Other Races

The Istari

Curumo, a servant of Aule: becomes Saruman the White. The head of their order.

Olórin, a servant of Manwë: becomes Gandalf the Grey.

Aiwendil, a servant of Yavanna: becomes Radagast the Brown

Alatar and Pallando, the Blue Wizards.

Sauron

Gorthaur originally served Aule, but became the disciple of Melkor. Later becomes known as Sauron.

Beautiful, clever, powerful and evil. He is lurking in the shadows in The Hobbit and is the main antagonist in The Lord of the Rings series. The orcs answer to him; he corrupts the good, and his creation of the rings of power threatens to end Ilúvatar's creation.

Trolls

Melkor created trolls before the First Age. They were very strong, not very smart, and would turn into stone in sunlight. Most trolls died in the War of Wrath, but some lived to follow Sauron in the Third Age.

Orcs (also known as Goblins)

Melkor created orcs before the First Age from captured Elves that he tortured into darkness. They were his most plentiful fighters, hideously deformed, but very smart and strong. It was the discovery of the orcs by the Dwarves that lead to the Elves inventing weapons of war.

After the War of Wrath many survived in hiding, and they rebuilt their numbers in service of Sauron. They make nothing beautiful or good, but excel at making machines, tools, weapons, and instruments of torture. They could tunnel and mine as well as the Dwarves, and often captured Dwarven strongholds.

The orcs know what they are; and hate and wish to destroy everything beautiful and good. They have a deep hatred for Melkor and themselves, and will not make peace or show mercy. They are a violent and warlike race in a perpetual state of chaos.

Elves

Elves are the immortal “first-born” of Arda. They do not age past adulthood and suffer no illness although they can be killed or die of a broken heart. When they leave the world they go to the Halls of Mandos’ where they wait until they are returned to Arda. They do not generally mingle with the other races, but often ally themselves with men. Occasionally a man and an elf-maid will marry, but those unions are rare.

Elves are among the tallest of the creatures found on Middle Earth, at approximately 7 feet tall. Elves are uncommonly beautiful, have far better hearing and vision then men, are so light of foot they can walk on snow without leaving tracks. They do not require sleep, need very little food or water, and are not as susceptible to extremes of temperatures.

Elves are very wise and have skills and abilities far beyond what is possible for Men, although the Dwarves can match them in metal and stonework. Some elves can craft magical objects, such as the Silmarils, the Rings of Power, and magical swords. Elves can also be playful and silly and have been known to tease and taunt visitors to their homes.

During the Third Age, in which the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings occur, the elves time on Middle Earth is coming to an end. Called back to Valinor, they travel West to the Undying Lands to wait until the end of all things. Only the elven lands of Lindon, Lothlorian, the Greenwood, and Rivendell still remain. The elves depart Middle Earth at the end of the War of the Ring, with only hidden enclaves such as the Greenwood remaining into the Fourth Age. Eventually, these Lingerers would fade away entirely as their bodies were consumed by the power of their spirits.

Elrond: Called Half-Elven. One of the few born of both men and elves, Elrond is the lord of one of the few remaining elven lands, Rivendell, at the time of The Hobbit. His “Last Homely House” is a haven for travelers and those in need of rest and healing. He is instrumental in both Thorin’s Quest, and the Quest of the Fellowship and is a member of the White Council. He is the father of Arwen.

Galadriel: The Lady of Light. She was one of the greatest of the Elves in Middle-earth, surpassing nearly all others in beauty, knowledge, and power. She is the Queen of Lothlorian, a member of the White Council, and fought Melkor and Sauron. She left Middle Earth when Sauron was finally defeated.

Thranduil: King of the Greenwood (Mirkwood.) Thranduil cannot be counted a friend to the Dwarves, although he gets along well enough with men. His kingdom has been under attack by giant spiders and other evils for a long time, which, combined with the coming of Smaug, has led him to close his kingdoms borders. He and his army participate in the Battle of Five Armies, and later in the War of the Ring against Sauron. He is the father of Legolas.

Legolas: Son of Thranduil, Prince of the Greenwood. Although he is alive, Legolas has no role in The Hobbit. He travels to Rivendell with word of the escape of Gollum and joins the Fellowship of the Ring. He becomes good friends with Gimli, son of Gloin, and when Legolas was ready to sail to the Undying Lands he invited Gimli to join him.

Feanor: The creator of the Silmarils, who required an oath from his sons that lead to years of warfare between various factions of elves.

Glorfindel: One of the First-born. He is known for defeating a Balrog in one-on-one combat during the Fall of Gondolin. As it fell into the abyss, the Balrog seized Glorfindel’s hair and pulled him to his death. A thousand years later Manwë sent him back to Middle-earth to fight Sauron’s rising powers. He was nearly as powerful as a Maiar, and did not join the Fellowship because his power would have drawn Sauron’s eye to the secretive quest.

Great Eagles

The Great Eagles were created by Manwë, leader of the Valar. He created them to keep an eye on the elves in Middle Earth and also upon Morgoth and Sauron.

The Eagles are a proud race, and do not mix with the other races in Middle Earth. They answer only to Manwë, and have important roles in most of the great battles against Morgoth and Sauron. Gandalf calls on them for assistance during the events The Hobbit and later during the War of the Ring.

Beornings

The origins of Beornings are not known. They could change from men to bears, and could speak in both the tongue of men and of bears. The were among the tallest races of Middle Earth and had the same lifespan as mortal men.

They were named after Beorn, their patriarch. They were not very fond of Dwarves, and were bitter enemies of the Goblins and Orcs. They hunted neither bird nor beast, their diet consisting mostly of cream and honey. The only known leaders of this people were Beorn and later his son Grimbeorn.

The race of Men was the final race of sentient beings created by Ilúvatar; they awoke at the start of the First Age, at the first rising of the Sun. The elves and the dwarves had awoken three Ages before them.

Men bear the Gift of Men, which is mortality, and therefore they age and die when their time comes.

Ilúvatar also gifted Men with the free will, unlike the Elves and other races who are bound to their fates by the music of creation. Morgoth, in an attempt to sway Men away from Ilúvatar convinced them to fear their fate, and view Death as a Doom instead of a Gift. However, it is Men who will inherit Arda when all of the other races have faded into myth.

There are many cultures and societies of men in Arda, however, Tolkien’s works deal mostly with the Edain, who allied themselves with the elves against Melkor and Sauron and fought in the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age. The Edain were taller than normal men, averaging 6 ½ feet tall, and lived approximately four times longer then the average man. The line of kings was particularly long lived, with some members living upwards of 400 years!

As Men have free will, you will find them on both sides of any conflict, some following Ilúvatar while others follow Melkor and Sauron. This is different than Elves, who are always allied with Ilúvatar, or Orcs, who are always allied with the enemy. Hobbits appear to be a race of Men, sharing much in common with them, but their origin is unknown.

Aragorn: a leader of the Dúnedain, and the last descendant of the High Kings of Númenor. Aragorn, also known as strider, is a Ranger of the North who travels to protect those who lives within their ancestral borders. Aragorn joins the Fellowship and later leads the armies against Sauron at the climatic battle at Modor’s Black Gate

Ar-Pharazôn: The 25^th and final King of Númenor. He was jealous of the Elves immortality, prideful, and desired wealth and glory. He claimed the crown of Númenor by marrying Miriel, the Queen of Númenor against her will then named himself King. Ar-Pharazôn captured Sauron and brought him back to Númenor. However, Sauron was not defeated; he became a trusted advisor to Ar-Pharazôn and convinced him to sail to forbidden Valinor to demand immortality from the Valar. In response, Ilúvatar destroyed Ar-Pharazôn’s fleet and the Kingdom of Númenor.

Isildur: Prince of the Dúnedain in the Second Age. At the end of the War of the Last Alliance he cut the One Ring off of Sauron’s hand when he had been struck down by Gil-Galad and King Elendil. Unfortunately, he did not destroy the ring, but kept it as a war prize to show Man’s power over darkness. After the war he was crowned but was only King for two years before being killed at the Battle of Gladden Fields. His refusal to destroy the ring allowed Sauron to return.

Bard: The grandson of the former King of Dale, working as a bargeman at the time of The Hobbit. A good man, fair and just, he plays a pivotal role in the Dwarves’ Quest of Erebor. Becomes King of Dale by the will of its people.

Eowyn: A shieldmaiden of Rohan. She secretly rode to war with the Rhorriam against the order of her King. At Battle of the Pelennor Fields, she fought to protect the King of Rohan. Attacked by the Witch-king of Angmar, lord of the Nazgûl, she and Merry, the Hobbit, were the only riders who did not flee. As the King lay mortally wounded, she challenged the Witch-King, who told her that "no living man may hinder me.” Eowyn’s defeat of the lord of the lord of Nazgûl helped defeat the forces of Sauron.

Dragons

Dragons were originally bred by Morgoth during the first age to serve as powerful war beasts. They are intelligent, powerful creatures, as feared as they were admired in Middle-earth.

The first dragon ever seen in Middle-earth was Glaurung, the father of dragons, who was very effective in battle against the Elves. The elves and dwarves often battled dragons, and by the time of The Hobbit, Smaug is reported to be the last of the great and ancient dragons.

Dragons are very clever and have magic that can confound their enemies, however, they can be distracted by wordplay and riddles. They have few weaknesses, being armored all over their bodies except for their soft, slimy bellies.

Smaug was especially difficult to kill, because his long tenure laying on the dwarves treasure in Erebor caused heavy metals and gems to be pressed into his underside, creating an impervious shield to protect his soft belly.

Smaug and Glaurung were fire-drakes: this meant they breathed fire. There are also cold-drakes that breath mist or smoke. Not all dragons have wings: Glaurung was reportedly a wingless dragons, which were commonly referred to as wurms.

Once nine powerful Kings of Men, their greed and vanity led to their downfall. Each accepted a ring from the dark lord Sauron, with the promises of power, riches, and eternal life.

They command powerful magics that cause rot and despair, their screams cause pain and overwhelming fear, they bear weapons that turn those wounded into wraiths, and their leader cannot be killed by men.

Now they serve as Sauron's most fearsome generals. Their one task: return the One Ring to Sauron's hand.

Tom Bombasil

It may be that Tom was the first living creature to inhabit Arda as he claims to remember the coming of the Dark Lord (Melkor.)

He is a mystery, one moment defeating ancient forces with hardly an effort, the next capering and singing nonsensical songs. Tom lives in the depths of the Old Forest with his wife Goldberry and can be helpful and benevolent. However, for all his power he does not involve himself in the battles against Melkor or Sauron.

Ents

Most ancient race on Middle-earth. Protectors & herders of trees, which they also resembled. There last stronghold was Fanghorn Forest.

Giant Spiders

Giant spiders, malevolent and able to speak lived in dark and evil places in Middle-earth. During the Third Age they traveled from Modor and began to nest in the Greenwood, near Erebor. They are known as the Children of Ungoliant.

Ungoliant was an ally of Melkor until they fought over the Simarils and she was driven off. Her children were a great bane on the world in later years. She had an insatiable appetite for light; always hungry, Ungoliant ended by devouring herself

Shelob was the greatest offspring of Ungoliant. She lived in Modor and served as the guard for the passage of Cirith Ungol. Sauron was fond of her and referred to her as his "cat."