The Warg and Warg Rider Appreciation Thread

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

The Battle Of Mirkwood, as told by an anonymous Elf several years after the event.


It took place in the south-west of Mirkwood in a place considered an Elven stronghold. The army stationed there was huge. However, they had met their match. The Orc captain Gorgomoth had become crazed in his attempts to destroy the Elves of Mirkwood, and had ploughed all of his strength into the assault. Middle-earth braced itself for a climactic battle that would surely alter the course of history.

It did. Hundreds of thousands of Elves were massacred by the Orcs, who lost a vast proportion of their force themselves. However, the outcome was in no real doubt. The Orcs were too many and the Elves would surely fall.

It was when all hope was gone when the Elves heard the ominous sound of howling on the wind. Wargs - thousands and thousands of Wargs. The Elves braced themselves for the end of their lives.

But no! The Wargs turned on the Orcs, their former allies. With vigour they ripped and tore into the terrified Orcs. Oh the humanity! The blood of the Orcs rained down on the beautiful trees of Mirkwood. When the slaughter was complete the Wargs left with no explanation of their deeds. None was needed. The Elves of Mirkwood were saved all because of the Good Wargs who had come out of Rohan.

Without a doubt, this battle is what changed the common conception of the Warg forever. No more were they considered all evil. From now on the Peoples of Middle-earth never knew what to expect from Wargs. On the one side there were still evil Wargs who served the Orc captains. However, on the other side was a tremendous host of good Wargs, bent on doing great and glorious deeds and properly utilizing the extraordinary and wondrous talents given to them by a truly perfect God.

[SamwiseGamgee]

It is trully delightful to share such epic stories of wargs and their varied natures with one who so clearly shares my views and opinions.
Wargs are a strange enigma. Neither wholly good nor wholly evil. They are perhaps the exception to many rules. Few know why wargs obey anyone, with their razor sharp wit and brain powers. One suggestion is that it is not a true warg who serves the orcs. I disagree. even the mightiest of beings (and wargs are counted among them) can be warped by evil. Take Saruman, for example.
So, a warg is perhaps rather like Tom Bombadil-neither clearly good or clearly evil.
Who knows? It could just as easily been a warg who had aided the hobbits in their quest, perhaps a far off descendant of the wargs of Rohan? Perhaps Tom Bombadil was even a warg? It is a puzzling perplexion which I feel could be a fine debate. Before that, though, I'd like to hear more of the origins of the wargs of Rohan. How did they come to be there? Whom did they serve? Were they gifts from Eru or emissaries of the Valar?

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

Was Tom Bombadil a Warg? Sounds like a fantastic debate and one which I am looking forward to.

Concerning the Wargs of Rohan. They moved into Rohan during a harsh period for the Men of Rohan. Their numbers were dwindling and they were constantly threatened by nearby Orcs. No-one knew where the Wargs came from. All they knew was that they acted friendly towards the Men and protected them from many evils. The Elves of Mirkwood did not know about this relationship because communication between Mirkwood and Rohan was tricky in those days.

I do wonder if Wargs can be considered Bombadil-esque. If we consider it, we can see that the origins of Men and Elves and Dwarves and Ents are given explanation. Even Hobbits are explained better than Wargs are, being linked closely to Men. To not explain the origins of Wargs (especially considering how potent their powers are) was a strange ommision by the Good Professor.

Without putting much thought into, my initial guess would be that Wargs are simply servants (?) of the Valar. Feel free to challenge this claim.

[SamwiseGamgee]

Have you, pray tell, Eomer, ever heard the story of the wargs of the Brown Lands, who pursued a brutal quest of honour against the elven folks. If not let me know and I shall share the story. It is one of treachery and deceit which reduces one's faith in the warg while similarly increasing one's respect. It's a paradoxical tale which I look forward to sharing.
Here's a good one: if wargs are servants of the Valar then perhaps they are Maiai, and couldn't that theoretically make a warg as powerful as Sauron? An interesting thought.

[Amariden Ravenhill]

Hail and well met, Eomer of the Rohirrim and Samwise Gamgee! I have been reading at length the stories aforementioned. I have not had the excitement of having such journies nor do I know many of the Elven folk (save one) for my friends and neighbors would think it unseemly for any Hobbit to do so....alas!

[SamwiseGamgee]

Welcome, Ravenhill, to the inner sanctum of we warg-lovers (non-carnal).
Surely you have heard stories of wargs in your long travels. They need not have anything to do with elven folks, that is purely incidental. The most important thing is that they are about wargs. Surely you can think back. Go on, Ravenhill!
The story of the wargs of the Brown Lands is coming just as soon as I am assured there's an appetite for it, by the by.

[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

It is indeed delightful to hear of another Downer who is enthralled by Wargs, hail Amariden Ravenhill!

Samwise, please share this tale of the Wargs of the Brown Lands. If you do not post it soon then I may explode with anticipation.

On another point, I think that if Wargs were Maia then their powers had to have been concealed, much like the Istari. There is certainly no tale of a Warg ever challenging Sauron for mastery of Middle-earth that I have heard of. Speaking of the Istari, has anyone ever considered the possibility that Allatar and Pallando were Wargs? I have. Several times.

Maybe Sauron himself was an evil Warg. Though perhaps thats a bit far fetched.