Key Players

Information supplied by Josh Parsons

People of Middle-earth: The Two Towers

Free Peoples

Aragorn- One of the Three Hunters, and Heir to the Throne of Gondor. He fought with the Rohirrim and a number of Elves at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. He nearly fell in love with Éowyn, niece of King Théoden.  

King Théoden- Lord of the Mark, King of Rohan. He was made weak and feeble due to the lies of his servant, Gríma (Wormtongue). However, Gandalf the White exposed Wormtongue and he was cast out of Edoras. King Théoden was rejuvenated and regained his health and was once again able to wield his sword. He led the Rohirrim and a number of Elves to victory at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. 

Éomer - Nephew to King Théoden and a Rider of Rohan. Before the War of the Ring, he was the Third Marshal of Riddermark, in charge of the Eastmark. He met the Three Hunters and took them to Edoras to meet the King. He fought with his people at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. 

Éowyn - Niece of King Théoden. Her uncle raised her as if she were a man, learning swordplay. She wanted to go to the Battle of Helm’s Deep, but King Théoden didn’t want to put her life in danger. She fell in love with Aragorn while he was in Edoras. 

Faramir - Son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor, and brother to Boromir. Before the War of the Ring, Faramir was Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien. He met Frodo and Sam on their Quest to Mount Doom and aided them briefly as they headed toward Cirith Ungol.  

Gandalf the White - He returned to Middle-earth after falling through water and possibly ended up in Udûn, where he defeated the Balrog. He returned, more powerful and was virtually invincible, except for magic more powerful than his. At first, he could remember little of what happened, but he regained his memory fully and aided the Ents in the destruction of Isengard where he retrieved the palantír, which had been kept by Saruman in Orthanc.  

After this, he traveled to Edoras and there he met King Théoden and exposed Wormtongue’s deceptions. He then traveled with the Rohirrim and fought in the Battle of Helm’s Deep.  

Legolas Greenleaf - One of the Three Hunters. After the Breaking of the Fellowship, he, Gimli, and Aragorn set off to find Merry and Pippin. They ended up meeting the Riders of Rohan and were taken to Edoras. Legolas fought in the Battle of Helm’s Deep. There, he and Gimli had a contest to see who could kill the most Orcs.  

Gimli - One of the Three Hunters. He went with Aragorn and Legolas to rescue Merry and Pippin from the Uruk-hai. They learned from Éomer that he and his Riders had attacked and defeated the band of Uruk-hai, but they saw no Hobbits. Gimli went to Edoras and later fought in the Battle of Helm’s Deep where he defeated Legolas in a competition to see who could kill the most Orcs. 

Meriadoc Brandybuck - After he and Pippin were captured by Orcs, the Rohirrim attacked them. In the confusion, they were able to escape and ended up in Fangorn Forest. There he and Pippin met Treebeard and the other Ents. They went with Gandalf and the Ents to attack Isengard. Then, he went to Edoras and followed King Théoden. 

Peregrin Took - After he and Merry escaped the Orc-band; they ended up in Fangorn and befriended Treebeard. They went to Isengard with Gandalf and the Ents. Pippin retrieved the palantír after Wormtongue threw it out of Orthanc. Being curious, he looked into the palantír and was questioned by Sauron. Gandalf took him to Gondor where he served Denethor, Steward of Gondor. 

Frodo Baggins - After the Breaking of the Fellowship, Frodo and Sam went through Emyn Muil. They met Gollum, captured him, and used him as a guide to Mordor. Frodo and Sam were briefly aided by Faramir and his men on their way to Cirith Ungol. As they neared Mordor, the Ring became heavier and the burden grew. At the same time, Frodo became affected by the Ring’s power and grew very protective of it. He was attacked by Shelob and was poisoned by her just before she was killed by Sting. After this, a band of Orcs captured him and took him to the Tower of Cirith Ungol. 

Samwise Gamgee - After the Breaking of the Fellowship, he and Frodo continued the Quest of Mount Doom. On the way, he used his Elven-rope to capture Gollum and use him as a guide. They were led into Shelob’s Lair but Shelob was finally killed. Sam put on the Ring when the Orcs came to take Frodo to the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Due to his pureness of heart, he was not affected by the evil of the Ring. Instead of going to Mount Doom by himself, he decided he had to save Frodo from the Orcs. 

Ents - Trees inhabited by spirits summoned by Yavanna to guard the olvar until the Dominion of Men. Their nature was closely connected to the Huorns they guarded and the trees they protected. They awoke at the same time as the Elves; the Eldar gave them the desire to speak and taught them both Quenya and Sindarin.

During the Second Age, the male and female Ents became estranged. The Entwives crossed the Anduin River and tended their favorite plants, while the male Ents tended their larger trees. The Men, to whom they taught agriculture, honored the Entwives.

In the Third Age, the Ents remained in Fangorn Forest where some grew “treeish” and eventually quit moving or talking. Around Third Age 2950, Saruman began cutting down the trees. When Pippin and Merry arrived in 3019, Fangorn realized something had to be done. He roused the remaining Ents and they attacked and destroyed Isengard. In the Fourth Age, the Ents remained in Fangorn Forest and dwindled.

Ents looked like a 14-foot tall cross between a tree and a Man. They resembled different kinds of trees and whatever tree they resembled, they would care for it. The Ents also possessed the personality one would expect of that tree. Ents did not die naturally, their skin was extremely tough, and they could not be burned. They tended to think and act slowly, but once aroused they possessed the strength of the age-long action of trees compressed in a few seconds. They were nourished by Ent-draughts.

The Ents spoke Entish but they knew many languages but preferred Quenya. The name “Ent” was given to them by the Rohirrim and it means “giant” in Old English. They were called Onodrim or Enyd in Sindarin by the Elves; the singular was Onod. Ents were also called Shepherds of the Trees and the Shadow of the Wood. 

Evil Forces 

Sauron - One of the Maiar of Aulë. Early in the First Age Melkor seduced him. Sauron became the chief of his servants and dwelt in Angband while Melkor was in Utumno. After Melkor’s return to Middle-earth, Sauron rejoined him in Angband in the attempt to corrupt the world of Men.

Later, after the Great Battle Sauron submitted to Ëonwë, but was told he would have to return to Aman to be judged by the Valar. His pride would not allow him to endure that humiliation and he fled and hid somewhere in Middle-earth. About SA 500 he began to reveal himself again, and by 1000 he had gathered enough power to establish a stronghold in Mordor and begin building the Barad-dûr. In the long millennia of the Dark Years, Sauron corrupted many races of Men. Under the name Annatar and wearing a fair body, he seduced groups of Elves, notably the Gwaith-i-Mírdain of Eregion. The combination of Sauron’s skill and Noldorin creativity enriched both parties, until about 1500 they began forging the Rings of Power, by which Sauron hoped to ensnare the Free Peoples. Much of his power was placed in the One Ring, which he used to finish the Barad-dûr. When Celebrimbor of Eregion discovered Sauron’s treachery with the Rings, Sauron resorted to force and began the War of the Elves and Sauron, in which he destroyed Eregion and overran Eriador, but was defeated by Gil-galad and a fleet sent to Middle-earth by Tar-Minastir of Númenor.

After battling the Númenóreans many years later, the Valar called on Ilúvatar; Sauron’s body was caught in the terrible catastrophe of the destruction of Númenor, and thereafter he was unable to assume a fair-seeming form.

Sauron returned to Mordor in order to marshal his forces. In 3429 he attacked Gondor, taking Minas Ithil and destroying the White Tree, a hated symbol of the Light of Aman. In 3434, he was defeated in the Battle of Dagorlad by the Army of the Last Alliance and was besieged in the Barad-dûr. In 3441, in a final battle on the slopes of Orodruin, Gil-galad and Elendil overthrew Sauron, but both were killed. This was when Isildur cut off Sauron’s finger and took the Ring.

In the Third Age, Sauron was cautious and moved to Dol Guldur and became known as the Necromancer or Sorcerer of Dol Guldur. About 1300 he began to attack the Free Peoples, especially the Dúnedain. He sent the Lord of the Nazgûl to the North, where he founded Angmar. In the South, Sauron stirred up the Haradrim and the Easterlings against Gondor.

After the Great Plague of 1636, Gondor’s watch on Mordor was relaxed, and the Nazgûl reentered that realm and prepared it for Sauron. In 2002 the Nazgûl took Minas Ithil, thus obtaining a palantír for Sauron, which he later used to ensnare Saruman and Denethor II. In 2941, the White Council drove Sauron from Dol Guldur and he returned to Mordor. There he rebuilt the Barad-dûr, and prepared to defeat the West by overwhelming Gondor and the smaller realms of the North with his vast armies of Orcs, trolls, Haradrim, Easterlings, and creatures even more foul.

Even though he didn’t possess the Ring, its existence gave Sauron enough power to crush the West. Gandalf and Elrond realized this and decided the only way to stop Sauron was to finally destroy the Ring.

Among Sauron’s other accomplishments stand the invention of the Black Speech; the creation of the Nazgûl, his most powerful servants, ensnared by the Nine Rings of Men; and the breeding of the Olog-hai, and perhaps, the Uruk-hai.

Sauron comes from the earlier Quenya form of Thauron; the Sindarin name was Gorthaur the Cruel. He was also known as Sauron the Deceiver, the Lord of the Earth, the Enemy, the Master, the Dark Lord of Mordor, the Black Master, the Shadow, the Great Eye, the Red Eye, the Eye of Barad-dûr, the Lidless Eye, the Evil Eye, and several other names. 

Nazgûl - Also known as Ringwraiths. They were once great kings of Men, but their desire for power led to their downfall. They were seduced by Sauron and took the Nine Rings in the Second Age. About SA 2250 they first appeared as the Nazgûl. In 2000, they besieged Minas Ithil, capturing its city and its palantír in 2002.

They became known as the Black Riders because they were seen riding black horses throughout Middle-earth. Wherever they were seen, fear spread. They were invisible to normal eyes but wore black cloaks which allowed them to be seen. They were their strongest at night. Their keen sense of smell more than made up for their apparent poor sight. Also, they could emit extremely loud, piercing, frightening cries.  

Saruman - One of the Istari. He was known as Saruman the White and was the leader of the Order. Saruman had great power over Men’s minds and great skill in his hands. He studied the lore of the Elven-rings and the devices of Sauron. In TA 2463 he was made head of the White Council. He had travelled much in the East, but finally settled in Isengard. Originally, Saruman was a true friend to Rohan, but it eventually became evident that he only wanted power and then it was discovered that he coveted the One Ring.

In 2953 Saruman took Isengard for himself and fortified it. There he gatherd Orcs and Dunlendings, whom he ordered to begin attacks on Rohan and Fangorn. Around 3000 he used the palantír and was trapped by Sauron. After this, he thought he was free even though he was actually being controlled by Sauron. Around 3010 he used Gríma to cause King Théoden to decline into old age.

During the War of the Ring, Saruman sent his band of Orcs to attack the Fellowship. Merry and Pippin escaped to Fangorn, and the Ents eventually attacked and destroyed Isengard, trapping Saruman inside. Gandalf cast him out of the order of Wizards, and he and Gríma went to the Shire.  

Gríma Wormtongue - Man of Rohan, chief counsellor to King Théoden. An agent of Saruman, he gave information to his master, at the same time weakening Théoden. His prize was to be Théoden’s niece, Éowyn. After Gandalf renewed Théoden, Gríma fled to Isengard. He later left with his master, Saruman, to go to the Shire. 

Uruk-hai - Strain of Orcs bred by Sauron in the Third Age in Mordor. They first appeared in TA 2475 when they attacked Ithilien and Osgiliath. By the time of the War of the Ring, the uruks were used on all fronts by both Sauron and Saruman.

The Uruk-hai were fierce soldiers who feared nothing and felt virtually no pain. They were as tall as Men and were not weakened by sunlight, unlike other Orcs. Uruks were slanty-eyed and black. They felt they were superior to the other Orcs.

Uglúk - Uruk-hai of Isengard. He was the captain of the band who killed Boromir and took Merry and Pippin. He was soon after slain by Éomer of Rohan.

 Grishnákh - Orc of the Barad-dûr and captain of the Mordor-orcs who were in the band that killed Boromir and captured Merry and Pippin. Somehow, Grishnákh knew about the Ring. He presumed that either Merry or Pippin had the Ring, so he stole the Hobbits from his guards while the Rohirrim were attacking the Orc-camp. He was slain by the Rohirrim during the battle.