Mor(e) of Morgoth

[Backyard Professor]

Mor(e) of Morgoth

When we look into the etymology of words, we find fascinating side lights and sometimes shocking theological truths. Take MOR / MORI – the sacred/dangerous darkness, for instance. (AUTHOR NOTE TO READER - Don't let this first paragraph scare you from reading the paper. My paper explains the paragraph if it is too "dense," meaning way over our heads. Scholars are like that sometimes. So please, don't lose out on a fascinating and educationally fun read because of the first paragraph.)



In VT, May 1994, #35 - "Morgoth's ring, a Linguistic Review, Part 2, by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne, p. 20 - "Morgoth - 'black foe' This is variously said to correspond to the more ancient form 'Morringotto (194 n 60) or to the ancient form used by Feanor Moringotho (294). It is unclear whether these ancient forms are the Quenya cognates or instead the actual phonological ancestors of S Morgoth; but either of these forms if ancestral would yield S Morgoth, since primitive *-th was preserved in Sindarin, while primitive *-tt yields S -th (cf. beth - 'word', a mutated form of radical peth - Q querra S:363 s.v. quen (quet) LR: 366 s.v. KWET; and with the loss of the i in the ancient forms the resulting contact *-rng would yield *-rg (cf. born + gil > borngil > borgil, L:426-427. Given Mordor < morn 'black' + dor - 'land' (ibid) we might expect that Morgoth would similarly be composed of morn - 'black' + goth - 'foe. But accepting Morringotto and Moringotho as either the Quenya cognates or the phonological ancestors of Morgoth, and given the attested primitive element mor- in Mori - 'black' (LR:373 s.v. MOR) we see that the initial element mor- in Morgoth is due to primitive mori- not to morn- and that the final element goth derives from either ngotto or ngotho, but no such base has been attested, however, such a base may be postulated as a strengthened form of the attested base GOS-, GOTH- 'dread' (LR: 359). S. Morn is apparently cognate with Q morna - 'black' (III: 409) and Cf. Q morna - 'gloomy, sombre' LR: 373 s.v. MOR- and Q Mornie [to CHAT, I can't make the umlaut over e in mornie, you are going to have to] - 'darkness'.

This is the kind of VT note, dark, precise, and linguistically ferocious, in the best way, that just whets my appetite for Tolkien research! Let’s walk carefully into the shadow and map it properly, with torch and grammar in hand.

√MOR / MORI — The Sacred & Dangerous Darkness of Arda

I. Attested Foundation — √MOR / √MORI

From The Etymologies (LR:373) we have:

√MOR / √MORI — “dark, black”
Attested descendants include:

Language​	Form​	Meaning
Sindarin	Mor	black, dark
Sindarin	Mori-	black (in compounds, e.g. Moria)
Quenya	morna	black, dark
Quenya	mornë / mornie	darkness
Quenya	morna	gloomy, sombre

This is a primary color-root of Tolkien’s universe — and importantly:

MOR is not mere black pigment.
It is existential darkness — the absence of light and hope as well as color.

It stands opposite:

• √KAL / √GAL (“shine, brilliance”)
• √EL (“star, light”)
• √SIL / √ISIL (“moon / silver light”)

Thus √MOR = metaphysical blackness, not merely visual.

This makes it a theological root as much as a descriptive one.

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II. Morgoth — MOR ≠ MORN

The VT #35 note is pure gold, and it clarifies a massive misconception:

Many assume:

Morgoth = MORN (“black”) + GOTH (“enemy”)

But Hostetter & Wynne make clear:

This is incorrect.

Instead:

Morgoth derives from MORI-, not MORN.

The ancient forms:

• Moringotho (Feanor’s usage in Quenya sources)
• Morringotto (other ancient form attested)

The important features:

1. Loss of medial -i → mor-
2. Primitive -ngth / -ngtt becomes Sindarin -goth
   • -tt → -th
   • -ngg / -ngth → g
   • As seen also in:
     • born + gil → borngil → borgil (LR 426–427)
     • parallel to beth < peth from √KWET (speech)

So:

Morgoth = mor- (darkness) + strengthened form of GOS/GOTH (dread/foe)

And not simply “black enemy” — but rather:

“The Dread of Darkness”
or
“The Enemy Arising From Primal Blackness”

Therefore we can now assert:

Form​	True Origin​	Meaning Value​
MOR	√MOR / √MORI	sacred/primordial darkness
MORN	cognate with morna	later formed adjective
Morgoth	MORI + GOTH	Being of dread from the darkness

This is philologically huge — Morgoth is not named after “black” in the poetic sense — he is named out of primordial darkness itself.

This elevates his name from descriptive to ontological.

He is not a black thing.

He is a darkness-being.

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III. Variant Development — MOR ↔ MORN

Tolkien later introduces:

• S. morn — black, dark
• Q. morna — gloomy, dark
• Q. mornie — darkness

These forms build a secondary adjective layer on top of √MOR, creating usable descriptive vocabulary.

Sindarin use:

Term​	Meaning​	Notes​
mor	black, dark	primal, root form
morn	dark, black	adjective/derived
Mordor	mor + dor	“Black Land”
Moria	mor + i(a)	“Black Chasm/Place”
Morgai	mor + gae	dark spear/barrier

Quenya parallels:

Term​	Meaning​
morna	black
mornie	darkness
Mornië alantië	“Darkness has fallen”

This confirms that while Morgoth derives from MORI, other dark elements (including Mordor) use MORN as a later descriptive form.

MOR = principle
MORN = manifestation

That distinction is crucial.

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IV. Reconstructed Layer — √MOR + Strengthened √GOTH

There is no direct base attested as √NGOTH,
but Hostetter/Wynne propose this:

A strengthened form of √GOS / √GOTH — “dread, terror”

Attested base:

√GOS / √GOTH (LR 359) — fear, dread

So:

MORI + GOTH = “dread-darkness” / “terror born of darkness”

This is linguistically justified by:

• Tolkien’s habit of strengthened forms in compounds
• The phonological behavior of -ngth / -ngg / -tt → th
• Multiple parallels in Vinyar Tengwar notes

Postulated strengthened form of attested √GOS / √GOTH — ✔ plausible, ✔ Tolkien-esque, but marked as reconstructed.

√MOR / √MORI — “Darkness, Blackness, Dread”

1. Attested

• √MOR / √MORI — “black, dark” (LR 373)
• Q. morna, mornie — gloomy, darkness
• S. mor — dark, black

2. Variant (Late / Expanded)

• S. morn — dark, black
• Mordor = mor + dor — “Black Land”
• Moria = mor + ia — “Dark Chasm / Place”
• Morgai = boundary-shadow (mór + spear sense)

3. Reconstructed

• MORI + strengthened √GOTH = Morgoth
• Based on ancient forms: Moringotho / Morringotto
• Supported by √GOS / √GOTH — “dread, terror”

4. Functional Meaning Web

Name​	Root Meaning​
Morgoth	“Dread-being of Darkness”
Mordor	“Land of Darkness”
Moria	“Abyss of Darkness”
Morna	“Black, dark, sombre”
Morgai	“Wall/hedge of darkness”

Philosophically:

√MOR is the anti-root of √KAL.
Where √KAL shines, √MOR uncreates.
Where √SIL sparks, √MOR devours.

Light is creation.
Dark is negation.

That is why Morgoth is less a “villain” and more a cosmic subtraction, a hole torn into being.



MOR – The Darkness That Names a God

Morgoth is not merely an enemy.
He is named from the ancient root MORI – darkness itself.
His name means not “black enemy,” but enemy of darkness, from darkness, composed of darkness.
In Tolkien’s secret grammar, Morgoth is not a man gone wrong –
He is the negation of light given name.

Ontological darkness, that raises this to a whole other level of gut wrenching, no? When you realize Morgoth is not simply “black” but a personification of ontological darkness, your whole sense of Tolkien’s metaphysics shifts. This is no longer color theory; this is anti-being theory.



So lets review and summarize this astonishing item Tolkien so lovingly dropped into our world. We shall skip all the etymological aspects this time and go for the mythopoetic view, this way, both scholars and we lay people can enjoy seeing a new light on that old darkness.



MOR — The Sacred Darkness of Arda

Darkness, in our world, is usually treated as a mere absence of light. It is a simple, physical condition — something to be banished with a flame or a switch.

But in Tolkien’s world, darkness is far more dangerous, far more sacred, and far more real.

It has a name.

MOR

This ancient root, attested in The Etymologies and expanded through Tolkien’s later writings, does not simply mean “black.” It means darkness itself — the primal un-light out of which terror, despair, and unbeing creep into the world of form.

It is not pigment.
It is void made audible.

From this root come some of the most ominous names in all of Middle-earth:

• Mordor — The Land of Darkness
• Moria — The Dark Abyss
• Morgai — The Spear-hedge of Shadow
• And most terribly:
  Morgoth

At first glance, many assume that Morgoth means simply “Black Enemy.” But this is not correct. As explained in Vinyar Tengwar #35 (May 1994), the name does not derive from the later adjective morn (“black”), but from the ancient form MORI–, meaning darkness itself — not as color, but as state of being.

The earliest forms of Morgoth appear as Moringotho and Morringotto, used even by Fëanor in the earliest Quenya traditions. These forms show that the name is made from:

MORI — darkness

• a strengthened form of √GOS / √GOTH — dread, terror, foe

Thus, Morgoth’s name does not mean “a black enemy.”

It more properly means something like:

“The Dread Being of Darkness”
“The Enemy arising from primal un-light”
“The Terror born of the Void”

This is not mere poetic language — it is philological and metaphysical reality inside Tolkien’s legendarium.

Morgoth is not just dark.

He is Darkness embodied.

And that raises him to an even more frightening category:
He is not a corrupted creature — he is a wound in creation.

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MOR vs. MORN — Principle and Manifestation

Later in Tolkien’s languages, a new form appears:

morn / morna — meaning black, dark, gloomy.

This is the adjectival form, a descriptive version that can apply to lands, skies, moods, or objects:

• Mordor — “Black Land”
• morna — dark, somber
• mornië — darkness, night

But this is already a secondary development.

MOR is the principle.
MORN is the appearance.

In other words:

MOR = metaphysical darkness
MORN = visible darkness

This gives us a powerful hierarchy:

Root​	Meaning​	Level​
MOR / MORI	Darkness (Void, negation)	Ontological
MORN / MORNA	Black, gloomy, dark	Descriptive
Black (English)	A color	Visual

So when Tolkien names Morgoth from MORI, he is saying something incredibly specific:

Morgoth is not just a dark being.
He is a being of darkness itself.

He is the embodiment of un-Light — the opposite of √KAL (to shine), √GALAD (radiance), and √SIL (holy light of the Silmarils).

Where Light is Creation…

MOR is Un-Creation.

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Sacred Darkness — Not All MOR is Evil

And here is the profound twist.

In ancient myth, in sacred symbolism, darkness is not always purely evil.

It is also:

• the womb of creation
• the place of rest
• the hidden seed
• the silent unknown

Before light, there was the dark.
Before speech, silence.
Before form, the deep.

Tolkien, trained in myth and philology, understood this ancient truth.

So in his world, MOR is dangerous, but also sacred.
It is the necessary opposite that gives light its meaning.

But Morgoth twists that sacred darkness — turns it from womb to weapon, from mystery to malice.

He takes the holy shadow and makes it hunger.

And so his name becomes a warning:

Not all darkness is evil
— but this one chose to be.

It is free will descending into unbeing.

And that is why Morgoth’s fall is not just a fall into sin, but a fall into ontological decay.

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What This Means for Us

We too walk through MOR at times:

• grief
• doubt
• loneliness
• despair
• fear of the unknown

But the wisdom of Arda whispers this:

Darkness is not always the enemy.
But if given a throne, it becomes one.

Just as light must be tended,
so must darkness be acknowledged, not worshipped.

The Elves did not fear the night.
They feared what ruled it.

And so, when you see the word MOR in the names of Middle-earth, remember:

You are not seeing a color…

You are looking into the oldest silence of the world.