The universe of The Lord of the Rings is full of exciting characters. Among them is a warrior who lived long before the events of the movies and brought the greatest villain from Middle-earth to his knees.
Who is meant? Among all the powerful and mysterious beings that populated the world of Arda and the continent of Middle-earth over time, Tulkas is a particularly impressive example.
He was also known as “Astalda, the Valiant” and originally did not come from Arda. He belonged to the Valar, the highest of the Ainur, who were ancient beings. They were created by the god of Tolkien’s cosmos, Ilúvatar, or rather from his thoughts.
Other well-known Ainur included Manwë, who was also called “King of the World.” Or Gandalf and Melkor, who later becomes Morgoth and plays an important role in the story of Tulkas.
Like the other Ainur, Tulkas lived away from Arda for a long time. Gradually, these beings made their way to Arda to support the world in the fight against the mighty Melkor. Tulkas was the last of them to take this path. He would have done well to hurry to help as he was very powerful.
His qualities as a fighter were legendary, and he was among the best that the Ainur had to offer in this regard.
Laughing in the face of the enemy
What happened to Tulkas in Arda? The Ainur knew that Melkor must be stopped. He was a passionate fighter, preferring unarmed combat. In fact, he only confronted his opponents with his fists. However, he did not do so randomly or maliciously but always used his superhuman powers wisely.
So it was in the case of Melkor: Tulkas faced the great villain. His booming laughter, which the warrior loved to use in battle, made Melkor flee. He realized that the Ainur was too strong for him. Thus, the world was saved for the time being.
This marked the beginning of the so-called “Spring of Arda,” which was illuminated by two great lights, called “The Luminaries.” There was finally peace, but it was only temporary. In the meantime, Tulkas married his wife Nessa.
Eventually, Melkor returned and destroyed the two Luminaries. As a result, darkness returned to Arda. The Ainur Manwë decided in a meeting of like-minded individuals that Melkor must now finally be stopped.
Tulkas welcomed this decision and plunged into battle once again. He encountered the great villain and a fierce duel began. In the end, however, Tulkas prevailed and managed to bind Melkor with the chain Angainor. Thus, evil had been thwarted once again. Melkor spent three entire ages in captivity. But even that came to an end…
What happened next? They decided to finally release Melkor, hoping that he would improve. However, Tulkas was highly skeptical and did not trust the enemy. He was proven right: Shortly thereafter, Melkor stole the Silmaril, three gemstones enclosing the light of the Two Trees of Valinor. These trees illuminated Arda after the Luminaries had been destroyed long before.
Thus, the Two Trees also perished, and once again darkness enveloped Arda. Tulkas did his best to hunt down the old enemy again, but the darkness that now prevailed made it impossible for him to find Melkor. The mighty warrior had to be content to live in Valinor on Arda and defend it against the forces of evil.
Unfortunately, in the end, he was unable to stop Melkor. The villain ultimately became Morgoth, the lord of evil, and included Sauron among his servants. And as for what happened to this individual, fans of The Lord of the Rings have known for a long time. More about Melkor can be found on MeinMMO: The true villain in the “The Lord of the Rings” universe is much more powerful and dangerous than Sauron
