Reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or watching Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies may create the impression that all the Elves in LotR were good, but that isn’t the case. The Silmarillion revealed a wide range of complex Elves, some of whom were awful from start to finish. What’s more, The Silmarillion was no novel like LotR but was rather an Elvish historical document comprised of myths and legends. Like many great kings in real-world history, some Elvish leaders in The Silmarillion were liberators, pioneers, and ruthless murderers all at the same time.
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In fantasy, villains tend to occupy a fairly clear-cut role, opposing heroes and neglecting human rights in acts of cruelty or selfishness. In a work like The Silmarillion, traditional hero and villain roles are complicated by default. In The Silmarillion and the wider legendarium, there were few clear-cut villains among Lord of the Rings’ diverse types of Elves. Of all the Elvish factions, the Noldor were the most controversial. Fëanor and even the least offensive of his sons committed villain-worthy acts, but the most offensive could give most fantasy villains a run for their money, even despite the debatable redemption of some.
10 Maglor
The Minstrel
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Perhaps the least villainous of the Elves who could qualify for villain status in Lord of the Rings, Maglor nonetheless committed terrible atrocities. Maglor was a singer, poet, and one of the seven Sons of Fëanor, a Noldor king who created bright jewels called Silmarils which burned all evil and were stolen by Lord of the Rings’ tyrannical Morgoth. Becoming obsessed with the Silmarils, the namesake of The Silmarillion, Fëanor led his sons in an oath to regain them, come what may. Although the exact terms of the magic at play were never clear, oaths held dreadful power in LotR.
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Fate and free will in The Lord of the Rings have been debated since the ’50s, but there are answers to these lingering questions in the legendarium.
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Oaths normally appeared contractually binding, with significant consequences for breaking them. In this sense, Maglor was a victim as much as a perpetrator. And yet, he could have faced the consequences of breaking his oath long before he chose to. His oath led him through all three of the Fëanorian Kinslayings – massacres of Elvenkind. Cursed by the Vala Mandos for the first Kinslaying alone, Maglor finally regained a Silmaril, but his tainted soul could no longer bear its light. Poetically, he tossed it into the sea and went missing, with some saying he tossed himself into the sea along with it.
9 Maedhros
The Tall
Of every controversial Elf in The Lord of the Rings and of every Elf that committed vile deeds, Maedhros – Maglor’s brother – was the least to blame and the most noble. Maedhros is, in fact, one of the greatest Elves in The Lord of the Rings and probably one of the top 10 heroes in the legendarium, immortalized in Blind Guardian’s Silmarillion concept album in the song “Blood Tears.” However, he killed thousands of innocents and affected the lives of countless more throughout his time in Aman and Middle-earth.
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Power metal band Blind Guardian released their
Lord of the Rings
concept album,
Nightfall in Middle-Earth,
in 1998.
Maedhros mustered the Union of Maedhros in a heroic and valiant attempt to unite Middle-earth’s various races against Morgoth, however disastrous its results. But Maedhros, like Maglor, carried out all three Fëanorian Kinslayings before he finally relinquished his father’s oath. Although he was subject to the Doom of Mandos like Maglor, it was a testament to his character that this could only mean suicide. Maedhros chose honor over other people’s lives and, eventually, his own.
8 Amrod
Twin Of Amras
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Amrod was one of Fëanor’s sons and followed him into his worst acts. He is seldom mentioned without Amras in The Silmarillion, confirming that these two twins were nearly inseparable. Amrod was a Noldor prince who migrated from Middle-earth to Aman and back. Unfortunately, migrating from Aman to Middle-earth entailed the first Fëanorian Kinslaying. Subject to the Oath of Fëanor, Amrod spilled blood on his way to power.
There is a statue of Fëanor in Eregion in Amazon Prime Video’s
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
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Once in Middle-earth, Amrod settled a land with his twin that would come to be known as Estolad. Amrod seemed like one of the less warlike Fëanorians. He partook in the Battles of Beleriand as required, fighting Morgoth for land, power, and Silmarils, but kept himself to himself much of the time. Both in Valinor and Middle-earth, Amrod was a hunter and explorer, preferring the wild to the court. However, he ended up participating in all three Kinslayings.
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7 Amras
Twin Of Amrod
Like Amrod, Amras took part in all three Kinslayings. Amrod and Amras don’t get much of a mention in The Silmarillion compared to Fëanor’s other sons, which probably reflects well on them. Like Amrod, Amras was a lover of nature and the unknown, exploring the outer regions of Aman during his time there. However, neither Amras nor Amrod were ever seen to speak out against the Oath of Fëanor.
The only reason that Caranthir, Celegorm, and Curufin didn’t participate in all three Kinslayings was that they died in the second.
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Amrod and Amras’ seemed to prioritize knowledge over power, keeping them away from the kind of treacherous scandals that some of their brothers were involved in. However, all of Fëanor’s sons, Amras included, chased the Silmarils and killed all who stood in their way, when the time came. The only reason that Caranthir, Celegorm, and Curufin didn’t participate in all three Kinslayings was that they died in the second.
6 Caranthir
The Dark
Fëanor’s son, Caranthir, was bound by his oath to protect the Silmarils for his family. Caranthir took part in the first and second Kinslayings but died in the second. Neither as great as Maedhros nor as inhumane as Curufin, Caranthir was one of Fëanor’s lesser-known sons. He established a realm in Thargelion, creating a profitable relationship with the Dwarves.
Caranthir lived in Valinor with his brothers until Morgoth stole the Silmarils, and they followed him overseas to Middle-earth.
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Despite their allegiance, Caranthir disliked the Dwarves for their “unloveliness,” demonstrating problematic bigotry. Caranthir also despised the children of Finarfin, a Noldor relative, sparking in-fighting and arguing among his people. Although a strong leader in the fields of battle and commerce, and subject to a powerful oath, Caranthir was, ultimately, a participant in two bloody slaughters.
5 Fëanor
King Of The Noldor
King, inventor, warrior, and smith, Fëanor is a Noldor hero as much as a Teleri villain. J.R.R. Tolkien said that “Galadriel was the greatest of the Noldor, except Fëanor maybe,” confirming his complexity. Forger of Lord of the Rings‘ legendary but disastrous Silmarils, Fëanor wouldn’t surrender them to Morgoth after their theft. Fëanor’s oath to reclaim the Silmarils cast legions of Arda’s innocent under the wheel of his jealousy and possessiveness, not least of all his sons. Perhaps the most telling of Fëanor’s acts was his embroilment of all seven of his sons in his lethal oath to win the Silmarils.
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Both Gimli and Fëanor asked Galadriel for her hair and tellingly, she only gave it to Gimli.
This oath started the War of the Jewels and effectively ensured that the whole of LotR’s world was kept at war for the entire First Age. But more to the point, it illustrated Fëanor’s ruthlessness, thoughtlessness, and selfishness, showing that he valued the abstract notion of the Noldor name above his own family. When the Teleri wouldn’t lend Fëanor ships to pursue Morgoth, he led his people to slay them and steal their ships in the first Kinslaying, which got all Noldor cursed and exiled by the Valar – Tolkien’s demigods. Both Gimli and Fëanor asked Galadriel for her hair and tellingly, she only gave it to Gimli.
4 Curufin
The Crafty
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Curufin the Crafty was one of Fëanor’s sons, therefore subject to Fëanor’s earth-shattering oath, but was more mercenary and backstabbing than Maglor and Maedhros. Curufin doesn’t have heroics like those of Maedhros’ to work in his favor in a reckoning of Lord of the Rings’ worst Elves. Nor does he have the relative gentleness of Maglor, who preferred singing to slaying. Curufin took part in the first Kinslaying and, after a lot of war and strife, ended up harbored in Nargothrond, one of the toughest strongholds in Lord of the Rings, by his cousin, Finrod. He proved to be an ungrateful guest.
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Barahir saved Lord of the Rings Elf Finrod in battle, so Finrod swore to help Barahir’s son, Beren, on his mission to claim a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown as Lúthien’s bride price. This clashed, of course, with Curufin’s oath, so Curufin plotted against his cousin. But a Silmaril wasn’t enough for Curufin, who sought more power. Promising Lúthien help, he lured her to Nargothrond, where he imprisoned her and planned to marry her, against her will, to his brother, Celegorm. When Lúthien escaped, Curufin pursued her and tried to kill her when she nearly got away. Curufin met a fitting end in his next Kinslaying.
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3 Celegorm
The Fair
The only good thing Celegorm was famous for was his looks. He was a good huntsman and friends with the hunter of the Valar, Oromë, who gifted him a hunting dog called Huan. But Huan soon switched his loyalty to the far more likable Lúthien, suggesting Celegorm’s lack of scruples. If Maedhros was Fëanor’s most infamous son, Celegorm the Fair may have been Fëanor’s most inglorious son.
A traitor and a tyrannical noble, Celegorm took part in the first and second Kinslayings along with his brothers, Maglor, Maedhros, Curufin, Amrod, Amras, and Caranthir. He died before he could enact the third Kinslaying, slain in the second. It was Celegorm, in fact, who had stirred up his brothers to plan and implement the Second Kinslaying. He was also party to the same Machiavellian plotting as his brother, Curufin.
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2 Maeglin
Traitor Of Gondolin
The misdeeds of both Maeglin and his father, Eöl, were so heinous that they made their way into Blind Guardian’s Nightfall in Middle-Earth. Maeglin’s treachery was so great that it is sung of in Middle-earth and the real world. Maeglin’s mother was essentially kidnapped by his father, setting a poor example for the young Maeglin. Maeglin ended up in the great city of Gondolin, but he was to be its ruin.
Falling in love with Idril, Maeglin saw that his love wasn’t returned, and he turned to Morgoth in spite, desperation, and jealousy. Maeglin’s travels had brought him within Morgoth’s grasp, and he accepted Morgoth’s deal. Maeglin betrayed the location of the top-secret Gondolin, thinking Morgoth would subjugate the city and force Idril to be his wife. In an all-around tragedy, the city was destroyed by Morgoth’s forces and Maeglin was killed by Tuor, Idril’s husband.
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1 Eöl
The Dark Elf
The Fall of Gondolin can be traced back to Eöl, the Dark Elf. The Fall of Gondolin is one of The Lord of the Rings’ best stories, told in one Silmarillion chapter and subsequently expanded upon in its book. Referred to as one of Morgoth’s worst crimes, along with the creation of the Orcs, the sacking of this city saw to the end of what may have been Middle-earth’s most beautiful city.
Forcing Aredhel to be his wife, Eöl fathered Maeglin. When Aredhel and Maeglin finally escaped to Gondolin, Aredhel’s top-secret home, Eöl followed them and demanded them back. When offered death or accommodation in the secret city, he chose death, attempting the vengeful murder of his son and failing. At his execution, Eöl cursed his son with his dying breath. Like oaths, curses were often binding in The Lord of the Rings. Eöl cursed and influenced Maeglin to destroy Gondolin, cementing his status as the most evil of Middle-earth’s Elves.
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The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
Movie(s) The Lord of the Rings (1978) , The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring , The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug , The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies , The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Created by J.R.R. Tolkien First Film The Lord of the Rings (1978) Cast Norman Bird , Anthony Daniels , Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Sean Bean , Ian Holm , Andy Serkis , Brad Dourif , Karl Urban , Martin Freeman , Richard Armitage , James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace , Luke Evans , Morfydd Clark , Mike Wood , Ismael Cruz Cordova , Charlie Vickers , Markella Kavenagh , Megan Richards , Sara Zwangobani , Daniel Weyman , Cynthia Addai-Robinson , Lenny Henry , Brian Cox , Shaun Dooley , Miranda Otto , Bilal Hasna , Benjamin Wainwright , Luke Pasqualino , Christopher Guard , William Squire , Michael Scholes , John Hurt TV Show(s) The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Character(s) Frodo Baggins , Gandalf , Legolas , Boromir , Sauron , Gollum , Samwise Gamgee , Pippin Took , Celeborn , Aragorn , Galadriel , Bilbo Baggins , Saruman , Aldor , Wormtongue , Thorin Oakenshield , Balin Dwalin , Bifur , Bofur , Bombur , Fili , Kili , Oin , Gloin , Nori , Dori , Ori , Tauriel , King Thranduil , Smaug , Radagast , Arondir , Nori Brandyfoot , Poppy Proudfellow , Marigold Brandyfoot , Queen Regent Míriel , Sadoc Burrows Video Game(s) The Lord of the Rings Online (dupe) , Middle-Earth: Shadow of War , The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum , The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria Expand
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