J.R.R Tolkien was responsible for crafting one of the most epic and intricate universes full of fantastical Lord Of The Rings creatures. While the world might be more familiar with the movie trilogies and the Rings of Power Amazon Prime series, they are just the tip of the iceberg. A century's worth of history took place by the time the movies arrived, and the prequel series only covers part of that history. The beasts and monsters fans encountered during the Third Age are pretty fantastical, but if fans journey back to the Second and First Ages they will find even stronger creatures capable of ransacking cities and terrorizing entire armies.

Middle-earth is populated by a lot of the same animals that exist in the real world, but Tolkien borrowed a lot of classic critters from folklore like dragons and werewolves, and even invented a lot of his own. The definition of "creature" can be pretty broad, and in The Lord of the Rings world, it could include everything save for most human races: Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits. And, as some creatures are exceptionally powerful for their species, there is a strong mixture of collective and individual entries.

24 Shadowfax

The Lord Of All Horses

While not the most powerful Lord of the Rings creature, Shadowfax is easily the most majestic. Gandalf refers to Shadowfax in The Two Towers as the "Lord of all horses," and that's not just the wizard waxing lyrical about his favorite steed. Shadowfax is a direct descendant of Felaróf, the greatest horse to ever step hoof in Middle-earth. Both are of the Mearas, a type of horse that is far superior to the steed.

Shadowfax is incredibly brave, loyal, and smart, sticking by Gandalf even when charging into one of the greatest of battles and capable of understanding his every command. His finest attribute, however, is his speed. He's described as being "faster than the wind," which was proven when he carried Gandalf between The Shire and Rohan in under a week, one of The Lord of the Rings most amazing animal characters.

23 Wargs

The Bestial Steeds Of The Orcs

Wargs may not be the most powerful Lord of the Rings creatures, but there's no denying there would be few sights more terrifying for a footsoldier of Gondor or Rohan than seeing a horde of orcs mounted on the snarling beasts charging towards them. In Tolkien's mythology, wargs can be marked out from a normal wolf by their size and relative intelligence. The Lord of the Rings monsters are capable of allying themselves to another species — usually Goblins — and can be ridden like horses.

The Lord of the Rings monsters are capable of allying themselves to another species — usually Goblins — and can be ridden like horses.

Wargs are also capable of carrying out purposeful attacks on their own, rather than just hunting for food. In The Fellowship of the Ring, they did just this to the Fellowship outside of Moria after becoming agents of Mordor. Viewers also saw wargs used by Azog and his Orc troops towards the climax of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, nearly sending Gandalf and the rest of the company tumbling over a cliff as they took refuge up a tree, and almost knocking the life right out of Thorin.

22 Goblins

The Diminutive Cousins Of The Orcs

Though Tolkien had a confusing habit of using "orc" and "goblin" interchangeably, fans view them as two related but separate species, and Jackson depicted them as such in his films. While similar in shape and monstrosity, goblins tend to be smaller, sharper, and more technologically savvy than their stronger orcish cousins. In fact, in Over Hill and Under Hill, Tolkien wrote,

"it is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world [...] for wheels and engines and explosives always delighted them."

In of physical might, the Great Goblin who traps Thorin and company in The Hobbit in his goblin-town stronghold is probably the peak of the species. A key difference between orcs and goblins in The Lord of the Rings is that goblins tend to live underground. This is likely why Peter Jackson ensured the goblins faced by the Fellowship in the Mines of Moria had a notably different look to the orcs in the movie, despite none of the characters stopping to give an explanation for this.

21 Uruk-Hai

Saruman's Elite Breed Of Orcs

The only Lord of the Rings creatures whose origins are shown in the movie are the Urak-hai, the elite and ferocious variety of orc created by Saruman after he pledges his fealty to Sauron. The Uruk-hai are a superior Orc species bred specifically for war. In The Lord of the Rings, Saruman cooks up an army of them in Isengard and sends them after the Fellowship.

Two of them play key roles in the story: Ugluk, who captures Merry and Pippin, and — in Jackson's films — Lurtz, who cuts down Boromir. As a hybrid of Man and Orc, they have the combat and strategic skills of the former and the raw strength of the latter. One particularly barbaric tradition left over from their orcish half is to fill their helmets with the blood of their enemies. The smell of it running down their bodies makes them wildly thirsty for more.

20 Ogres

The Mysterious Lumbering Brutes Mentioned Only Once By Tolkien

There are many more Lord of the Rings creatures in the history of Middle-earth than are seen in the movies, or even Tolkien's own writings, and ogres are a perfect example of a real-world fantasy creature that also exists in the world of LotR, but are rarely actually seen. As ogres are only mentioned in ing during Bilbo and Gollum's riddle game in The Hobbit, they might be creatures of mere myth in Tolkien's Middle-earth. It's also entirely possible ogre was a term synonymous with troll as far as the citizens of Middle-earth are concerned.

However, ogres made a very real appearance in Peter Jackson's The Battle of Five Armies as highly effective foot soldiers and leaders in Azog's army. Ogres can be differentiated from trolls, which they could be easily mistaken for, by their smaller stature and lack of weakness to sunlight. In The Lord of the Rings films, viewers see Orcs using trolls as battering rams and transport, whereas Azog entrusts his ogre allies with important missions, which they carry out to deadly effect.

19 Trolls

The Feared Juggernauts With A Taste For Flesh

"They have a cave troll" is one of Boromir's most memorable quotes from The Fellowship of the Ring, and it's easy to see why the champion of Gondor would fear these Lord of the Rings creatures. Trolls are much larger and older than their ogre brethren, the biggest reaching up to 50ft. They're also artificial beings, created by Melkor (Sauron's master) for his War of the Wrath during the First Age.

Their weakness to the sun's rays, which turns them into stone, is echoed in their rock-like hides, shielding them from physical harm. The cockney-voiced trio that nearly devours Bilbo and the dwarves in The Hobbit might give fans the impression that trolls aren't up to much, but the ones that survived into the Third Age and ed forces with Sauron were considered massive threats. What they lack in brain power, they make up for in sheer size and muscle.

18 Olog-Hai

An Even Deadlier Breed Of Troll

Much like the orcs, the combined intellects of Sauron and Saruman also sought to improve trolls through the Middle-earth equivalent of genetic engineering. That's basically what an Olog-hai is, an improvement on the original Lord of the Rings creature seen in The Return of the King, superior because it can fight in the sunlight without turning to stone. Trolls are already frightening forces to face down on the battlefield if there is a smaller, squishier creature, but at least their older enemies knew they were only active at night.

Olog-hai are also a little brighter than other trolls — though that's not really saying much. Like Uruk-hai, they were purpose-bred to fight in Sauron's armies during the Third Age. Some have mouths full of sharpened teeth while others have large tusks. They range from 15 to 30 feet and, unlike most trolls, wear full battle armor and can skillfully wield weapons.

17 Carcharoth

The Werewolf Pet Of Morgoth

There were many Lord of the Rings creatures that didn't appear in Peter Jackson's movies, and one of the most prominent (and deadly) examples is the Carcharoth — the pet of the first evil of Middle-earth, Morgoth. Carcharoth is a werewolf who lived in the First Age and is a direct descendant of Draugluin, the first of their breed. Draugluin was created by Morgoth (who was also known as Melkor) by infusing a wolf with an evil spirit.

Morgoth raised Carcharoth on a diet of magically enhanced "living flesh." This resulted in the beast growing to an enormous size with a hunger to match.

Morgoth raised Carcharoth on a diet of magically enhanced "living flesh." This resulted in the beast growing to an enormous size with a hunger to match. His eyes were said to glow like "coals," his fur was striped scarlet and his teeth were tipped with poison, earning him names like Red Maw and the Jaws of Thirst. He famously bit the hand and wrist clean off Beren Erchamion (Aragorn's distant ancestor).

16 Ents

The Kind-Yet-Dangerous Stewards Of The Forest

The most beloved Lord of the Rings creatures as far as many fans are concerned are the Ents, the walking trees who act as guardians for Mirkwood and the other numerous forests of Middle-earth. Indistinguishable from trees when sleeping, Ents are sentient tree-like creatures tasked with tending and protecting forests, and this means they align themselves agains anyone who threatens the balance of nature, rather than necessarily being good or evil.

Each Ent tends to closely resemble the type of tree that they're in charge of, meaning there's a lot of variation in their appearance. Treebeard, who Merry and Pippin encounter in Fangorn Forest, is the oldest surviving member of their kind. Though they're famously slow-moving, Ents are incredibly strong and resilient, as Merry and Pippin say: "Their punches can crumple iron like tinfoil, and they can tear apart solid rock like bread crusts." The two hobbits help galvanize the Ents to destroy Saruman's Isengard stronghold to avenge his assault on their forest, leading to the wizard's demise.

15 Mumakil

Tolkien's Take On War Elephants

Also known as Olephants, Mûmakils are Tolkien's spin on elephants. Mûmakils are an incredibly deadly Lord of the Rings creature, though this is mostly because of how they're utilized on the field of battle rather than their being anything inherently evil or violent in their nature. They were exclusively used by the Haradrim, a race of Men who lived in the Southern region of Middle-earth and became indoctrinated by Sauron to serve as his human allies in the War of the Ring.

DID YOU KNOW: LOTR remains one of the most-awarded film series in history, with a total of 475 wins out of 800 nominations

During the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, 18,000 Haradrim faced down King Theoden's forces, and among them were at least dozens of Mûmakils strapped with vast saddles that allowed groups of Haradrim arches to rain down arrows from above. At up to 90 feet tall, the Mûmakil struck devastating blows on the battlefield, acting like the animal equivalent to tanks. With their naturally armored skin, they're very hard to even scratch, while anything smaller than them caught in their path will either get squashed or swiped away by a trunk or one of their four, long tusks.