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Dragons

2013-03-14T23:42:12Z

65.27.118.35: /* The origin and early history of dragons */

{{rewrite}}
{{sources}}
{{race
| image=[[Image:J.R.R. Tolkien - Dragon.jpg|225px]]
| name=Dragons, Drakes, Worms
| dominions=
| languages=Various Mannish and Elvish tongues<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], "[[Leila Keene and Pat Kirke 3 August 1943]]" ([[Letters not published in "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien"|letter]]); quoted in {{PM|II}}, "Note on an unpublished letter", pp. 72-73</ref>
| height=
| length=
| skincolor=
| haircolor=
| feathers=
| distinctions=
| lifespan="Long and slow"<ref>{{S|13}}</ref>
| members=[[Glaurung]], [[Ancalagon]], [[Scatha]], [[Smaug]]
}}<center>{{quote|Never laugh at live '''dragons'''.|[[Bilbo Baggins]]<ref> {{H|Inside}}</ref>}}</center>
'''Dragons''' were created by [[Morgoth]] out of fire and sorcery sometime before the [[First Age|First Age of the Sun]], when [[Glaurung]] first appeared.

==History==
[[Image:Ted Nasmith - Scouring the Mountain.jpg|thumb|left|''Scouring the Mountain'' by [[Ted Nasmith]]]]
===The origin and early history of dragons===
Seeing the strength of the [[Noldor]] in battle, Melkor realized that [[orcs]] alone were not sufficient to defeat his enemies. He therefore began to breed a new race of monsters: the dragons.<ref>{{GA|115}}</ref><ref group=note>How this was done is unclear.</ref>

The Father of Dragons was [[Glaurung]], a mighty worm with a fearful intelligence and a powerful hypnotic gaze. Glaurung played an integral part in the fate of the Children of [[Húrin]]. Among his many crimes were the destruction of the Elf-realm of [[Nargothrond]] and a spell cast upon [[Nienor]] which stripped her of her memory. This eventually led her to a disastrous reunion and marriage to her long-lost brother [[Túrin]]. When Nienor learned the truth of Glaurung's plot, she flung herself to her death. Glaurung was finally slain by Túrin, who afterward committed suicide in reaction to Glaurung's plot.

At the [[Fall of Gondolin]], Morgoth's foul host included dragons, "''many and terrible''"<ref>{{S|23}}</ref> including the fearful [[Beast of Gondolin]].

During the [[War of Wrath]], Morgoth unleashed a new terror upon Middle-earth -- the winged dragons. Chief among these was [[Ancalagon]] the Black. Eventually slain by [[Eärendil]] the Mariner, Ancalagon's fall crushed the towers of [[Thangorodrim]]. Many of the dragons were destroyed in the War of Wrath but some fled and survived into the later Ages of Middle-earth.

===The re-emergence of dragons===
No dragon is mentioned in the tales of the [[Second Age]]. It would appear that the dragons that survived [[Beleriand]]'s destruction fled to the [[Northern Waste]], far from the lands of [[Men]] and [[Elves]]. Over the centuries, the race of dragons continued to breed and repopulate, particularly in the [[Withered Heath]], an area north of the [[Grey Mountains]].

In the late [[Third Age]] the dragons bred in the Withered Heath, stirred by the [[Necromancer|return of Evil]], began to make war with the [[Dwarves]] around the year {{TA|2570}} ([[Dáin I]] and [[Frór]] of [[Durin's folk]] were killed by a great cold-drake in {{TA|2589|n}}).<ref>{{App|B2}}</ref><ref name=Durin>{{App|A3}}</ref> It was perhaps in these wars that dragons swallowed four of the [[Seven Dwarf-rings]].<ref name=Shadow>{{FR|Shadow}}</ref>

The most fearsome dragon of the Third Age was [[Smaug]], who laid waste to the Dwarf-realm of [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and the nearby town of [[Dale]]. This devastated the area and sent [[Durin's folk]] into exile. Smaug remained in the abandoned halls of the Lonely Mountain for many years until the coming of [[Thorin and Company]] and their "burglar", the [[Hobbits|hobbit]] [[Bilbo Baggins]]. This began a chain of events that led to Smaug's death at the hands of [[Bard]] the Bowman.

Although Smaug was the greatest of the dragons of his day,<ref name=Durin/> he seems not to have been the last of his kind as [[Gandalf]] told [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] that "''there is not now any dragon left on earth in which the old fire is hot enough'' [to melt the Rings of Power]",<ref name=Shadow/> indicating the presence of other, lesser dragons.

==Characteristics==
===Means of locomotion===
Some dragons ([[Glaurung]]) walked on four legs, like a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon Komodo dragon] or some other lizard.
*A second type ([[Ancalagon]], [[Smaug]]) could both walk on four legs and fly using wings. Winged-dragons only first appeared during the [[War of Wrath]], the battle that ended the First Age, so all dragons introduced before the end of the First Age couldn't fly (such as Glaurung), although breeds of wingless dragons did survive into later ages.

===Fire breathing===
*The ''[[Urulóki]]'' (singular ''Urulokë'', Fire-drakes) could breathe fire. It is not entirely clear whether the term "Uruloki" referred only to the first dragons such as Glaurung that could breathe fire but were wingless, or to any dragon that could breathe fire, and thus include Smaug.
*The [[Cold-drakes]] could not.

===Other characteristics===
The dragons also shared a love of treasure (especially gold), subtle intelligence, immense cunning, great physical strength, and a hypnotic power called "dragon-spell". The best way to talk to a dragon under the circumstances of this spell (when it was questioning you) was to not directly give it the information it wanted, as this would compromise you and your friends, but not to flat out deny it an answer, because this would anger it to violence. Therefore, the best way to talk to the dragon is to be vague and speak in riddles- apparently dragons find it hard to resist wasting time with riddles.

Dragon-fire (of the Urulóki) was hot enough to melt [[Rings of Power]]: four of the [[Seven Rings]] of the Dwarves were consumed by Dragon-fire, although it was not powerful enough to destroy the One Ring itself.<ref name=Shadow/>

== Individual dragons ==
[[Image:John Howe - Smaug.jpg|thumb|''Smaug'' by [[John Howe]].]]
* [[Glaurung]] — Father of Dragons, slain by [[Túrin|Túrin Turambar]]. First of the Uruloki, the Fire-drakes of Angband. He had four legs and could breathe fire, but didn't have wings.
* [[Ancalagon]] the Black — first and mightiest of the Winged-dragons, slain by [[Eärendil]] in the [[War of Wrath]].
* [[Scatha]] — Slain by Fram of the [[Éothéod]]. Apparently a cold-drake. Described as a "long-worm", although this imprecise term seems to be more of an expression rather than a separate taxonomic group.
* [[Smaug]] — the last great dragon of [[Middle-earth]], slain by [[Bard]] of [[Lake-town|Esgaroth]]. A winged Urulokë.
* An unnamed dragon appears in [[Hobbits|Hobbit]] verse, said to have had red eyes, black wings and teeth like knives.<ref>{{AB|Hoard}}</ref>
* [[Beast of Gondolin]] — A Fire-Drake at the [[Fall of Gondolin]].

==Names==
The dragons were known by many different names: drakes, [[worms]], [[long-worms]], [[serpents]].
===Other tongues===
Words denoting "dragon" in [[Quenya]] are ''[[lókë]]'' and ''[[angulóke]]''. [[Sindarin]] has ''[[lhûg]]'' and ''[[amlug]]''.
===Etymology===

''Dragon'' is derived from French; ''drake'' is an English word, from [[Old English]] ''draca'' (derived from Latin).<ref>{{HM|LT2}}, "Short Glossary of Obsolete, Archaic, and Rare Words", p. 350</ref>
===Obsolete tongues===
In [[Gnomish]], "dragon" is ''fuithlug'' ("a dragon who guards treasure"), ''lingwir'' or ''ulug'' (plural ''ulûgin''; "she dragon" is ''uluch'', ''uluchnir'' or ''ulugwin'').<ref>{{PE|11}}, pp. 36, 54, 74</ref>
==Other fiction==

A dragon named [[Chrysophylax]] appears in [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s story ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''.

In the story ''[[Roverandom]]'', white dragons are among the creatures living on the moon. A dragon, called the Great White Dragon, attacks Rover and the moon-dog, and is said to be the origin of all white dragons. In Merlin's time, this dragon had been to the earth, and fought with the Red Dragon in Caerdragon. The Great White Dragon has wings and can breath fire.<ref>{{HM|R}}, "[Chapter] 2"</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
<center><gallery perrow=4>
File:SBG - Cave Drake.png|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]''
File:Jeff Murchie - Dragon.png|<center>''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
</gallery></center>
===Portrayal in games===
'''1982-97: ''[[Middle-earth Role Playing]]'':'''
:Apart from the type of dragons created by Tolkien, additional races include ''Rain-drakes'', ''Light-drakes'', ''Ash Drakes'' and several others.<ref>{{ICE|2012}}</ref>

'''2001-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game]]'':'''
:The ''Dragon'', which can have the ability to breathe fire and fly, is a powerful enemy of the Good players.<ref>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1080191 Dragon] at [http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/home.jsp Games-Workshop.com] (accessed 23 September 2011)</ref> The game also includes the subterranean ''Cave Drake'', a large but agile monster and natural enemy of the Dwarves.<ref>''[[White Dwarf]]'', issue 371 (November 2010), p. 42</ref>

'''2007-: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:''Dragon-kind'' includes several varieties: ''Cold-'', ''Fire-'' and ''Shadow-drakes'', ''Fire-worms'', ''Rock-worms'', and many more. Related beasts include the ''salamander'', a weaker and simpler breed of dragons, the pygmy-sized ''dragonet'', and the turtle-like ''avanc''.<ref>"[http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Category:Dragon-kind Dragon-kind]" at [http://lorebook.lotro.com/wiki/Lorebook_home Lord of the Rings Online: Lorebook] (accessed 28 October 2010)</ref>

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Dragons|Images of Dragons]]
* [[Fell beasts]]

==External links==
*[http://cogitemusaccurate.blogspot.com/2013/02/concerning-origin-of-dragons.html Concerning the Origin of Dragons]

{{references|note}}

[[Category:Dragons|*]]
[[Category:Characters in The Hobbit]]
[[de:Drachen]]
[[fr:encyclo:biologie:faune:dragons]]
[[fi:Lohikäärmeet]]

Gríma

2013-03-09T21:38:15Z

65.27.118.35:

{{expansion}}
{{rohirrim infobox
| image=[[File:John Alvin - Untitled (Theoden and Wormtongue).jpg|250px]]
| name=Gríma
| othernames=''Wormtongue''
| titles=
| position=King's Advisor
| location=
| affiliation=[[Saruman]]
| language=
| birth=
| birthlocation=
| rule=
| death=[[3 November]] {{TA|3019}}
| deathlocation=[[Bag End]]
| age=Male
| house=
| parentage=[[Gálmód]]
| siblings=
| spouse=
| children=
| gender=
| height=Tall{{fact}}
| hair=Dark{{fact}}
| eyes=Dark<ref name=Golden/>
| clothing=
| weapons=Knife
| steed=
}}
'''Gríma Wormtongue''' (died [[Third Age]] November 3, 3019)<ref>{{App|B4}}</ref> was the chief advisor to King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]]. He was the son of [[Gálmód]].<ref name=Golden/>

==History==
Gríma was secretly in thrall to [[Saruman]], who had promised him [[Éowyn]]. Gríma not only informed Saruman about the secrets of [[Rohan]], but also worked to weaken Théoden and his kingdom with his words and poison.

During the [[War of the Ring]], the Nine [[Nazgûl]] came to Rohan and questioned Wormtongue, who, terrified, answered that the [[Wizard]] [[Gandalf]] had passed through Rohan, and also revealed to them where the [[Shire]] was. He also told them that Saruman had lied to them in this information, revealing his treachery against [[Sauron]].<ref>{{UT|hunt}}</ref>

Upon [[Gandalf]]'s arrival, he tried to discredit Gandalf, until he managed to heal Théoden. After this, "many things which men had missed" were found locked in Gríma's trunk and he was given a grim choice: ride into battle or into exile.<ref name=Golden>{{TT|III6}}</ref> Choosing the latter, he went to dwell with Saruman at [[Orthanc]], where he witnessed the [[Battle of Isengard]]. Following the confrontation between Saruman and Gandalf, he mistakenly threw a "heavy rock"—which was actually the ''[[palantíri|palantír]]'' [[Orthanc-stone|of Orthanc]]—at the [[Rohirrim]] accompanying Gandalf, an act for which Saruman seems to have punished him severely.<ref>{{TT|III10}}</ref>
[[File:Ted Nasmith - Saruman is Overtaken.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ted Nasmith]] - Saruman is Overtaken]]
While being held there, he was reduced more weak and thin. When [[Treebeard]] released them in August, they left. On their way, they were confronted by Gandalf, [[Celeborn]], [[Galadriel]] and the Hobbits on their way to northern [[Dunland]]. They found them as traveling beggars and Saruman kicked Gríma to move on, as he exclaimed how he hated his master. Galadriel told Gríma that he was free to leave him but he did not reply.<ref>{{RK|Partings}}</ref>

Saruman had already been exerting his control over the Shire from afar by sending [[ruffians|evil Men]] there, thus Saruman sought his revenge in petty tyranny over the hobbits. During this time Gríma became increasingly degraded until he was a crawling wretch, almost resembling [[Gollum]], and Saruman shortened his nickname to "Worm". During this time he killed [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins]], and may have eaten him.<ref name=RKVI8>{{RK|VI8}}</ref>

Spurred by the words of [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] that he did not have to follow Saruman, and being pushed over the edge when Saruman scorned him, he used a hidden knife to slit the throat of [[Saruman]] and darted down the road. He was quickly killed by several Hobbit arrows, thus Wormtongue was the final casualty of the War of the Ring.<ref name=RKVI8/>

==Etymology==
The name ''Gríma'' derives from the [[Old English]] or [[wikipedia:Icelandic language|Icelandic]] word meaning "mask, visor, helmet" or "spectre".<ref>[[Wayne G. Hammond]], [[Christina Scull]] (2008), ''[[The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion]]'', p. 404</ref><ref>Hálfdan Helgason (1991), [http://www.halfdan.is/vestur/nofn.htm#grím ''The Emigration from Iceland to North America: Icelandic first names''], accessed 12 October 2010</ref><ref>Joseph Bosworth, "[http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/017508 gríma]" at ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (online, accessed 12 October 2010)</ref> It is also possible to link the name to the English word "grim", which among other characteristics meant "ugly" in Old English.<ref>Joseph Bosworth, "[http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/009520 EORL]" at ''An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary'' (online, accessed 12 October 2010)</ref>

''Wormtongue'' is a modernized form of [[Old English]] ''wyrm-tunge'' ("snake-tongue").<ref>{{HM|N}}, p. 764</ref>

== Portrayal in Adaptations ==
[[File:The Lord of the Rings (1978 film) - Gríma Wormtongue.jpg|thumb|right|Gríma Wormtongue in [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]]]
[[File:The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy - Gríma Wormtongue.jpg|thumb|[[Brad Dourif]] as Gríma Wormtongue in [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]]]
'''1956: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1956 radio series)]]'':'''
:[[Bernard Rebel]] played Gríma.

'''1978: [[The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1978 film)]]:'''
:Gríma Wormtongue was voiced by [[Michael Deacon]].

'''1979: [[The Lord of the Rings (1979 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1979 radio series)]]:'''
:[[John Vickery]] played Gríma.
'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''
:[[Paul Brooke]] played Gríma.

'''2001-03: [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (film series)]]:'''
:Gríma is played by [[Brad Dourif]]. The reason for Gríma's pale and emaciated appearance in the movie is not entirely clear. Perhaps it is meant to suggest that by throwing in his lot with Saruman he has started down the same path to physical and mental corruption that caused Gollum to become a twisted parody of his original self, although it is just as likely that Jackson simply wanted to make it clear that Wormtongue was one of the "bad guys" in the large and confusing cast of characters.

:The events of "[[The Scouring of the Shire]]" do not appear in the film version, so Saruman's death was moved to an earlier scene. Other than the location, which was moved to the tower of [[Orthanc]], the manner of their deaths is very much the same. As in the book, Gríma kills Saruman, but by stabbing him in the back, not slitting his throat. Saruman's body then falls from the tower and is impaled on a spiked wheel, one of the remnants of his war machines. Gríma himself is shot by an arrow fired by Legolas, thereby mirroring his death in the book. This scene was to have included a line where Saruman blamed Gríma for killing [[Théodred]], replacing Lotho in the context of that scene, but the line was cut out.

'''2009: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: Conquest]]'':'''
:[[Kirk Thornton]] played Gríma.

==See also==
* [[:Category:Images of Gríma|Images of Gríma ]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grima}}
{{references}}
[[Category:Characters in The Lord of the Rings]]
[[Category:Rohirrim]]
[[de:Gríma Schlangenzunge]]
[[fr:encyclo/personnages/hommes/3a/hommes_du_nord/rohirrim/grima]]
[[fi:Gríma]]

Battle of Bywater

2013-03-09T21:35:37Z

65.27.118.35:

{{battle
| name=Battle of Bywater
| image=[[File:Ted Nasmith - Storming the Bank.jpg|298px]]
| conflict=[[War of the Ring]]
| date=[[3 November]] {{TA|3019}}
| result=Freedom for the Hobbits
| place=The Bywater Road, Bywater, [[the Shire]]
| side1=Hobbits
| side2=[[Sharkey]]'s men
| commanders1=[[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], [[Peregrin Took]], [[Farmer Cotton]]
| commanders2=[[Saruman]] †
| forces1=*200 [[Buckland|Bucklanders]]
*100 [[Took Family|Tooks]]
*[[Samwise Gamgee]]
*[[Tolman Cotton Junior|Young Tom]], [[Wilcome Cotton II|Jolly]] and [[Bowman Cotton|Nick Cotton]]
*Unknown number of [[Hobbiton]] residents
| forces2=100 [[Ruffians]]
| casual1=19 Hobbits killed, 30 wounded
| casual2=70 Ruffians killed (including [[Gríma|Gríma Wormtongue]]), 12 captured
|}}
{{wotr}}

The '''Battle of Bywater''' was the last military engagement of the [[War of the Ring]], and the second and last battle to have been fought in [[the Shire]].

==History==
===Prelude===
When [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and his companions returned from the Coronation of [[Aragorn|Elessar]], they found their homeland to be under the dominion of [[Ruffians]]. These Men had been pouring into the Shire since late {{TA|3018|n}},<ref>{{RK|Homeward}}</ref> and were under the command of "the Chief", or "[[Sharkey]]", who outlawed everything that the Hobbits held dear; food and inns most notably. It did not take [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]], [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] long to violate several rules:
<blockquote>''You're arrested for Gate-breaking, and Tearin up of Rules, and Assaulting Gatekeepers, and Tresspassing, and Sleeping in Shire-buildings without Leave, and Bribing Guards with Food.''</blockquote>

The four Hobbits were arrested, but managed to talk themselves out of custody, and subsequently rally the Hobbits to overthrow the Chief. A small group of Men was encountered, and Pippin declared the return of the King to them, and the message that emissaries were on their way. When he was scoffed, he declared himself the emissary, as he was not released from Elessar's service yet. The group was routed, but managed to get a message to a bigger contigent in [[Waymeet]].<ref name="Scouring">{{RK|Scouring}}</ref>

===Battle===
As twenty Men from [[Hobbiton]] marched towards Bywater, 200 Bucklanders answered the call of Captain Merry's horn. In Bywater, barricades were set up at the command of Merry. Meanwhile, the Cottons also joined the group.

When the Men came, they did not expect a trap. They walked up [[Bywater Road]], to the point where [[Tolman Cotton Senior|Farmer Cotton]] was standing. They threatened him, but found themselves heavily outnumbered, and as the hobbits closed the barricade behind them, also surrounded. Their leader fell by arrows as he tried to strike at Merry. The rest surrendered.

The larger group of Men from Waymeet arrived the following day. In the meantime, Pippin had set up a rebellion in [[Tookland]], and returned with one hundred Tooks. Merry set up a defensive pocket on a heavily banked part of the Bywater Road. The Men walked straight into the pocket. Some surrendered, some escaped, and about twenty broke out. Six men and two hobbits were killed. The others now became desperate, and didn't care about escaping, only killing. The banks proved too steep to climb, and many fell before Hobbit axes. Merry and Pippin charged from the eastern bank, and Merry killed the leader.<ref name="Scouring"/>

===Aftermath===
In the end, nearly seventy Men were killed and twelve were taken prisoner, while nineteen Hobbits died and about 30 were wounded. The dead Men were buried in a nearby sand-pit that came to be called the [[Battle Pit]]. The Hobbits were buried separately, and a stone was placed on their grave with a garden around it. A Roll was made of the names of all the Hobbits who fought in the Battle of Bywater, with Captains Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took listed at the top.

After the victory at Bywater, the Hobbits marched on to [[Bag End]], where they found Sharkey. It was not [[Lotho Sackville-Baggins|Lotho]] as had been thought, but rather [[Saruman]]. Saruman was ordered away by Frodo, and Saruman revealed that his servant [[Gríma]] killed Lotho. Gríma cut Saruman's throat in a rage for years of oppression and abuse, but was himself shot by Hobbit archers. As the spirit of Saruman rose from its bodily form, it was blown away by a wind from the West; [[Manwë]] did not want him back.<ref name="Scouring"/>

The following year, preparations were made to restore the damage done by Saruman. Sam spread the blessed soil from [[Sam's garden box|the box of Galadriel]], and planted the [[mallorn]]-seed where once the [[The Party Tree]] had stood. 1420, by Shire Reckoning, became one of the best harvest years ever.<ref>{{RK|Havens}}</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
'''1981: [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]]:'''
:The Scouring of the Shire appeared in abridged form. The arrest by the Shirriffs is omitted, as is the second part of the battle.

{{references}}

[[Category:Conflicts of the War of the Ring]]
[[Category:History of the Shire]]
[[de:Schlacht von Wasserau]]
[[fi:Virranvarren Taistelu]]