The Lord of the Rings’ lore extends to a fascinating prophecy that concerns Morgoth’s return and final defeat at the hands of a surprising hero. The Lord of the Rings was written by high fantasy master J. R. R. Tolkien and released in three parts between 1954 and 1955. However, it only contained a fraction of the lore of Middle-earth. The Hobbit was published in 1937; along with Lord of the Rings, this novel formed the basis of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies. But the surprising hero of Morgoth’s defeat is only mentioned in The Silmarillion.

This ancient hero was called Túrin Turambar, and he is featured in many of Tolkien’s best First Age stories. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are set in the Third Age, while Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set in Lord of the Rings’ Second Age. However, some of Tolkien’s best work occupies the First Age, which is only briefly touched on in Lord of the Rings’ appendices and has therefore barely been adapted for the screen. Notably, The Silmarillion and The History of Middle-earth describe First Age tales like Túrin and his prophecy.

The Prophecy Of Túrin Turambar & Morgoth Explained

Túrin Features In The Dagor Dagorath Prophecy

The prophecy of Morgoth’s defeat at the hands of Túrin Turambar was called the Second Prophecy of Mandos and concerned the Dagor Dagorath. Lord of the Rings’ Vala Morgoth was predicted to break out of his prison in the Void to wage war on Middle-earth once again, while Túrin was destined to stop him. This unique prophecy was contentious in Lord of the Rings lore. Tolkien entrusted The Silmarillion to his son, Christopher, to edit and publish after his death, but Christopher agonized over what to include and ended up leaving out the Dagor Dagorath.

As Morgoth was the first villain of Lord of the Rings, Túrin’s importance and victory really can’t be overstated.

Despite this, it is constantly alluded to throughout The Silmarillion. After this text’s release, Christopher published the 12-volume History of Middle-earth series containing material he had left out of The Silmarillion and his reasons for leaving it out. One such snippet was the prophecy of the Last Battle, or Dagor Dagorath. In this battle, Túrin tackled Morgoth with the Vala Tulkas and the Maia Eönwë but was the one to kill him with his sword. As Morgoth was the first villain of Lord of the Rings, Túrin’s importance and victory really can’t be overstated.

Túrin Belonged To The Race Of Men In The Lord Of The Rings’ Lore (Which Is Surprising)

Defeating Morgoth Was Hard For The Valar, Let Alone Humans

Art by SarkaSkorpikova 

It is shocking that Túrin Turambar was able to defeat Morgoth as a mere Man when Middle-earth’s strongest armies struggled to defeat him. Morgoth was one of the 15 Valar before he disgraced himself and was disowned from their ranks. The Valar were the strongest Ainur in existence, the Ainur being the semi-divine beings created by Middle-earth’s God, Eru Ilúvatar. In the First War in the Days before Days, it took another Vala to chase Morgoth into hiding. Túrin’s mortality rendered Morgoth difficult for him to defeat, and yet, he prevailed.

Tolkienian Age
Event Marking The Start
Years
Total Length In Solar Years

Before time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Indeterminate

Days before Days
Ainur entered Eä
1 – 3,500 Valian Years
33,537

Pre-First Age Years of the Trees (Y.T.)
Yavanna created the Two Trees
Y.T. 1 – 1050
10,061

First Age (F.A.)
Elves awoke in Cuiviénen
Y.T. 1050 – Y.T. 1500, F.A. 1 – 590
4,902

Second Age (S.A.)
War of Wrath ended
S.A. 1 – 3441
3,441

Third Age (T.A.)
Last Alliance defeated Sauron
T.A. 1 – 3021
3,021

Fourth Age (Fo.A)
Elven-rings left Middle-earth
Fo.A 1 – unknown
Unknown

This same Vala, Tulkas, needed a magical chain to take Morgoth down in the Battle of the Powers; this was the second time that Tulkas defeated Morgoth in Lord of the Rings. Tulkas also partook in the Dagor Dagorath, and Túrin possibly couldn’t defeat Morgoth without him. It took a Man (Elendil) and an Elf (Gil-galad) to topple Sauron in person in the War of the Last Alliance, but Isildur finished him off by chopping the One Ring off his finger. Perhaps Tulkas and Eönwë felled Sauron in the Dagor Dagorath, while Túrin struck the killing blow.

Is Túrin Connected To Aragorn From The Lord Of The Rings?

Túrin Has A Distant Link To Aragorn

There are obvious parallels between Túrin Turambar and Aragorn, who are distantly related. The relationship between Túrin and Aragorn is so far off that it would have little to no effect on Aragorn’s actual biological constitution, but it is highly symbolic. Lineage is hugely important in Lord of the Rings, demonstrating how love can unite two people against great odds and have a child greater than their parents, only capable of incredible things due to both of their influences. The greatest power in Lord of the Rings was born of love, not magical rings.

Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power shows Morgoth as a black cloud drifting across the Two Trees in a First Age flashback.

Túrin was the son of Húrin, brother of Huor, who fathered Tuor. Tuor married the Elf Idril in Gondolin, one of Lord of the Rings’ toughest strongholds in the First Age. Arguably, Tuor wasn’t quite as legendary as his cousin, Túrin. However, Tuor’s son, Eärendil, may be even greater than Túrin, and is the ancient, distant ancestor of Aragorn. Eärendil fathered Elros and Elrond the half-Elven, who were born in the Havens of Sirion. Elros ended up leading the island kingdom of Númenor and the famous Line of Elros eventually gave the world Aragorn.

The island kingdom of Númenor prospered until Sauron eventually brought about its downfall. After the fall of Númenor, the survivors that had managed to populate Middle-earth became known as the Dúnedain, Aragorn among their descendants. Aragorn is only distantly related to Túrin, but they are both representatives of the race of Men in Middle-earth’s pantheon of greats. Sauron’s defeat couldn’t have been achieved without Aragorn in the War of the Ring, just as Morgoth’s defeat couldn’t have been achieved without Túrin in The Lord of the Rings’ Dagor Dagorath.