Sunday Scriberies by Elleth

Morgoth's Elvish Thralls and Slaves

Written for the question: We know that Gwindor was an escaped slave of Morgoth, and in the Lost Tales Rúmil was also captured as a slave by Morgoth and escaped later. Do you know of any other elves that were captured and escaped alive from slavery? And what about men?

While slavery as a practice of the forces of evil is a widespread and sadly common phenomenon in Tolkien’s legendarium and finds its echo numerous times in different versions of the texts, it is not usually touched upon in much detail.

Gwindor and Rúmil are some of the few named Elves suffering this particular fate. One of the most prominent captives of Morgoth, Maedhros, is often understood by fans to have been forced into slavery, but although the plot point of his captivity goes back to the earliest extant texts, there is very little evidence speaking toward the further interpretation. The early idea that he was put to torture to reveal the secrets of jewel-making was abandoned in favour of making Maedhros an important political hostage in order to pressure his brothers into renouncing their quest. Risking his escape via the mines (as in Gwindor’s case) prior to his torment on Thangorodrim seems unlikely to me personally.

However, Fingolfin’s challenge to Morgoth, describing him as “Lord of Slaves” appears more substantial considering the sheer numbers of unnamed Elves and Humans Morgoth must have enslaved. Not only the Sacking of Nargothrond and the Fall of Gondolin as well as the destruction of the Falas saw survivors taken into captivity: One of the central disasters of the Silmarillion, the Dagor Bragollach, caused widespread captivity of Noldor and Sindar who were forced to put their skills and knowledge into Morgoth’s service (Gwindor’s brother Gelmir was taken captive during or after this battle, but there is nothing in the texts indicating whether or not he was forced to work), and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad likewise saw the enslavement not merely of the remaining free Eldar of Hithlum to Angband, but also of the House of Hador at the hands of the Easterlings who were settling into their newly assigned fief. Morwen’s household was one of the few that remained untouched (although her concern that Túrin might be enslaved prompted her send him to Doriath). A kinswoman of Húrin called Aerin was married to and mistreated by an Easterling called Brodda, and Tuor was taken captive and held as thrall to a high-ranking Easterling named Lorgan for three years; however he was able to free himself and escape, eventually, to Gondolin under the guidance of Voronwë.

Gondolin as one of the few remaining strongholds may be a remnant of earlier textual versions, in which Morgoth’s victory after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad as far more decisive and the Noldor in total (excepting only the Gondolindrim) subjugated and called Thrall-Noldoli. They were not completely captive and in fact were allowed to move through Beleriand, but put under the so-called “Spell of Bottomless Dread” that left them under Morgoth’s control and in constant fear and disquiet of him. Voronwë, before he was re-imagined as one of Turgon’s mariners but already Tuor’s guide, may have been one of them, and so were a number of the Gondolindrim, for the most part in the House of the Hammer of Wrath under Rog. His name, noted as unusual by Christopher Tolkien because of its meaning (‘demon’), may be a hint that he himself used to be an escaped captive – such a moniker seems more like a degrading title than a legitimate name of an Elven nobleman, but that is again guesswork. Maeglin was subjected to the same spell after his betrayal of the city, though seems to have been able to mask it outwardly, and at least at one point Tolkien toyed with the idea of having the association with Morgoth run in the family; Eöl was then understood to be a slave who did not escape from Angband, but was “released to do mischief among the Elves”, and also seems to have gained much of his smithcraft from captivity.

Eöl was not the only released slave either. Again, no other particular Elven names are known, but the Curse of the Noldor made the free Elves among them wary of betrayal, and they became aware of Morgoth’s spell on his captives and the fact that they were often sent to do his work, thus “if any of his captives escaped in truth, and returned to their own people, they had little welcome, and wandered alone outlawed and desperate.” Why Gwindor proved the exception here is hard to say. Although Finduilas’ favour and his previous high standing may have played a role, he was even re-instated into the King’s Council, and that appears equally strange given the distrust stated prior, similar to Húrin’s admission into Doriath after his release and the shunning he himself experienced elsewhere, and the general distrustful stance of Thingol toward the Northern Sindar, who, due to their proximity to Angband rather than any real suspicion, were often counted as in league with Morgoth by the people of Doriath. 

However, even the slaves who did not manage to free themselves were eventually released – either in Lúthien’s overthrow of Tol-in-Gaurhoth (in an earlier version Beren – then still a Noldo – was likewise put to work as a kitchen slave under Tevildo, a forerunner of Sauron) or in the defeat of Morgoth in the War of Wrath, after which many slaves and captives were freed.

Chapter End Notes

Sources: The Silmarillion (mentions and excerpts: Morgoth captures Elves as Spies and Slaves)

The History of Middle-earth vol. I & II: The Book of Lost Tales I & II (Gilfanon’s Tale: The Travail of the Noldoli, The Tale of Tinúviel, The Fall of Gondolin)

The History of Middle-earth vol. III: The Lays of Beleriand: (The Lay of Leithian), 

The History of Middle-earth vol. VI: The War of the Jewels: (Maeglin; Quendi and Eldar [summarized here]).