The Wargs and the Fellowship

The attack of the Wargs on the Fellowship occurs on the night immediately following the Company's defeat by snow and stone on Caradhras. After retreating from the Redhorn Gate, the nine companions halt for the night in a small hollow at the foot of a hill, weary and dispirited. It is there, as they sit in the cold gloom debating their next move, that Aragorn suddenly leaps to his feet and cries out that the howling wind is in fact the voice of wolves: "The Wargs have come west of the Mountains!" Gandalf confirms the identification, declaring that the hunt is up and that no one will now wish to journey south by night with wild wolves on the trail.

The Nature of the Wargs

These are no ordinary wolves hunting for food. Gandalf later states plainly that they were sent by Sauron: they are "Hound of Sauron" creatures, part of the Enemy's network of spies and attackers. The Wargs are intelligent, organized, and capable of coordinated assault. They travel in packs under a leader, a great dark wolf-shape that halts at a gap in the stone circle and summons the pack to attack with a shuddering howl. Their presence west of the Misty Mountains is itself a sign of the spreading shadow, for such beasts had not been seen so far from Mordor in living memory.

The Course of the Attack

The Fellowship climbs to the top of the small hill, which is crowned with a knot of old twisted trees and a broken circle of boulder-stones. In the midst of this ring they light a fire, knowing that darkness and silence will not hide them from the hunting packs. The howling surrounds them, sometimes nearer, sometimes farther. In the dead of night many shining eyes peer over the brow of the hill, and some advance almost to the ring of stones. The great dark wolf-leader halts at a gap and gives the signal. Gandalf strides forward and challenges the creature directly: "Listen, Hound of Sauron! Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring." The wolf snarls and springs, but Legolas looses his bow with a sharp twang, and the Elvish arrow pierces its throat. The watching eyes are extinguished, and the hill falls silent.

The Second Assault and the Climax

The night is old and the waning moon is setting when, without warning, a storm of howls breaks out fierce and wild all about the camp. A great host of Wargs has gathered silently and now attacks from every side at once. Gandalf cries out for fuel to be flung on the fire and for blades to be drawn. In the leaping light, Frodo sees many grey shapes spring over the ring of stones. Aragorn passes his sword through the throat of one huge leader; Boromir hews the head off another with a great sweep. Gimli stands with his stout legs apart, wielding his dwarf-axe, while Legolas's bow sings. Gandalf rises up, a great menacing shape, and strides to meet the wolves, tossing a burning branch high into the air. It flares with sudden white radiance like lightning, and his voice rolls like thunder as he cries out in a commanding spell: "Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan i ngaurhoth!" The tree above him bursts into a leaf and bloom of blinding flame, and the fire leaps from tree-top to tree-top, crowning the whole hill with dazzling light. The last arrow of Legolas kindles in the air as it flies and plunges burning into the heart of a great wolf-chieftain. All the others flee.

Consequences and Significance

The Warg attack has two immediate consequences. First, it confirms that the Enemy is actively hunting the Company and that their movements are known. Second, it eliminates any possibility of retreat or delay: the Company must find shelter, and the only viable option now is to enter Moria. Boromir's remark—"The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears"—captures the shift in calculation. The attack also demonstrates the growing power of the Fellowship's enemies: these are not random beasts but organized servants of Sauron, capable of coordinated night assaults. The victory, though complete, leaves the Company shaken and aware that they are now deep in hostile territory with no safe road behind them.