The world of Middle-Earth is littered with fantastical creatures and fearsome beasts, but the early years of Tolkien's mythology actually feature one of the most famous monsters in fiction: werewolves. As told in The Silmarillion, werewolves were once among the most terrifying servants of Sauron and Morgoth, but by the time of The Lord of the Rings, they are all but extinct.

Aside from an off-hand mention from Gandalf during the Council of Elrond in The Fellowship of the Ring, werewolves make no appearances in either The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Where, then, did these beasts come from, and what role did they play in some of the greatest tales of the First Age of Middle-Earth?

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What Do Werewolves Look Like in Middle-Earth?

The history of werewolves in Middle-Earth begins even before the First Age, when beasts and dark creatures first began to migrate from the edges of the world into Beleriand. Among these were likely the first wolves, but these primitive animals were a far cry from the werewolves that would terrorize the land in the coming years. Instead, werewolves would appear as a result of the Dark Lord Sauron, who creates the dreadful beings sometime during the early years of the First Age. From then onward, they appear in the armies of Morgoth, and serve the evil purposes of Sauron and his master during the War of Wrath.

In order to understand the werewolves of Middle-Earth, it is important to realize that Tolkien’s version of these creatures is quite unlike the archetypal werewolf seen in popular media. Tolkien’s werewolves are not humans subjected to lunar transformations, and things such as silver have no special effect on them whatsoever. The werewolves of Middle-Earth are indeed wolves, but they are possessed by evil spirits which imbue them with terrible powers and give them a sense of intelligence. It is said that Sauron imprisoned these black spirits within their hearts, hence why he is sometimes referred to as “the Lord of Werewolves.”

The first werewolf created by Sauron was a horrifying beast named Draugluin, the forefather of werewolves. Draugluin assists Sauron in one of his earliest conquests, wherein he captures the Isle of Tol Sirion from the Elf Fingol, and claims the fortress there for himself. Within the walls of Tol Sirion, Draugluin begins to breed his offspring, beginning the line of werewolves in Middle-Earth. Soon, the island would soon become known by a far more terrible name: Tol-in-Gaurhoth, the Isle of Werewolves.

Werewolves in the Story of Beren and Lúthien

One of the most extensive appearances of werewolves in Tolkien’s works comes from the story of Beren and Lúthien, as told in The Silmarillion. In this tale, Beren is tasked by Lúthien’s father, the Elven king Thingol, with an impossible quest in order to win his daughter’s hand: he must steal a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth. Beren is accompanied on his quest by Fingol and a host of Elves, who set out into the perilous north in order to infiltrate Morgoth’s fortress of Angband. Not long into their journey, however, the group is discovered and captured by Sauron, who throws them into the dungeons of Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

In a dark pit, Beren, Fingol, and the Elves are eaten one-by-one by werewolves. When only Fingol and Beren remain, Fingol sacrifices his life in order to save Beren, who uses the last of his strength to sing a song of defiance. Luckily, Lúthien arrives alongside Huan, the Great Hound of Valinor, and upon hearing the voice of her love, she challenges Sauron with a song of her own. Sauron recognizes Lúthien’s importance to the kingdom of Elves, and aims to capture her for his master. Thus, he sends a werewolf to claim her, and it attacks Lúthien and Huan on the bridge leading to Tol-in-Gaurhoth.

Thanks to Huan, the first wolf’s attack proves unsuccessful. Sauron continues to send wolf after wolf to the bridge, but each is slain by Huan. At last he sends Draugluin, the greatest of all his wolves, but even he is no match for Huan. Draugluin returns to Sauron mortally wounded, warning him of the Hound before he succumbs to his wounds. In fury, Sauron transforms himself into the most terrible werewolf imaginable, and attacks Huan and Lúthien himself. The battle is fierce, but the Dark Lord is eventually defeated, held captive in Huan’s jaws. Lúthien banishes him from the island, and she and Beren flee together to finish his quest.

Carcharoth, the Red Maw

Morgoth soon learned of Sauron’s defeat, and devised a plan to kill Huan once and for all. It had been prophesied that Huan could only be killed by the greatest wolf that ever lived, so Morgoth bred a werewolf more terrible than any that had ever lived before him: Carcharoth, the Red Maw. Carcharoth was appointed guard of Morgoth’s fortress of Angband, and there he stood when Beren and Lúthien arrived at Angband in order to steal a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown. Lúthien enchanted herself to appear as a vampire astride Draugluin (Beren’s disguise), but Carcharoth knew of his forefather’s death, and so challenged them as intruders.

Found out, Lúthien uses her magic to place Carcharoth under a deep and sudden sleep. She and Beren continue into the castle, where she again uses her magic to cast the Court of Morgoth into sleep. Beren manages to pry one of the Silmarils from Morgoth’s Crown, but after he greedily tries for another, the Dark Lord awakes and they are forced to flee. Upon their retreat, Beren and Lúthien are attacked by an awoken Carcharoth. Beren challenges him with the radiance of the Silmaril, and Carcharoth, blinded by the jewel and eager to see its light dimmed, bites off Beren’s hand and swallows the Silmaril.

The Silmaril burns the insides of Carcharoth, throwing him into a fit of rage. He madly rampages through Middle-Earth, wreaking havoc to both Morgoth’s armies of Orcs as well as the kingdoms of Elves. After years of destruction, the great wolf is finally tracked to the borders of Doriath by Beren, King Thingol, and Huan the Hound. They corner Carcharoth, and in a terrible battle, the dreaded werewolf is finally slain, but not before mortally wounding both Beren and Huan. For the rest of Tolkien's mythology, werewolves make little to no more appearances, therefore meaning that the passing Carcharoth marks the end of a terrible era for the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth.

The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic names in entertainment. The franchise started with novels from J. R. R. Tolkien before being adapted onto the big screen by Peter Jackson in one of the most critically-acclaimed film trilogies of all time. There have also been numerous The Lord of the Rings video games of varying quality.