The Werewolf of Mirkwood

The Werewolf of Mirkwood is a spirit in wolf-form. In the Elder Days, it prowled alongside Dragons and other fell creatures in the armies of the Enemy, and guarded the gates of his fortresses. It feasted on the flesh of Elves and Men, and grew large and strong and ever more ferocious until no foe could stand against it in battle.

Despite its strength, the Werewolf was destroyed. Elves of old struck it with blinding light, and brought it down with a hail of arrows and spears. Disembodied, the spirit fled sightless and witless, and hid in the caves under the Dark Mountains. There it slumbered for many ages, until the Enemy returned to Dol Guldur.

Sauron could not tame the Werewolf, nor did he wish to. A stray beast was of more use to him than another obedient minion. The Werewolf’s attacks would draw attention away from Dol Guldur, giving him more time to prepare. Through his sorcery, he taught the Werewolf to possess the body of a living wolf, filling it with the spirit’s power and malice. Since then, the Werewolf of Mirkwood has roamed the woods, driven by its unquenchable bloodthirst.

The creature cannot be slain — or, rather, its body may be destroyed, but the spirit can then inhabit another wolf, and another, and another. The Werewolf is a constant threat to all the Free Peoples in Mirkwood. Should the werewolf be slain, it rises again in a new body on the next moonless night.