Just as Tolkien’s world has its beginning, it also has its end. And the dark lord who
would bring discord into the world, would return, seeking to bring about its final ruin.
Today on Nerd of the Rings, we cover the Dagor Dagorath.
Throughout Middle-earth's legends and tales, there are numerous references to the end of the world,
the Last Battle, and the remaking of Arda. One such instance even appears in Tolkien’s first book
in Middle-earth - The Hobbit. As Thorin lies upon his deathbed he says to Bilbo: “Farewell, good
thief. I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed.”
We also find mentions of the Last Battle in The Silmarillion:
But not until the End, when Feanor shall return… not until the Sun passes and the Moon falls,
shall it be known (of) what substance [the Silmarils] were made.
Once again, we get a reference in the Unfinished Tales chapter on the Istari,
where we get the name for this apocalyptic battle: Manwë will not descend from the Mountain
until the Dagor Dagorath, and the coming of the End, when Melkor returns.
So we have these passing references to a far-off final battle, and a remaking of the world,
but what will take place at this foretold event?
As with many of Tolkien’s epic tales, the concept of the Battle of All Battles went through multiple
revisions and even its canonicity is a point of debate among fans. The most complete version
appears in Tolkien’s 1958 rewriting of the tale in what is commonly referred to as The Later
Quenta Silmarillion. This portion, also known as the Second Prophecy of Mandos, is as follows:
Thus spake Mandos in prophecy, when the Gods sat in judgement in Valinor, and the rumour of
his words was whispered among all the Elves of the West. When the world is old and the Powers
grow weary, then Morgoth, seeing that the guard sleepeth, shall come back through the Door of
Night out of the Timeless Void; and destroy the Sun and Moon. But Eärendil shall descend upon him
as a white and searing flame and drive him from the airs. Then shall the Last Battle
be gathered on the fields of Valinor. In that day Tulkas shall strive with Morgoth,
and on his right hand shall be Eönwë, and on his left Túrin Turambar, son of Húrin,
returning from the Doom of Men at the ending of the world; and the black sword of Túrin shall deal
unto Morgoth his death and final end; and so shall the children of Húrin and all Men be avenged.
It’s incredible imagery with some of Tolkien’s most iconic heroes, and his greatest villain
involved. The Valar, who are like the elves bound to the world, grow weary as the world
grows old. And it is this dwindling of their power that should bring Morgoth forth to attempt
his ultimate destruction. For the third time, he destroys the sources of light for Arda - first it
was the Two Lamps, then the Two Trees, and now the very Sun and Moon. But the great Earendil,
slayer of Ancalagon the Black, who sails the skies, silmaril upon his brow drives Morgoth from
the air. And in the end, it is Turin Turambar, whose family had suffered perhaps greater than
any other at the hands of the dark lord who deals the killing blow to the Dark Tyrant.
Thereafter shall Earth be broken and re-made, and the Silmarils shall be recovered out of Air and
Earth and Sea; for Eärendil shall descend and surrender that flame which he hath had in keeping.
Then Fëanor shall take the Three Jewels and he will break them
and with their fire Yavanna will rekindle the Two Trees, and a great light shall come forth. And
the Mountains of Valinor shall be levelled, so that the Light shall go out over all the world.
Here we see that Feanor will be given a second chance to do the honorable thing,
for he had once refused the Valar the very idea of sacrificing his silmarils to save the Two Trees.
After waiting as long as any elf in the Halls of Mandos,
he would be re-embodied so that with the silmaril of the air from Earendil, and the silmaril cast
into the sea by his son Maglor, and the silmaril which went with Maedhros into the fiery chasm,
he should break his greatest creation so that light may come yet again to Arda.
The story concludes with a few sentences that Tolkien
crossed out. While obviously not something that should be regarded as canon, it has an interesting
conclusion especially for the mortal Turin. In that light the Gods will grow young again,
and the Elves awake and all their dead arise, and the purpose of Ilúvatar be fulfilled concerning
them. But of Men in that day the prophecy of Mandos doth not speak, and no Man it names,
save Túrin only, and to him a place is given among the sons of the Valar.
Now, if you were to grab your copy of The Silmarillion, you will not find this account
of the Last Battle. Christopher Tolkien decided to leave it out of the book which was published
in 1977. He made this decision based on a passage in The Later Quenta Silmarillion that states:
If any change shall come and the Marring of Arda be amended, Manwe and Varda may know;
but they have not revealed it, and it is not declared in the dooms of Mandos.
These words close The Silmarillion itself, and Christopher interpreted them quite literally.
That Mandos had no prophecy of the world being remade,
thus there would be no Dagor Dagorath. So it would seem that as far as
Christopher was concerned, his father may have abandoned his plans for a Last Battle.
However, Christopher, in his incredible work which I will never finish singing the praises of,
brought these works to the world over the course of his History of Middle-earth series. This has
allowed for some great discussion on whether or not this concept should be entirely disregarded.
The great Tolkien scholar Verlyn Flieger says: “Tolkien wrote that the Legendarium ends with
a vision of the end of the world… It would be strange if he had not envisioned such an
end, for the mythologies on which he draws most heavily,
Judeo-Christian and Norse, both included remaking and renewal in surprisingly similar terms.
In her remarks, Flieger seems to be referring to Tolkien’s own words from Letter 131,
where he summarizes his entire legendarium age by age:
This legendarium ends with a vision of the end of the world, its breaking and remaking,
and the recovery of the Silmarilli and the ‘light before the Sun’ – after a final battle.
As Flieger states, it would only be natural for Tolkien’s story to
have an ultimate end to the mythology - and would actually be odd if it didn’t have one.
That being said, it has also been pointed out that this account of the Dagor Dagorath could
have been a mannish legend. Specifically, one from the realm of Numenor. As Tolkien once said:
The Elves expected the End of Arda to be catastrophic…
About this they held that nothing could be known, except that Eä
was ultimately finite. It is noteworthy that the Elves had no myths or legends
dealing with the end of the world. The myth that appears at the end of the Silmarillion
is of Númenórean origin; it is clearly made by Men, though Men acquainted with Elvish tradition.
While it is perhaps framed as a mannish legend within the text,
there’s no denying that the end of the world was something Tolkien thought about
when writing Middle-earth, and certainly something his characters believed would indeed come.
When he comes out of the sea from the drowning of Numenor, Elendil states in his great oath
“In this place will I abide, and my heirs, unto the ending of the world”.
Galadriel’s brother Finrod, in his heart-wrenching conversation with the mortal woman Andreth,
drives home the sorrow of the mortality of men
and that their fate lies beyond the circles of the world. However, he seems to indicate
that there indeed lies something beyond mortal death, and even the immortal lives of the elves.
But you are not for Arda. Whither you go may you find light. Await us there, my brother–and me.
Once again, this alludes to some grander ending for the world, one in which the children of
Iluvatar may be reunited once more. Not only this, but the dwarves fortell of the day when
they would fully become children of Iluvatar and have a unique task after the Dagor Dagorath:
...and that he declared to their Fathers of old that Ilúvatar will
hallow them [the Dwarves] and give them a place among the Children in the end. Then their part
shall be to serve Aulë and to aid him in the remaking of Arda after the Last Battle.
I love the concept of the Dagor Dagorath, not only because it brings
about such incredible conclusions to the stories of characters like Turin, Feanor,
Earendil, and Morgoth and not because its yet another example of Tolkien borrowing from his
own faith as well as other world mythologies, but because it adds further depth to this world.
That we can not only talk about what Tolkien intended as the world’s author, but also what
the characters themselves believed is a really fun way to think about this world we love.
But now, I’d like to pose a question for you - In the Dagor Dagorath, will Morgoth be capable
of reviving Sauron and other dark beings long defeated? We’ve seen even the mortal man Turin
be resurrected for this conflict. Could the fallen maia be brought back as well?
In another portion of Tolkien’s text it reads: that Túrin in the Last Battle should return from
the Dead, and before he left the Circles of the World for ever should challege
the Great Dragon of Morgoth, Ancalagon the Black, and deal him the death-stroke.[20]
Now it should be noted that this particular excerpt is likely referring to the War of
Wrath at the end of the First Age - NOT the Dagor Dagorath at the end of the world. For
this was likely an earlier account of the War of Wrath, before Earendil replaced Turin as the
slayer of Ancalagon. Yet, it's a fun hypothetical question - do you think that Morgoth Bauglir,
the most evil presence in Arda, could not re-create, but resurrect his fallen servants?
As we conclude on the Dagor Dagorath, thinking on the epic moments like Morgoth re-emerging from
his prison, Earendil striking the dark lord from the sky, Tulkas with Eonwe and Turin by his side
facing off against Melkor once more, and Turin Turambar finally getting revenge for all the evil
Morgoth brought upon his family and the world, we also appreciate the beauty that follows.
A Second Music of the Ainur - one in which the Children of Iluvatar take part - the
elves and men of course, but now also the dwarves. Together these beings who were
all created by Eru Iluvatar himself now help him in remaking a world unmarred by Melkor.
A world where the light of the Two Trees is reborn from the Silmarils, and the mountains
of Valinor are leveled so that all the world may bask in the glory of their radiant light.
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