Morgoth's Ring

The History of Middle-earth
Volumes I and II
Volume III
Volume IV
Volume V
Volumes VI–IX
Volume X
Volume XI
Volume XII

Morgoth's Ring is the tenth volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume series The History of Middle-earth in which he analyses the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R. Tolkien. This volume, along with the subsequent The War of the Jewels, provides detailed writings and editorial commentary pertaining to J. R. R. Tolkien's cosmology that eventually would become The Silmarillion. This book mentions a few characters excluded elsewhere, including Findis and Irimë, the daughters of Finwë.

The title of this volume comes from a statement from one of the essays: "Just as Sauron concentrated his power in the One Ring, Morgoth dispersed his power into the very matter of Arda, thus 'the whole of Middle-earth was Morgoth's Ring'". As the original rebel against Eru Ilúvatar, Morgoth is seen as the source and author of all evil in Arda and in fact, in metaphysical terms, evil and the working of his will are one and the same thing.

Morgoth's Ring presents source material and editorial on the following:

There is an inscription in the Fëanorian characters (Tengwar, an alphabet Tolkien has devised for High-elven) in the first pages of every History of Middle-earth volume, written by Christopher Tolkien and describing the contents of the book.

The inscription in Book X reads: "In this book are given many of the later writings of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien concerning the history of the Elder Days from the Music of the Ainur to the Hiding of Valinor; here much is told of Sun and the Moon; of the immortal Eldar and the death of the Atani; of the beginning of the Orcs and of the evil power of Melkor, the Morgoth, the Black Foe of the World.".

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