In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings, the term Vampire is used loosely to designate mysterious bat-like creatures serving Sauron and Morgoth.
History
Almost nothing is known about them, though Tolkien does name one: Thuringwethil. Sauron also took the shape of a vampire on at least one occasion, during the travels of Beren and Lúthien, while he still had the ability to change his shape. They may have been fallen Maiar as was Sauron, lesser angelic spirits (as opposed to the Valar, greater angelic spirits, as was Morgoth). They are mentioned in The Silmarillion. These brief mentions of creatures such as vampires, werewolves and hill giants, or of non-Istari wizards, magic rings not connected with the One Ring, or even the spells and curses placed by Thorin Oakenshield and his party on the troll hoard are windows into just how expansive Middle-earth really is, beyond even what is detailed in J. R. R. Tolkien's work.
Vampires may or may not be connected to the actual giant Bats that followed the orc hordes into the Battle of the Five Armies in The Hobbit. They probably are since it is said that they fed upon the fallen as vampires.
There is no mention of Vampires after the First Age ended, and they presumably became extinct after the destruction of Morgoth.
Tolkien may have just chosen the word "vampire" for its modern connotations of bat-associated monsters. A similar instance is the use of the word "Werewolf" by the same author to denote wolf-like creatures, otherwise possibly unrelated to traditional werewolves. However, in context of the word "Vampire," Sauron did assume the form of such a creature numerous times. On one occasion, he flew over the forests "dripping blood from his throat." Furthermore, the vampire Thuringwethil, as her name connotes, was a "woman" of shadow. At any rate, we can at least assume that Tolkien was aware of the fact that vampires, while bat-like creatures, were also somewhat humanoid in form and involved "blood" in some way or another -- albeit, if not in the way traditionally viewed for such fictional creatures.[1]
Portrayal in adaptations
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 吸血鬼 |
Video games
- The new Games Workshop The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game supplement, the Ruin of Arnor, has a vampire in it - Gûlavhar, the Terror of Arnor. This is a non-canonical creature, designed by Mat Ward (writer of the Ruin of Arnor), Roberto Cirillo (concept artist) and Trish Morrison (sculptor).
- The Lord of the Rings Online has Carcharan, a vampire of Morgoth, in the forest of Mirkwood. It is a vampire in the form of a giant vampire bat.
New-Line Films
- Large bat-like creatures appeared in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. It is unknown whether these bats are actual descendants of vampires or a part of Úvanimor.
References
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