Whilst Gandalf is recounting his battle with the Balrog, he speaks of the nameless things. But what are they?
These beings may have been made by the original Dark Lord Melkor or possibly even Eru Iluvatar, the supreme deity. Or were they present within the void that existed before the Universe?
Within the human mind, the unknown stirs primal fears. Tolkien exploits this instinct by shrouding the nameless things in an aura of tantalising mystery.
To my mind, there exists an entire ecosystem of otherworldly beasts, co-existing within a subterranean realm.
In this abyssal world some of the nameless things slink and shy away, some swim in the dark waters, some slither in slime, some gnaw at rock with terrible teeth, some travel to the surface where they are worshipped as gods, some grasp with flailing tentacles and there may be many more besides…
