View source for Warg Matriarch

{{short description|Leader of a Warg pack}}
{{Unnamed}}
{{infobox character
|name =  Chief wolf
|image = Michael Apice - The Warg-King.jpg
|caption = "The Warg-King" by [[Michael Apice]]
|pronun = 
|othernames = Grey chief
|titles = 
|position = 
|location = Woods east of the [[Misty Mountains]]
|affiliation = 
|language = [[Wolf-language]]<ref name = "He Language">{{H|6}}: These they guarded too, while all the rest (hundreds and hundreds it seemed) went and sat in a great circle in the glade; and in the middle of the circle was a great grey wolf. He spoke to them in the dreadful language of the Wargs.</ref>
|birth = 
|birthlocation = 
|rule = 
|death = 
|deathlocation = 
|age = 
|notablefor = Attacking [[Thorin and Company]]<br>Having his nose burnt by [[Gandalf|Gandalf the Grey]]
|parentage = 
|siblings = 
|spouse = 
|children = 
|people = [[Wargs|Warg]]
|gender = Male<ref name = "He Language"></ref>
|height = 
|hair = Grey<ref name = "He Language"></ref>
|eyes = 
|clothing = 
|weapons = 
|steed = 
}}

{{Quote|These they guarded too, while all the rest (hundreds and hundreds it seemed) went and sat in a great circle in the glade; and in the middle of the circle was a great grey wolf. He spoke to them in the dreadful language of the Wargs. Gandalf understood it. Bilbo did not, but it sounded terrible to him, and as if all their talk was about cruel and wicked things, as it was. Every now and then all the Wargs in the circle would answer their grey chief all together, and their dreadful clamour almost made the hobbit fall out of his pine-tree.|'[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire]]"}}

The '''chief wolf''' was a great grey [[Wargs|Warg]] who led a pack which attacked [[Thorin and Company]] in the woods east of the [[Misty Mountains]] in [[Third Age 2941|year 2941]] of the [[Third Age]].

==History== 
===Early life=== 
The [[Wargs|Warg]] pack led by the chief wolf often collaborated with the [[Orcs|Goblins]] of [[Goblin-town]], assisting them in their raids and sharing in the plunder. In [[Third Age 2941|year 2941]] of the [[Third Age]], the Goblins and Wargs planned to meet in the woods east of the [[Misty Mountains]] to attack some of the villages established by [[Men]] from the South.<ref name = "Pan">{{H|6}}</ref>

===Attack on the company===
[[File:Allison Theus - Great Gray Wolf.jpg|thumb|180px|left|"Great Gray Wolf" by [[:Category:Images by Allison Theus|Allison Theus]]]]
During [[Third Age 2941]], the Warg and his pack of hundreds<ref name = "He Language"></ref> went to meet with the Goblins of [[Goblin-town]] at a glade surrounded by trees, intending to raid the [[Men]] of the South. The [[Orcs|Goblins]] were delayed due to the death of their leader, the [[Great Goblin]]. While waiting, the Wargs discovered a [[Thorin and Company|group of Dwarves]] who had escaped from their allies at Goblin-town. Letting out a howl, the pack chased the Company to the meeting-place glade and the dwarves climbed up the trees surrounding the glade to escape. After the Wargs sniffed each tree to determine whether there was anybody in them, they gathered in a circle around the chief wolf. The chief wolf spoke to his companions in the [[Wolf-language|language of the Wargs]] of wicked and terrible things. He reminded them of the Wargs' pact with the Goblins and their plan to attack the Men of the South. Intermittently, the Wargs would simultaneously howl in response.<ref name = "Pan"></ref>

[[File:David T. Wenzel - Eagle Rescue.jpg|thumb|170px|The Eagles' rescue by [[David T. Wenzel]]]]
[[Gandalf]], the [[Wizards|Istari]] of the company, begun gathering pine-cones, setting them alight and flinging them at the Wargs. One of the largest ones directly hit the grey chief on the nose and he lept ten feet in the air begun running around the circle and snapping, even at the other Wargs, in anger. The Dwarves begun cheering while the Wargs flipped themselves onto their backs and extinguished the fires on their backs. The Wargs began leaping up and snapping at the Dwarves, cursing at them in their language. Soon, the Goblins arrived to the meeting spot and devised a plan to force the company from the trees. The Goblins stacked fern and brushwood at the trunks of the trees and begun fanning the flame nearest to the Company's tree, adding leaves to fuel it. The Wargs watched as the Goblins danced and [[Fifteen birds in five fir-trees|sung]] in celebration. Just before the tree collapsed, the [[Great Eagle|Lord of the Eagles]] and his servants swooped down and picked up the Company in their talons. The Goblins and Wargs scattered far and wide in the woods in an attempt to catch up, the Goblins tossing spears at the Eagles, though it was no help as the Eagles ultimately escaped to the [[Great Shelf|Eyrie]].<ref name = "Pan"></ref>

===Searching for the Company===
In the coming days, [[Orcs|Goblin]] patrols hunted for the Dwarves fiercely with the [[Wargs]], still furious due to the death of the [[Great Goblin]] and the burning of the chief wolf's nose.<ref>{{H|7}}: From these he had got news: the goblin patrols were still hunting with Wargs for the dwarves, and they were fiercely angry because of the death of the Great Goblin, and also because of the burning of the chief wolf’s nose and the death from the wizard’s fire of many of his chief servants.</ref>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In early drafts, [[Gandalf|Bladorthin]] "may have understood" the [[Wolf-language]] spoken by the chief wolf, whist in the final text Gandalf explicitly "understood it".<ref>{{HH|VI}}</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations== 
'''1968: [[The Hobbit (1968 radio series)|''The Hobbit'' (1968 radio series)]]:'''
:As they hide from the Wargs, [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] points out their leader in the middle of the clearing, the 'Great Grey Warg'. The Warg dialogue is presented in English. A Warg tells the Grey Warg that they found strangers and chased them up trees and calls him 'Lord', meaning the Grey Warg is male. The Grey Warg asks what the strangers are and he is told they are [[Thorin and Company|dwarves]], a [[Gandalf|a thing like a man with a long beard]] and [[Bilbo Baggins|a smaller thing]]. The Grey Warg asks whether the smaller thing is an [[Elves|Elf]] and the Warg tells him that it is not an Elf, though they are not sure what it is as they have never seen one before. The Grey Warg asks whether the [[Orcs|Goblins]] have arrived yet and the Warg tells him that they have not, referring to him as 'Great Grey One'. The Grey Warg asks why not and the Warg exclaims "We don't know. Oh, mightiest of prowlers. We haven't seen hide or whisker of them." The Grey Warg orders his subordinate to find them and the Warg tells him they shall. The Grey Warg tells the pack that he will soon deal with the strangers and that they will have their chance to tear and slice them. When Gandalf begins lighting pinecones, he remarks that the Grey Warg will "have the first honour of being the first target." Gandalf hits him and Bilbo remarks that it was a good shot, noting that Gandalf hit the Grey Warg directly on the nose. Some of the Wargs flee but just as the Company believes they have the upper-hand, the Goblins arrive. The Company escapes on [[Eagles]] before the Goblins can burn down the trees. 

'''2012: ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'':'''
[[File:The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey - Warg Matriarch.jpg|thumb|170px|The Warg Matriarch in ''[[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey]]'']]
:Unlike in the book, in which the [[Wargs]], alone, attack [[Thorin and Company]] before being joined by the [[Orcs|Goblins]], a separate group of Orcs, distinct from those from [[Goblin-town]], attack the Company while riding Wargs. [[Azog|Azog the Defiler]], leader of the group, rides a great white Warg, known as the '''Warg Matriarch'''.

:The Warg Matriarch was the mother of the Gundabad wargs of Azog's pack of [[Orcs]]. She was known to get along well with Azog, as Azog was often seen stroking and feeding her throughout his hunt for [[Thorin]].

[[File:The Hobbit (film series) - Warg Matriarch and Azog.png|left|thumb|353x353px|Azog stop the Warg Matriarch in [[The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey|''The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'']]]]
:The Warg Matriarch was seen when [[Yazneg]] and [[Fimbul]] returned to [[Weathertop]] to report their failure in capturing [[Thorin and Company]]. The Matriarch was also present when Bolg reported to Azog about his encounter with [[Legolas]] and [[Tauriel]] in [[Lake-town]]. She was also seen accompanying her master to [[Dol Guldur]]. She was last seen when Azog led an orc army toward [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]]. It is unclear whether she survived the [[Battle of Five Armies]].

[[File:The Hobbit Warg Matriarch and Azog 2.png|left|thumb|366x366px|The Warg Matriarch's has dark fur striations that mimic the layered design of Azog's armor.]]
:The Warg Matriarch is distinguishable from other Wargs by her large size and white fur coat. Elements of her appearance echo the visual design of Azog, as she also has several visible facial scars in addition to dark striations in her fur that mimic the appearance of Azog's armor.

{{References}}

{{Wolves}}

[[Category:Wolves]]