[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

As is told in The Silmarillion the first Men were awoken in the east of Middle-earth at the rising of the Sun. What is not told is the dramatic near-miss that the unwoken Men, and the Valar, went through.

Melkor was indeed preoccupied in those days. However, the Valar were not so confident in themselves that they could not doubt that the Dark Lord had plans in motion. Long he had sought for the resting place of Men and he found it after much peril and trickery. The Valar possibly did not realise that he had found it, and thus did not intervene in Melkor's ambitions. However, there were others who knew of Melkor's plans.

There was one Eldanar (no-one knows if this was his right name), an Elf of Middle-earth. It was believed that he was of the Nandor, those who chose not to depart their homeland for the Blessed Realm. He was an unhappy being. His life had been much harder than the lives of other Elves, and he was respected and given great sympathy by the Elves he knew. However, he never became close to many others, and for this reason he found it hard to summon allies, thought no-one bore him any ill-will. This Eldanar had stumbled upon Melkor's intention by accident, after speaking with the birds and the beasts all over the land. He sensed an opportunity to do a great deed, and began preparations.

You see, Melkor had designed to greet the awakening Men, and ensnare them into his service right from the start. The Elves of Middle-earth could sense that great things were happening, they had all heard rumours of the 'Followers', and they wished to meet them and help them. Eldanar saw that he needed to act quickly if he were to save Men from the Dark One.

But for the reasons given before, Eldanar could not summon enough allies to even challenge Melkor. So it was that, at the rising of the Sun, the Elf left home to travel into the East with a small host. Eldanar's gloom was apparent, and he saw no hope for Men.

He arrived at the designated point to witness the great host of Melkor congregated in a gigantic lush valley. The skies were dark, despite the Sun, and Eldanar beheld from afar the huge and terrible form of the Dark Lord himself, waiting for the great awakening.

Melkor saw the Elves and laughed out loud. It was indeed a pitiful host compared to his. With him were many Orcs and fell creatures and beasts, and even three Uruloki. If battle were to commence, it was to be swift and decisive in the favour of Melkor. But Eldanar did indeed desire battle, for he desired the end of his unhappy life and he greeted hesitantly the opportunity to go out fighting the great enemy.

But the Men would not awaken. Whether by some design from the Creator or the collective will of his greatest servants the Valar, the Men stayed in their slumber. And this time afforded a chance so unlikely to the Elves, that they barely took part in the upcoming battle, so shocked and frozen were they by the events that unfolded.

From the South came an almighty host of Wargs, and these Wargs were great in size and majesty. Their speed stunned Melkor and he fled in terror. His Orcs were utterly slaughtered by the furious Wargs and those that fled were mostly slain by the Elves. The Uruloki engaged in tumultuous warfare with the Wargs but they could not defeat them, great and terrible though they were, and in the end these huge demons had to flee for their lives as well. None could withstand the fury that the Wargs brought with them.

When asked, Eldanar could not tell how many Wargs had arrived. They were apparently countless. Eldanar himself could barely watch the unfolding carnage of the battle, but several Elves afterwards said that no fury could ever compare to that displayed by the Wargs against Melkor and his minions.

Thus Men could awake, and this story surely details the great irony that followed, of the poor treatment given to the Wargs by Men ever after.