Every Tolkien fan knows that Sauron is the principal antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, a story that takes place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. However, before his rise to prominence, Sauron's master, Morgoth, served as Middle-earth's primary villain and Dark Lord.
Morgoth's story is told in The Silmarillion, the book that covers the creation of Tolkien's universe. In the First Age, Morgoth sewed untold suffering for many generations. Fans of the movies, however, may not be too familiar with this primordial villain. Avid readers of Tolkien's work, particularly The Silmarillion, likely know these interesting details about the first Dark Lord.
6 Originally One Of The Ainur
The Silmarillion begins with the creation of the universe by Eru Illuvatar, known as "the One." Angelic beings meant to serve Eru Illuvatar in the creation of the universe were called Ainur. The greatest of the Ainur was Melkor (Morgoth), who tried to alter the universe's creation in a way that conformed to his own beliefs and desires.
Melkor's repeated disharmonies throughout the creation of the universe would pave the way for the existence of evil in the world. When the universe was finally complete, the Ainur were given the opportunity to inhabit the physical planes of existence and became known as the Valar. The job of the Valar was to further arrange the universe and facilitate its growth. Melkor, however, sought to dominate and rule the newly created world.
5 Convinced & Corrupted Others Into His Service
As the Valar attempted to cultivate the world, Melkor continually sought to disrupt their efforts. The Valar were aided in their work by lesser angelic beings known as Maiar. Melkor had his followers too, including several Maiar, such as the Balrogs and his chief lieutenant, Sauron.
After centuries of power struggle, the Elves eventually awoke in Middle-earth. The Valar sought to keep the Elves safe by inviting them to live in Aman, a continent situated far to the west of Middle-earth. Although many Elves made the journey, others decided to stay. Many were captured by Melkor and twisted into Orcs, a race bred in mockery of the Elves.
4 Destroyed The Two Trees Of Valinor
When the Valar and the Elves retreated to Aman, the rest of Middle-earth was left to darkness and Melkor's command. Aman itself (also known as Valinor) was lit by the Two Trees. Eventually, the Valar decided that Melkor needed to be stopped. A war was waged and Melkor was captured and brought to Valinor as a prisoner.
Melkor feigned repentance and planned his revenge. He conspired with the giant spider Ungoliant (the mother of Shelob) and poisoned the Two Trees of Valinor. Morgoth then fled to the north of Middle-earth to once again wreak havoc. When Morgoth fled Valinor, he also stole the Silmarils, three jewels of incomparable beauty...
3 Stole The Silmarils
As previously mentioned, Melkor stole the Silmarils when he fled Valinor and also killed Finwe, the king of the Noldorin Elves. Finwe's son, Feanor, swore a destructive oath to recover the Silmarils at any cost. It was Feanor who renamed Melkor to Morgoth. In addition, during their pursuit of Morgoth, the Noldor slew many of the Teleri Elves.
Morgoth set the Silmarils into his crown and waged a series of long wars against the Elves. Along the way, Dwarves and Men also awoke in Middle-earth, the latter of which proved susceptible to corruption. Morgoth eventually lost one of the Silmarils from Beren and Luthien, who stole the jewel while the Dark Lord slept. Later, the Elves recovered the remaining Silmarils: one was sent into the sky as a star, the second was cast into a fiery pit, and the third was thrown into the sea.
2 Defeated In The War Of Wrath
A series of wars ensued between Morgoth and his allies and the Elves/Men loyal to the Valar. Both sides traded victories and defeats that reshaped the geography of Middle-earth itself. As such, many heroes of the First Age emerged during this time. The final conflict was the War of Wrath, a fifty-year struggle that ended with Morgoth's demise.
At the conclusion of the War of Wrath, Morgoth was decisively defeated. His fortress was destroyed and his remaining servants were dispersed. The Valar exiled Morgoth into the void, although his confinement there is prophesized to only be temporary.
1 Prophesized To Return
Despite Morgoth's crushing defeat in the War of Wrath, the source of all evil in the universe wasn't permanently defeated. In Tolkien's mythos, Morgoth is prophesized to return at the end of days in an event known as the Dagor Dagorath.
The Dagor Dagorath is the event that marks the end of the world. During this apocalypse, Morgoth is meant to break free from his prison and wage one final war against the Valar. Only then will Morgoth be defeated permanently and evil extinguished forever.