A story from my cycle of tales concerning the origin of Hobbits
(Told to a group of Cubud-hunters by Hran, the 'tame orc'). This is translated from the Forodwaith language called Danish, and I think I'm badly in need of a Beta-reader. Is anybody out there?
Ghan-Ghash-Ghul and the Mother of DragonsUpon the time when Arun-Kheru was gone from Middle-Earth, his general Zigur ruled Angband. Now, Arun-Kheru earlier had bred various monsters: Great spiders, Trolls and the great Worms, but Zigur held them as nothing, rather did he go for Orcs, whose breeding were systematized thoroughly, he cared more for weapons and war-machines and for getting more of Middle-Earths peoples under his yoke.
But the savage beasts still lived and bred in Angband. The Wargs and their kin, the wolves, which lived in the southern forests and on the plains on both sides of the Iron Mountains in time became the allies of Orcs, and the Goblins used them as mounts in the war. The great spiders were expelled and went south, they didn't take the cold of the North so well. But the worms thrived in the caves and mines of Angband. Many an Orc lost its life when it turned a corner of a tunnel and suddenly found itself in the maw of one of the great animals. This, though, didn't worry Zigur who was busy with his black arts.
Especially one of the worms grew large. In time it became so huge that only the main tunnels from the south gate to Kherus great hall and the corridors which from there led to treasuries and armories, smithies and dungeons, could accommodate it, it could pass none of the minor tunnels. Often it lay in the great hall with its bole around the throne digesting its latest prey.
But when Arun-Kheru returned from his exile in the west, things happened. When he tried to ascend the throne he encountered the worm, and damned if it would move. It didn't obey his commands, dumb beast as it was, and Kheru didn't care much for physical effort. Neither were his powers of world-upheaval to any use there under the mountains (something could hit you on your head) – so he called on Zigur. "Remove it!" he ordered and went away.
Long pondered Zigur upon how he should move the beast. I believe, he was a bit frightened, but at last he found the solution: Ghan-Ghash-Ghul, Lord of the Fire-demons, also called Kosomot. "Remove it!" Zigur ordered and went away.
The buck stopped at Ghan-Ghash-Ghul. At first he attacked the snake with his whip, but it did it no harm. Then he attacked it with a blazing sword, which made it so furious that it assaulted him. Humiliated he had to withdraw and plan anew.
Now, like his fellows, Ghan-Ghash-Ghul was a mighty shape-changer, and long he pondered upon a spell, that would make him powerful enough to conquer the worm. Several months it took to muster the necessary force, and he had to get help from Zigur and his fellow demons.
In the greatest of Kherus forges a mighty fire was lit, upon which hundreds of Orcs and war-prisoners were burned alive. In the middle of the fire Ghan-Ghash-Ghul was sitting siphoning the life-force of the dying. When many days later the fire burned down, he was lying there in his new shape: A worm, even mightier than the one in the hall of the throne, and with a hundred clawed limbs. Still glowing from the heat of the fire he crept through the corridor to he hall, and the fight began.
Three years the fight went on in the tunnels of Angband. Only a few saw it and survived, for Ghan-Ghash-Ghul and the worm sprayed fire and poison wherever they fought. But at last he had the worm cornered at the forge, and while they were entwined in close fighting, a company of Trolls sealed the entrance behind them. But alas, his powers were spent, he lost his shape, and like a shadow he fled the smithy. More than a hundred years passed, before he regained his true force and shape.
Now the worm lay imprisoned by the forges, also hurt and spent, but by the orders of Kheru it were fed and slowly it healed. Three years later it laid an egg. This interested Kheru immeasurably and he ordered more fodder and constant surveillance of the beast, which eventually laid a heap of eggs.
Three more years went by before the eggs began to hatch. The first egg broke, and a hatchling so ugly that even the Orcs couldn't stand the sight of it, crept out. Longish and scaly like its mother it was, but it had four legs with sharp claws. When shortly thereafter the other eggs hatched it ate its siblings one by one, and it grew.
When this reached the ears of Arun-Kheru, he ordered the wormling brought to him. After a tough fight Trolls caught it, and bound like a barrel it was laid at his feet. With a glance he tamed it, and later it obeyed his least command, for no unwitting beast was it, but Glorund – Father of Dragons.
From Glorunds incestuous offspring with its mother, the lineages of the dragons are descended: The Uruloki of Angband, the winged Dragons of the North, Cold-dragons of the Grey Mountains, Were-Worms from the deserts east of Rhun and even the Fell Beasts of Mordor.
Note on names: Arun-Kheru is some mannish form of 'Melkor' also called Morgoth. Zigur is the Adûnaic name for Sauron presumably taken from Khuzdul. Ghan-Ghash-Ghul is presumed to mean Chief-Fire-Spirit from Orkish and Drûghui (which in my stories has the same origin) and is of course Gothmog the Balrog. And last, Glorund is an old form of Glaurung here used as an Orkish name.