A dark, tragic, and poignant parody of J.R.R. Tolkien's _Silmarillion_ and _Lord of the Rings_. Despite their central importance to his histories of Middle-earth, J.R.R. Tolkien's most fearsome characters - Melkor, Sauron, and the Witch-King of Angmar - always remained remote and silent ... until now, when the One Ring of Sauron, rediscovered by the Baron of Rachane, Scotland, brings their persons, motives, and actions to light, or rather darkness, in the nine ancient scrolls of the _Morlindale_. Here, for the first time, readers will learn how and why the divine Valar brought the Elves under their dominion, first nourished and then annihilated the Atlantean empire of Numenor, and almost fell victim to the combined force of the Rings of Power conceived by the Maia Sauron. Here too the spell by which the One Ring itself was created is revealed, along with its secret name _Ardagarneya_: The Life of Earth, Blood, and Tears. Each scroll brings new revelations: the near-extinction of the Elves through the Silmarils, the origins of Ungoliant and Shelob, the fates of the Blue Wizards Alatar and Pallando, and Melkor's immortal love Ulbandi, Valie of the Stars and Queen of Utumno. The long-distant bond between Gandalf and Sauron is yet another of the scrolls' disclosures, bringing a tortured twist to what was previously known about these two enigmatic beings. Nevertheless, throughout its narratives, the _Morlindale_ remains meticulously faithful to Tolkien's histories of the First, Second, and Third Ages of Arda. It is thus that it is a "dark parody" of the original classics, merely giving a voice to the heretofore voiceless, hence for the reader an understanding of otherwise inexplicable events. The text and color illustrations are a precise facsimile of the original Tengwar scrolls as recovered from the nethermost regions of Sicily's Mount AEtna (in antiquity Mordor's Mount Doom). For decades Tolkien enthusiasts have chuckled at the Harvard Lampoon's famous comic parody _Bored of the Rings_. Here now is its benighted counterpart: _Morlindale - the Song of Illuminate Darkness_."