The rich world of Middle-earth is full of strange and fantastical things. To this day, fans and Tolkien enthusiasts continue to discuss the intricacies of Tolkien’s world from its languages to its history and central, as well as minor characters. It’s no surprise therefore that Middle-earth has its fair share of terrifying and nightmare-inducing locations, creatures, and events.
Although most fans of the films and games are familiar with some of Middle-earth’s more iconic unsettling locations, characters, and creatures, much has also been left out due to timing constraints and other various reasons. Casual fans may be surprised that there are even more horrific things in Middle-earth than Balrogs, Nazghul, Shelob, and Sauron himself. As Gandalf himself says “There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deeper places of the world."
6 Nameless Things
What Gandalf mentions above may appear to refer to the Balrog that the 9 companions later encounter in the depths of Moria (certainly the case in the films). However, in the books, Gandalf is referring to the nameless things that reside in the world’s crevices. Gandalf even refers to them being older than Sauron (in that they have been in Middle-earth longer than Sauron) and that Sauron is perhaps not even aware of them.
Little is known about the Nameless Things but what is known about them is that their mystery and vagueness inspire enough terror that even Gandalf himself is reluctant to speak of them. Theories suggest that the Watcher in the Water, featured in the film is perhaps related to the Nameless Things or is one of them. No one knows where they came from or what they primarily desire. Some speculate that they came from the enigmatic void, the same realm Ungoliant came from.
5 The Fall Of Moria (Balin’s Failed Expedition)
Whilst this is an event that occurred during the 3rd age, the details surrounding that event are tragic and horrifying. Imagining what the dwarves must have felt witnessing their lord Balin die and seeing how their reclaimed home would soon become their tomb is just terrifying.
The fear, hopelessness, and desperation of the dwarves can be captured by Ori’s diary entry within the chamber of Mazarbul. Besieged by orcs from the eastern gate and blocked by the Watcher in the water at the western gate, the dwarves had no choice but to make their last stand in the chamber. Knowing that one can do nothing but wait for death is a terrifying prospect and Ori’s closing words reflect this sentiment - “We cannot get out. The end comes soon. We hear drums, drums in the deep. They are coming.”
4 Barrow-wights
Whilst not featured in the films, the Barrow-wights played a part in the books, particularly in the Fellowship of the Ring. This is the part (omitted in the movie) where Frodo and his hobbit companions make their way through the Barrow-downs to get to the town of Bree. Barrow-wights were evil spirits serving the Witch-King that possessed the corpses of the ancient kings and queens of the ancient land of Cardolan that once belonged to the Dunedain. The spirits were kept there to ensure that those lands would never be resettled by men.
These wights, adorned in their faded jewelry, patrolled their ancient crypts and were known to hunt those trespassed into their lands. The wights would paralyze unsuspecting travelers and take them back to their holdings, dressing their captives in white robes and jewels to prepare them for ritual sacrifice. Though most victims would remain unconscious, those that did awake would be powerless to move or fight back, as one would simply have to wait for death. A terrifying thought.
3 Minas Morgul
Known as the Tower of Sorcery, most Tolkien fans will recall this location from the films as Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol opted for the stairs of Cirinth Ungol instead. As the Witch King’s seat of power, the fortress was a symbol of pure corruption, entropy, and decrepitness, a place of horror and death. Everything about the place is said to be unwholesome, that even the flowers that bloomed there were misshapen and sickly for they gave off foul odors.
Statues of twisted beasts and men line the pathway to the dreaded citadel as unholy lights emanated from its twisted visage. But the true terror lay within. According to Gandalf, if a man were to enter Minas Morgul, he would be driven insane by the horrors witnessed. Though the term “One does not simply walk into Mordor” rings true to the beloved franchise, one certainly doesn’t want to enter through the gates of Minas Morgul.
2 Ungoliant
Perhaps the most powerful and terrifying of creatures ever to come from Tolkien’s imagination, Ungoliant is a malevolent spirit that took the form of a giant spider. She was so evil that she hated light itself and would devour it wherever she could. If one could imagine a black hole in the form of a creature, it would be Ungoliant.
Alongside Morgoth, the Dark Lord of the First Age, she destroyed the 2 trees of Valinor and fled to Middle-earth with the remaining 3 Silmarils. At some point, both dark entities betrayed one another, but it was Ungoliant who proved victorious. She single-handedly defeated Morgoth and was only saved when he screamed for his Balrogs to reinforce him. Imagine that, a dark lord and the prime evil of that era had to call for his elite lieutenants to save himself, one shudders to think what she'd be like in the Lord of the Rings. Ungoliant, unable to take on both the Balrogs and Morgoth, fled to a region known as Nan Dungortheb where she bred with giant spiders there and established a domain of darkness. It is said that she became so hungry that she eventually devoured herself.
1 Nan Dungortheb
Though most fans would name Mordor, the Dead Marshes, or Mordor to be the most terrifying places in Middle-earth, those pale in comparison to the region known as Nan Dungortheb. Known as the Valley of Dreadful Death, Nan Dungortheb was the region Ungoliant fled to after her confrontation against Morgoth. There, Ungoliant bred with the local spiders in the region, creating a new brood of powerful and dark creatures, which included Shelob. It is said that the spiders wove webs so black and thick that light was blocked out, that even travelers in nearby areas would easily get lost for they couldn’t see anything.
The waters that came from the region were so foul that any who drank from them would experience dark thoughts and even go insane. For context, even Mordor had drinkable water when Sam and Frodo passed through that perilous land. The only known survivor to have traversed through the region was Beren, the legendary hero of the first age. Beren refused to talk about his experiences in Nun Dungortheb, and he had already witnessed great tragedy in his own life. The good news from all this, however, is that the ancient cursed land sank beneath the waves after the end of the 1st Age. However, Shelob was able to escape and relocate herself elsewhere which makes one wonder, did any of the giant spiders resettle? One shudders at the thought.