Fantasy Genre Battle: Morgoth (LotR) vs Aslan (Narnia)

As we move along my literature-themed season, let us now delve deep into the heart of the fantasy genre as we pit two of the most powerful characters to ever walk the pages. These two characters were based around biblical individuals, made by two WW1-battered buddies, and became influential archetypes in the realm of fantasy as a whole.

Morgoth, the dark lord of Middle-Earth, versus Aslan, the mighty lion of Narnia!

It's a literary duel vs Jesus and Satan as we determine WHO IS DEADLIEST?!

Morgoth[]

Morgoth Bauglir, formerly known as Melkor (“He who arises in Might”) is the main antagonist of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion, compiled and published posthumously by his son, Christopher Tolkien. In it, Morgoth serves as the analogue for Satan, a mighty spirit once favored by God (Eru), until his rebellion and subsequent fall; he is also infamous for being the First Dark Lord and the master of Sauron himself. Amongst his most notable evil deeds is the breeding of orcs and trolls, the corruption of Balrogs and creation of Dragons, all of which still troubled the world even after his departure into the Void.

Weapons[]

Grond: Also known as the Hammer of the Underworld, it was a large hammer of devastating power that could create pits and tremors with every strike.

Powers and Abilities[]

Great Music: Like the other Ainur, Morgoth was gifted with the power to create tunes and melodies to hum together with Iluvitar, the god of Middle-Earth. Doing this allowed the Ainur to shape "all things therein". This may mean that Morgoth has the ability to bend existence to his liking. However, unlike other Ainur, Morgoth chose a rebellious theme that sowed chaos, discord, and basically the birth of evil. Morgoth was considered the most powerful of the Ainu, and the second most powerful next to Iluvitar. He was powerful enough to change and reduce creation itself.
- Morgoth had the godlike powers to create structures with just a thought, including ones that were unnatural. He could raise a series of mountains to shield himself from his enemies, create large rivers of fire that swallowed whole plains, and even create gargantuan forts and strongholds. He could also create earthquakes.
- He destroyed lands, lifted up valleys, reduced mountains, and spilled and split seas. He even destroyed the lamps of Illuin and Ormal, breaking lands, turning seas tumultuous, and spilling continental fires.
- Morgoth's powers extended to weather somewhat, as he could create rain, snow, smoke, and mist, and was said to have been responsible for the creation of clouds.
- Morgoth could also use his powers to create living things that would fight for him, either by corrupting already pre-existing beings or creating ones from scratch. He was the one responsible for some of the nastiest foes in Middle-Earth, like orcs, trolls, to dragons (both land dwelling and winged variants).
- He could also use it on more simpler tasks, like creating a physical body and variations of clothes for disguise.
Spells and Magic: Morgoth was also capable of supernatural abilities that may seem mundane, but equally devastating. He had the powers to hide his forces using some sort of invisibility spell, and could curse mortals into eternal multi-generational pain and ruin.
Invincibility: Essentially, Morgoth was immortal and unkillable. Even by the end of the Silmarillion, all his enemies could do was imprison him. Since his corruption reached over the whole Middle Earth, he could not be destroyed as long as the world existed.

Aslan[]

Aslan is a character in the children's book series Chronicles of Narnia. He is the creator and one true king of the World of Narnia, and is generally a representation of all that is good. Aslan appears in Narnia as a large and terrifying, but equally magnificent and wise, lion with kind eyes. He appears in different sizes to different people, although he himself never changes; as people grow in wisdom and character, they can perceive more of his greatness. Aslan is the one true king of Narnia; all of its inhabitants have faith in him, and obey him absolutely. Generally, he comes to Narnia to aid its leaders and heroes on important missions for external and personal peace, and to protect it from various evils. He watches over Narnia constantly, although he does not choose to solve all of its problems for its inhabitants. Aslan also periodically brings humans from Earth, both to help Narnia, and to teach those people important lessons.

Weapons[]

Lion Physiology: Aslan took the form of a lion and thus had the same natural abilities as one. However, unlike ordinary lions, Aslan was the size of a horse or an elephant. He had claws and jaws that he used to dispatch even the toughest of magical beings. And his roar was powerful enough to instill fear, throw away people, and even demolish walls.

Powers and Abilities[]

High King of the Kings: As a god, Aslan had godly powers over creation. He was the creator of the world of Narnia itself, and created its stars and trees simply by singing. He could summon animals, shapeshift, turn people into donkeys, turn invisible, erase memories, and devour non-tangible things like dreams. He could create an army out of trees to fight for him, and even affect other worlds (such as causing a train crash on Earth to transport the Pevensies and their parents to his country, permanently). He's even boasted of swallowing whole realms.
Healing and Magic Negation: Aslan with his breath could heal sickness, injuries, petrification, and could nullify curses and enchantment. He also had his own healing factor that was strong enough to regrow lost limbs like his tail. He even resurrected from the dead though only under specific circumstances.
Interdimensional Travel: Another of Aslan's most used abilities. He could appear anywhere and travel to any place, area, and universe. He could appear and communicate on Earth, and was capable of transporting individuals from one universe to another. He was able to bend time and space as well in order to transport groups of beings into... say a barn door.
Shapeshifting: Aslan could grow up to the size of an elephant as well as transforming into a tiny bird if he wanted.
Summoning: As a lord above all, Aslan had authority over every living being and could call forth the aid of other powerful spirits and minor gods. These includes:
- A river god, a personification and embodiment of the Fords of Beruna, a large river that ran in Narnia.
- Bacchus, the god of wine and festivities, who was powerful enough to conjure everlasting feasts, transform water to wine, summon vines that could destroy bridges, and turn people into pigs.
- Father Time, a cosmic giant who could put people to sleep, summon stars with flaming spears that burned everything in their vicinity, crush a red sun in his palms like an orange, and basically destroy a whole universe like Narnia.

X-Factors[]

Experience

Morgoth took this one hands down. Aslan never really fought anyone of his own caliber. The White Witch, Jadis, seemed to be the one closest to giving him the challenge. But for the two conflicts they fought that spanned two books, Aslan seemed to easily wrestled the upper hand. Other foes like Miraz and Rabadash were mostly humans. Morgoth, meanwhile, fought everything that his world threw at him: from a literal god to his angels, mystical elves, giant eagles, brave human warriors, to a spider-shaped kaiju. He fought against the Valar, a group of Ainur sent to stop him. He also fought against the Lord Fingulfin of the Elves, Hurin of Thalion, and Manwe the King of the Winds. Although he lost, he also experienced facing foes like Tolkas the Ainur wrestler, Ungoliant the giant spider, and Thorondor the Lord of Eagles.

Physicality

Both were extremely powerful immortal gods. Morgoth's physique was otherworldly as he could easily snap swords and survive sword slashes and magical attacks from the Valar. Aslan had beastly strength and speed as well. He could lift houses on his back, jump through walls, and even travel internationally in just a day by simply running. He was also difficult to hurt and kill. That being said, thousands of years of conflict, splitting his powers, and creating physical forms, had reduced Morgoth's powers to the point where elves and eagles could injure him. He now had a limp and had to endure searing pain caused by the lamps.

Intelligence

This was basically a battle between cunning and wisdom. Both characters could strategize and lead armies into battle. The problem with Aslan was the fact that he was more of a teacher than a tactician. His wisdom mostly came from giving life lessons to people and his creations, such as how to live noble lives and endure great hardships; which while great things, were not that useful in a battlefield. Morgoth was forced to fight against beings who outnumbered and outgunned him. He had to be crafty, devilish, and creative to defeat his enemies. He outmaneuvered the Valar, destroyed the elves, and deceived men.

Notes[]

Battle takes place on a neutral forested world.
Battle ends either in death, incapacitation, or surrender.
For more info on the characters, check their respective threads here and here.

Battle[]

The breeze whistled and the sunshine came. The trees danced and the rivers flowed. The birds glided and the deers trotted. The fish raced and the butterflies glowed. It was a glorious morning. Creation was in its full vividness -- a job well done to the gods of this world, and a blessing to the critters that scurried below.

Aslan the magnificent lion slept with a mighty snore. A god deserved rest fit for such an achievement. The world was at peace and its inhabitants were happy. That was all that mattered to him. He only wanted the best for everyone, whoever they may be.

However, a dark reddish smog spread throughout the blue sky. The cold breeze was replaced by searing hot winds. Magma rained upon the earth. The grass dried up and the trees fell down. In the distance came forth a towering armored evil. It was Morgoth, the Devil himself.

The lion leaped up and shook his mane. He sensed danger, horror, and all manner of terrifying foreboding; the dark lord infecting everything in his vicinity. Aslan then sent out a powerful roar that echoed throughout his realm. The message was clear: "Who are you, intruder? And why are you here?"

"I have come forth from the great void," Morgoth replied in a raspy hurtful voice. "I am at war and this world looked to be a good refuge... termporary it may be."

"Refuge?!"

"Yes. Refuge. A refuge to rebuild my army. A refuge so I can plan out and strike. Maybe you would like to help me. You can be my general. Help me and I will reward you greatly, my feline friend."

Aslan pressed his paws deep into the ground, his sharp teeth bear and wrathful. "I will do no such thing and you will do no such thing either! You will leave this place now, or I swear, you will regret it!"

Morgoth raised his war hammer and laughed. "Good. I can use some practice!"

Aslan ran to where Morgoth was, but Morgoth raised a gargantuan stone wall to block the lion's path. Aslan roared and made the wall tumble down, but Morgoth then raised a series of rocky jagged mountains. This did not deter nor trap the lion, however, and Aslan merely crossed them like they were nothing.

Sensing that his opponent was no mere lion, the dark lord pointed his hammer towards Aslan's direction. An army of winged fire-breathing dragons, blind berserking trolls, and hellish balrogs then charged Aslan. The lion stopped in his tracks, and to counter, he sang a song that turned whatever trees left there into his soldiers. Anthropomorphic trees and denizens of the darkness clashed and killed. Trolls were easily smashed by the giant pines and redwoods. The dragons and the balrogs tried to burn as many as they could. But some of the trees tossed around boulders and their fellow fallen brethren, to put them out of the sky.

To give the trees much needed help, Aslan once again hummed, and the river rose up and slammed itself onto the combatants. Thousands of Morgoth's army perished. Angered by this, Morgoth made the clouds into whipping hurricanes. The dark lord also turned the river into a fluid inferno, swallowing whatever remains of the battling trees. The whole sea of fire engulfed a whole valley; turning it all uninhabitable -- turning it into Hell itself.

Morgoth must have thought he had won the battle, for he did not see Aslan lunging towards him out of nowhere. The lion swiped at Morgoth's head, taking out much of his helmet. The dark lord also swung his hammer, hitting Aslan's side and making the lion fly into a nearby hill. With a mighty roar, Aslan destroyed the hill, and walked out to face his foe again. With another roar, he turned Morgoth's hammer into a snake that bit his neck. The dark lord then grabbed the snake and ripped it in two. In a seemingly desperate struggle, Morgoth summoned a malevolent tower that took him up farther into the sky, away from Aslan's reach.

"I will not lose to a mere cat!" Morgoth proclaimed.

"Do you want me to oblige?" replied Aslan. "Then so be it. You can have this world. You can have all of it!"

Aslan then summoned a great sea that washed away the fire and wet his feet. He then entered the waves, seemingly disappearing into the foam. Morgoth then noticed something happening. A cosmic giant suddenly appeared into the sky. "Father Time," the voice of Aslan said. "Let us give him what he wants."

And without wasting another minute, the giant then sandwiched the world Morgoth was in, in between his palms. He squeezed tight, causing a massive supernova that destroyed the world and everyone in it, including Morgoth.

Everyone gets their wish but they don't always like it...

Expert's Opinion[]

Although Morgoth was no easy opponent, Aslan won this undoubtedly by having the better powers (especially when it comes to summons) and the fact that he can negate Morgoth's curses and magic.