Where did the fell beasts come from? Did Sauron create them?

Where did the fell beasts come from? Did Sauron create them?

Did the movies get them badly wrong?

>Where did the fell beasts come from? Did Sauron create them?

Corrupted giant birds of some sort, most likely. Sauron either did it, or they were leftover from Angband and he just recruited them.

>Did the movies get them badly wrong?
They are kind of silly in the movie, but not particularly wrong.

As far as my memory goes, they really don't say too much about them in the books to begin with.

They're one of those creatures that's like older than memory, and Sauron breeds them for his Nazgul.

Really the less you say the more accurate you are

Aha, found this.

(After being asked whether the fell-beast was a sort of pterodactyl)
>Pterodactyl. Yes and no. I did not intend the steed of the Witch-King to be what is now called a 'pterodactyl', and often is drawn (with rather less shadowy evidence than lies behind many monsters of the new and fascinating semi-scientific mythology of the 'Prehistoric'). But obviously it is pterodactylic and owes much to the new mythology, and its description even provides a sort of way in which it could be a last survivor of older geological eras.

He bought them at Metzen's "Corruption delights" store.

Probably one of the Nameless Things created in Utumno by the dark powers, like the Watcher in the Water

In the early drafts of the book Tolkien had the Nazgul riding giant vultures, which he later changed to the fell beasts. Elements of the older concept linger, though, as the fell beasts re repeatedly compared to featherless birds, are stated to have beaks, and are also called "hell hawks." They're never compared to bats, dragons, or reptiles. In the movie they are clearly bat like and reptilian, and lack the bird attributes.

As for their origin, Tolkien indicates they predated Sauron, who merely found them and started training/breeding them as mounts.

There were a lot of dragons in the north, after the first age. Fellbreasts probably come from these parts.

Did any Dragons participate in the War of the Ring? I'm not up on my Tolkien, but for it being the fountainhead of all fantasy, I'm rather surprised that Dragons don't seem to get much screen time outside the Hobbit.

dragons are not to be ordered around by lowly beings, they're proud, greedy assholes
only melkor got them to do things for him
Sauron without the one ring is probably considered weaksauce by dragons, nazguls and orc chieftains are complete rubbish to them

I wonder what a nazgul blade would do to one though...

They didn't, really, unless you consider Smaug and Scatha melting a few dwarven rings hundreds or thousands of years ago to be part of the "War of the Ring." Other than those two, I don't think any dragons are actually named, and they're not really mentioned much except in passing.

Honestly they don't really fit into the mythology of the setting that well, and are one of the kitchen-sink aspects that snuck in the door early before the lore was solidified.

I imagine that would involve the Nazgul trying to pierce a Dragon's scales, which is borderline impossible IIRC.

Humm I guess so but they are ethereal so they could potentially just go for the mouth?

Actually thinking about it dragon fire could fucking them up as I would assume it is semi magical

woah buddy. There was Ancalagon the Black, who was bigger than the mountains and got his bitch ass taken down by Earendil and dropped on Thangorodrim

There was Glaurung who kicked the ever-living fuck out of the Elves before Turin smote his ass something fierce.

I mean, technically they weren't in the "War of the Ring" per se but the mythos is pretty all-encompassing I'd say.

>Honestly they don't really fit into the mythology of the setting that well, and are one of the kitchen-sink aspects that snuck in the door early before the lore was solidified.

Really? Because Glaurung is by far the best villain in the entire mythology.

Like melting their rings for instance?

Yeah, which I'm guessing wouldn't go to we'll for them... likely end with there actual true deaths.

> Ringwraiths riding dinosaurs to steal a midgets jewelry, only to be slain by women's rights.

>There was Glaurung who kicked the ever-living fuck out of the Elves before Turin smote his ass something fierce
Because Túrin had the glorious idea to open up Nargothrond for him.

>Implying any the asshat feminists are fighting for the right to see their squadmates torn up by IEDs or 7.62mm but they too weak to pull them to safety.

I like almost all Tolkien's villains, but agreed, glaurung is pretty great.

to imagine that a Dragon would kneel under the will of any other creature but another dragon of higher hierarchy is hilarious. But no.

not overly versed in tolkiens work outside lotr, can I have any reason or feats as to why he was so cool?

>big old school wyrm ala Nibelung
>incredibly hauty and lazy, but more than powerful enough to back it up
>master of intrigue and manipulation
>makes Turin forget his sister only to reveal her identity again when he has married and laid her
>gets the last fat fucking laugh

Sounds like a total dick