Langon (Nol."Blaring Forth") was a fallen Maia of old, believed to be first among the messengers of the Ainur before his fall into darkness. Once a voice of wisdom and persuasion, he became the herald of Melkor and later of Sauron, a tongue of cunning and deceit whose words carried ruin upon the wind. Among the Umaiar, the corrupted spirits that served the Black Foe, Langon stood as one of the most trusted and vile of the Dark Lord’s servants, his power lying not in strength of arms, but in the craft of speech and dominion of fear. , an ambassador of doom whose presence preceded war and woe.
History (N)[]
A Maia of Nienna, Langon was suborned early on by Melkor, drawn by his seemingly unrivalled power in the days of his glory. The time he spent in his following made him a two-tongued trickster, spreading the same deceits he himself had been fed with by Melkor. He accompanied him to Middle-earth, remaining an important piece of his Court in Utumno as his ambassador and spokesman.
When the Valar assaulted Utumno and demanded that Melkor come forth, the latter refused to issue out of his fortress and instead sent Langon to negotiate on his behalf. The servant's message was full of insolence, which only raised the ire of the Valar. Nevertheless, the siege and subsequent destruction of Utumno led to the capture of Melkor, yet some of his minions evaded the victors' search for the Enemy's chief captains.
By the time Melkor-Morgoth escaped his captivity, Langon was summoned back to his side, for he was needed to relay his despicable palaver to the savage Men found in the southern region of Haradwaith. There he promoted their bloodlust and all their base vices, allowing those fueled by evil purposes to exploit them for their own gain. This embassy also spared him the disastrous outcome of the War of Wrath with Morgoth's defeat at the hands of the Host of the West. Langon's reputation survived as the legendary demi-god or god of lies and thievery in Haradrim culture and some claimed for a while that even then he walked among the Southrons promising them riches if they swore fealty to him and the now-vanquished Morgoth. Closer to the truth were others who said that dismayed by his master's fall and fearing retribution he hid somewhere in the less accessable parts of Haradwaith.
Only when Sauron's empire began to expand to the South and East did he dare out into the light, encouraged by evil stirring once more. Through the same empty promises he had been corrupted with by Morgoth, Langon became a flattering slave to Sauron much as he had been under their former master. In a similar role he acted as an emissary, assuring many superstitious rulers in Haradwaith that the Black One was Morgoth returned (even though he himself knew this to be untrue), therefore it was folly to refuse to obey the power of Mordor, which could grant even better lands if they accepted Sauron's terms and be his vassals. Not much is known after his early service to the second Dark Lord, but some believe it was him, the Mouth of Sauron or a Nazgul who tried to convince King Dain II Ironfoot to submit to Sauron and reveal information about the Ruling Ring in the late Third Age.
Names[]
Notes[]
Langon was only briefly mentioned in the Book of lost tales as Melko's ambassador to the Valar.He could be considered an early precursor to Gorthû and essentially Sauron, just like Fankil and Kuruki.