Why do creatures corrupted by Sauron’s evil turn ugly?
Not at all Lord of the Rings Fans know that for all the awe-inspiring and fantasy creatures that exist in Middle-earth, there are also plenty of ugly and scary ones. The most important part of this truth is that ugly and scary creatures are also servants of darkness. Nearly all of the visuals in these films are intended to reflect the message of Tolkien’s stories, and the good and the bad aren’t different in this way. Beautiful or lovely creatures mean the most virtuous and noble people, while all ugly creatures are creatures that choose to live in the dark. The story establishes a clear line between good and bad as a decision.
The corruption of both the good and the beauty of the world is absolutely necessary for Hobbit and Lord of the Rings stories. It creates balance in the world. There cannot be good without evil, light without darkness, or beauty without ugliness. In a sense, they complement each other but mostly keep each other relevant.
In part, it was through the influence of the Valar making the creatures of darkness extremely scary. When Morgoth and Sauron activated the Valars, the Valars took away their beauty and light and their ability to cloak in it. As a result, all beings who subsequently chose Sauron’s darkness over the Valar’s light, were also choosing a form that reflected their own darkness.
In the beginning, before Morgoth’s evil began to contaminate everything, all creatures were thought to be beautiful and to live in harmony with one another. When the thirst for power spread among the earliest creatures, appearance began to reflect their monster-like hunger.
Many of Middle-earth’s ugliest creatures are creatures that have decided to accept evil but there are a few that are born in the dark – don’t choose it – ugly. An example is the Orcs do Morgoth derived from enslaving a race of elves and breeding them to take this form. Although they don’t make the decision to be ugly, someone will do it for them. Some fans believe that Orcs are meant to be ugly because they are the embodiment of people without free will.
Also, a lot Ugly creatures of Middle-earth are just spoiled forms of ordinary beings. Again, in this case, their transition to ugliness is meant to represent their decision to choose darkness. Some examples of these types of creatures are the Nazgul which are corrupted men, the Balrogs that are transformed into Maiar, and even the Gollum which is the corrupted form of his Hobbit himself, Smeagol.
Sauron himself was once a beautiful angel until the forces of evil lured him away from good to gain more control. He gradually became ugly as his rotting soul spread to his body and then to those associated with him. For a while, he was still able to assume a seemingly beautiful false identity – like wearing a mask – but even that ability faded as his darkness grew.
In many ways, hygiene goes hand in hand with beauty, and this is no different in Middle-earth, as creatures that choose the good and are able to choose from the outset are often depicted as clean and vibrant. However, the uglier creatures like Orcs, Trolls and Gollum are usually very dirty and do not live in civilized housing conditions which men, dwarves, elves, and more do. Good people live in conditions that make sanitation easily accessible while those who choose darkness or are unable to choose do not prioritize cleanliness. In part, this reflects the privilege of certain classes of the world, but also partly used to express the fact that being good (or chaste) is a choice and requires effort.
Again, the topic of balance is brought up in Lord of the Rings like ugly and beautiful both are opposites and complete each other. Because the evil of Sauron’s power directly contradicts the good of the Valars, their appearance must reflect that. Likewise, just as the Valars whose beauty shines on their kindness, Sauron and his followers whose beauty is ugly show their evil to the world.
Tolkien was very thorough in creating Lord of the Rings world, and his attention to beauty standards (although following European beauty standards) aims to create a stark visual contrast between the forces of good and evil. When Tolkien might not believe it This rule was translated into real life, he was able to successfully and thoroughly use it as a representational tool for balance in the world. He showed that, in the end, the ring’s power did not cause the ugliness of the creatures seeking it, but instead, it reflected the ugliness of their souls.
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