I’m having medical stuff again so I apologize if this isn’t super eloquent. Kind of the opposite to my post from a couple weeks ago about stories of escape in Angband but an underrated horror element in Tolkien is how often fear exists as an infection. Not necessarily in the literal sense though this is also fun to explore, but how it spreads and festers, turning against its hosts.
Morgoth alone of the Valar knows fear and he wishes for it to spread.
I know this isn't revolutionary of course but I just find it really interesting to think about it from the context of fear. Courage, bravery in the face of danger is of course such an enduring theme in Tolkien and an individual feeling fear is not demonized.
But Tolkien's works also touches upon the dangers of fear, especially when it comes to rumors, deceit and prejudice
It’s one of Morgoth’s earliest weapons, seen for example when he takes a distorted form of Nahar for his mount in the hopes that the first elves would fear Oromë
in earlier versions Morgoth literally curses his thralls past and present with a deep fear of the dark. More specifically, they are cursed to feel and to fear his presence in the dark.
His stunt with Amlach (which I spoke about here) is designed to sow uncertainty, as was his sending emmessaries to lie to humans east of the Ered Luin, even his releasing of captive elves tied to his will was surely meant more to garner paranoia and conflict within his enemies than it was to achieve direct goals. Even the brutal killing of Gelmir during the Nírnaeth alone isn’t enough for Morgoth’s forces; what accompanies it is the threat that this violence will befall the other captives.
The fear of Morgoth therefore almost exists as if not a separate entity and threat to Morgoth himself, than at least one that is shifting, not always existing solely as one.
When Morwen says in argument with Melian and Thingol that their uncertainty is the work of Morgoth, fear in that discussion seems to take on a life of its own. There is Morwen's fear for her son and her fear of Melian and Thingol but there is also another fear. Something that is almost believed to sway minds and freeze plans
Indeed, Melian too speaks of this type of fear though she disagrees where it is entwined.
(also although I brought up the previous point as an example, obligatory mention of the fear of Morwen; the fear in witch panics is infectious and one of the most vivid descriptions of fear in Silmarillion related texts is in my opinion Brodda's "great dread" of Morwen and especially of her eyes. That fear too is paralyzing and good that it is, in that instance)
Anyways it’s just something I’ve been thinking about a lot
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