Saucony did NOT take the form of a lidless eye after he lost his ring. He slowly regained physical form, first in Mirkwood as "The Necromancer" and later returned to Mordor itself. The book says that Sauron tortured Gollim himself, and Gollum saw he eas missing a finger. The big lidless eye on top of the tower is a movie invention based on Saurons symbol on his banners.
I've taken to using the name 'Wormtongue' as an adjective for people who try to convince you not to take courage, not to have hope, not to do the right thing. Wormtongue was one of the best villains because he was so real.
I think of his name as referring to his rhetorical skills, used for evil purposes in general. Worm means dragon, and we all know what an overwhelming presence Smaug had.
A few things. 1) Melkor was very much inspired by Satan from Milton's "Paradise Lost". 2) The "evil Jess" look is amazing. 3) Avoiding looking crosseyed as "evil Jess" was probably a lot of work.
"2) The 'evil Jess' look is amazing." Oh, man. "Amazing" is an understatement. "3) Avoiding looking crosseyed as 'evil Jess' was probably a lot of work." LOL
@@michaelbaughman8524 As a complete novice when it comes to Tolkien (apart from the three books of the "Ring") I have no idea who "evil Jess" might be, but if she looks anything like what I can see on the screen ... Oh Boy!!
@@michaelbaughman8524 I kinda realised that at the end of the video, when I had a closer look at the channel name, and then I thought "nah, just leave your post up, you deserve whatevers coming, stupid!!"
Quibble: Sauron as a lidless eye is a Peter Jackson invention. Certainly by the time he is chased from Dol Guldur as the Necromancer he has physical form, and Gollum’s dialog confirms “he has only nine fingers on the black hand, but they are enough.”
Sauron’s symbols in the books are a four-fingered black hand and a single red eye. The flaming, lidless eye is an invention of Jackson to give us something visual to actually give a presence to Sauron in the movies
To answer everyone in this thread: Sauron could no longer take fair form, he was barred from maintaining a physical body. PJ should have had a black robe-swaddled figure on an iron throne with a blazing gem that had that eye burning from it, perhaps that being his Palintir, or his Palantir could have been on a plinth to mimic the one in Orthanc. The "eye" could have had movement and been shown searching, since it worked through the aether or invisible realm it wouldn't need to be a big scary silly looking lighthouse beacon. The robed figure seated on the throne could have been speaking, leaning forward, gesturing and consulting (at which time we see gauntleted hands of nine fingers, the gauntlets being similar in grotesque form as the Nazgul, further visually tying them together) with it's lieutenants, sending them forth on errands. That would have been a far more unsettling and accurate portrayal of the Big S, than some immobile floating eye stuck on top of a tower like some evil Christmas tree topper.
@@joshpotter9261the distinctions you make are valid but i think you are forgetting that they had to go on a lowest common denominator as far as symbolism and understanding for laypeople (non readers) to grasp and also enjoy the movie. Thats why the book is always better especially lotr because it is saturated in history and mythos and allegories. It simply wouldnt translate. Like trying to describe a sunrise to a blind person. You can give some of what it is but never all. However despite its failings it likely inspired many to go an read the books so theres plenty good there.
@@Entropy3ko Au contraire, they are surprisingly inventive abstractions of human behaviors. It is very impressive that they appeared so early in the hobby in their simplicity and beauty. As a Rolemaster man myself, I find myself always coming back to them in spite leaving the AD&D system behind many decades ago.
Didn't cover Ugluk because he was a good guy, giving Merry some medicine in front of his boys. Telling Grishnakh that the Hobbits are not for eating. Also making sure his boys were fed meat.
Souron did have a body as Golem spoke 'His hand still has but 4 finders' [paraphrased] . That burning eye on the top of Barad dur was just a movie prop .
Tolkien also described a wide window at the top, through which Sauron looked out at the world. Was there a flaming eye in the window? I guess it's possible 🤔
Just a note that the Great Lidless Eye was more like a metaphor than literal in the books, it was just in the Peter Jackson movies were they made it to be his actual form. Gollum mentions at one point that he saw Sauron only has 4 fingers on his black hand, which quite clearly proves that Sauron had actual physical more or less humanoid form still.
@@haleywilson520 I like to think that the eye in the film is kind of like a reflection of his vigilant and cautious spirit. He’s always scanning all around him for potential threats, and it’s all because of fear. Sauron lives in perpetual fear of the West or Eru Himself. He’s scared that they might counterattack unexpectedly, just like how God destroyed the island of Numenor in its entirety, destroying Sauron’s physical body along with it. It was a completely unforeseen disaster that struck him. He might make it seem to his followers that the Powers of Good have forsaken Middle-Earth, but he knows deep down that his time is over. He would fall into the Void, just like his master before him.
Love the video. I just got 2 small corrections: 1. Getting Númenor whiped out was very much Saurons plan all along. That he lost his physical form wasn't quite part of it, since he hoped that the Valar would go to war against Númenor, rather than have a literal divine intervention. His efforts weren't in vain though, when Ilúvatar sank the whole island, so overall he was happy with the outcome. 2. The great eye on top of the tower was invented for the films. Sauron had a physical form near the end of the war of the ring. Gollum at one point mentions something about that. Whenever the eye is mentioned in the book, it was more a methaphore for Saurons vigilence and a symbol used by his servants. Hope to see more deep dives into Tolkiens villains from you. Would love the see Saruman and the Witchking on your next list.
Exactly, Sauron wanted to destroy Numenor because there were a danger to him, but he thought it would be the Valar who would do it, not Iluvatar, he didn't expect the end to be so violent and he lost his physical form for a while. While he eventually reformed he wouldn't be able to adopt a fair form again, would be a dark lord, tall and terrible, could not deceive his enemies again, only inspired terror.
A villainous look for a villainous subject, well played :). Tolkien's ability to create truly epic villains is such a fundamental part of why his works are so enthralling and enduring. They make the triumph of his heroes so much more impactful and memorable.
Fantastic video. Thank you; but less a part time hobbit, and more an elven Queen. "In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn!"
The "evil" caracter I prefer in Tolkien's work is Eol. I like that he is not directly corrupted by Melkor but headed to the darkness by itself. Sadly he is kind of a minor caracter.
A few small things: We don't in fact know the origins of Orcs. Neither did Tolkien. He could not make up his mind. Even THE SILMARILLION says this story is believed, but is not certain. Also, the Valar and Maiar believed that in attacking Melkor when they did, they would likely be destroyed, so mighty was he. But he had infused himself into the very fabric of Arda and in his monsters, he had diminished himself so he could be defeated--much to his surprise and theirs. Also, Sauron during LOTR in fact had a physical form. Gollum even mentions how it had only nine fingers. The eye was his sigil but it was not his form. And Gandalf himself says Sauron was "reduced" to a spirit of malice without the means to do anything. He still exists, but is now nothing but a spirit of hate and rage, powerless. These are nuances, only. You express in wonderful storytelling form the heart of this marvelous tale. And I eagerly await your next video (as I ever do)
I love how Sauron could have been redeemed, when he went for judgment, yet its like going to the parent you know will punish you lighter than the other.
Oh, praise heavens, praise heavens! Our goodly welcoming Jess delivers a brilliant piece, and one that has come as an extra element of surprise, because I totally forgot it was Friday! Speak about confusion!
It’s worth noting that Sauron was defeated in the duel with Elendil and Gil-Galad, not after. Isildur took the ring from his finger after he’d already fallen in the books.
Isildur’s blow was more of a final death blow to a guy who was basically dead. Had Isildur not taken the ring, Sauron would have regained his strength in just a few short months, maybe a year or two, but definitely not as long as it did take him
Tolkien's faith is seen a lot in his characterization of his different villains. In Christian Scripture the three primary enemies are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. We see the World's evil in the many wars that occur between Illúvatar's Children, such as the kinslaying of the Teleri Elves or Feänor's fall; the Flesh is seen in Ungoliant and her children like Shelob; and the Devil is seen in Morgoth. I loved how you brought out that Morgoth was very petty in his pride. Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis characterized Satan as a petulant child in "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" and "The Screwtape Letters", the latter of which he dedicated to Tolkien. Chesterton who influenced both Tolkien and Lewis also characterized Satan in such a way.
You are forcing a trinity paradigm where one doesn't exist. And the Scriptures do not have 'three primary enemies.' Satan is the god of this world, and the flesh is apart of that. You can either be of the flesh, or of the spirit. There is no 'enemies;' Satan is an adversary
Also Lewis shows evil as childish in Perelandra... with Weston leaving a trail of "frogs" he killed with his talon-like fingernails, for no reason but to hurt something.
@@pyropulseIXXI James 3:15 says, "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." That is, the World, the Flesh, and Satan. Also, Satan is not the god of this world. The word in 2 Corinthians 4 means AGE, not world, and refers to the Old Covenant Period which passed away with the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.
@@michaelkelleypoetrythe “ages” were taken from Greek Paganism, and 99% of Tolkien’s work was taken from European Paganism. Even the musical creation of the world is directly from Greek Paganism. Even the concept of God as “The One” comes from Greek Paganism, it isn’t found in Christianity. Tolkien based much of his work on Pythagoras, Plato & Norse Paganism.
@@chad.avatar Paganism is simply the True God walking incognito. I suggest you read C.S. Lewis's essay, "Myth Became Fact", as well as Dr. Michael Ward's book, "Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis".
Illuvatar came into an emptiness and began to sing, creating an island of music within a silent void. Ungoliant, being of no known creation, may be surmised to be a residual of that original void, and her hunger is the hunger of the abject empty.
Seeing how villains play out in stories like Tolkien’s can shed a lot of light on what evil is and how it functions in our world. I see a lot of parallels between Morgoth and the Christian understanding of who Satan is, where he came from, and what he does in this world.
The Bible explains that evil was allowed to be a choice because God wants man to choose righteousness and eschew evil of his own free will and not because it is the only choice. Your assessment of the various baddies in Tolkien's universe is spot on and very well done in my humble opinion.
The Black Numenorean is revealed! But seriously... I think it's interesting that there is a very "Catholic" theme to evil in Tolkien's work. Evil is often characterized as not a force of its own, but rather as the absence of good. It holds no power except to deceive. We see this with Sauron among the Numenoreans, and Grima in Theoden's court. Also, is has no power to create, but only to destroy. Even the Ring was only crafted by taking some of Sauron's power from him. The most notable evil creatures, Orcs and Nazgul, are both corruptions of the good. They are not creations of evil, but good creatures who have been twisted by the Enemy's deceptions into serving his cause.
One correction. In the book Gil Galad and Elendil killed Sauron although they died in the process, not Isildur. He just cut off his finger from his dead body
Don't have time to finish the video today, but I will say you're clothing aesthetic is on point! Edit: Finished the video, loved it! There's so much to Tolkien's work that I never knew!
When I was young, well before the internet, I was a very precocious reader. New "Big Words" knew what they meant, no clue as to pronunciation. Also, I salute you ability to wear that attractive jewelery, do your script, and not go bonkers with it dangling between your eyes.😊
This is easily one of the best looks you've had so far! Humanity needs more goth Jess in our lives. Also, @HelloFutureMe has two videos called "The Philosophy of Sauron | Nietzsche and Lord of the Rings" and "Why did Sauron turn evil? | LOTR Lore" that I think you would absolutely love.
Love the way they seem to echo as it goes, starting off a loud primal roar of power that can shape the world with Morgoth, the uncontrolled chaos that gets quieter upon return, once he is gone can still hear the resonance in Sauron a more controlled chaos that can't make the same power moves but slowly fading out, trying to piece together what remains whispering in ears until it's just all gone.
I just finished listening to the Simarilllion read by Andy Serkis…so a lot of this is pretty fresh for me. But I think you are pretty spot on. Knowing Tolkien was catholic and wanted to be a hobbit…it is pretty easily to see what the thought the ultimate evils of the world to be.
Listened today, will listen again tomorrow. Great review of what i read over 50 years ago. I have to dig out my old books and reread. Thank you for your inspiring videos.
I thought Numenor was destroyed when Sauron persuaded the Numenoreans to sail to Valinor. When they set foot on the Undying Lands the destruction of their isle was unleashed.
correct, but Ar Pharazon and his army were entombed in Aman itself by the land, throw at them by Iluvatar. When Manwe saw the great army of Numenor, he invoked Iluvatar who not only destroy the invading army and Numenor itself, but took the undying lands out of the rest of Arda, that was then made rounded, much like Earth, leaving a straight path to reach Aman but only the elves could go through it.
Sauron is one of my favorite villains of all time, if not my absolute favorite. It's interesting how he embodies the creative spirit of perfectionism taken to an extreme in a desire for power and control. And Melkor's role as an adversary whose spite toward Eru only plays into fulfilling Eru's own vision for the world is tragically beautiful as well
LOTR is depressing. I love it. But it's so sad. It's a tragedy. The Elves leaving Middle Earth and taking their beauty, elegance, wisdom and creativity from the world of men because they have to go West or fade away. Similar with the Dwarves who end up fading away too. The loss of Numenor. The Loss of Beleariand. The loss of the Simarils. The loss of the palantir. The loss if the female Ents meaning the Ents will also die out. The Ring Bearers getting to go West but their lives being shortened in the undying lands (probably only lasting a maximum of 6 months (by the time Sam gets there, Frodo and Bilbo would have died decades before)). Friends and loved ones having to separate and leave each other and never seeing each other again. The doom of the Elves is so upsetting to me. It's such a sad, sad, sad reflection of the real world. What is happy though is that in the end, after death, at the great End, after Dagor Dagorath, when Eru Ilúvatar brings forth the Second Music of the Ainur and all is restored and made whole again. So there is hope at least. Amdir. Estel.
Yeah but that's not LOTR, it's the whole Legendarium and the most tragic parts are in the Silmarillion. The legendarium is a combination of tragedy and hope, of loss and victory, the forces of good at last win but at a terrible cost, it was never intended to be a fairy tale.
This is only the second video of yours that I’ve seen and I’m already a fan. Your knowledge is deep, your presentation relaxing and your conclusions thought provoking.
I hope you eventually get around to discussing the nazgul, esp the Black Captain. They're the scariest of all: terrifying shadows of what were once men. Shrieking ghosts of the netherworld void. The stuff of nightmare. Worse, in a way, than Sauron.
She's done a good one about Saruman, who is a more foreground villain than Sauron in LOTR. A corrupted *wizard* (which makes him a Maia like Sauron himself, I suppose, but more Man-like), and with a Sauron-like gift of persuasion.
I've got a question for you, Jess: If Melkor submits after the rebuke of Iluvatar, does he have a spot in Middle Earth? I mean, Aule jumped the gun on creating dwarves which could be akin to Melkor's theme, but when rebuked, he submitted and then Iluvatar made the dwarves part of the story. Could the same have been done if Melkor doesn't persist? Describing Melkor as a "petulant child" was spot on. I've seen too much "sympathy for the devil" posts online lately! Good video, Jess!
@@ethanannen2608Indeed, Aule was willing to redress what he did in slaying the dwarves but Iluvatar stays his hand and allows the dwarves to live with some caveats.
Evil in Middle Earth can be described as Narcissism taken to the extreme of irrelevance. Evil in Middle Earth doesn't learn, doesn't create, doesn't empower without dominating those empowered. Whereas good in Middle Earth is pretty much "live and let live" as long as Bubba's living doesn't harm Zeke.
Multiple, unconnected thoughts: 1. Instead of being evil, I choose to believe the Dark Jess look is simply that of Avarin royalty. 2. Sorrynotsorry, reddit, but Feanor Did Everything Wrong 3. It's _becoming_ more common knowledge, but still isn't widely known, that the "Orcs are corrupted Elves" thesis was not only one Tolkien was never completely comfortable with (among other things, he felt it made Melkor far more powerful than he ought to be), but one that he had planned to revise, though he hadn't decided exactly how. Several texts in the collection _Morgoth's Ring_ suggest that he was probably going to make Orcs a deformed species of Men, possibly mingled with (sorry/ew) other species, perhaps including evil Maiar. 4. I hadn't thought of this before, but Ungoliant forms a fascinating pendant to Tom Bombadil. Both are potent forces, for evil and good respectively, and both are _completely unexplained_ in the narrative and extended lore alike. 5. I _feel_ like, even without Tolkien's advice, I would have known that I should not create an enchanted ring of power to dominate the free peoples of the world; but is that only my hubris? Think about it
I love your videos! Your scholastic approach is what I love most about them. Quick correction though: Shelob is “the last child of Ungoliant to trouble the unhappy world” -The Two Towers, Book IV, Chapter 9, Shelob’s Lair.
The music of Melkor was "loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated". In other way, the techno music was the source of evil. The Lord of the Rings may have an optimistic view, but the mythology as a whole is somewhat depressing: - The Valar made the Spring of Arda, but Melkor destroyed the 2 lamps. - The elves created great kingdoms in the first age, Morgoth destroyed them all. - The men created the great kingdom of Númenor in the second age, Sauron destroyed it. On and on, the world diminished. While the stories are beautifully written, it is depressing to see the destruction of everything, and only scraps are saved. 32:31 The plans of Sauron did not come to ruin, they succeeded behond his dreams: he only wanted the death of the Númenorians, he got the complete destruction of the land. 34:30 no, the big eye at the top of Barad-dûr was the artistic choice of Peter Jackson. In the book, Gollum said that Sauron had 9 fingers, the last one being cut by Isildur. Sauron had a physical body. Morgoth wanted to own the world, Sauron wanted to order it. When each was denied, they both ended up with the goal of destroying what they could not control.
A great example of competing songs, where the enemy singers only contribute to the heroic tune, can be seen in Casablanca. The Nazis start singing Die Wacht am Rhein, only for it to be subsumed by the other bar pstrons singing La Marseillaise.
The story of the object that characters craved, while its mere ownership twisted and pained its wearer. Weighing more and more over time, yet the wearer unable to remove it or give it away. Wars were fought over it, that crushed all in their path, wasting innocents. This is the story of the (One Ring/Silmarils).
One of my favorite moments is when Sam calls on Varda, and she causes the light of the Phial to blaze painfully bright so that Sam was able to defeat Shelob. It's as if the Trees themselves returned to fight the descendant of the creature that killed them.
I don't think Varda did anything. The Valar weren't involved personally in the events of Middle Earth at that time, but the light inside the phial was captured from the star of Earendil, which is a silmaril, and the silmaril contains the light of the trees, and that light ultimately originated in Varda, the invocation of her name caused the light to be brighter, but I think it was more Sam's courage and the nature of the light itself rather than Varda's direct intervention.
It's always interesting to contrast the wild, dreamlike action in the Silmarillion stories, where magical transformations and cosmic cataclysms abound, with the relatively grounded action in The Lord of the Rings and even to some extent in The Hobbit, where magical stuff happens but it's usually not foregrounded and more often than not subtle and interior. It's as if Tolkien knew that when he got down to the nuts and bolts of telling an extended story he had to apply the constraints that make a relatable story possible.
You're so right... Morgoth is the embodiment of where pride gets you. I think that the reason Melkor was so successful in baiting Feanor into the mistakes he made is because Melkor, probably subconsciously, knew where an overinflated sense of pride can lead you. It was his downfall, so he instinctively knew how to do the same to Feanor, who was somehow even prouder than a literal god lol.... man I hate Feanor lol
Melkor is not an idiot, dude. He is super intelligent and knows how to manipulate beings. He doesn't need to have an overinflated sense of pride in order to manipulate someone; this is an obvious place to go I feel that people just force shallow analysis via any connection that they can grasp onto
@@pyropulseIXXI I feel that people make rude comments like yours to make themselves feel better or more important I guess? Either way, I'd rather chat with friendly people about Tolkien than have to read anymore of you making yourself feel smart, so do me a favour and just skip my comment next time you feel the need to do this. Thanks!
There were spiders in the forests on the borders of Doriath in the First Age and the spiders of Mirkwood are probably the descendants of these. However, it is said that Ungoliant mated with spider like creatures and Shelob is probably a descendant of one of those unions.
Actually, like all spiders both in fiction and in real life, they are manifestations of evil incarnate and exist only to spread terror and make webs right at head level so when you are walking in the woods you randomly get a face full of web.
I sort of empathise with Morgoth, I mean Illuvatar's so up himself, to paraphrase him 'Everything I do's about me, and everything you do is about me.' What else could Morgoth do but fight that kind of tyranny? Maybe could have gone about things in a calmer manner 😄
Your videos on Tolkien are so much better than the vast majority of stuff out there. Some of it done by "professionals". Instead of trying to make JR into your own preferred image with your own agenda you actually understand him because you have spent time learning about him. Also I thought your new way of pronouncing Shelob was correct, I was like I have been saying it wrong my whole life!
It is funny how many criticize Tolkien's characters as black and white. When you have Boromir, one of the strongest and noblest of men having moments of power hunger and deceit and betrayal. Then this entire host of Villains, save Ungoliant, were good or neutral at some point. Tolkien may not have been the master of writing morally grey characters. He was the lord of writing colorful characters. The only author I've seen approach his skill has been J.K. Rowling. Their false representation relies on The One Ring possessing some magical ability to turn people evil. But it doesn't have this power. People would become corrupted by power itself not from some arcane characteristic of the Ring. Gandalf/Galadriel state this quite clearly.
Great video! "The Silmarillion" was such a great book and I liked it more than LotR . It's kind of funny how there's another hand injury in "The Silmarillion."
Overall, you hit the nail on the head. Other than that, you could’ve maybe spent more even time on each, but that’s knit picking. Great video, sublime content. Keep it up 👍🏼
I am struck by how similar Ungoliant is to a Lovecraftian Great Old One, a primal force of hatred and hunger. I wonder if Tolkien ever read any HP Lovecraft?
Sauron was honestly kind of a clown. Everything he did without Morgoth around ended in abject disaster. The one ring ended up being a complete failure not once, but twice. It didn’t work on dwarves. The elves were too smart to be tricked into getting enslaved by it. He got nine humans out of the deal, but all of their kingdoms failed. He lost the war when he was at the peak of his power, with the ring on his finger, and then allowed two halflings to walk into his back door to destroy it later on down the road. 30 INT, 30 CHA, 8 WIS…
Have you ever read the Lore? Everything Sauron "lost" was always a result of the miracles and pure chance. (Spoiler; the divine intervention) First: The defeat of Gwatlo. His orcish armies easily eradicated Eregion/Hollin and later almost perished Gil-Galad's reinforcements led by Elrond but the Dwarves of Kazad-dum made a surprise attack to Sauron's armies from behind and this helped Elrond from the total annihilation and he was able to establish the Rovendell. However Sauron had to split his army to keep the Rivendel and Elrond's forces in check and to prevent any attack from backside again. Sauron besieged Gil-Galad but unexpectedly Numenor came to save the elves and Saueon had to retreat but another Numenorean army appeared from the south and Sauron's retreating a army annihilated between the 2 armies. As we can see "the luck" has a big role here. Second: Sauron's surrendering to Ar-Pharazon. Despite the common fan-fiction of "bUt NuMenOreAns CaptUReD SaUroN" it was Sauron who willingly surrendered. In the History of Middle Earth books, Tolkien explained that going to Numenor was already Sauron's own desire even before all of this because he knew that he wasn't able to go or conquer Numenor because the seas were protected by Ulmo. Tolkien also stated that fake-surrendering was Sauron's only option and ticket to the Isle of Numenor. It was all of his plan! However professor Tolkien stated that it was not possible for Numenoreans to "imprison" Sauron actually but he let them do it for the sake of going to their blessed island. Later on (According to HoME, The Lost Road and Other writings book: after they 'arrested' Sauron, the dark lord raised the sea like a mountain and CAST THE ENTIRE ARMADA OUT OF THE SEA to the the shores of Numenor to show them his true power! So he was always able to throw and play with the "mighty" Numenorean Armada like boats made of paper but he chose to "play with them" instead. And as the third time, his defeat in the battle of the Last Alliance. In the Letters and Appendix of Return of the King, Tolkien noted that Sauron was in both diminished and weakened state and he needed "bodily rehabilitation" but Gil-Galad and Elendil attacked him first before he ragained his own power back. Despite in a weakened and diminished form, he was able to break the siege of Barad-dur and push the entire army of the Last Alliance 30 miles(48 kilometers) back to the slopes of mt.Doom and slay the High Kings with his bare-hands *singlehandedly!!!!* He was such a beast despite all the odds when you think about it. He was weakened and Diminished by Eru Illuvatar because of the downfall of Numenor but look what the dark lord managed to do! lol And the last one: his defeat at the end of the story. This is so easy... If you read or listened the entire story from the beginning, you'll notice that there are countless cases of pure luck and the divine interventions which caused the fall of Sauron. Eru's plan was always keep going as he wished. Even in the very end of everything, it was Eru illivatar himself who caused Gollum to slip and fell into the lava with the One Ring! Yes, Frodo failed!, Gandalf's plans failed! Valar's plans failed/didn't work as they wished! It was Eru who stepped in and do the job! (In one of his letters, professor explained that it was really Eru who caused gollum to fell in the vulcano) The conclusion is it was always Eru who caused Sauron's and Melkor's fall. The Dark lords had not even any chance to win against the literal God!
Saucony did NOT take the form of a lidless eye after he lost his ring. He slowly regained physical form, first in Mirkwood as "The Necromancer" and later returned to Mordor itself. The book says that Sauron tortured Gollim himself, and Gollum saw he eas missing a finger.
The big lidless eye on top of the tower is a movie invention based on Saurons symbol on his banners.
Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. She was no Melkor, but she stole Bilbo's silverware. Or tried to. Allegedly. 🤨😑
That jewel in the middle hanging down would drive me crosseyed.
Jess saying "The Lord of the Rings is a pretty feel-good franchise" while wearing that is a mood
I'm Goth, and didn't realize the fact that this was ironic until reading your comment three times. XD
Like that women from Legend.
Hell, my ex-wife wants Jess’ headpiece and she hasn’t even seen it yet!
LOTR may be "feel good" in some aspects...THEN THERE'S CHILDREN OF HURIN 💀!!!
@@obadijahparks Just remember that no matter how Goth you become, Melkor is Morgoth.
I've taken to using the name 'Wormtongue' as an adjective for people who try to convince you not to take courage, not to have hope, not to do the right thing. Wormtongue was one of the best villains because he was so real.
So the vast majority of politicians. Works for me.
The old word Poltroon covers it better methinks. Poltroon = man of a craven character.
I think of his name as referring to his rhetorical skills, used for evil purposes in general.
Worm means dragon, and we all know what an overwhelming presence Smaug had.
sophists who wants to rid the world of masculinity
@@johnisaacfelipe6357 What lmao
A few things. 1) Melkor was very much inspired by Satan from Milton's "Paradise Lost". 2) The "evil Jess" look is amazing. 3) Avoiding looking crosseyed as "evil Jess" was probably a lot of work.
"2) The 'evil Jess' look is amazing." Oh, man. "Amazing" is an understatement.
"3) Avoiding looking crosseyed as 'evil Jess' was probably a lot of work." LOL
That was a lot of cabochon dangle.
@@michaelbaughman8524 As a complete novice when it comes to Tolkien (apart from the three books of the "Ring") I have no idea who "evil Jess" might be, but if she looks anything like what I can see on the screen ... Oh Boy!!
@@frenzalrhomb6919 lol "evil Jess' refers to our lovely hostess's outfit. The look is definitely working for me.
@@michaelbaughman8524 I kinda realised that at the end of the video, when I had a closer look at the channel name, and then I thought "nah, just leave your post up, you deserve whatevers coming, stupid!!"
Quibble: Sauron as a lidless eye is a Peter Jackson invention. Certainly by the time he is chased from Dol Guldur as the Necromancer he has physical form, and Gollum’s dialog confirms “he has only nine fingers on the black hand, but they are enough.”
Sauron’s symbols in the books are a four-fingered black hand and a single red eye. The flaming, lidless eye is an invention of Jackson to give us something visual to actually give a presence to Sauron in the movies
To answer everyone in this thread: Sauron could no longer take fair form, he was barred from maintaining a physical body. PJ should have had a black robe-swaddled figure on an iron throne with a blazing gem that had that eye burning from it, perhaps that being his Palintir, or his Palantir could have been on a plinth to mimic the one in Orthanc. The "eye" could have had movement and been shown searching, since it worked through the aether or invisible realm it wouldn't need to be a big scary silly looking lighthouse beacon. The robed figure seated on the throne could have been speaking, leaning forward, gesturing and consulting (at which time we see gauntleted hands of nine fingers, the gauntlets being similar in grotesque form as the Nazgul, further visually tying them together) with it's lieutenants, sending them forth on errands. That would have been a far more unsettling and accurate portrayal of the Big S, than some immobile floating eye stuck on top of a tower like some evil Christmas tree topper.
Yeah, definitely one of my least favorite Jackson interpretations. It looked pretty ridiculous.
@@joshpotter9261the distinctions you make are valid but i think you are forgetting that they had to go on a lowest common denominator as far as symbolism and understanding for laypeople (non readers) to grasp and also enjoy the movie. Thats why the book is always better especially lotr because it is saturated in history and mythos and allegories. It simply wouldnt translate. Like trying to describe a sunrise to a blind person. You can give some of what it is but never all. However despite its failings it likely inspired many to go an read the books so theres plenty good there.
@@HadrianGuardiola no dispute.
Sauron: lawful evil - the terror of order
Morgoth: chaotic evil - the terror of Chaos
Sauron was the COO to Melkors CEO
D&D alignments are stupid and do not really fit
@@Entropy3ko Au contraire, they are surprisingly inventive abstractions of human behaviors. It is very impressive that they appeared so early in the hobby in their simplicity and beauty.
As a Rolemaster man myself, I find myself always coming back to them in spite leaving the AD&D system behind many decades ago.
Didn't cover Ugluk because he was a good guy, giving Merry some medicine in front of his boys. Telling Grishnakh that the Hobbits are not for eating. Also making sure his boys were fed meat.
I wouldn't say "good". "Lawful" is better for Ugluk. He had his orders from Saruman and stuck to them.
Ugluk is the unsung hero of the story.
Pour some medicine out for him lads.
Haha, right.
Reckon he might’ve gone on to start a restaurant in the Ring of Isengard…
Rip
@Liquidsback i want your comment made into a thorough video !!
Souron did have a body as Golem spoke 'His hand still has but 4 finders' [paraphrased] . That burning eye on the top of Barad dur was just a movie prop .
Tolkien also described a wide window at the top, through which Sauron looked out at the world. Was there a flaming eye in the window? I guess it's possible 🤔
Just a note that the Great Lidless Eye was more like a metaphor than literal in the books, it was just in the Peter Jackson movies were they made it to be his actual form. Gollum mentions at one point that he saw Sauron only has 4 fingers on his black hand, which quite clearly proves that Sauron had actual physical more or less humanoid form still.
The eye in the movies does make sense in a visual adaptation, but it's funny when people think Sauron is literally just an eye
@@haleywilson520 I like to think that the eye in the film is kind of like a reflection of his vigilant and cautious spirit. He’s always scanning all around him for potential threats, and it’s all because of fear. Sauron lives in perpetual fear of the West or Eru Himself. He’s scared that they might counterattack unexpectedly, just like how God destroyed the island of Numenor in its entirety, destroying Sauron’s physical body along with it. It was a completely unforeseen disaster that struck him. He might make it seem to his followers that the Powers of Good have forsaken Middle-Earth, but he knows deep down that his time is over. He would fall into the Void, just like his master before him.
Love the video.
I just got 2 small corrections:
1. Getting Númenor whiped out was very much Saurons plan all along. That he lost his physical form wasn't quite part of it, since he hoped that the Valar would go to war against Númenor, rather than have a literal divine intervention. His efforts weren't in vain though, when Ilúvatar sank the whole island, so overall he was happy with the outcome.
2. The great eye on top of the tower was invented for the films. Sauron had a physical form near the end of the war of the ring. Gollum at one point mentions something about that. Whenever the eye is mentioned in the book, it was more a methaphore for Saurons vigilence and a symbol used by his servants.
Hope to see more deep dives into Tolkiens villains from you. Would love the see Saruman and the Witchking on your next list.
Exactly, Sauron wanted to destroy Numenor because there were a danger to him, but he thought it would be the Valar who would do it, not Iluvatar, he didn't expect the end to be so violent and he lost his physical form for a while. While he eventually reformed he wouldn't be able to adopt a fair form again, would be a dark lord, tall and terrible, could not deceive his enemies again, only inspired terror.
A villainous look for a villainous subject, well played :). Tolkien's ability to create truly epic villains is such a fundamental part of why his works are so enthralling and enduring. They make the triumph of his heroes so much more impactful and memorable.
But very very attractive!
Crazy how there is straight up COSMIC HORROR in Lord of The Rings. Makes one wonder if Tolkien had read Lovecraft.
Gollum is the worst villain for not rhyming ‘web’ with ‘dead’ while taunting Frodo.
Can you please add a trigger warning? Hearing what he did just sent me into cardiac arrest from pure terror
Always upset me that did
Worst single of the third age 😂
I reckon his failure to rhyme pissed off Frodo enough to break free of Shelob's web.
FerdiKlnc please, stop, the trauma is too much. That line always killed me inside as someone with a fondness for rhyme schemes...
That’s a pretty awesome headpiece I can’t lie
@2:58 : The singular is Ainu. I love your videos btw, keep them coming! Maybe a Part II with Glaurung, Smaug and maybe Gothmog?
Fantastic video. Thank you; but less a part time hobbit, and more an elven Queen. "In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen! Not dark but beautiful and terrible as the Dawn!"
I like to think I can do both haha
The "evil" caracter I prefer in Tolkien's work is Eol. I like that he is not directly corrupted by Melkor but headed to the darkness by itself. Sadly he is kind of a minor caracter.
Agreed! I was really interested in Eol when I first read about him, but sadly he isn’t talked about much
My favorite man is Tour. The man who became and Elf and invented judo.
A few small things: We don't in fact know the origins of Orcs. Neither did Tolkien. He could not make up his mind. Even THE SILMARILLION says this story is believed, but is not certain.
Also, the Valar and Maiar believed that in attacking Melkor when they did, they would likely be destroyed, so mighty was he. But he had infused himself into the very fabric of Arda and in his monsters, he had diminished himself so he could be defeated--much to his surprise and theirs.
Also, Sauron during LOTR in fact had a physical form. Gollum even mentions how it had only nine fingers. The eye was his sigil but it was not his form.
And Gandalf himself says Sauron was "reduced" to a spirit of malice without the means to do anything. He still exists, but is now nothing but a spirit of hate and rage, powerless.
These are nuances, only. You express in wonderful storytelling form the heart of this marvelous tale. And I eagerly await your next video (as I ever do)
Sort of like voldemort when he lived on unicorn blood in the forbidden forest.
I love how Sauron could have been redeemed, when he went for judgment, yet its like going to the parent you know will punish you lighter than the other.
"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb."
Oh, praise heavens, praise heavens! Our goodly welcoming Jess delivers a brilliant piece, and one that has come as an extra element of surprise, because I totally forgot it was Friday! Speak about confusion!
Happy friday!!
Loving the dark sorceress aesthetic 👍
It’s worth noting that Sauron was defeated in the duel with Elendil and Gil-Galad, not after. Isildur took the ring from his finger after he’d already fallen in the books.
Isildur’s blow was more of a final death blow to a guy who was basically dead. Had Isildur not taken the ring, Sauron would have regained his strength in just a few short months, maybe a year or two, but definitely not as long as it did take him
These casual LOTR youtube channels get so much wrong, yet they title their videos as if they are experts and the knowledge they spew should be trusted
@@pyropulseIXXI Everyone makes mistakes. To err is human.
I love how some mysteries allways are left behind in Tolkiens words
Tolkien's faith is seen a lot in his characterization of his different villains. In Christian Scripture the three primary enemies are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. We see the World's evil in the many wars that occur between Illúvatar's Children, such as the kinslaying of the Teleri Elves or Feänor's fall; the Flesh is seen in Ungoliant and her children like Shelob; and the Devil is seen in Morgoth. I loved how you brought out that Morgoth was very petty in his pride. Tolkien's friend C.S. Lewis characterized Satan as a petulant child in "Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer" and "The Screwtape Letters", the latter of which he dedicated to Tolkien. Chesterton who influenced both Tolkien and Lewis also characterized Satan in such a way.
You are forcing a trinity paradigm where one doesn't exist. And the Scriptures do not have 'three primary enemies.' Satan is the god of this world, and the flesh is apart of that. You can either be of the flesh, or of the spirit. There is no 'enemies;' Satan is an adversary
Also Lewis shows evil as childish in Perelandra... with Weston leaving a trail of "frogs" he killed with his talon-like fingernails, for no reason but to hurt something.
@@pyropulseIXXI James 3:15 says, "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." That is, the World, the Flesh, and Satan. Also, Satan is not the god of this world. The word in 2 Corinthians 4 means AGE, not world, and refers to the Old Covenant Period which passed away with the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E.
@@michaelkelleypoetrythe “ages”
were taken from Greek Paganism, and 99% of Tolkien’s work was taken from European Paganism. Even the musical creation of the world is directly from Greek Paganism. Even the concept of God as “The One” comes from Greek Paganism, it isn’t found in Christianity. Tolkien based much of his work on Pythagoras, Plato & Norse Paganism.
@@chad.avatar Paganism is simply the True God walking incognito. I suggest you read C.S. Lewis's essay, "Myth Became Fact", as well as Dr. Michael Ward's book, "Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis".
What a fabulous costume, Jess. Another triumph!
It wraps up with a wonderful message...there can be only one.. wait wrong story
The headpiece is really pretty.
Illuvatar came into an emptiness and began to sing, creating an island of music within a silent void. Ungoliant, being of no known creation, may be surmised to be a residual of that original void, and her hunger is the hunger of the abject empty.
Seeing how villains play out in stories like Tolkien’s can shed a lot of light on what evil is and how it functions in our world. I see a lot of parallels between Morgoth and the Christian understanding of who Satan is, where he came from, and what he does in this world.
The Bible explains that evil was allowed to be a choice because God wants man to choose righteousness and eschew evil of his own free will and not because it is the only choice. Your assessment of the various baddies in Tolkien's universe is spot on and very well done in my humble opinion.
To be fair, the Bible actually gives a few different explanations as to why God allows evil to exist.
@@SonofSethoitaefree agency IS the reason. Evil is the desire to take agency away
@@brettmuir5679 And that's one of several different explanations the Bible gives
Your outfits are one of my favorite parts of this channel
The Black Numenorean is revealed! But seriously... I think it's interesting that there is a very "Catholic" theme to evil in Tolkien's work. Evil is often characterized as not a force of its own, but rather as the absence of good. It holds no power except to deceive. We see this with Sauron among the Numenoreans, and Grima in Theoden's court. Also, is has no power to create, but only to destroy. Even the Ring was only crafted by taking some of Sauron's power from him. The most notable evil creatures, Orcs and Nazgul, are both corruptions of the good. They are not creations of evil, but good creatures who have been twisted by the Enemy's deceptions into serving his cause.
One correction. In the book Gil Galad and Elendil killed Sauron although they died in the process, not Isildur. He just cut off his finger from his dead body
I caught that one too
But if Isildur hadn’t cut the ring from Sauron’s hand the dark lord would have been able to return much more quickly
Never thought of that, good point
facts
@@ethanannen2608 from the description, I'd say the ring was about to resurrect him, you're not wrong.
Don't have time to finish the video today, but I will say you're clothing aesthetic is on point!
Edit: Finished the video, loved it! There's so much to Tolkien's work that I never knew!
When I was young, well before the internet, I was a very precocious reader. New "Big Words" knew what they meant, no clue as to pronunciation. Also, I salute you ability to wear that attractive jewelery, do your script, and not go bonkers with it dangling between your eyes.😊
"Now you see that Evil will always triumph, because Good is dumb." -Dark Helmet
This is easily one of the best looks you've had so far! Humanity needs more goth Jess in our lives. Also, @HelloFutureMe has two videos called "The Philosophy of Sauron | Nietzsche and Lord of the Rings" and "Why did Sauron turn evil? | LOTR Lore" that I think you would absolutely love.
You are totally awesome. Thank you for your videos and being you.
Jess is giving me Mia Sara from Legend vibes with her outfit. :)
Yes.
Love the way they seem to echo as it goes, starting off a loud primal roar of power that can shape the world with Morgoth, the uncontrolled chaos that gets quieter upon return, once he is gone can still hear the resonance in Sauron a more controlled chaos that can't make the same power moves but slowly fading out, trying to piece together what remains whispering in ears until it's just all gone.
Good stuff Jess - nothing like analysing evil while in the Wicked Queen outfit. Maybe Galadriel if she took the Ring mode?
I just finished listening to the Simarilllion read by Andy Serkis…so a lot of this is pretty fresh for me. But I think you are pretty spot on.
Knowing Tolkien was catholic and wanted to be a hobbit…it is pretty easily to see what the thought the ultimate evils of the world to be.
This is one of your best videos. It is not easy to explain so much with so much material. Most impressive. Live long and prosper 🖖
Astaldo just be flexing. Too much of a badass for Melkor.
Listened today, will listen again tomorrow. Great review of what i read over 50 years ago. I have to dig out my old books and reread. Thank you for your inspiring videos.
MY FAVORITE TH-camR UPLOADED AND IM EARLY LETS GOOO
I think you would really enjoy Iceland and its language poetry people etc. Keep making great videos and sharing knowledge so creatively.
For me the pride and arrogance of Feanor, and the many evils that resulted from it, make him one of the great villains of Middle Earth.
Well done video> Yes there's other great villains - Gothmog, Ancalagon, Glaurung. But also Feonor. SO much to cover, look forward to it
I thought Numenor was destroyed when Sauron persuaded the Numenoreans to sail to Valinor. When they set foot on the Undying Lands the destruction of their isle was unleashed.
correct, but Ar Pharazon and his army were entombed in Aman itself by the land, throw at them by Iluvatar.
When Manwe saw the great army of Numenor, he invoked Iluvatar who not only destroy the invading army and Numenor itself, but took the undying lands out of the rest of Arda, that was then made rounded, much like Earth, leaving a straight path to reach Aman but only the elves could go through it.
Sauron is one of my favorite villains of all time, if not my absolute favorite. It's interesting how he embodies the creative spirit of perfectionism taken to an extreme in a desire for power and control. And Melkor's role as an adversary whose spite toward Eru only plays into fulfilling Eru's own vision for the world is tragically beautiful as well
This woman pleases me.
LOTR is depressing. I love it. But it's so sad. It's a tragedy. The Elves leaving Middle Earth and taking their beauty, elegance, wisdom and creativity from the world of men because they have to go West or fade away. Similar with the Dwarves who end up fading away too. The loss of Numenor. The Loss of Beleariand. The loss of the Simarils. The loss of the palantir. The loss if the female Ents meaning the Ents will also die out. The Ring Bearers getting to go West but their lives being shortened in the undying lands (probably only lasting a maximum of 6 months (by the time Sam gets there, Frodo and Bilbo would have died decades before)). Friends and loved ones having to separate and leave each other and never seeing each other again. The doom of the Elves is so upsetting to me. It's such a sad, sad, sad reflection of the real world. What is happy though is that in the end, after death, at the great End, after Dagor Dagorath, when Eru Ilúvatar brings forth the Second Music of the Ainur and all is restored and made whole again. So there is hope at least. Amdir. Estel.
Yeah but that's not LOTR, it's the whole Legendarium and the most tragic parts are in the Silmarillion. The legendarium is a combination of tragedy and hope, of loss and victory, the forces of good at last win but at a terrible cost, it was never intended to be a fairy tale.
Great video! I await the second part where you delve into LOTR greater villains: Lobelia Sackville, Ted Sandyman, and the wicked Bill Ferny
This is only the second video of yours that I’ve seen and I’m already a fan. Your knowledge is deep, your presentation relaxing and your conclusions thought provoking.
I hope you eventually get around to discussing the nazgul, esp the Black Captain. They're the scariest of all: terrifying shadows of what were once men. Shrieking ghosts of the netherworld void. The stuff of nightmare. Worse, in a way, than Sauron.
Yeah, and I love how farmer Maggot told a Nazgul to sod off
She's done a good one about Saruman, who is a more foreground villain than Sauron in LOTR. A corrupted *wizard* (which makes him a Maia like Sauron himself, I suppose, but more Man-like), and with a Sauron-like gift of persuasion.
I've got a question for you, Jess: If Melkor submits after the rebuke of Iluvatar, does he have a spot in Middle Earth? I mean, Aule jumped the gun on creating dwarves which could be akin to Melkor's theme, but when rebuked, he submitted and then Iluvatar made the dwarves part of the story. Could the same have been done if Melkor doesn't persist? Describing Melkor as a "petulant child" was spot on. I've seen too much "sympathy for the devil" posts online lately! Good video, Jess!
That is the difference between Aule and Melkor. One repented while the other persisted
@@ethanannen2608 The makers in Tolkien seem very prone to this. Gandalf offers Saruman the opportunity to repent and he scorns it too.
@@ethanannen2608Indeed, Aule was willing to redress what he did in slaying the dwarves but Iluvatar stays his hand and allows the dwarves to live with some caveats.
Evil in Middle Earth can be described as Narcissism taken to the extreme of irrelevance. Evil in Middle Earth doesn't learn, doesn't create, doesn't empower without dominating those empowered. Whereas good in Middle Earth is pretty much "live and let live" as long as Bubba's living doesn't harm Zeke.
Multiple, unconnected thoughts:
1. Instead of being evil, I choose to believe the Dark Jess look is simply that of Avarin royalty.
2. Sorrynotsorry, reddit, but Feanor Did Everything Wrong
3. It's _becoming_ more common knowledge, but still isn't widely known, that the "Orcs are corrupted Elves" thesis was not only one Tolkien was never completely comfortable with (among other things, he felt it made Melkor far more powerful than he ought to be), but one that he had planned to revise, though he hadn't decided exactly how. Several texts in the collection _Morgoth's Ring_ suggest that he was probably going to make Orcs a deformed species of Men, possibly mingled with (sorry/ew) other species, perhaps including evil Maiar.
4. I hadn't thought of this before, but Ungoliant forms a fascinating pendant to Tom Bombadil. Both are potent forces, for evil and good respectively, and both are _completely unexplained_ in the narrative and extended lore alike.
5. I _feel_ like, even without Tolkien's advice, I would have known that I should not create an enchanted ring of power to dominate the free peoples of the world; but is that only my hubris? Think about it
I love your videos! Your scholastic approach is what I love most about them. Quick correction though: Shelob is “the last child of Ungoliant to trouble the unhappy world” -The Two Towers, Book IV, Chapter 9, Shelob’s Lair.
The music of Melkor was "loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated". In other way, the techno music was the source of evil.
The Lord of the Rings may have an optimistic view, but the mythology as a whole is somewhat depressing:
- The Valar made the Spring of Arda, but Melkor destroyed the 2 lamps.
- The elves created great kingdoms in the first age, Morgoth destroyed them all.
- The men created the great kingdom of Númenor in the second age, Sauron destroyed it.
On and on, the world diminished. While the stories are beautifully written, it is depressing to see the destruction of everything, and only scraps are saved.
32:31 The plans of Sauron did not come to ruin, they succeeded behond his dreams: he only wanted the death of the Númenorians, he got the complete destruction of the land.
34:30 no, the big eye at the top of Barad-dûr was the artistic choice of Peter Jackson. In the book, Gollum said that Sauron had 9 fingers, the last one being cut by Isildur. Sauron had a physical body.
Morgoth wanted to own the world, Sauron wanted to order it. When each was denied, they both ended up with the goal of destroying what they could not control.
A great example of competing songs, where the enemy singers only contribute to the heroic tune, can be seen in Casablanca. The Nazis start singing Die Wacht am Rhein, only for it to be subsumed by the other bar pstrons singing La Marseillaise.
Tolkien being a Catholic like me truly warmed my cold dead heart❤❤❤
I don't think Sauron failed in his plans for Numenor. He was so successful that Eru left his rest to destroy Numenor entirely.
He failed in the sense that there was nothing left of it to rule himself, as well as forever losing his ability to appear "as an angel of light."
Love the goth look Jess
The story of the object that characters craved, while its mere ownership twisted and pained its wearer. Weighing more and more over time, yet the wearer unable to remove it or give it away. Wars were fought over it, that crushed all in their path, wasting innocents.
This is the story of the (One Ring/Silmarils).
Any list without Lotho Sackville-Baggins is an incomplete list of the worst villains in middle earth
I could listen and watch you talk for days.
One of my favorite moments is when Sam calls on Varda, and she causes the light of the Phial to blaze painfully bright so that Sam was able to defeat Shelob.
It's as if the Trees themselves returned to fight the descendant of the creature that killed them.
I don't think Varda did anything. The Valar weren't involved personally in the events of Middle Earth at that time, but the light inside the phial was captured from the star of Earendil, which is a silmaril, and the silmaril contains the light of the trees, and that light ultimately originated in Varda, the invocation of her name caused the light to be brighter, but I think it was more Sam's courage and the nature of the light itself rather than Varda's direct intervention.
A wonderful look of villainy, Jess. Cruella de Vil, Lily Munster and Morticia Addams are very envious of you.
It's always interesting to contrast the wild, dreamlike action in the Silmarillion stories, where magical transformations and cosmic cataclysms abound, with the relatively grounded action in The Lord of the Rings and even to some extent in The Hobbit, where magical stuff happens but it's usually not foregrounded and more often than not subtle and interior. It's as if Tolkien knew that when he got down to the nuts and bolts of telling an extended story he had to apply the constraints that make a relatable story possible.
You're so right... Morgoth is the embodiment of where pride gets you. I think that the reason Melkor was so successful in baiting Feanor into the mistakes he made is because Melkor, probably subconsciously, knew where an overinflated sense of pride can lead you. It was his downfall, so he instinctively knew how to do the same to Feanor, who was somehow even prouder than a literal god lol.... man I hate Feanor lol
Melkor is not an idiot, dude. He is super intelligent and knows how to manipulate beings. He doesn't need to have an overinflated sense of pride in order to manipulate someone; this is an obvious place to go
I feel that people just force shallow analysis via any connection that they can grasp onto
@@pyropulseIXXI I feel that people make rude comments like yours to make themselves feel better or more important I guess?
Either way, I'd rather chat with friendly people about Tolkien than have to read anymore of you making yourself feel smart, so do me a favour and just skip my comment next time you feel the need to do this. Thanks!
Melkor talks a big game, but screams like a baby when a big spider comes at him I know people like that.
I appreciate Jess' Queen of the Night vibe from Mozart's, _The Magic Flute._
I've always believed that the Mirkwood spiders are also descendants of Ungoliant, though I've never read any confirmation of that fact in Tolkien.
It’s a fan theory. The theory claims that all giant spiders of the 3rd Age are her descendants
There were spiders in the forests on the borders of Doriath in the First Age and the spiders of Mirkwood are probably the descendants of these. However, it is said that Ungoliant mated with spider like creatures and Shelob is probably a descendant of one of those unions.
The Two Towers reveals that they're Shelob's offspring.
Actually, like all spiders both in fiction and in real life, they are manifestations of evil incarnate and exist only to spread terror and make webs right at head level so when you are walking in the woods you randomly get a face full of web.
Actually, I am impressed with your recollection of all these names and how to pronounce them.
Ainur=plural Ainu=singular, Valar=plural Vala=singular, Maiar=plural Maia=singular
I sort of empathise with Morgoth, I mean Illuvatar's so up himself, to paraphrase him 'Everything I do's about me, and everything you do is about me.'
What else could Morgoth do but fight that kind of tyranny?
Maybe could have gone about things in a calmer manner 😄
Big respect for crediting the images' artists!
I love your book examinations, and you are always a vision
Your videos on Tolkien are so much better than the vast majority of stuff out there. Some of it done by "professionals". Instead of trying to make JR into your own preferred image with your own agenda you actually understand him because you have spent time learning about him. Also I thought your new way of pronouncing Shelob was correct, I was like I have been saying it wrong my whole life!
Your costume looks very much like the Princess’ dark outfit after she was corrupted in “Legend”. Well done.
It is funny how many criticize Tolkien's characters as black and white. When you have Boromir, one of the strongest and noblest of men having moments of power hunger and deceit and betrayal. Then this entire host of Villains, save Ungoliant, were good or neutral at some point. Tolkien may not have been the master of writing morally grey characters. He was the lord of writing colorful characters. The only author I've seen approach his skill has been J.K. Rowling.
Their false representation relies on The One Ring possessing some magical ability to turn people evil. But it doesn't have this power. People would become corrupted by power itself not from some arcane characteristic of the Ring. Gandalf/Galadriel state this quite clearly.
This was fantastic. I can simalar themes of pride, greed and sloth mixed into my favorite middle earth villain Smaug
1) Jess looks amazing, once again. 2) Really good video.
Great video! "The Silmarillion" was such a great book and I liked it more than LotR . It's kind of funny how there's another hand injury in "The Silmarillion."
Great job of summarizing this aspect of Tolkien's Middle Earth!
I could listen to you talk about anything.
Overall, you hit the nail on the head. Other than that, you could’ve maybe spent more even time on each, but that’s knit picking. Great video, sublime content. Keep it up 👍🏼
wish tolkein could listen to your voice speak his world
Melkor is very similar to lucifer in Paradise Lost. Both of their sins are pride, and both are the origin of evil.
I am struck by how similar Ungoliant is to a Lovecraftian Great Old One, a primal force of hatred and hunger. I wonder if Tolkien ever read any HP Lovecraft?
I admire your passion for storytelling and narration. I love your look my lady. God bless you 💜😇💜
Sauron was honestly kind of a clown. Everything he did without Morgoth around ended in abject disaster. The one ring ended up being a complete failure not once, but twice. It didn’t work on dwarves. The elves were too smart to be tricked into getting enslaved by it. He got nine humans out of the deal, but all of their kingdoms failed. He lost the war when he was at the peak of his power, with the ring on his finger, and then allowed two halflings to walk into his back door to destroy it later on down the road. 30 INT, 30 CHA, 8 WIS…
Have you ever read the Lore? Everything Sauron "lost" was always a result of the miracles and pure chance. (Spoiler; the divine intervention)
First: The defeat of Gwatlo. His orcish armies easily eradicated Eregion/Hollin and later almost perished Gil-Galad's reinforcements led by Elrond but the Dwarves of Kazad-dum made a surprise attack to Sauron's armies from behind and this helped Elrond from the total annihilation and he was able to establish the Rovendell. However Sauron had to split his army to keep the Rivendel and Elrond's forces in check and to prevent any attack from backside again. Sauron besieged Gil-Galad but unexpectedly Numenor came to save the elves and Saueon had to retreat but another Numenorean army appeared from the south and Sauron's retreating a army annihilated between the 2 armies. As we can see "the luck" has a big role here.
Second: Sauron's surrendering to Ar-Pharazon. Despite the common fan-fiction of "bUt NuMenOreAns CaptUReD SaUroN" it was Sauron who willingly surrendered. In the History of Middle Earth books, Tolkien explained that going to Numenor was already Sauron's own desire even before all of this because he knew that he wasn't able to go or conquer Numenor because the seas were protected by Ulmo. Tolkien also stated that fake-surrendering was Sauron's only option and ticket to the Isle of Numenor. It was all of his plan! However professor Tolkien stated that it was not possible for Numenoreans to "imprison" Sauron actually but he let them do it for the sake of going to their blessed island. Later on (According to HoME, The Lost Road and Other writings book: after they 'arrested' Sauron, the dark lord raised the sea like a mountain and CAST THE ENTIRE ARMADA OUT OF THE SEA to the the shores of Numenor to show them his true power! So he was always able to throw and play with the "mighty" Numenorean Armada like boats made of paper but he chose to "play with them" instead.
And as the third time, his defeat in the battle of the Last Alliance. In the Letters and Appendix of Return of the King, Tolkien noted that Sauron was in both diminished and weakened state and he needed "bodily rehabilitation" but Gil-Galad and Elendil attacked him first before he ragained his own power back. Despite in a weakened and diminished form, he was able to break the siege of Barad-dur and push the entire army of the Last Alliance 30 miles(48 kilometers) back to the slopes of mt.Doom and slay the High Kings with his bare-hands *singlehandedly!!!!* He was such a beast despite all the odds when you think about it. He was weakened and Diminished by Eru Illuvatar because of the downfall of Numenor but look what the dark lord managed to do! lol
And the last one: his defeat at the end of the story. This is so easy... If you read or listened the entire story from the beginning, you'll notice that there are countless cases of pure luck and the divine interventions which caused the fall of Sauron. Eru's plan was always keep going as he wished. Even in the very end of everything, it was Eru illivatar himself who caused Gollum to slip and fell into the lava with the One Ring! Yes, Frodo failed!, Gandalf's plans failed! Valar's plans failed/didn't work as they wished! It was Eru who stepped in and do the job! (In one of his letters, professor explained that it was really Eru who caused gollum to fell in the vulcano)
The conclusion is it was always Eru who caused Sauron's and Melkor's fall. The Dark lords had not even any chance to win against the literal God!
Love, love, love the Goth look. Please do it again sometime.
Hi, just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying your videos.
oh! I had to go play sudoku on another screen and just listen - i kept waiting for that jewel to poke you in the eye ... freaked me out!