Magic by Melkor, No Returns Accepted - Page 3
© Michael Martinez
Elf- and Dwarf-power might not be the equal of Morgoth- or Yavanna-power, but it would still be a source of enchantment. A dragon sitting upon an Elf hoard (as in Nargothrond) or a Dwarf hoard (as in Erebor) might draw upon or simply bask in the energies of the makers of the enchanted items as much or nearly so as upon the Morgoth-element in gold. Which is not to say that dragons had to do this, but clearly the passing of power from a being to an object is a motif Tolkien used over and over again, and in turn he gave us an example of power passing from an object to a being. The immense energies Melkor dispersed throughout Arda in his efforts to identify it with himself would, collectively, overshadow those of the Elven and Dwarven makers of items. But a hoard of gold and gems no matter how large would still be a mere fraction of the essence of Arda. So every little bit would help.
A sense of scale develops when one weighs the great (evil) powers of the First Age against those of later ages. Melkor governed his realm from Angband, where he was surrounded by his servants: Sauron, the Balrogs, Draugluin and the were-wolves, Orcs, Trolls, Thuringwethil and perhaps other bat-like creatures, and other monsters unnamed in the legends of the Elves and Edain. He bred the dragons there and nourished Carcharoth, the great Wolf. But his creatures also dwelt throughout Middle-earth. The siege of Angband was more a show than anything else, because Melkor's forces were able to come and go as they pleased by northern routes. And Melkor recruited many Men from the east.
In the Second Age Sauron started out with himself. He eventually gathered all evil creatures together again but nearly all of Melkor's Maiaric servants had perished or hidden themselves. And if there were dragons in his service they don't seem to have achieved much in Eriador (unless it were that when Sauron set the great forests of Minhiriath and Enedwaith aflame in the War of the Elves and Sauron he did so with the aid of dragons). By the end of the Age Sauron had enslaved the nine Nazgul. Since a vast army of Elves, Dwarves, and Men was able to defeat him Sauron wasn't really as powerful (militarily) as Melkor had been at the end of the First Age. Part of that military strength no doubt arose from the number of sorcerors in Melkor's service, and their quality. Even in their fallen state the corrupted Maiar were very powerful.
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