Great Dark One

A name or title given to Morgoth the first Dark Lord among the Drúedain or Wild Men of the Woods. The Drúedain had concerned themselves little with Morgoth, mostly dwelling far beyond the mountains from Beleriand where the Great Dark One warred with the Elves and Edain. There was, however, one branch of the Wild Men who did enter Beleriand, a small number who formed part of the following of the Haladin. These Drúedain dwelt beside the Folk of Haleth in the Forest of Brethil, fighting fiercely against the Orcs, whom they hated with a deep passion.

The Great Dark One was defeated and expelled from the world at the end of the First Age. After this time, only a few populations of Drúedain remained in Middle-earth, dwindling as the long years of the Second and Third Ages passed. Though the Great Dark One was gone, his Orcs remained to trouble Middle-earth, and the Wild Men maintained their ancient hatred of them. So it was that they agreed to aid the Rohirrim in the War of the Ring. Though they had no special friendship for that people, they hated the Orcs even more, and so they showed the Riders a way through the mountains, enabling them to reach Minas Tirith and defend it against Sauron, the former servant of the Great Dark One.