Why send Glaurung to Nargothrond?

[MossNobody]

Is Glaurung ever specifically stated to be stronger than say, the Balrogs? I'm writing a paper, and wondering why Morgoth would send Glaurung specifically to Nargothrond when he could have sent any number of Balrogs, or even Sauron, who I believe was at Angband at the time. any insight would be appreciated (I don't have a copy of the silmarillion on hand so I cannot consult it.)

 

[Maeglin]

Hmm...well, just off the top of my head (my copy of the book is not handy at the moment, but I just finished a re-read recently), I don't believe it is ever mentioned that Glaurung was any stronger than balrogs. However, while he was a servant of Morgoth, it's not clear that Glaurung was particularly beholden to him in terms of strictly acting on Morgoth's orders only. As far as I can recall from my reading, it seemed to me like it was more that Glaurung was simply "let loose" upon the land to wreak whatever havok he wished, rather than follow a particular plan. In his wanderings, then, perhaps it struck his fancy to go look for Nargothrond and give it a nice sacking.

On the other hand, it is clear that Morgoth wanted to absolutely torture Hurin by making him watch his children suffer. To that end, perhaps Glaurung was more cunning and wily than the Balrogs, what with his psychological games and all when taunting Turin at Nargothrond. The balrogs, on the other hand, struck me as simply powerful weapons / warriors, but not of much purpose beyond that.

 

[LaurelinBearsFruit]

Definitely agree with Maeglin about Glaurung most likely being sent on a journey of total destruction and about his propensity for torture for the sake of it. Glaurung may also have wanted to prove himself as a force of destruction as well, since he was defeated and sent back to Morgoth in retreat during the Battle of Sudden Flame (the elvish name escapes me at the moment, Dagor Bragollach perhaps?).

Also ageee with Maeglin on the point that Balrogs likely have more of their own motivations, being Maia that were corrupted by Morgoth early on when he was still Melkor. I believe they have much more autonomy, as Gandalf states in Two Towers (during the chapter The White Rider) that the Balrog of Moria was not necessarily allied with Sauron and served its own dark ends. Sending a dragon with that had something to prove and wanted to avenge an earlier failure would probably be a safe bet for total annihilation of Nargothrond.

 

[Eldacar]

There's a passage in the Silmarillion concerning Glaurungs first 'voyage' out of Angband, when he defiled Ard-Galen and was, after some time of terror, driven back by Fingon. There it says, "But Morgoth was ill-pleased that Glaurung had disclosed himself oversoon". This, to me, always implied, that the general task Morgoth had in mind for the dragon was indiscriminate destruction and disruption, no matter where, since the only part about this failed attempt that seemingly angered him was the fact, that Glaurung acted in adolescent haste, not waiting until he would be more resilient and therefore a way more significant disturbance.

That's why I think, as well, that Glaurung was simply let loose again when sacking Nargothrond, being the destruction and disturbance Morgoth intended him to be.

 

[Olorgando]

Glaurung may also have wanted to prove himself as a force of destruction as well, since he was defeated and sent back to Morgoth in retreat during the Battle of Sudden Flame (the elvish name escapes me at the moment, Dagor Bragollach perhaps?).

No, Glaurung's first (adolescent) sally from Angband, when he was driven back by Fingon's cavalry archers, was 200 years before the Dagor Bragollach. In this (fourth) battle of Beleriand, Glaurung issued from Angband full-grown in front of the fires released by Morgoth. He was even more destructive in the fifth battle, the horrific Nirneath Arnoediad, though here again he was driven from the battlefield, this time by the Dwarves of Belegost. They were far more resistant to his fire by nature and by their armor, and their heavy war-axes could actually injure him. In a foreshadowing of Glaurung's death at the hands of Túrin Turambar, Glaurung crawled over the body of the dying Dwarven King Azaghâl, and the latter rammed a knife into Glaurung's belly so forcefully that Glaurung fled from the battlefield.

 

[Elthir]

Huzzah Gando!

(. . .) the Battle of Sudden Flame (the elvish name escapes me at the moment, Dagor Bragollach perhaps?).

Yes! S. lach "(leaping) flame"

See also Lachend "flame-eyed"

🐾

 

[Eldacar]

In this (fourth) battle of Beleriand, Glaurung issued from Angband full-grown in front of the fires released by Morgoth. He was even more destructive in the fifth battle, the horrific Nirneath Arnoediad, though here again he was driven from the battlefield, this time by the Dwarves of Belegost.

I was aware of these battles and the role he played in them, but they seem to me a different thing from the 'usual business' of Glaurung. There is at least some reason to believe he was meant to be a wild dog let loose on the peoples of Beleriand and cause indiscriminate destruction without any 'real' objective. When he failed, because he wasn't yet terrible enough, he waited in Angband and proved to be very useful during the two battles, after which he was old, big as well as battle-hardened enough to do what he was originally meant to do. The coordination during battle and the chaos before and after aren't exclusionary from my viewpoint.