The Dark Powers of Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit hold some of the greatest tales of good versus evil ever told. His remarkable fictional world, Middle-earth, has staged war and rebellion, celebration and loss, causing its men, women and fantastical creatures to strive for the triumph of good, and for others - whether by inheritance or by choice - to propel forward the power of the forces of darkness and evil. From Sauron's transformation into the Dark Lord, to a Barrow-wight's hypnotic powers over its "prey", each have their place in Middle-earth's vast history, created against a backdrop of Tolkien's fascination with and influence from other mythological and ancient sources.