The names of the main characters in The Lord of the Rings have been permanently etched into pop culture conscience. However, the true powers lurked deeper within J.R.R. Tolkien’s texts -- these include the names of gods, monsters, elves, and other supernatural entities that are briefly touched upon within the lore of the Rings.
Most of these characters were mentioned either in songs or hymns, while others were brought up in worship or in explanations of the resurrections of both good and evil. The deeper history of Middle-earth was further expounded upon in The Silmarillion -- an extended work that introduced the origins of the Eä universe, the world of Arda cobbled together by the Valar, and the strife that occurred ages before the narrative of The Hobbit.
Ancalagon The Black
Through means unknown, Morgoth created the dragons to implement his dark will. Ancalagon the Black was renowned as the greatest and largest of all dragons. In comparison, Smaug measured roughly the size of his outstretched claw.
Leading an army of fellow winged serpents, Ancalagon forced the Valar to retreat, before the Great Eagles and Eärendil (manning a flying ship) battled back the forces of fire and brimstone. The great dragon and his foes squabbled for a full 24 hours, leaving a multitude of casualties, before Ancalagon fell and took out three mountains.
In Gandalf’s description of the origins of the Rings to Frodo, he referenced the dragon: “nor was there ever any dragon, not even Ancalagon the Black, who could have harmed the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, for that was made by Sauron.“
Gothmog
Balrogs were Maiar, or ancient spirits, sent to help the Valar shape the world, allured and corrupted by Morgoth in the early ages. Their numbers were in the hundreds and they composed a large part of Morgoth’s army. Tolkien later revised this to seven -- an alteration as confusing as trying to read through the volumes on the History of Middle-earth.
The leader of the Balrogs was Gothmog, who held equal authority to Sauron. As the greatest Balrog to ever walk Middle-earth, Gothmog boasted a whip and a big black axe. Gothmog was a machine, wiping out two of the High Kings of the Ñoldor, Fëanor, and Ecthelion of the Fountain -- the latter of whom he drowned after the balrog's fire was extinguished.
Glorfindel
As an accomplished fighter and heralded for his wisdom, Glorfindel was the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower, which was one of the Twelve Houses of Gondolin. During a battle, Glorfindel fought a balrog and was doing pretty well for himself against the creature. However, as the balrogs are wont to do when they perish, the devilish creature seized Glorfindel and brought him to his demise. Manwë resurrected Glorfindel, and sent him to Arda as an emissary of the Valar.
During the Battle of Fornost, where he led the elves of Rivendale and Lindon against the Witch-king, Glorfindel made the prophecy that the leader of the Nazgûl would not be felled by any mortal man, partly because of the possibility of resurrection. Glorfindel deserved better, as he was completely replaced by Liv Tyler in the movies, as he was the elf who rescued Frodo and took out the pursuing Nazgûl with the water in the book.
Gwaihir
The Great Eagles were creations of Manwë as messengers and spies for the King of Arda. In fact, the Great Eagles were more notorious for getting LOTR protagonists out of harm’s way right in the nick of time. They were so efficient, in fact, that some fans consider it a flaw that the Fellowship didn’t just board the Eagles and fly to Mordor instead.
Gwaihir was the chief of the Eagles, saving Gandalf at the pinnacle of Orthanc. He made a habit of rescuing Gandalf-- he seized the Wizard again after he was beaten by Durin’s Bane. Gwaihir led his feathered brethren during the Battle of the Morannon and was one of the saviors of Frodo and Sam following the destruction of the One Ring.
The King of the Dead
Originally known as the King of the Mountains, the King of the Dead refused to aid Isildur in his battle against Sauron, which ended with the man slicing off the dark lord’s finger and keeping the ring for himself. As a result, Isildur cursed the King and his minions, claiming they could only rest after aiding one of his heirs. What resulted was the King of the Dead leading a band of ghosts that could take down an entire army with ease.
Only Aragorn, as a descendant of Gondor, can control the ghosts, and releases them after they helped him to win victory in Return of the King.
Fingolfin
After the ing of Fëanor, his elves continued to batter Morgoth’s forces, laying siege to the evil Valar’s fortress for 400 years. The elves soon became complacent-- which is expected after such a length of time-- and Morgoth’s evil forces came out in full force, reaping havoc on the bored soldiers. The half-brother of Feanor, Fingolfin, dared challenge Morgoth in single combat-- he was so blinded by rage that many mistook him for a Valar, and the dark lord was hesitant to do combat with the elf.
Fighting Morgoth was a seemingly impossible task, but Fingolfin still managed to land seven blows on his opponent, before he was crushed. One particular slice was to Morgoth's foot and it impeded his walk eternally.
Galadriel
In the Third Age, there was no stronger elf than Galadriel. Galadriel possessed one of the Rings of Power and was able to resist the temptations of the One Ring. Her power-hungry uncle Fëanor wanted to use her hair for his Silmarils, but even then, Galadriel was able to glimpse the evil inside of him.
When the fellowship embarked on their quest, she gave each parting gifts-- useful items that came into play during crucial parts of their voyage. And after Gandalf got worked by Durin’s Bane, Galadriel essentially resurrected the wizard, reclothing him and presenting him with a new staff. Also, while Lothlórien was under attack by dark forces, Galadriel used her ring, and purified the area.
Fëanor
While Morgoth was feigning repentance after the Valar bested him, he Wormtongue’d his way into the ears of the elves, convincing them that they were brought to Valinor so that men could take over Middle-earth. Chief among the dissension was Fëanor, who crafted the jewels Silmarils from the light of the two Valinor trees. Once prized possessions for their beauty, the Valar soon coveted the jewels after Ungoliant destroyed the trees and sapped the light.
Both Morgoth and Fëanor were soon exiled-- the Valar later tried to recruit the elven craftsman for his own purposes, but was rejected for coming on too wickedly. In response, Morgoth-- along with Ungoliant-- destroyed Feanor’s father, and the elf led his crew to Middle-earth to seek vengeance. Impressively, Morgoth’s armies were forced backwards, but Gothmog the Balrog slew Fëanor in an epic brawl.
Saruman
Originally the head of the five wizards, Saruman the White was sent to Middle-earth by the Valar to help the free people. He quickly became jealous of Gandalf’s powers, when he discovered that his associate was given Narya the Ring of Fire. After sensing Sauron’s return to Dol Guldur and having bitterness poison his sorcerer soul, Saruman started to sway towards the dark side when the White Council was formed.
Gandalf ed the hobbits in the shire and Saruman spied on him, suspicious that he was trying to attain more power. Saruman became the wizard of many colors and attempted to convert Gandalf to his side, which failed and caused the former White wizard to imprison him. Saruman bred the deadly Uruk-hai and destroyed the trees for his sinister purposes, but awakened the Ents, who were eager for vengeance. Sauron soon discovered that Saruman was attempting to deceive him to nab the Ring for himself.
Gandalf
Similar to Sauron, Gandalf is a Maia and serves Manwe-- he was the second wizard sent to Arda. The spirit took the form of an old man, figuring that others would listen to the wisdom of elderly. Gandalf spent most of his time on Middle-earth amongst the elves, learning all that he could. The wizard suspected Sauron as the necromancer in Dol Guldur and assisted the White Council in driving the evil out.
During the events of The Hobbit, Gandalf's duo of goals were both achieved: Smaug, who would have been a deadly puppet controlled by Sauron, was slain and Erebor was returned to power. Gandalf then embarked on the events of The Lord of the Rings, serving as a crucial member of the fellowship. As an immortal, he was resurrected after taking down a balrog and saved everybody’s armored butts at the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
