Dagor Dagorath

In the published version of The Silmarillion, the Dagor Dagorath is only mentioned as the Last Battle on three occasions:

There is also an isolated mention that links the "End" with Fëanor and the Silmarils, which is the main topic in the other versions explained below:

No other information about the End of the World is given in The Silmarillion except the few mentions of the Second Music of the Ainur, which can be deduced as to be sung after the Battle. The only mention of the Dagor Dagorath by name is given in a note concerning the origin of Gandalf:

From all this information it can be deduced that Arda will come to an end with a last battle against Morgoth. After the Battle, Arda will be rebuilt, the "lands that lie under the wave will be lifted up again" and a new world will begin with the Song of Ainur and Men before Ilúvatar.

The metaphysical implications of the remaking of the world after the Battle belong to the discussion about Arda Healed.

Omission of the Second Prophecy

All the versions of the Quenta Silmarillion Tolkien ever finished close with Mandos describing the Battle in a prophecy, tagged at some point as the Second Prophecy of Mandos (the first being the Prophecy of the North), but Christopher deliberately omitted it for his edition. This decision was due to a passage of the Later Quenta Silmarillion, which states that

Those words were taken literally by Christopher, deducing that his father would remove the Second Prophecy in the final version. Instead, he used those words as the own closing of his published Quenta Silmarillion. This decision is questioned among the fandom and the canonicity of the Second Prophecy is a popular debate. However, the publications after the 1977 version of The Silmarillion give a better understanding of Tolkien's final vision and the necessity of an apocalyptic event is manifest, as Verlyn Flieger states: «Tolkien wrote that the Legendarium ends with a vision of the end of the world, its breaking and remaking, and the recovery of the Silmarilli and the "light before the sun". [...] It would be strange if he had not envisioned such an end, for the mythologies on which he draws most heavily, Judeo-Christian and Norse, both included remaking and renewal in surprisingly similar terms.» Here Flieger is citing the Letter to Milton Waldman, where Tolkien himself summarized his Mythology, including the vision of the Last Battle. Ironically, Christopher included this letter in the introduction to the 30th Anniversary edition of The Silmarillion (2007), having removed the referred text.

The Book of Lost Tales

Tolkien did not finish The Book of Lost Tales, so it is unknown if he would conclude with a Prophecy of the End of the World, but there are many mentions of a Great End throughout the tales. The earliest description of the event was written in an unclear date and it is not mentioned as a prophecy:

This early idea soon included Túrin, who was an essential character in all later versions. Concluding the Tale of Turambar, it is described how he and his sister Nienóri will be purified after death and will live in Valinor as Valar, but "Turambar indeed shall stand beside Fionwë in the Great Wrack, and Melko and his drakes shall curse the sword of Mormakil". This is the only version that mentions any of the Morgoth's creatures participating in the Battle.

However, the earliest mention of the battle told as a Prophecy is in one note, where it is said:

Many other versions are given in this chapter that also concern the "Rekindling of the Magic Sun" (an obscure matter about the recovery of the Light of Valinor) or the vanishing of the Elves, so the prophecy here is associated with abandoned conceptions and is not related with the End of Arda.

The Earliest 'Silmarillion'

The Earliest 'Silmarillion' (also known as the 'Sketch of the Mythology') concludes with a description of the last battle, introducing a structure that will be expanded in later versions, although many of the concepts will be transformed. There is still no mention of it being a prophecy uttered by Mandos:

The participation of Eärendel is also included: explaining how he sails in the heavens, watching upon Morgoth with his Silmaril upon his brow, "until he sees the last battle gathering upon the plains of Valinor. Then he will descend."

The Quenta Noldorinwa

The Quenta, being the only finished version of The Silmarillion, is the first version that includes a properly named Prophecy of Mandos, declared in Valmar at the judgement of the Gods. It follows closely the version of the 'Sketch of the Mythology', although there are some remarkable changes: Morgoth destroys the Sun and Moon (related with the version of "The Hiding of Valinor" cited above); Tulkas is the chief antagonist of Melko, with Fionwë on his right and Túrin on his left; the Earth is broken and re-made, and the Silmarils are recovered; Eärendel yields up his Silmaril; Fëanor gives the Silmarils to Yavanna and she breaks them; the dead of the Elves arise and the purpose of Ilúvatar concerning them is fulfilled. It is specified that the Prophecy doesn't speak about the Men, except of Túrin, who is named among the "sons of the Gods" (cleary related with the version of the Lost Tale).

The same text, with a few amendations, was later used for the manuscript Quenta Silmarillion made in 1937. Christopher later mentions this version is introduced by the subheading The Second Prophecy of Mandos.

The Children of Húrin

In the chapter Túrin in Nargothrond from The Children of Húrin written in the mid-to-late 1950's, there is an exchange between Finduilas, daughter of Orodreth King of Nargothrond, and Gwindor, Finduilas' betrothed:

Depending on the interpretation of the above passage, it is at least possible that Finduilas was referring to Túrin's ultimate fate of vanquishing Morgoth in Dagor Dagorath.

The Annals of Aman

In the Second section of the Annals of Aman (written in the early 1950s), under the entry 1000-1050, there is a following statement:

However, in the later Quenta Silmarillion, any mention of Menelmakar being the sign of Túrin Turambar returning at the end of Days seem to have been removed altogether, but nonetheless the mention of Menelmakar foreboding the Last Battle was kept.

The Later Quenta Silmarillion

Tolkien rewrote the Quenta Silmarillion in 1958 in what is called the Later Quenta Silmarillion, and the last chapters are so similar to the last version mentioned, that Christopher only gives the changes with notes. However, due to the fact that this is the last version of the Prophecy, the text is reconstructed here in full, following those notes:

In addition to the change of names, the main changes are: Túrin coming back from the dead and Fëanor himself breaking the Silmarils. The last two sentences are here crossed out, as Tolkien marked them with a large "X" in the margin of the manuscript. There is also a marginal mention of Beren Camlost near Túrin, without direction of its insertion.

Douglas C. Kane notices that Tolkien made the specific edit of rejecting the last sentences, making no effort at all to remove the part of the prophecy regarding Túrin or the remaking of Arda. This would indicate that he had the intention to retain them. The continuity of the Prophecy in the legendarium is tied up to the complicated transition of The Silmarillion from Elvish to Mannish lore, as it is explained below.

Mannish legend

Following Christopher's deduction, it is quite clear that the Second Prophecy of Mandos was incompatible with Elvish lore, but later texts point out that the concept could have evolved to a Mannish legend. In the last major revision of his Mythology, Tolkien decided that The Silmarillion should be of Mannish affair. More specifically about the End of the World is a note of Tolkien commenting the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth:

Therefore, the expectation of the End of the World among the Elves no longer came from revelation or stories, but their deduction after contemplating the world (this is one of the major topics in the Athrabeth). On the other hand, we are told that Men did have traditions concerning the catastrophic end. Christopher confirms that "the myth that appears at the end of the Silmarillion" is a reference to what was the Prophecy of Mandos. There is even one piece of evidence of these Mannish prophetic traditions:

These words refer to the War of Wrath, but Christopher noticed that the relation with the Second Prophecy is clear, so it can be another sign that closing the "Númenórean Silmarillion" with a prophecy was not discarded.

Dagor Dagorath is Sindarin, a combination of dagor ("battle"), with its own class-plural dagor-ath ("all battles"), therefore: "Battle of All Battles". This name is only attested in a manuscript about "The Istari".

In the oath of Elendil, the "End of the World" is expressed in Quenya as Ambar-metta.

In a List of Names from the 1930s, the battle at the End of the World was called Dagor Delothrin in Noldorin ("Terrible Battle").

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is an apocalyptic battle mentioned in both Eddas. The most famous version is prophecied by a völva in the Völuspá, which was always an important inspiration for Tolkien. He even wrote his own version of this prophecy in the beginning of his New Lay of the Völsungs, which has a reinterpretation of Sigurd very similar to Túrin in the Last Battle, as Christopher notices.

However, although Tolkien himself recognized the influence of Ragnarök, he explained that the last battle of his Mythology "is not much like it": Ragnarök tells the destruction of both giants and gods, and the Nordic conception of the world implied a the beginning of a new cycle, so the final victory of Good against Evil of the legendarium is closer to the Christian Apocalypse. In the Book of Revelation is explained how there will be a great battle between Michael and his angels versus Satan, called "the dragon" (vv. 12:7-9), resembling the War of Wrath. The dragon will be cast down, bound and expel into the abyss for a thousand years (vv. 20:1-3), just like Morgoth was thrust to the Void. At the end of the thousand years (a Jewish symbol of a very long time), Satan will be released and deceive the world, and make war on God. Then he will be cast down again, this time permanently (vv. 20:7-10); similarly, Morgoth is defeated for last time. After the old heaven and earth had been destroyed, a new and definitive world will be made (vv. 21:1ss).

Why Did Tolkien Leave Out the Second Prophecy of Mandos? by Michael Martinez
Short fanfilm by Willow Productions

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 25/05/2026.