The Lord of the Rings showed viewers a taste of the supernatural beings of Middle-Earth. While that story was more focused on Frodo Baggins and the fairly regular people around him, there were still plenty of powerful figures who could use magic to help in the War of the Ring.
With many of those powerful characters having a big role in the story, we’re looking at the strongest of those supernatural figures. For the purposes of this list, we will be including characters from the books to help round things out. Here are 10 of the most powerful supernatural beings in The Lord of the Rings.
TOM BOMBADIL
Tom Bombadil is a fan-favorite character from the books, though his existence raises more questions than answers. When he finds the four Hobbits, he is shown to be a carefree man who has been in Middle-Earth for a long time. Even when presented with the One Ring, it has no effect on him, and he even plays around with it.
The potential of his powers is unknown, but his unwillingness to participate in the War of the Ring tells us that he never had a whole lot to offer. He was just a strange magical man with immunity to Sauron’s dark magic.
RADAGAST THE BROWN
Radagast the Brown didn’t have a huge part in The Lord of the Rings books, but he didn’t appear at all in the films until The Hobbit trilogy. Radagast was more connected with nature than the other wizards in Gandalf’s order, but he had a fair amount of wisdom in the novels.
After communing with Saruman, he sent Gandalf to Isengard. After Gandalf was captured, Radagast would later be the one to call the Eagles to help him out (a role that was replaced with a moth in the movie versions). In The Hobbit, Radagast was portrayed as an unstable yet competent old wizard.
SARUMAN THE WHITE
Saruman was the head of Gandalf’s order at the start of The Lord of the Rings. Saruman had worked with Gandalf to protect Middle-Earth for thousands of years. However, something changed when Sauron rose to power once more. Saruman decided the only way to survive was to join with the Dark Lord, which led him to turn his once beautiful fortress of Isengard into a wasteland that only created more soldiers for his army.
Saruman had powerful magic that swayed many people to join him. His knowledge of war also led him to enact the siege on Helm’s Deep, which he nearly won.
ELROND
Elrond is the king of Rivendell and one of the oldest elves in Middle-Earth. He had fought alongside all kinds of races for years, even being present at the battle against Sauron at the end of the Second Age. Living in Imladris, Elrond had access to all sorts of impressive elven magic, which he passed down to his daughter Arwen.
Elrond was also powerful because of his skill with a blade. In battle, he always managed to come out on top and never staggered even for a moment. He fought just about everything from orcs all the way to Nazgul.
GALADRIEL
Lady Galadriel lives in the Elven realm of Lothlorien (or at least she did until the Undying Lands called to her). One of the strongest beings in Middle-Earth, she was tasked with protecting the world from evil. However, she was so powerful and old that not many knew of her potential.
She could speak in the minds of others, cast all sorts of ridiculous spells, and even heal people with ease. Galadriel had the potential to become the most dangerous being in Middle-Earth, had she taken up the One Ring when Frodo offered it to her. She was also able to fight Sauron at Dol Guldur.
THE BALROG
When the Fellowship of the Ring passed through the Mines of Moria, they were unfortunately met with an ancient evil of the First Age of Middle-Earth: a Balrog. This Balrog was a demon of the old armies of Morgoth and lived back in a time where there were many more Balrogs.
Being created from the beginning of evil itself, the Balrog was one of the strongest foes in the entire trilogy. Armed with a flaming whip and sword, this creature was strong enough that it made a horde of Goblins tremble. Gandalf was the only person strong enough to even hurt it.
GANDALF THE WHITE
After his fight with the Balrog, Gandalf seemingly lost his life. However, he was not yet finished in Middle-Earth. He was restored and came back as Gandalf the White, a purer wizard than he was when The Lord of the Rings began. Gandalf was already a powerful wizard who used all sorts of spells to take down the Balrog, like summoning lightning with his sword.
After becoming Gandalf the White, he could make the Nazgul flee just by shining his light on them. Gandalf’s presence at the Battle of Minas Tirith was the one thing that gave the Gondorian soldiers hope.
THE WITCH-KING
Once a ruler of men, the Witch-King was turned into the leader of the Nazgul after taking a ring from Sauron and being corrupted. The ruthless, undying king of darkness, the Witch-King has access to legions and sorcery to get the job done. Long before The Lord of the Rings, the Witch-King took over most of Arnor and made his home in Angmar.
The reason the north was so desolate later on was directly because of the Witch-King’s actions. During the War of the Ring, he would nearly slay Frodo as well as lead the armies of Mordor against Minas Tirith.
SAURON
Sauron is the antagonist of The Lord of the Rings, locked up in his tower of Barad Dur until he is given the One Ring to fully restore his powers. Even without his full strength, Sauron was still one of the strongest supernatural characters in the entire series. He could move his armies without ever moving from his location.
He could sense the presence of the One Ring, guiding his own soldiers to it at all times. When fully restored, Sauron was a powerful warrior armed with a mace and impenetrable armor. Sauron was nearly unbeatable, which made plenty of people always fear his name.
MORGOTH
Morgoth was a character only mentioned in passing in The Lord of the Rings, but he was always the most powerful supernatural being while he was alive. Before Sauron, there was Morgoth in the First Age. He made every effort to rid the world of men and elves, bringing forth his legions of Balrogs, orcs, and horrors of the ancient world.
He had a giant spider at his side, who would later give birth to the frightening Shelob. Morgoth was the one who trained Sauron to become the terror he is. What’s scary about him is that he was never killed, simply locked up for all eternity.
