vanish.

Werewolves: Fearsome wolves possessed by evil spirits, created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age, but have lingered on throughout the following ages. Generally associated with Sauron, who is considered the master of all Werewolves and could also shapeshift into Middle-Earth's biggest one.

Vampires: Either possibly humanoid bats or just really large sapient and malevolent blood-drinking bats created as minions of Morgoth in the First Age. Very little is known about them. Associated mainly with Sauron, who took the form of one on at least one occasion to escape from Huan, and because the only named Vampire (Thuringwethil), was a servant of Sauron.

Nameless Things: Things without names, of course. Or much description for that matter. Said by Gandalf to be older than Sauron and live deep beneath the Earth, such that even the Dwarves have never encountered them. Gandalf encountered them in passing while he fought Durin's Bane deep in the tunnels of the Earth after he fell from the bridge of Khazad-Dûm, but even then he refuses to "darken the light of day" with a description of them. Tolkien makes the inference that because these Nameless Things are nameless, that makes them especially dreadful and evil, though they're also largely unconnected with the main conflict that plays out in the story, and exist mostly to add to the world's mystery, as not all dangerous and terrible things are under the Dark Lord's control. They seem rather Lovecraftian in their description. Various types of Nameless Things were featured in the Lord of the Rings MMO, including one that was infecting orcs with a parasitic fungus like the Cordyceps strain from The Last of Us to turn them into its own army

Mumakil: Giant elephant-like creatures from Far Harad, used by the Southrons as warbeasts much in the same way as war elephants of ancient times were used.

Great beasts/Great beasts of Gorgoroth: Large beasts of burden used in Mordor. Not described in any detail at all, except that they were used to pull the battering ram Grond during the Siege of Minas Tirith. Are shown in the game "Gollum" as ornery, rhino-like creatures used as beasts of burden by the Uruks.

Undead: exist in various forms and are specific in how they come about. The most iconic are the Nazgul, or ring-wraiths. Wraiths are a special class of undead that are apparently created and controlled by Sauron when he enslaves a mortal being to his will, principally through the life-extending rings of power. Magic is used to bind the wraith's invisible flesh to their spirit, and it is only with special magic weapons that they can be killed (or the One Ring is destroyed). Next are ghosts, as seen with the Oathbreakers. Because they have no physical presence, ghosts cannot actually interact with the mortal realm. Normally, human spirits leave Arda altogether upon death, but the Oathbreakers are a special case because of the nature of their curse. Illuvatar doesn't allow their spirits to leave Arda until their oaths are fulfilled. Lastly, you have the Barrow-Wights, which are described as dead bodies inhabited by evil spirits; its suggested that these evil spirits are the souls of dead elves (who didn't go to the Halls of Mandos) that were captured by Sauron and enslaved to his will.

Caragors: Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War exclusive, being basically bigger, nastier Wargs. Devs even said they're to a Warg what a lion is to a wolf.

Graugs: Also a Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War exclusive. Large, ugly giant monsters big enough to literally eat trolls for breakfast, but can be mounted by Talion, at which point he can basically use them like a fantasy version of King Kong in New York City. Their full name is "Olog-Graug", which would indicate they are actually some sort of enormous, feral troll, which would mean they're cannibals.

Creatures of Myth: These creatures are likely fictional, as they are only referenced in poems, verse, song, or story. However, that doesn't necessarily mean they weren't actually real. Tolkien did like to keep an air of mystery about it.

  • Were-Wyrms: Giant Sandworms like something out of Dune or Tremors. Possibly mythical, as they were only referenced offhandedly in The Hobbit, in a line that suggests they are something of a folktale. Showed up in the third Peter Jackson Hobbit movie. Older media portrayed them as a form of wingless, legless dragon.
  • Ogres: In-between Orc and Troll in Size, probably mythical and in the same circumstances as the Giants given that they were only mentioned in The Hobbit as well. May also have just been another name for Trolls. Three of them were among Azog's horde in the Hobbit movies during their assault on Laketown, and Games Workshop included models of them for their game.
  • Giants: Huge humanoids of myth. Only referenced in passing through tales of folklore, but did make an appearance in The Hobbit, where "stone-giants" were described as throwing rocks at each while the Thorin's party attempted to passed through the Misty Mountains. That Giants did not appear or were explicitly referenced after The Hobbit suggests that they were an early idea which was dropped from the greater canon when Tolkien consolidated it with the writing of the main series.
  • Turtle-Fish: Giant Snapping Turtle sea monsters. Pretended to be islands before sinking when prey got off their boats and explored their shell, before consuming the drowning sailors. Mentioned only in verse within The Hobbit.
  • Glowworms and Great glow-worms: Bioluminescent worms of myth said to "creep along the Path of Dreams". Only mentioned in early versions of the legendarium.
  • Badger-Folk: Upright walking sapient badgers, skepticism is required due to this being told as part of a story by Tom Bombadil.
  • Lintips: Small, mousey-smelling creatures from the Moon which rode down to Middle-Earth on a moonbeam. Another tall tale from Tom Bombadil.
  • Mewlips: Evil, amphibious creatures that prey on travelers in the Long Marshes. Possibly fictitious, or misidentified orcs. Some older LOTR RPG materials described them as some form of ghoul-like aquatic undead. Could also be some sort of subspecies of Orc which overcame their dislike of water to become something akin to Koalinths.

Items of significance[edit]

We're kind of bloating the definition of "character" here, but there are quite a couple of items in Middle-Earth that might as well be characters since Tolkien assigns a great deal of significance to them.

  • Silmarili: The 3 Silmarils were made by Fëanor using the lights of the Two Trees of Valinor (Telperion and Laurelin). These jewels were so beautiful and powerful that the Valar believed the fate of the entire world were bound by them. Additionally, they were capable of making the wielder and the land the fairest of all the world. When Melkor first saw them, it was his main desire to seize them; and when he eventually stole them he burned his hand in the process (since the gems tend to burn unhallowed flesh). The theft of the Silmarils would cause a chain of events which would cause a lot of destruction, betrayal and death. Fëanor and the majority of the Noldorin Elves would pursue Melkor(now called Morgoth) into Middle-earth, and for the next solar centuries they would attempt to reclaim the Silmarils. However, by the ending decades of the First Age, only 1 Silmaril would be retrieved and most of the Elf lords that were related to the quest had died. When Morgoth was at last defeated and banished, two of the sons of Fëanor took the two remaining jewels for their own. One of them threw himself into a fiery chasm with the gem, whilst the other threw it to the sea; the last Silmaril was forever worn by Eärendil, as he roamed the sky like a star.
  • Rings of Power: The titular magical rings. There are 20 in total: 3 Elven Rings, 7 Dwarven Rings, 9 Human Rings and the Master Ring. The Rings were created as incredibly powerful magical artefacts by the Elven smith Celebrimbor in Eregion, intended to preserve the world and increase the wisdom and abilities of the wearer. However, this intended purpose was corrupted by Sauron who helped Celebrimbor in the creation of the Dwarven and Human Rings. Sauron intended the Rings to be conduits through which he could control the races of Middle-Earth via binding them all to his Master Ring. The Elven Rings stand out because they were created last and without Sauron's help and therefore remain untouched by his corruption (their power still hinges on the One Ring, though). Tolkien kept the description of what the Rings actually do very vague, from what we could gather from the Elven Rings, they probably all intended to fulfil its wearers deepest desires and guide their people to greater wisdom and understanding of the world. The Elven Rings were not used until Sauron was vanquished for the first time in the battle of the Last Alliance. By the time of the third age, their keepers were Elrond, Galadriel and Gandalf. Galadriel used the power of her Ring to preserve a vision of Valinor in Lothlórien and keep evil out of the forests (to the point that Orcs literally and figuratively could not enter it), what Elrond and Gandalf did with theirs is left to interpretation. The Dwarven Rings are implied to be the main source of their legendary riches with the side-effect that it made them really greedy, awakening the Balrog of Moria and attracting Smaug to Mount Erebor; the Dwarven rings were eventually destroyed or claimed by Sauron. Of the Rings of Men, we know next to nothing, except that their wearers are now the Nazgûl. The Master Ring has the power to dominate the other ringbearers and is strongly implied to be a sentient being of some kind. It radiates a strong allure to anyone who sees it, to the point that people find themselves unable to let it go once they have it (also why Bilbo giving it up is such a testament to his willpower; he was literally the only being in Middle-Earth up to his time who had the Ring and gave it up willingly).
    • The New Ring: Exclusive to the Shadow of Mordor continuity. Forged by Celebrimbor's wraith with help from Talion for the purpose of beating Sauron at his own game. Tolkien actually said that doing this would just create another Sauron, and sure enough, Talion's use of The New Ring doesn't end well for him at all. Appearance wise, it's basically a palette swap of the One Ring, being silver with glowing blue runes instead of gold with glowing orange ones.
  • Lesser Rings: created before the Rings of Power by Celebrimbor and his smiths as practice. As the name implies, their powers are significantly more mundane. Gandalf had originally believed that the ring Bilbo found was one of the lesser rings since it was plain and didn't seem to confer many special abilities. Some of them likely were in Sauron's possession and given to his commanders.
  • Palantiri: The seeing stones. There were seven in total that Elendil brought over from Númenor when he landed in Middle-Earth. They were perfect spheres made of black stone and rumoured to have been created by Fëanor himself. The Palantiri were the key to the early dominance of the Dúnedain in Middle-Earth; with them, they could keep a watch over large swaths of the world and communicate with their kin in far away lands. Using a Palantir is a daunting and esoteric task that was not well understood even when knowledge of the existence of the stones was relatively common (emphasis on relative, the existence of the Palantiri was one of the closest held secrets of the Dúnedain) and as a result, the mileage one could get out of them varied wildly, generally speaking, they responded best to people the stones thought were their rightful owners. Sauron and Saruman famously were frustrated with their inability to utilise their respective Palantir's full potential; for example, Saruman wanted to use the Palantir of Orthanc to search for the ring but found Sauron instead. Used correctly, they gave their users the ability to see far into the land, like you would with a camera-equipped drone and communicate with other users over large distances. By the time of the third age, only four of the seven Palantiri were left: The Palantir of Orthanc which was in Sarumans possession and passed onto Gandalf when Grima threw it out of a window. Gandalf took the Palantir with him to Valinor. Sauron held the Palantir of Minas Ithil, stolen when the Nazgûl sieged and destroyed the city and destroyed when Barad-Dûr collapsed as a result of the destruction of the One Ring. Denethor, by the power of his office, held the Palantir of Minas Tirith, where it passed onto Aragorn when he became King. A fourth one sat in a tower on the western edge of Arnor, directed at where Númenor used to be. The other there were over time lost to the passing of time, Gondor lost the Ithil-Stone when the Nazgûl destroyed Minas Ithil. The largest Palantir of them all was located in Osgiliath and was lost when the city burned down during the Kin-Strife. Arnor had three, one in Annúminas and one in Amon Sûl. All three were lost when Arvedui, the last reigning king of Arnor sought refuge from the Witch-King of Angmar in Forodwaith and drowned when a rescue party sent by the elves of Lindon failed to save him; the stones sank together with their owner.

Apocryphal Characters[edit]

Due to the huge, enduring popularity of Tolkien's writing, many folks over the years have made their own contributions to the lore, effectively giving Tolkien's writings their own "expanded universe". None of these are canon with the books however, and so are listed here instead. Due to how the purists tend to feel about this sort of thing, pretty much all of the characters here are Skub by default.

From Movies[edit]

  • Alfrid: The Master of Laketown's own personal Wormtongue, and even more obnoxious and hatable. Much as Jar-Jar Binks is often seen as the character who killed the Prequels (or else dragged them down), Alfrid is seen in much the same way regarding the Hobbit movies. Not helped by the fact that he gets away with everything (unless you watch the extended cut that is).
  • Lurtz: Probably one of the most famous "not in the books" characters ever, Lurtz is an Uruk-hai leader made by Saruman in the PJ movies who is in charge of the band sent to Amon Hen. He's the one who personally puts three arrows into Boromir before Aragorn moves in to take him out in a suitably epic one-on-one fight scene. Due to the popularity of the PJ movies, the aforementioned epic fight scene, and the fact that Lurtz isn't that important of a character, he tends to be a lot more accepted than many other non-canon characters. Lurtz's role in the books likely would have been taken by Uglúk instead, but PJ wanted to have a menacing Orc antagonist in the first film that would be memorable by being the one to kill Boromir and give Aragorn a tough fight, and to represent the unique threat that the Uruk-Hai posed compared to the bog-standard orc.
  • Sharku: Leader of Saruman's Warg Riders, which guaranteed him status as a boss battle in a few of the video games. Also used to fake out killing off Aragorn in the second movie before Aragorn returned alive. Looks a lot like Freddy Krueger, and his name is a reference to Saruman's book alias during the Scouring of the Shire, "Sharkey".
  • Tauriel: A redheaded Elf waifu played by Evangeline Lily who is crushed on by Legolas and Kili, to the totally chill reactions of most audiences and fans. All told she is reasonably cool, but the general feeling is that making her part of a love triangle that goes nowhere was a dumb idea. Not to mention the "forbidden love" angle had already been done.
  • Gothmog: Only apocryphal-ish, since he does get a mention in Return of the King, being referred by his title "Castellan of Minas Morgul" in two sentences, where he is mentioned taking command of the Orcish warhost that is besieging Minas Tirith after the Witch-King was slain. Other than that, nothing is known about him and he never does get mentioned again, not even in passing. While some Tolkien Scholars hold the opinion that Tolkien was referring to one of the Nazgûl (since Gothmog was the King of the Balrogs, and it seems weird to not assign a name of such a powerful creature to an equally mighty servant of Sauron), Peter Jacksons interpretation of Gothmog was that of a heavily scarred and crippled Orc general that leads the troops on the ground during the Siege of Gondor and the Battle of Minas Tirith. A bit ironic is the fact that, while he is clearly intended to be Gothmog, he is actually never mentioned by name in the movie. Also fun fact, he was played the same Maori actor who also played the Witch-King and Lurtz.

From Video Games[edit]

  • The Third Age Second Fellowship: A B-Team Fellowship who are the playable characters in The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. Sadly, they're all very, very stock as characters, but at least they got to be the protagonists of one of the better Middle-Earth games.
    • Berethor: Gondor Citadel Guard sent by Denethor to find his son Boromir, and also secretly a Manchurian Agent for Saruman and carries another secret in his body. Is fear-proof, and this is actually something that factors into the gameplay.
    • Idrial: Discount Arwen, being a female Elf who fights with a falchion and water magic and who falls in love with the heroic man of Gondor (Berethor in this case). Gets a bit green-eyed when Morwen shows up as a result.
    • Elegost: A Dunedain Ranger who is the party's token archer character. Is best friends with a Dwarf named Hadhod, who is his travelling companion.
    • Hadhod: Party's token Dwarf, but can do shit Gimli can't (fire and earth magic, namely). Is best friends with a Ranger named Elegost, who is his travelling companion.
    • Morwen: Woman of Rohan with a bare midriff orphaned when Saruman's forces scour the lands, she joins the party as the closest thing they have to a dedicated thief/rogue. Fights with dual axes and has a need for vengeance against the enemy.
    • Eaoden: Last member of the party to be recruited, which sadly has the effect of making him even more lacking in personality than the rest. Also from Rohan, he's one of Theoden's Royal Guards and can actually become a serious powerhouse depending on how you allocate his points.
  • Battle for Middle-Earth OCs: Since not every faction in these games has a large number of named folks from the books and films to draw on, EA had to get creative, and so invented some playable hero units whole cloth:
    • Drogoth the Dragon Lord: Hero unit for the Goblins, and basically going "fuck that" to the idea of Smaug being the last dragon.
    • Gorkil the Goblin King: Goblin with delusions of grandeur who hopes to win Sauron's favor by causing trouble in the North. Rides a giant scorpion into battle.
    • Hwaldar the Brigand: A Rhudaur hill chief secretly in league with the Witch-King. Hero unit for the Angmar faction.
    • Karsh the Whisperer: Former Captain of Arnor named Carthaen who the Witch-King turns into a wraith to serve as one of his minions instead of his enemies. Hero unit for Angmar.
    • Morgomir: Lieutenant of Carn Dûm and a Black Numenorean captain who has become of the Nazgul themselves. Hero unit for Angmar.
    • Rogash: The Witch-King's right-hand Troll, being a lot smarter and more dangerous than the standard Olog. Hero unit for Angmar.
  • Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War Characters: The cast of Monolith Production's video game duology:
    • Talion: Protagonist and pure Badass by way of being a brutal one-man army who can cleave through scores of Uruks, kill Ologs, bring Fire Drakes to heel, and even fight and beat Nazgul and Sauron himself. Looks a lot like Aragorn, but his story goes down a much darker path. Slain along with his wife and son at the start of the game, he is resurrected (sort of), by the spirit of Celebrimbor, turning him into a wraith not bound to Sauron. From there, he becomes a ruthless, brutal figure who lives in a world of darkness and evil surrounded on all sides by evildoers he spends his time brutally killing, maiming, and terrorizing. Ultimately becomes a cautionary tale about trying to be a Grimdark Anti-Hero in Tolkien's world though; his bearing a new ring of power made by Celebrimbor and using it to bend Uruks and Ologs to his will to build an army in Mordor, makes him all-too similar to the Dark Lord he's fighting against. It culminates in him losing said Ring, taking a discarded Nazgul ring to save himself, and as a result, becoming one of Sauron's nine Nazgul. A lesson in not fighting Sauron using his methods learned the hard way. In all, most Tolkien purists would consider him way too Grimdark for J.R.R.'s fiction, and have argued that Tolkien would be horrified by his game's content. But again, given what happens to Talion, it's clear the writers understood the inherent folly in trying to fight Sauron with his own methods. Talion is best seen then as a cautionary tale (and thus a reaffirming of Tolkien's values), not a bastardization (this does not stop people from seeing him and his games as that though).
    • Ioreth and Dirhael: Talion's wife and son, who, as the wife and son of a tragic Anti-Hero in a Grimdark story, suffer exactly the fate you expect them to. In Ioreth's case, this is not the only time her VA has played a character in a Fantasy series with a sexy faux-British accent who's in love with a brooding, vengeful Anti-Hero.
    • The Black Captains: A trio of Black Numenoreans who act as the main antagonists of the first game. Each represents a different aspect of Sauron's character, and as the folks who murdered Talion's wife and son, are at the top of his shit-list. They are:
    • Eltariel: A black-clad Elf who acts as a personal assassin for Galadriel, specially tasked with fighting the Nazgul. Badass enough to keep pace with Talion (and ironically has the same voice actress as his dead wife). Takes the New Ring after Talion loses it and becomes a Nazgul.
    • Idril: Gondorian woman who is the daughter of the man in charge of Minas Ithil (which falls much later in the Shadow of Mordor/War continuity). Her daddy betrays the city to the Witch-King on the condition that Idril will be spared, and afterwards Idril leads the surviving Gondorian forces in Mordor. Comments on various collectibles Talion can find scattered throughout Mordor.
    • Baranor: A man born in Harad who was given to Gondor as part of a peace exchange and raised by them. Actually did pretty well for himself, becoming a captain in Gondor's army and helping lead the defense of Minas Ithil before it falls. Playable in one of Shadow of War's DLCs, and since he has no Ring of Power, if he dies, its actually Game Over.
    • Carnan: An Ent-Wife (or else something like it) and a super-powerful nature spirit who talks weird. Said to be a contemporary of Morgoth, which would make her ancient if true. Resides in a very forested, scenic part of Mordor that feels more like a part of Lothlorien or Rivendell then anything under Sauron's control, but that is likely owing in part to Carnan's presence. Though mostly a neutral figure unconcerned with the affairs of lesser beings, when a Balrog starts burning her forest down, she joins forces with Talion and Celebrimbor.
    • Tar-Goroth: A Balrog awakened by the forging of the New Ring, meaning his rampage is technically Talion and Celebrimbor's fault. There for the sake of having a boss fight with a Balrog.
    • Zog the Eternal: An Uruk sorcerer who seeks to summon Tar-Goroth and use him as a living weapon, including against Sauron himself, making him an Uruk with delusions of grandeur. Suffice to say, Talion puts a stop to his plans.
    • Bruz the Chopper: An Olog with an Australian accent who is one of Talion's first recruits, but later turns on him when he doesn't get a promotion. Talion responds by mind-raping him, which drives him insane. What happens to him after that is up to the player.
    • Suladan: OC Nazgul made for the games, one who funny enough shares a name with one of Games Workshop's original characters from the Lord of the Rings: Strategy Battle Game. Nothing to suggest this is the same character though. His backstory is basically Ar-Pharazon, but a king of the South instead of Numenor, and turned into a Nazgul instead of getting punished by Eru.
    • Nazgul Sisters (Riya and Yukka): Yes, seriously. A pair of twin sisters from an obscure, rarely seen kingdom of man based off of Asian cultures who killed two of Sauron's Nazgul and took their Rings for themselves...which turned them into new Nazgul. Actually try to take power for themselves, but after Eltariel whoops their asses they seem to give up on that idea. Fight with Kusarigama type weapons instead of the usual Morgul Blades.

From Amazon's Rings of Power[edit]

  • Arondir: Black Legolas with a bit of Aragorn / Beren mixed in, or else a male Arwen, since he's doing the whole Elf/Human romance thing, which his fellow Elves point out doesn't end happily for those who do it. Might be Theo's father, but unconfirmed as yet.
  • Bronwyn - Arondir's forbidden human lover (so the Luthien to his Beren, but with the races reversed), who is most notable for somehow commanding humans that escaped Orc invasion despite being a simple farmer (yeah, no signs of any class higher than peasants at all in Southlands).
  • Theo: Bronwyn's son that currently has super cool dark weapon on his hands, which seems to be a Morgul Blade, leading to fan theories that he'll turn into a Nazgul. Notably, we never get a good look at his ears, suggesting he might be Arondir's kid (which would fit given that he's his mom's boyfriend).
  • Halbrand: Mysterious human that joins Galadriel in her quest. Has a lot in common with Aragorn (such as being the successor to a kingdom long vanished), but was ultimately revealed to be a certain other canon character. Given all of the hints beforehand, namely his silver tongue, talent for manipulation, the fact that he's trying to rule the Southlands (aka Mordor), his asking Adar (who claimed to kill Sauron), if he recognized him, and keen interest and skill in blacksmithing, (to the point that he claimed no one knew the craft better than him and was able to help Celebrimbor make the Rings of Power), this identity reveal didn't come as a shock to anybody when it came...except Galadriel. Speaking of, he got the hots for her during the time they spent together, and attempted to convince her to join him, but it didn't take (obviously). At the end of the season, he does what none should be able to do...he simply walked into Mordor.
  • Adar: Elvish for "father", he's a corrupted but charismatic black armored Elf (according to himself, he's a "first-generation orc", with visible scar on his head where Morgoth poured his evil... corruption juice... thing) who leads a band of Orcs hoping to do...something. Might be Maedhros (since he's got a gauntlet over one hand, and Maedhros burned one of his hands grabbing a Silmaril). Played by Benjen Stark's actor, meaning both of the Stark brother's actors have now been in Middle-Earth adaptations.
  • Eärien: Elendil's daughter and an architect-in-training, and that's pretty much it so far. She opposes intervention into the Middle Earth and Pharazôn's son has the hots for her. While the showrunners decided to include her for "female energy," she does very little to actually drive the plot, apart from convince Kemen to burn some ships in order to stop the Numenoreans from leaving because... reasons?
  • Kemen: Pharazon's son (presumably from a woman other than Tar-Miriel, since Pharazon hasn't married her yet). Has the hots for Elendil's daughter.
  • Nori Brandyfoot - HobbitHarfoot girl, since we can't have a Tolkien adaptation without Hobbits. Like Frodo and Bilbo pretty clearly meant to be an audience surrogate, but a lot more eager for adventure at the outset than the latter. Probably won't be carrying anyone's ring around, but you never know. Currently palling around with a mysterious stranger who might actually be Gandalf, furthering the Frodo/Bilbo parallels. No relation to the Dwarf of Thorin's company despite the name.
  • Poppy Proudfellow: Sam to Nori's Frodo, basically. Not much else to say.
  • Sadoc Burrows: Elder of the Harfoot tribe. There was some initial controversy over his casting, with some people even making the point that how did the isolated hobbits change from multi-ethnic to lilY-white after a few centuries? (Though Tolkien does describe the Harfoots as darker skinned than other Hobbit types). His character became even more skub when it was discovered that in spite of the Harfoot's claims that "nobody gets left behind" and "harfoots have hearts as big as their feet," they very regularly abandon other tribe members to death and even outright sabotage their wagons if the tribe gets fed up with them. So yeah, people think of harfoots as sociopaths now. In Sadoc's case though, its suggested that his having to leave behind his own wife and child hardened him into his current state. Dies after getting knifed by the Morgoth cult, even though Meteor Man should be able to heal him.
  • Disa: Durin's wife. Her being black got the predictable reaction, but she's actually more canon-friendly than many of the other characters in the show due to the fact that her name is listed in the appendices (though many people still complained WHERE'S HER BEARD???). Helps convince her husband to cut Elrond some slack for not seeing him in 20 years. Disa is also some sort of priestess for Khazad-Dum, apparently singing to the mountain to free dwarves trapped in a cave-in. For a moment people joked that maybe she was Sauron when she suddenly morphed from cheery housewife to political schemer reminiscent of Darth Sidious himself (albeit a much less evil one).
  • Meteor Man Encino Man The Stranger: Mysterious old man who crash-landed in Harfoot territory, and was befriended by Nori. He can't speak the common tongue and appears to be very proficient in magic, while also not understanding basic concepts like death. Most figure he's Gandalf or maybe Radagast, but other theories abound (everything from his being Sauron to being a Blue Wizard, to being a Balrog). He's confirmed in the Season 1 finale to be an Istari, with HEAVY implications that he's Gandalf, but he likely will only be referred to by one of his lesser-known names like Olorin. So ultimately, he's a human-looking being of great power who crash-lands from another world and is taken in by kind-hearted rural people. Sound familiar?
  • Feminem Slim Lady The Priestess Trio: Trio of white-clad ladies, led by a buzzcut woman who gives the most dramatic stink-eye. Names are The Dweller, the Nomad, and the Ascetic. Lots of people thought she was Sauron from the trailer until they realized the character had boobs (and Amazon outright said it wasn't Sauron). Honestly we know basically nothing about her and her two pals since their first appearance in the show is only slightly longer than the trailer, but apparently they're tracking Meteor Man and seem to be part of a leftover Morgoth cult. Despite having magic on par with a wizard and shapeshifting abilities, and also being incredibly pale, they're ultimately revealed to be Easterlings from Rhun, with a strong implication that they will either become Nazgul or are some precursor to it (although it does also seem that the Stranger blows them up at the end, so they might just be dead). The leader has a crown in the spirit world, which brings to mind the Witch-King of Angmar. Bear in mind, the Rings of Power are what turn humans into Nazgul, and they don't get created until the very end of the season, so they probably aren't Nazgul. Barrow-Wights maybe?
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