CONCERNING THE ORIGIN
OF DRAGONS
Introduction
Of
all the mysteries that Tolkien left for us to solve, the origin of Dragons
ranks somewhere in the middle. While
more wars have been waged over the nature of such characters as Tom Bombadil
and Ungoliant, fewer debates are sparked over the shoe-size of Hobbits (that
is, if they wore shoes). The
origin-of-Dragons debate is closer in popularity to the debates of how many
Balrogs existed, how Orcs breed, and why the Eagles did not simply carry Frodo
and the Ring to Mount
Doom
In
this paper, I will briefly outline the cosmogony of the world created by
Tolkien, especially concerning the taxis of created spiritual beings; then I
will discuss the raiment of these spiritual beings shortly. Then I will explain the metaphysics of evil
in Middle-Earth. Next, I will categorize
the corruptions and perversions of the evil spirit, Melkor. Finally, I will classify the various theories
of Dragon ontology, analyze them, and eliminate all but the best theory. I intend to prove that Dragons, though not
Maiar themselves, originated from the union of Maia and beast. [1]
Cosmogony and Spiritual Hierarchy
Tolkien
created a self-contained mythical world.
This world has a genesis and an eschaton. It has an efficient cause and a teleological
cause. It has natural and supernatural laws
which all the inhabitants must follow according to their stations. While there are mysteries in this world,
there are no contradictions [I do realize there are some contradictions in his writings, but we cannot proceed to make arguments unless we assume the world Tolkien intended was indeed a consistent one], and everything is explainable in terms of the
world he created [I do not mean that we can so easily explain his mysteries, but rather, that we cannot use other worlds, say Lewis' Narnia, to explain aspects of Tolkien's world]. The origin of Dragons
is one of these mysteries. Tolkien has
never explicitly explained the nature of his Dragons; but because all things
must be explained in terms of the world he created, and because this world
follows the inviolable laws of logic, a satisfying theory of Dragon ontology is
indeed possible. Therefore, in order to
do this, we must start at the beginning:
“In the beginning Eru, the One, who in
the Elvish tongue is named Iluvatar[2],
made the Ainur of his thought; and they made a great Music before him. In this Music the World was begun; for
Iluvatar made visible the song of the Ainur, and they beheld it as a light in
the darkness. And many among them became
enamoured of its beauty, and of its history which they saw beginning and
unfolding as in a vision. Therefore
Iluvatar gave to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret
Fire was sent to burn at the heart of the World; and it was called Ea.
Then of the Ainur
who desired it arose and entered into the World at the beginning of Time; and
it was their task to achieve it, and by their labours to fulfil the vision
which they had seen. Long they laboured
in the regions of Ea, which are vast beyond the thought of Elves and Men, until
in the time appointed was made Arda, the Kingdom of Earth
The Great among these spirits the Elves name the Valar, the
Powers of Arda, and Men have often called them gods. The Lords of the Valar are seven; and the
Valier, the Queens of the Valar, are seven
also. (Silmarillion, 18)
The
names of the Valar are not important for this topic, except for one whose name
is Melkor, the primeval Adversary of Tolkien’s world. But “Melkor is counted no longer among the
Valar, and his name is not spoken upon Earth.” (Silmarillion, 18)
With the Valar came other spirits
whose being also began before the World, of the same order as the Valar but of
less degree. These are the Maiar, the
people of the Valar, and their servants and helpers. (Silmarillion, 23)
Ainur and the Raiment of Earth
The
Ainur, who are naturally ethereal and spiritual, were able to clothe
themselves, as it were, with material bodies:
Now the Valar took to themselves shape and hue; and because
they were drawn into the World by love of the Children of Iluvatar, for whom
they hoped, they took shape after that manner which they had beheld in the
Vision of Iluvatar, save only in majesty and splendour. Moreover their shape comes of their knowledge
of the visible World, rather than of the World itself; and they need it not,
save only as we use raiment, and yet we may be naked and suffer no loss of our
being. . . . But the shapes wherein the Great Ones array themselves are not at
all times to the shapes of the kings and queens of the Children of Iluvatar;
for at times they may clothe themselves in their own thought, made visible in
forms of majesty and dread. (Silmarillion,
11-2)
As this text shows, the Valar (and
presumably the Maiar) often incarnated themselves in the forms of majestic and
splendid humanoids; but if they so chose, they might put on forms even more
majestic or dreadful.
Melkor and the Metaphysics of Evil [3]
In
order to understand Dragons, we must understand the one who devised them. It was Melkor, the malevolent Ainur who
produced the race of Dragons. We cannot
list every evil deed that Melkor did for that would take up too much
space. Instead, we will look at the big
picture. Tolkien writes:
To gain dominion over Arda, Morgoth had let most of his
being pass into the physical constituents
of the Earth—hence all things that were born on Earth and lived on and by it,
beasts or plants or incarnate spirits, were liable to be ‘stained’. (Morgoth’s Ring, 394-5)
He explains:
Melkor ‘incarnated’ himself (as
Morgoth) permanently. He did this so as
to control the hroa, the ‘flesh’ or
physical matter, of Arda. He attempted
to identify himself with it. A vaster,
and more perilous, procedure, though of similar sort to the operations of
Sauron with the Rings. Thus, outside the
Blessed Realm, all ‘matter’ was likely to have a ‘Melkor ingredient’, and those
who had bodies, nourished by the hroa
of Arda, had as it were a tendency, small or great, towards Melkor: they were
none of them wholly free of him in their incarnate form, and their bodies had
an effect upon their spirits.
But in this way
Morgoth lost (or exchanged, or transmuted) the greater part of his original
‘angelic’ powers, of mind and spirit, while gaining a terrible grip upon the
physical world. . . . Sauron’s, relatively smaller, power was concentrated; Morgoth’s vast power was disseminated. The whole of Middle-earth was Morgoth’s Ring
. . . . (Morgoth’s Ring, 399-400)
All
evil has its source in Melkor. It must
be noted, however, that despite all of the evil disseminated from his own being
into the matter of Arda, Melkor could neither create life ex nihilo nor create spirits with independent wills; he could only
corrupt and pervert that which already was:
Then Iluvatar said to them: ‘Of the theme that I have
declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together the Great
Music. And since I have kindled you with
the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme,
each with his own thought and devices, if he will. (Silmarillion, 3)
To Melkor among the Ainur had been given the greatest gifts
of power and knowledge, and he had a share in all the gifts of his
brethren. He had gone often alone into
the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him
to bring into Being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Iluvatar took
no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the Fire, for it is with
Iluvatar. But being alone he had begun
to conceive thoughts of his own unlike those of his brethren. (Silmarillion,
4)
The Flame Imperishable was the
power of life, and although Melkor sought it even before the creation of the
world, he could never attain it.
Therefore, he made only mockeries of existing things, as is also
demonstrated in the following passage:
Melkor was jealous of him, for Aule [one of the Valar] was
most like himself in thought and in powers . . . . Both, also, desired to make things of their
own that should be new and unthought of by others, and delighted in the praise
of their skill. But Aule remained
faithful to Eru [Iluvatar] and submitted all that he did to his will; and he
did not envy the work of others, but sought and gave counsel. Whereas Melkor spent his spirit in envy and
hate, until at last he could make nothing save in mockery of the thought of
others, and all their works he destroyed if he could. (Silmarillion, 20)
This passage indicates that
Melkor’s unfaithfulness to Iluvatar was the cause of his inability to
create. The nature of evil, it seems, is
not to give life but to ruin, corrupt, mock, pervert, and annihilate that which
is.
The Corruptions and Mockeries of Melkor
Having
discussed the relationship between Melkor and evil, I will now list and discuss
his corruptions, perversion, and mockeries.
Maiar
The
first to be corrupted by Melkor were lesser Ainur, the Maiar:
And Melkor knew of all that was done,
and even then he had secret friends and spies among the Maiar whom he had
converted to his cause; and far off in the darkness he was filled with hatred,
being jealous of the work of his peers, whom he desired to make subject to
himself. Therefore he gathered to
himself spirits out of the halls of Ea that he had perverted to his service,
and he deemed himself strong. (Silmarillion,
30)
For of the Maiar many were drawn to
his splendour in the days of his greatness, and remained in that allegiance
down into his darkness; and others he corrupted afterwards to his service with
lies and treacherous gifts. (Silmarillion,
26)
Balrogs
Some
of the most powerful of the corrupted Maiar became Balrogs, fearsome fiends of
flame, wrapped in shroud and darkness. “Dreadful
among these spirits [Maiar] were the Valaraukar, the scourges of fire that in
Middle-earth were called the Balrogs, demons of terror.” (Silmarillion, 26) Tolkien
elaborates:
But in the north, Melkor built his
strength, and he slept not, but watched, and laboured; and the evil things that
he had perverted walked abroad, and the dark and slumbering woods were haunted
by monsters and shapes of dread. And in
Utumno he gathered his demons about him, those spirits who first adhered to him
in the days of his splendour, and became most like him in his corruption: their
hearts were of fire, but they were cloaked in darkness, and terror went before
them; they had whips of flame. Balrogs
they were named in Middle-earth in later days.
And in that dark time Melkor bred many other monsters of divers shapes
and kinds that long troubled the world; and his realm spread now ever southward
over Middle-earth. (Silmarillion,
46-7)
Ungoliant
Ungoliant,
a creature perhaps as mysterious as Tom Bombadil, was the spirit of darkness in
the form of a spider that Melkor corrupted long before the awakening of the
Elves.
The Eldar knew not whence she came;
but some have said that in ages long before she descended from the darkness
that lies about Arda, when Melkor first looked down in envy upon the Kingdom of Manwe
Wolves
and Werewolves
It
is likely that some of Melkor’s Maiar clothed themselves in the form of great
wolves or werewolves. Tolkien writes, “Wolves
there were, or creatures that walked in wolf-shapes, and other fell beings of shadow
. . . (Silmarillion, 106)
Sauron
The
Maia most like Melkor in power and deviousness was Sauron, the creator of the
rings of power:
Among those of his [Melkor’s] servants that have names the
greatest was that spirit whom the Eldar called Sauron, or Gorthaur the
Cruel. In his beginning he was of the
Maiar of Aule, and he remained mighty in the lore of that people. (Silmarillion, 26)
Sauron was known to shift his shape
often. In his battle with Huan, the
legendary wolf-hound, Sauron changes his form multiple times:
But no wizardry nor spell, neither fang nor venom, nor
devil’s art nor beast-strength, could overthrow Huan of Valinot; and he took
his foe by the throat and pinned him down.
Then Sauron shifted shape, from wolf to serpent, and from monster to his
own accustomed form; but he could not elude the grip of Huan without forsaking
his body entirely. Ere his foul spirit
left its dark house, Luthien came to him, and said that he should be stripped
of his raiment of flesh, and his ghost be sent quaking back to Morgoth; and she
said: ‘There everlastingly thy naked self shall endure the torment of his
scorn, pierced by his eyes, unless thou yield to me the mastery of thy tower.’
(Silmarillion, 212)
And later:
Sauron was indeed caught in the wreck
of Numenor, so that the bodily form in which he long had walked perished; but
he fled back to Middle-earth, a spirit of hatred borne upon a dark wind. He was unable ever again to assume a form
that seemed fair to men, but became black and hideous, and his power thereafter
was through terror alone.” (Return of the
King, Appendix A, 1013)
Orcs
and Trolls
Corrupted
Maiar were not the only subjects of Melkor.
His armies were comprised of his mockeries of Elves and Ents:
But of those unhappy ones who were
ensnared by Melkor little is known of a certainty. . . . Yet this is held true by the wise of Eressea,
that all those of the Quendi [a family of Elves] who came into the hands of
Melkor, ere Utumno was broken, were put in prison, and by slow arts of cruelty
were corrupted and enslaved; and thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of the
Orcs in envy and mockery of the Elves, of whom they were afterwards the
bitterest of foes. For the Orcs had life
and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Iluvatar; and naught that
had life of its own, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the
Ainulindale before the beginning: so say the wise. (Silmarillion, 50)
But Trolls are only counterfeits, made
by the Enemy in the Great Darkness, in mockery of Ents, as Orcs were of Elves.”
(-Treebeard in Two Towers
Monsters
Melkor
also transformed beasts into monsters:
Green things fell sick and rotted, and
rivers were choked with weeds and slime, and fens were made, rank and
poisonous, the breeding place of flies; and forests grew dark and perilous, the
haunts of fear; and beasts became monsters of horn and ivory and dyed the earth
with blood. (Silmarillion, 31,
describing the blight that flowed from Utumno)
Dragons
Finally,
though this list is not exhaustive of the evil things Melkor introduced into
the world, he brought forth Dragons:
Then the Valar forsook for a time the
Men of Middle-earth who had refused their summons and had taken the friends of
Morgoth to be their masters; and Men dwelt in darkness and were troubled my
many evil things that Morgoth had devised in the days of his dominion: demons,
and dragons, and misshapen beasts, and unclean Orcs that are mockeries of the
Children of Iluvatar. (Silmarillion,
320)[4]
Reflections
From
this investigation of Melkor and his corruptions and mockeries, we can note a
few important points. First, Ainur, both
Valar and Maiar, were able to materialize or incarnate themselves in various
forms. Second, all evil has its source
in Melkor. Third, Melkor could not
create life. Fourth, Melkor’s Maiar often
appeared as beasts or monsters. Fifth,
Melkor’s allies and thralls were not all Maiar; they also included mockeries of
existing creatures. Sixth, the race or
species known as Dragons was devised by Melkor.
Models of Dragon Ontology
The
preceding data demonstrate that Dragons were terrible creatures that Melkor
produced. As was his custom, Tolkien
left to speculation the manner in which Melkor produced these creatures. Numerous models of Dragon origin and ontology
have emerged over the years, but by careful reading of the texts and simple
reasoning, one can determine the most probable and satisfying explanation. Dragon ontologies can be divided into two
broad categories: monster and demon. The
former stresses the corporeal qualities, and the latter emphasizes the
spiritual qualities.
Monster
Ontologies
“Smaug
lay, with wings folded like an immeasurable bat . . . .” (The Hobbit, 194)
Dragons as Simple Beasts
The
theory that Dragons are simply animals, perhaps physically enhanced by Morgoth,
is insufficient given their intelligence and powers. Dragons understand many tongues, and they are
known for speaking in riddles. Dragons
are very intelligent, able to lead armies into battle. Dragons are able to petrify and hypnotize
with but a glance of their eyes. Dragons
cast spells and curses. Some Dragons
breathe fire. These properties and
powers are not characteristic of simple beasts.
Even the noblest beasts in Tolkien’s writings (e. g. Gwaihir, Huan,
Shadowfax) could not compare with the sophistication and abilities of Dragons.
Dragons as Corrupted Eagles
Among
all of the animals of Middle-earth, the great Eagles of Manwe are the most
noble and intelligent.[5] The theory that Dragons are corrupted Eagles,
however, is far-fetched. First, Dragons
are reptilian whereas Eagles are avian, so the transformation would be quite
extreme. Second, the first Dragons did
not even have wings, but rather, they crawled like lizards or slithered like
snakes. Third, Melkor’s mockeries tend to
decrease in power, stature, and intelligence (e. g. Elves to Orcs and Ents to
Trolls), but Dragons are superior to Eagles in power, size, and
intelligence. Fourth, there is no
accounting for the fire power or the spell casting of Dragons on this theory. More likely counterparts to Eagles are the
fellbeasts of the Nazgul, being more comparable in power, size, and
intelligence and both being airborne steeds, though that theory cannot be fully
explored here.
Demon
Ontologies
Dragons
are indeed physically powerful, but they are more than mere animals. Rather, they are spirits in the form of
reptilian monsters. This is clear on
just a cursory reading of Tolkien. “Then
suddenly he [Glaurung] spoke by the evil spirit that was in him, saying: ‘Hail,
son of Hurin. Well met!’” (Children of Hurin, 178) Turin
says of Glaurung:
For I do not believe that this Dragon
is unconquerable, though he grows greater in strength and malice with the
years. I know somewhat of him. His power is rather in the evil spirit that
dwells within him than in the might of his body, great though that be. (Unfinished Tales, 128)
Dragons as Created Spirits
The
theory that Dragons are monsters ensouled by spirits created by Melkor is
untenable. Recall that Melkor could not
create life, only mock, corrupt, and pervert life. He sought the Imperishable Flame but it
eluded him. “He had gone often alone
into the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within
him to bring into Being things of his own . . . Yet he found not the Fire, for
it is with Iluvatar,” (Silmarillion, 4) “.
. . naught that had life of its own, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion
. . .” (Silmarillion, 50). “. . . he could make nothing save in mockery
of the thought of others . . .” (Silmarillion,
20). Melkor could not have created
spirits to dwell within the bodies of Dragons.
Dragons as Sparks
The
theory that Dragons are sparks of the spirit of Melkor has merit. On this theory, Melkor bred monstrous reptiles
and poured a portion of his own spirit into them, giving them semi-independent
wills and consciousnesses. This theory
is analogous to Sauron and the One Ring.
He poured his spirit and power into the Ring to the point that the Ring
had a “will of its own,” always seeking to return to its master. Melkor’s Ring was Middle-earth itself, and so
Dragons could be real “parts” of Melkor.
A key text for this theory is found in The Children of Hurin: “And there right before her was the great
head of Glaurung, who had even then crept up from the other side; and before
she was aware her eyes had looked in the fell spirit of his eyes, and they were
terrible, being filled with the fell spirit of Morgoth, his master,” (208). It would appear from this text that Melkor’s
and Glaurung’s spirits are intimately intertwined.
This
theory can also be compared to the creation of Carcharoth, the most powerful
werewolf:
Then Morgoth recalled the doom of Huan, and he chose one
from among the whelps of the race of Draugluin; and he fed him with his own
hand upon living flesh, and put his power upon him. Swiftly the wolf grew, until he could creep
into no den, but lay huge and hungry before the feet of Morgoth. There the fire and anguish of hell entered
into him, and he became filled with a devouring spirit, tormented, terrible, and
strong. Carcharoth, the Red Maw, he is
named in the tales of those days, and Anfauglir, the Jaws of Thirst. And Morgoth set him to lie unsleeping before
the doors of Angband, lest Huan come. (Silmarillion,
218)
Here, Melkor took an existing beast
and filled him with his own power so that it exceeded the natural powers of its
kind.
Even
Melkor’s relation to Orcs could be used to support this theory. “Now the Orcs that multiplied in the darkness
of the earth grew strong and fell, and their dark lord filled them with a lust
of ruin and death.” (Silmarillion,
109)
Despite
the appeal of this theory of Dragon ontology, it does not adequately explain
all of the textual data. Concerning
Orcs, it is clear that they are not sparks of Melkor, but rather, they are independent-spirited
creatures driven by the will of their master.
First, Orcs are derived from Elves whence their spirits come. Second, when Sauron was defeated, the Orcs
did not lose their spirits but were released from his control.[6] They were enthralled by a powerful will:
As when death smites the swollen brooding thing that
inhabits their crawling hill and holds them all in sway, ants will wander
witless and purposeless and then feebly die, so the creatures of Sauron, orc or
troll or beast enslaved, ran hither and thither mindless; and some slew
themselves, or cast themselves in pits, or fled wailing back to hide in holes
and dark lightless places far from hope. (Return
of the King, 928)
Presumably, Melkor shared a similar
relation to the Orcs as Sauron did.
Concerning
Carcharoth, although the text does say that Melkor’s power was upon him and
that he was filled with a spirit, it does not say that he was filled with
Melkor’s spirit. A closer reading of the
text clarifies this. He was filled with
a devouring, tormented, terrible, and strong spirit because the fire and
anguish of hell entered into him.
Carcharoth was a descendent of the werewolf Draugluin; he was of a
demonic race of wolves. Therefore, he was
no beast ensouled by Melkor but a demon-wolf enhanced both in spirit and body
by Melkor. His already-present spirit
became filled with anguish and fire at the hand of his master. He did not become filled with a spirit but he became tormented in spirit. In support of
this is the event in which Luthien confronts Carcharoth: “Lifting up her hand
she commanded him to sleep, saying: ‘O woe-begotten spirit, fall now into dark
oblivion, and forget for a while the dreadful doom of life.’” (Silmarillion, 218) This text shows that the werewolf’s spirit
was begotten, not created, not imparted.
Concerning
the text which allegedly unites the spirits of Glaurung and Melkor, a closer
reading debunks this theory: “. . . her eyes had looked in the fell spirit of
his eyes, and they were terrible, being filled with the fell spirit of Morgoth,
his master,” (208). This does not mean
that his spirit was identical with Melkor’s but the very opposite. The Dragon’s spirit was filled with the spirit
of his master just as the Orcs were filled with the hatred, greed, lust, and
anguish of their master. Glaurung was so
evil, so dreadful, that he was an image of his master. Melkor’s evil nature was known through his
servant, Glaurung.
Dragons as Maiar
The
theory that Dragons are Maiar avoids many of the problems of the previous
theories. On this theory, Dragons are
Maiar, ancient spirits in the form of gigantic, serpentine monsters. The fact that Maiar have the ability to take
on corporeal forms has been established previously. Melkor’s deadly allies, the Balrogs, were
Maiar in the raiment of fire and shroud.
The wizards were Maiar in the form of Men or Elves.[7]
The
problem with this theory is that the Maiar are not a race but an order of angelic
(or demonic) beings created before the world began. They do not procreate one with another.[8] Their number neither increases nor decreases
in the world. Dragons, however, are
known to reproduce. “And I know where
Mirkwood is, and the Withered Heath where the great dragons bred.” (-Thorin in The Hobbit, 19)
Dragons as Descendents of Maiar and
Monsters
We
come now to the theory that Dragons are descendants of the unions between Maiar
and monsters. This theory contends that
at some point in time, a Maia, according to the bidding of Melkor, assumed a
bodily form genetically compatible with an existing reptile. Recall that Sauron himself took the form of a
serpent: “Then Sauron shifted shape, from wolf to serpent, and from monster to
his own accustomed form.” (Silmarillion, 212)[9] This serpent-Maia mated with the reptile,
procreating the first Dragon, Glaurung.
Glaurung then mated either with other reptiles or with other serpent-Maiar
in order to reproduce. Eventually, the
Dragons became a self-sustainable race.
This
theory avoids all of the problems of the former theories, but two possible
objections need to be addressed. First, There is no precedence for a Maia mating
with a non-Maia and producing offspring.
This is not true; Melian was a
Maia who mated with the Elf King Thingol, and they produced the child Luthien.[10] Luthien, in turn, bore Dior by the Man Beren;
and their line continued throughout the history of Middle-earth including such
characters as Elwing, Elrond, Elendil, Isildur, and Aragorn. Consider also Tolkien’s reflection on the
nature of Orcs:
In any case is it likely or possible that
even the least of the Maiar would become Orcs?
Yes: both outside Arda and in it, before the fall of Utumno. Melkor had corrupted many spirits—some great,
as Sauron, or less so, as Balrogs. The
least could have been primitive (and much more powerful and perilous) Orcs; but
by practising when embodied procreation they would (cf. Melian) [become] more
and more earthbound, unable to return to spirit-state (even demon-form), until
released by death (killing), and they would dwindle in force. (-Tolkien, c.
1955, Morgoth’s Ring, 410)
Here we have both a clear and
explicit example of a Maia reproducing with a non-Maia, and an explanation of
the mechanics and metaphysics of such unions.
Second,
While it is true that Maiar can reproduce
with other races (e. g. Elves and Orcs), they cannot reproduce with beasts. The examples given in the first objection
involved Maiar mating with Elves and Orcs (i. e. corrupted Elves), but there
are no examples of Maiar mating with animals.
In fact, Elves are closest in nature to Maiar than any other creatures,
and this could explain their ability to cross-breed. Therefore, the question is Can Maiar reproduce with beasts? I believe they can. Although this is nowhere explicit, the
werewolves are likely a race produced by the union of Maia and beast.[11] Consider again Draugluin the father of
werewolves and his whelp Carcharoth, both demon wolves, one descended from the other.[12] A similar thing can be said of Ungoliant and
her descendants. Although I do not
believe Ungoliant was a Maia, she was certainly a spirit with the same ability
to take on flesh. A very plausible
explanation of her offspring is the union of incarnate spirit and beast.
Conclusion
The
theory that Dragons are the species begun from the union of Maia and beast is
the most satisfying of the many theories discussed in this paper. It is consistent with the world Tolkien
created. The theory takes advantage of
the fact that Maiar, at times, arrayed themselves in forms of dreadful power,
even in the forms of beasts and monsters.
It places Melkor as the devisor of the Dragons but not as a creator of
life. And it is fitting for Melkor to
have allies and slaves of all kinds, including crossbreeds. That this theory is most satisfying is not
surprising because it is the most impure, unholy theory, involving demons and
bestiality; and Dragons are, after all, very evil creatures. The theory is also reminiscent of the
Minotaur from Greek myths and Baal from Canaanite religion, and distantly
related to Merlin of Arthurian legend and the Nephilim of Genesis; Tolkien was
surely familiar with all of these.
Finally,
if I have accomplished anything in this paper, may it be a greater appreciation
of Tolkien’s masterpiece. And may this
appreciation lead to a greater recognition of the truth and beauty which flow
from his pen and hint at a greater tale whose themes are woven into the fabric
of reality and whose ending is already written but waiting to be read.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Day, David. A Tolkien
Bestiary. London :
Chancellor Press, 2001.
Tolkien, J. R. R.
The Book of Lost Tales I. New York
_______. The Hobbit. New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.
_______. Morgoth’s Ring. ed. Christopher Tolkien.
New York :
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993.
_______. The Return of the King. New York : Houghton
Mifflin Company, 1994.
_______. The Silmarillion. ed. Christopher
Tolkien. New York :
Ballantine Books, 1979.
_______. The Tale of the Children of Hurin. ed.
Christopher Tolkien. New York :
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007.
_______. The Two Towers New York :
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994.
_______. Unfinished
Tales. ed. Christopher Tolkien. Boston :
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980.
[1]This
paper was originally read before a philosophically-trained audience; therefore,
I have used philosophical and technical terms that may not be accessible to
untrained readers. I give here some
definitions: a cosmogony (or
cosmogeny) is an explanation of the origin of the universe and its
development. A taxis is an ordering or arrangement of things into a hierarchical
structure. Raiment is an archaic term often used by Tolkien for clothing or
garments. Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that concerns the
fundamental nature of reality. An ontology is a specific theory of being
or existence.
[2]On
account of laziness, I have not included accents on any of Tolkien’s words.
[3]I do not
have room to explore the relationships between evil and freedom or evil and the
sovereignty of Iluvatar in Tolkien’s writings, but they are both worthy topics.
[4]“Many are the dragons that Melko has loosed upon the
world and some are more mighty than others.
Now the least mighty—yet were they very great beside the Men of those
days—are cold as is the nature of snakes and serpents, and of them a many
having wings go with the uttermost noise and speed; but the mightier are hot
and very heavy and slow-going, and some belch flame, and fire flickereth
beneath their scales, and the lust of greed and cunning evil of these is the
greatest of all creatures . . . .” (Book
of Lost Tales I, 97)
[5]Notice that J. R. R. Tolkien did not believe that the
Eagles were Maiar, even though they displayed characteristics common to them: “What
of talking beasts and birds with reasoning and speech? These have been rather lightly adopted from
less ‘serious’ mythologies, but play a part which cannot now be excised. They are certainly ‘exceptions’ and not much
used, but sufficiently to show they are a recognized feature of the world. All other creatures accept them as natural if
not common.
But
true ‘rational’ creatures, ‘speaking peoples’, are all of human/’humanoid’
form. Only the Valar and Maiar are
intelligences that can assume forms of Arda at will. Huan and Sorontar could be Maiar—emissaries
of Manwe. But unfortunately in The Lord of the Rings Gwaehir and
Landroval are said to be descendants
of Sorontar.” (-Tolkien c. 1955, Morgoth’s
Ring, 409-410)
Nor
were the Eagles rationally-spirited beings as Elves, Men, Dwarves, etc: “The
same sort of thing may be said of Huan and the Eagles: they were taught
language by the Valar, and raised to a higher level—but they still had not fëar.” (Tolkien, Morgoth’s Ring, 411)
[6] “The
Power that drove them on and filled them with hate and fury was wavering, its
will was removed from them; and now looking in the eyes of their enemies they
saw a deadly light and were afraid,” (Return
of the King, 927).
[7] “We must assume that they [the Istari] were all Maiar,
that is persons of the ‘angelic’ order, though not necessarily of the same
rank. The Maiar were ‘spirits’, but
capable of self-incarnation, and could take ‘humane’ (especially Elvish) forms.”
(Unfinished Tales, 394)
[9]The
notion that Sauron could be the spiritual progenitor of the Dragons is indeed
intriguing, but this cannot be proven.
[11] Cf. “Therefore he took upon himself the form of a
werewolf, and made himself the mightiest that had yet walked the world . . . .”
(-concerning Sauron, Silmarillion,
211)
[12]“But suddenly some power, descended from of old from
divine race, possessed Luthien, and casting back her foul raiment she stood
forth, small before the might of Carcharoth, but radiant and terrible. Lifting up her hand she commanded him to
sleep, saying: ‘O woe-begotten spirit, fall now into dark oblivion, and forget
for a while the dreadful doom of life.’” (Silmarillion,
218)
