The stories of JRR Tolkien are popular because one of their themes is the inspirational message of good fighting evil and winning for a change. Despite this optimistic message, Tolkien was also a realist. "Since we are dealing with Men," he said in Letter 256 in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, "it is inevitable that we should be concerned with the most regrettable feature of their nature: their quick satiety with good."
The Cult of Melkor was one of the dark spots in the lore of Middle-earth. It was a religion that worshipped the Vala Melkor, also known as Morgoth, as a god. It was the cause of the fall of Numenor, and even after the Dark Lord Sauron was destroyed thousands of years later, the cult persisted.
Amazon's show Rings of Power seems to have introduced the cult as it existed in the Second Age, with the white-robed figures that appeared in episode five. What is the Cult of Melkor, and what do they believe?
6 The New Shadow
Tolkien wrote about the return of the Cult of Melkor after the end of The Return of the King, but he was discouraged by the darkness of the story and never finished it. The abandoned manuscript is entitled The New Shadow, and it takes place a century after an event known as The Downfall. This refers to the fall of the Dark Tower and the final destruction of Sauron, during the reign of Aragorn's son, Anarion.
It's a cynical vision that sees the cult return even after Aragorn had defeated the Dark Lord, which might be the reason he abandoned the story after only thirteen pages. It was published in Part Four of The Peoples of Middle-earth, which was edited by Christopher Tolkien and published in 1996.
5 A Prisoner Of The Emporer
After Morgoth was permanently defeated after the War of Wrath, Sauron tried to escape justice by disguise and trickery, and his travels took him to the kingdoms of both men and elves. It was during this period when he appeared in Eregion as the gifted and beautiful Annatar and helped forge the Rings of Power. After being discovered, however, he retreated east again to regroup with his forces.
The Kingdom of Numenor had grown in power by then and set out to confront him. It was later in the Second Age when he came to Numenor as the prisoner of the Emporer after surrendering when taking one look at the opposing army, and he was humbled and weakened. This is why so many fans of the Rings of Power show are expecting Sauron to be hiding in Numenor.
4 Sauron And The Fall Of Numenor
During his time there, he was able to win over the hearts and minds of many with his knowledge and skill, much like his time in the Elvish kingdoms. His invention of the Cult of Melkor was just a plot to seduce the Numenoreans into turning away from Eru Iluvatar. Sauron rose as the religion's new high priest and as the cult grew in power he claimed to be Sauron himself.
The Cult was so successful that it only took a few generations to turn the Numenoreans, including the royal family, against both the Elves and the Valar. His hook was the promise of immortality, and he convinced the Numenoreans that they were just as entitled to live forever as the Elves and even the Maiar. If the Valar would not grant it, he said, then sail the impressive fleet of the island kingdom to Valinor and take it.
3 Eru Iluvatar As A False God
Sauron presented his master Morgoth, and eventually himself, as alternatives to the spiritual beliefs that already existed in Numenor. The high mountain peak that dominated the landscape of Numenor, Meneltarma, was dedicated to his worship. It was primarily used by the royal family and worthy dignitaries, but once Sauron built the temple of Morgoth, it was neglected.
Legend has it that the peak of Meneltarma rose after the flood that consumed the continent, but navigators of later centuries were never able to find it again. Some things did survive the destruction of Numenor, and the Cult of Sauron was one of them. There were already plenty of Morgoth worshippers in Middle-earth by then to welcome him.
2 The First Offering
The Cult of Melkor included blood sacrifices, most often those Numenoreans who remained loyal to the Valar, but the very first offering wasn't a political prisoner or someone with elvish blood. The first sacrifice that was burned for Melkor in the temple was Nimloth, the White Tree.
It's never clear who had this idea, and it could have been Sauron, but if the aim was to destroy any influence or memory of the Elves, Valinor, or the Valar, the destruction of Nimloth is a perfect move. Symbolically, the tree was tied to the bloodlines of the previous rulers, so it was also a neat way of wiping out their legacy as well.
1 The Easterlings And The Southlands
The cult was successful beyond what Sauron had hoped, turning the Numenoreans not only against the Valar but bringing down their own kingdom in an attempt to conquer the forbidden lands of the west. Sauron was deprived of his ability to assume a pleasing form after the fall, but his plan to weaken humans and further alienate Middle-earth from Valinor was worth the cost.
While the human kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor remained loyal to the Valar, reflecting the beliefs of the Numenorean survivors who founded them, the men of the east and the south mostly adopted some form of Morgoth worship even if they weren't part of the cult.
If Sauron is consolidating his power in the newly created Mordor, he may have some cultists working for him already. These could be some of the white-robed figures that have appeared in some recent Rings of Power episodes and seem to be following the Stranger, one of the possibilities for Sauron in the show.
The Rings of Power airs new episodes on Fridays on Amazon Prime