Unknown beings!?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

Given that none of the Valar fought in the Host of the West during the War of Wrath surely someone of sub-Valar stature must have been the one to personally best Morgoth at the end of the First Age. I always assumed it was Ëonwë himself who did the deed, although given how much Morgoth had weakened himself by that point he may be a bad example.

I doubt Morgoth would have dared to personally fight by that point, bereft of his minions. After all, it was only the fear of being humiliated and losing their respect that moved him to accept Fingolfin, a mere Elf's challenge. Morgoth was a coward at heart.

Originally Posted by Zigûr

I'm not averse to the theory that Ungoliant was a being whose origin lay in the Discord of Melkor; evidently there were beings which operated outside the conventional Vala-Maia-Elf-Man "power structure" of Arda.

I'm in favor of the idea that Ungoliant and Tom Bomadil were possibly kindred spirits; both Ainu who entered Arda separately from the Valar, acting apart from them in pursuit of different motives.