Glaurung

2013-05-22T21:25:23Z

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{{Dragon infobox
| image=[[Image:J.R.R. Tolkien - Glaurung sets forth to seek Turin.jpg|250px]]
| name=Glaurung
| othernames=[[Undolaurë]] [[Laurundo]] Glorund (in the [[Lost Tales]])
| titles=''The Father of Dragons'' ''The Great Worm'' ''The Deceiver'' ''The Golden''
| realm=[[Nargothrond]]
| affiliation=[[Morgoth]]
| hoard=Treasure of [[Finrod|Finrod Felagund]], including the [[Nauglamir]].
| birth={{FA|260}}
| birthlocation=[[Angband]]
| death={{FA|499}}
| deathlocation=[[Cabed-en-Aras]]
| slayer=[[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]]
| type=''[[Urulókë]]''
| legs=Yes
| wings=No
| colour=Golden
}}{{Pronounce|Glaurung.mp3|Ardamir}}
{{quote|Here not long since was the Great Worm of Angband, most fell of all the creatures of the Enemy!|[[Voronwë]]<ref name="UTTuor">{{UT|1}}</ref>}}
'''Glaurung''' ([[Sindarin|S]]. pron. {{IPA|[ˈɡlaʊruŋ]}}) was the first of the [[dragons]]<ref name="SIndex">{{S|Index}}.</ref> and one of the foremost lieutenants of [[Morgoth]] during the [[First Age]].

==Names, epithets & titles==
As the first of the dragons of Morgoth, Glaurung was sometimes referred to as the '''Great Worm''',<ref name="SFifth">{{S|20}}</ref><ref name="CHComingGlaurung" /> the '''Worm of Morgoth''',<ref name="CHDeathGlaurung" /> the '''Great Worm of Angband'''<ref name="UTTuor" /> and the '''Gold-worm of Angband'''.<ref name="UTNarn">{{UT|2}}</ref> He bore the epithets '''the Golden''',<ref name="SRuin">{{S|18}}.</ref> and '''the Deceiver'''{{fact}} (the latter presumably referring to his dealings with the [[children of Húrin]]). He was also described as the '''Father of Dragons'''<ref name="SRuin" /> and the '''first of the [[Urulóki]]''',<ref name="SReturn">{{S|13}}.</ref> though whether this implies he actually sired the rest of his kind is uncertain.

From {{FA|495}} to {{FA|499|n}} he ruled a host of [[orcs]] as the 'dragon-king' of the former Elven-realm of [[Nargothrond]].<ref name="CHComingGlaurung" />

==History==
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Glaurung is Humbled.jpg|thumb|left|''Glaurung is Humbled'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]

Exactly when Glaurung was created is not known, but he first emerged from [[Angband]] in {{FA|260}},<ref name="GA260">{{GA|260}}.</ref> during the [[Siege of Angband]]. Although he was still young according to the long life of Dragons, and not grown to his full strength, his initial assault pushed the [[Noldor]] from [[Ard-galen|Ardgalen]], which he took and defiled, to [[Dorthonion]] and the [[Ered Wethrin]]. This victory was short-lived, however, and Glaurung was forced back to Angband when [[Fingon]] rode against him with a company of mounted archers. Morgoth was not pleased that Glaurung had revealed himself while still immature, and did not allow any more forays from Angband for some two hundred years.<ref name="SReturn" /><ref name="GA260" />

===The ''Dagor Bragollach'' and ''Nirnaeth Arnoediad''===
The siege of Angband was broken in {{FA|455}}<ref name="GADBragollach">{{GA|145–148}}</ref> in the ''[[Dagor Bragollach]]'', the Battle of Sudden Flame. Glaurung, now grown to his full might, led the largest army of [[balrogs]] and [[orcs]] yet assembled against the leaguer of the Noldor and overthrew it. He then pressed against the [[people of Fëanor]] and, defeating a contingent of their riders upon the plain of [[Lothlann]] and forcing [[Maglor's Gap]], burned all the land between the arms of [[Gelion]].<ref name="SRuin" />

The counter-attack came in {{FA|472}},{{fact}} when the [[Union of Maedhros]] marched in force against Angband in the decisive battle of the ''[[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]]'', the Unnumbered Tears. Glaurung and his brood entered the battle in the early hours of the third morning, when Morgoth loosed his last strength against the combined forces of [[Fingon]], [[Turgon]] and [[Maedhros]]:
{{blockquote|The strength and terror of the Great Worm were now great indeed, and Elves and Men withered before him; and he came between the hosts of Maedhros and Fingon and swept them apart.|{{S|20}}.}}
But the [[Dwarves]] of [[Belegost]] with their great war masks withstood him. Surrounded and hewed at by their axes, Glaurung was driven into a rage and slew [[Azaghâl]] the [[Lord of Belegost]]. But with his last stroke the Dwarf-lord dealt Glaurung a grievous wound to the belly and the dragon and his brood fled back to Angband, leaving the final victory over the Union to [[Gothmog (balrog)|Gothmog]] and his balrogs.<ref name="SFifth" />

===Destruction of Nargothrond===
In the autumn of {{FA|495}}<ref name="GA495a">{{GA|275}}.</ref> Glaurung led an army of [[Orcs]] against [[Nargothrond]]. He passed over [[Anfauglith]] and first assailed the north [[Vales of Sirion]], then coming south laid waste to [[Eithel Ivrin]] and [[Talath Dirnen]]. His advance was checked by the [[Mormegil]], [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]], who led the forces of Nargothrond out to meet Glaurung in the [[Battle of Tumhalad]]. The Elves were utterly defeated; [[King of Nargothrond|King]] [[Orodreth]] was slain, and although Túrin attempted to rally the survivors to a last defence of Nargothrond itself, Glaurung came there first. The dragon passed swiftly over the bridge over [[Narog]] and destroyed the [[Doors of Felagund]].<ref name="CHFall">{{CH|11}}.</ref>

[[Image:John Howe - Nienor and Glaurung.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|''Nienor and Glaurung'' by [[John Howe]].]]

As Glaurung's orcs were sacking the city Túrin arrived and cut his way to the captives. As he did so Glaurung emerged from the doors and put him under his spell. Túrin was transfixed by the gaze of dragon as the captives, among them [[Finduilas]], were led away. Then Glaurung spoke to Túrin and convinced him not to go after Finduilas but to return to [[Dor-lómin]] and rescue his mother [[Morwen]] and sister [[Niënor]] (when in fact they had already fled to [[Doriath]]). After weaving the first strand of his plot to bring doom to the children of [[Húrin]], who Morgoth had cursed, he drove away his orcs and made his abode in Nargothrond, casting down the bridge and, in true dragon fashion, laying down to sleep on the great horde he had plundered.<ref name="CHFall" />

The following year, {{FA|496}},<ref name="GA496a">{{GA|304–308}}.</ref> Glaurung's slumber was disturbed. Hearing of the fall of Nargothrond a small party from Doriath, including Morwen and Niënor, was sent to seek tidings, especially of the fate of Túrin. His keen sight quickly detected them and, as they approached his dwelling, he issued forth into the Narog and created a steam and reek that scattered the spies in confusion. Glaurung then crept swiftly towards [[Amon Ethir]] where he meant Niënor, alone, and placed her under the same spell he had her brother Túrin. But this time rather than subtle deceits he used his power to completely obliterate Niënor's memory and left her to wander in the wild.<ref name="CHJourney">{{CH|14}}.</ref>

===Death===
[[Image:Guy Gondron - The Slaying of Glaurung.jpg|thumb|left|''The Slaying of Glaurung'' by [[Guy Gondron]].]]

For the next several years Glaurung ruled as the 'dragon-king' of what was once the Realm of Nargothrond, gathering many Orcs to him.<ref name="CHComingGlaurung">{{CH|16}}.</ref> Meanwhile Niënor escaped from [[Mablung|Mablung's]] care and wandered into [[Brethil]]. There she was found by Túrin, now living amongst the [[Halethrim]], who named her Níniel. Not knowing that they were brother and sister (Túrin having never met his sister and Níniel ignorant of her true identity), the two fell in love and were married.<ref name="CHJourney" /><ref name="CHNienor">{{CH|15}}.</ref> In {{FA|498}} Glaurang began to send his orcs against Brethil, and thereby forced Túrin to reveal himself.<ref name="GA498">{{GA|319}}.</ref> The next summer<ref name="GA499">{{GA|321}}.</ref> he came there himself, but was caught by an ambush before he could reach the Halethrim's dwellings at [[Ephel Brandir]]: Túrin lay in wait in the gorge of [[Cabed-en-Aras]], and as Glaurung attempted to leap over it he was dealt a mortal blow by [[Gurthang]], Túrin's black sword.<ref name="CHDeathGlaurung">{{CH|17}}.</ref>

However even as he lay dying on the banks of [[Taeglin]] the Deceiver completed the doom he had woven for the children of Húrin. Túrin was rendered unconscious by Glaurung's noxious blood and Níniel, coming upon the scene, thought him dead. With his last breath the dragon revealed his plot, and as he died his spells were undone, so Niënor Níniel regained her memory. In despair she leapt to her death into Cabed-en-Aras and when, awaking, Túrin also learned the truth from Brandir he cast himself upon his own sword.<ref name="CHDeathGlaurung" /><ref name="CHDeathTurin">{{CH|18}}.</ref>

==Brood==
Glaurung's brood accompanied him in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad<ref name="SFifth" /> and, after his death, were present during the [[Fall of Gondolin]], by which time they had become "many and terrible".<ref name="STuor">{{S|23}}.</ref>

Exactly what this brood consisted of and, by extension, what Tolkien intended Glaurung's relationship to the rest of the dragons is unclear. The titles "Father of the Dragons" and "first of the ''urulóki''" are also ambiguous in terms of whether Glaurung is a progenitor or simply the first to be created. His 'brood' could be all subsequent dragons, just one 'subspecies' or simply his immediate children. Certainly there is a case to be made that [[Ancalagon]] and the winged-dragons were a separate creation of Morgoth's, based on this passage:
{{blockquote|[Morgoth] loosed upon his foes the last desperate assault that he had prepared, and out of the pits of Angband there issued the winged dragons, that had not before been seen|{{S|24}}.}}
On the other hand, the only two named winged-dragons (Ancalagon and [[Smaug]]) were also ''urulóki'': they breathed fire. There are no other dragons explicitly stated to be like Glaurung, both fire-breathing but not flying, making it difficult to argue from Tolkien's published works that he intended Glaurung's brood to constitute a discrete lineage. In the end all that can be gleaned of how Tolkien conceived of the 'taxonomy' of dragons comes from isolated references to different types like ''urulóki'', ''[[cold-drake]]'' and ''[[long-worms]]'', so the problem likely does not have a ([[canon|canonical]]) answer.

==Other Versions of the Legendarium==

Throughout early versions of the legendarium, he was known by different names: ''Glórund'' (the c. [[1916]]-[[1919|19]] ''[[The Book of Lost Tales (disambiguation)|Lost Tales]]'') > ''Glórung'' (the [[1926]] '[[Sketch of the Mythology]]') > ''Glómund'' (the [[1930]] ''[[Quenta Noldorinwa]]''; the ''[[Lay of Leithian]]'') > ''Glaurung'' (the c. [[1951]] '[[The Grey Annals|Grey Annals]]'; the published ''[[The Silmarillion]]'').<ref>{{SM|2a}} ([Section] 13)</ref><ref>{{HM|RB}}, Chapter XII "Conversations with Smaug": (i) ''Tolkien's Dragons''</ref>

==Portrayal in Adaptations==

'''[[1988]], [[1994]]: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''

:Glaurung was described and given role-playing statistics in the supplements ''[[Creatures of Middle-earth|Creatures of Middle-earth]]'' and [[Creatures of Middle-earth (2nd edition)|''Creatures of Middle-earth'' (2nd edition)]]. His name was given the [[Quenya]] translation "Golden Gloom".<ref>{{ICE|2012}}, p. 111</ref> Furthermore, Glaurung was conceived to have bred the cold-drakes ''Scatha'' and ''Ando-anca'' (whose names were suggested to be revised to ''Skadi'' and ''Skell'').<ref>[[Chris Seeman]] (1998), "Dragons of the North", in ''[[Other Hands]]'' [[Other Hands 23|Issue 23]]</ref>

==See Also==
* [[Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin]]
* [[:Category:Images of Glaurung|Images of Glaurung]]

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[[Category:Characters in The Silmarillion]]
[[Category:Dragons]]
[[Category:Servants of Melkor]]
[[Category:Sindarin names]]
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Glaurung