Glaurung

Name: Glaurung

AKA: The Father of Dragons, the Great Worm, the Worm of Morgoth, the Golden

Location: Angband

Book: The Silmarillion

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Natural History:

Glaurung was said to have been the first of the Urulóki, the fire-drakes of the north, conceived during the First Age. He left the gates of Angband as a young and scarcely half-grown dragon, causing dismay to the Noldor. Being young and not fully armed, he fled from the darts of the Noldor and returned to Angband for over 200 years.

 In 455, Glaurung led Morgoth's army during the Battle of Sudden Flame, or Dagor Bragollach, against the Noldor Elves and their allies. He then returned in 472 during the Battle of Unnumbered Tears, or Nírnaeth Arnoediad. During that battle he stopped the two armies, Maedhros and Fingon, from joining. However, the Naurgrim, Dwarves of Belegost, stood their ground, for they had armor that could withstand the fire of the dragon. The Naugrim, led by Azaghâl, Lord of Belegost, formed a circle around Glaurung. Glaurung in his rage struck down Azaghâl and crawled over him. Azaghâl, with his last stroke, stabbed the dragon in the belly. Glaurung fled, and the beasts of Morgoth followed him in his retreat to Angband.

 In 495, Glaurung led the Battle of Tumhalad against the Noldor. Túrin was the only one of the Noldor who could withstand the dragon's fire, being clad in dwarf armor. However, Túrin was not immune to the dragon's spells and stood helpless. Glaurung overthrew the people of Nargothrond, enslaving the women and maidens and plundering what treasure lay there, making himself king.

Glaurung eventually moved from Nargothrond to Cared-en-Aras, near the river of Teiglin. There, while he rested, he was mortally wounded by Turambar (Túrin). Turambar thrust his sword, Gurthang, into the dragon's soft belly. Retrieving his sword, Turambar was burned by the venomous black blood that spouted from the wound. Turambar lay as one dead. Glaurung was not dead yet. He would finally perish when Nienor, daughter of Húrin and sister of Túrin, came looking for Turambar. Glaurung lifted his curse on her, and she, remembering her life and lineage, threw herself into the river to be lost in the wild water. Glaurung then finally perished.

Glaurung's lidless serpent eyes could put a binding spell on those that looked into them. He could learn all about someone just by bending his will. His words were poison to those that heard his voice, enchanting the listener with spells of forgetfulness and utter darkness. Laying in a river, he could blind his foes with vast vapour and a foul reek. For even horses cannot stand the maddening dragon-stench. 

The brood of Glaurung would return in the Fall of Gondolin.

"But Turin passed away on the northward road, and Glaurung laughed once more, for he had accomplished the errand of his Master. Then he turned to his own pleasure, and sent forth his blast, and burned all around him."  

 

Agrajag

Name: Agrajag

AKA: Bowl of Petunias, Rabbit, Fish, Old Man with a weak heart, Fly, Newt, Flea, Innocent Bystander, among others

Location: Cathedral of Hate

Novel: Life, the Universe, and Everything

Author: Douglas Adams



Natural History:
Agrajag was a victim of coincidence and reincarnation. He was a mad fat bat that was black, bloated, wrinkled, and leathery. Small, only about three-quarters the size of a human, and cranky.

His bat wings were broken and floundering, giving him a rather frightful appearance. He also had the most astounding collection of teeth. Each tooth looked as if it came from a different animal and stuck out at bizarre angles. It seemed that if Agrajag tried to chew anything he would lacerate half his own face. Quite often he did just that, covering those lacerations with small, ragged, black band-aids. He had three small eyes that gave him a look of intensity and insanity.

He lived in a place called the Cathedral of Hate - a location he created just to destroy Arthur Dent, the human responsible for killing every reincarnation of Agrajag, just by coincidence. The inside of the Cathedral was dark, but not just black - it contained more horrific colors like Ultra Violent, Infra Dead, Liver Purple, Loathsome Lilac, Matter Yellow, Burnt Hombre, and Gan Green. Gargoyles looked inward from pillars towards a great statue. The walls were covered with engraved stone tablets, commemorating those that had fallen under Arthur Dent. The statue in the center was of Arthur Dent in a monstrous, over-exaggerated, ravenous, evil form with thirty arms, each destroying some poor animal, and many feet that were stamping mostly ants.

The Cathedral of Hate was clearly created by a creature that had reached a level of annoyance the like of which had never been seen in the Universe. It was an annoyance of epic proportions, a burning, searing flame of annoyance, an annoyance that had spanned the whole of time and space in its infinite umbrage.

It was not clear if this reincarnation was his last, as we would unfortunately meet Arthur Dent again on Stavromula Beta.

"Seems a strange way to relate to somebody you've got nothing against, killing them all the time. Very curious piece of social interaction, I would call it." -Agrajag

Barrow-wight

Name: Barrow-wight

AKA: Unknown

Location: Barrow-downs

Novel: The Fellowship of the Ring

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Natural History:

Barrow-wights are shadows that came out of the dark places of the world and re-animated the bones of the kings and queens that were buried in the barrows they inhabited. They were said to walk the hollows with a clink of rings on their cold fingers and chains in the wind.

Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were captured by a Barrow-wight after meeting Tom Bombadil. The victims of a Barrow-wight are laid on cold slabs, dressed in all white, and adorned with circlets, gold chains, and many rings. A sword is laid across the neck, as to end the life of whoever is unfortunate enough to become captured by these spirits. A barrow-wight would chant an incantation before disposing of its victims.

Frodo cut the hand from the Barrow-wight and sang a song to call Tom Bombadil, who rescued them from the barrow. By letting in sunlight, the barrow-wight would be expelled from its dark retreat, never to return.

Some say that the barrow in which Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were imprisoned had been the final resting place of the last prince of Cardolan, who fell in 1409. 

"Cold be hand and heart and bone
and cold be sleep under stone
never more to wake on stony bed
never, till the Sun fails and the Moon is dead
In the black wind the stars shall die
and still be gold here let them lie
till the Dark Lord lifts his hand over dead sea and withered land."

- Barrow-wight

Shelob

Name: Shelob

AKA: Shelob the Great

Location: Torech Ungol

Novel: The Two Towers

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien





Natural History:
Shelob was an evil thing in spider form that lived at the top of the stairs of Cirith Ungol. No one knows how she came there from long ago. She was there before Sauron and his tower.

Her lair was filled with a black vapour wrought of veritable darkness that blinded the eyes and the mind, as if night was all that had existed in her tunnels. She let off a stench foul and a lurking malice.

Very few had ever entered her tunnels. Even Orcs were not willing to go in. She served none but herself, drinking the blood of Elves and Men. All living things were her food, and she grew bloated and fat, and her vomit darkness. Her brood was spread far and wide, even in Dol Guldur and Mirkwood.

Gollum had bowed and worshiped her at one time, bringing her food. But all she desired was death for all others and for herself a glut of life, alone, swollen until the mountains could no longer hold her and the darkness could not contain her.

Gollum led Frodo and Sam to Shelob in hopes that she would devour them and he could pick through the left-overs and take back his precious. Frodo and Sam felt her malice and cruelty in the tunnels, and using the gift bestowed upon him by the Lady of the Wood, Frodo was able to reveal Shelob. She retreated for the time being and followed them out, exiting out of one of the many holes of her lair.

Shelob was able to sting Frodo, putting him into a deep sleep. Sam took up his master's sword and stung Shelob in one of her many eyes and stabbed her in the underside, letting forth a venomous ooze. But her hide was thick and foul. She was her own undoing as she tried to break Sam under her own weight therefore driving his sword into her. She stood quivering but resolved to destroy Sam. Sam used the Phial of Eärendil one last time and its rays entered her wounds, causing her great pain. She retreated into her lair never to be seen again.

Shelob may never have left her tunnels again. She may have healed herself and once again wrought webs and shadows . . . or she may have perished.

"None could rival her, Shelob the Great, last child of Ungoliant to trouble the unhappy world."