Tevildo

"Now Tevildo was a mighty cat—the mightiest of all—and possessed of an evil sprite, as some say, and he was in Melko’s constant following; and that cat had all cats subject to him, and he and his subjects were the chasers and getters of meat for Melko’s table and for his frequent feasts."

—Vëannë to Eriol in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "The Tale of Tinúviel"

Tevildo, also known as Tiberth, was believed to be the mightiest of all cats, being "an evil fay in beastlike shape" in "The Tale of Tinúviel" in The Book of Lost Tales.^[1]

Biography[]

In addition to his might and massive size, Tevildo was gifted a mystical collar made of gold by Melko, which enhanced the size of his cat-servants and held his hill-top castle together. He dwelled within a castle on a cliff "not utterly distant" from Angamandi. He was also said to harbor a few mice that were as fierce and large as rats which he allowed to dwell in dark holes "for his own private sport and suffered not their numbers to dwindle". While his subjects feared the dogs that dwelled in the woods nearby, he had a particular scorn for Huan, the Captain of Dogs, for Huan once tasted his fur even as Tevildo paid him for it with a gash from his great claws. Tevildo would have died had he not been saved by an Orc-host that heard his cries. Tevildo remained prideful and wished to do harm to Huan in revenge.^[1]

In the Quest for the Silmaril, Beren was captured by Melko and was sent to work as a thrall catching birds and beasts in Tevildo’s kitchens. Upon meeting Beren for the first time, Tevildo took an instant disliking of him due to smelling that he preferred dogs over cats. He also initially assumed that Melko sent Beren for the cats "to make meat of him". When Melko’s intent was made clear, Tevildo boasted in scorn that no race was better at catching birds and beasts than his subjects. However, despite this, Tevildo gave Beren a difficult test to prove his skill as a thrall, tasking him to catch three fierce mice within three days. Beren failed and attained nothing more than a bitten finger. When Tevildo was made aware of Beren’s failure, he had him punished with a few scratches and made him a scullion. So miserable did Tevildo make Beren that he wished he never saw Tinúviel.^[1]

Later on, Tevildo was roused from his sleep when Tinúviel was brought before him by Umuiyan the doorcat. Angry at being disturbed, Tevildo accused Tinúviel of being in league with and having dealings with dogs. To which Tinúviel confirmed, claiming that she had recently escaped from "a certain very mighty dog whose name" he knew well. This immediately peaked Tevildo's full interest and he ordered Umuiyan to bring her to the dining chamber where he eats with his greatest thanes. When Umuiyan fell asleep instead, Tevildo ordered for him to be thrown from the castle where the cliff was the most sheer. After that, Tevildo roughly brought Tinúviel to the chamber himself, unintentionally allowing her to reveal her presence to Beren, who was in the kitchen a doorway away. When Tinúviel tried to give hope to Beren, Tevildo tried to shut her up, but was instead condemned by Tinúviel. Beren managed to accidentally ruin some dishes upon being made aware of Tinúviel's presence. For which he is scratched by Miaulë, Tevildo's cook. After that, Tevildo pondered if he should bring her to Melko, but decided rather to listen to what news she had first. Therefore, Tinúviel took advantage of this and, appealing to his ego, spoke to Tevildo of Huan laying injured in the woods nearby. Due to Tevildo never believing anything unless he wanted it to be true, he fell to Tinúviel's ruse and followed her with Oikeroi and another thane.^[1]

An hour later, when they come upon the seemingly wounded Huan in the Withered Dale, Tevildo devised a plan in which he would surround Huan with his thanes before approaching him silently on all sides. After which, they would end Huan's life while tormenting him. However, just as the three cats pounced, Huan jumped up, managed to kill Oikeroi, and chase the other thane away, leaving Tevildo to fiercely fight Huan on his own. Huan came so close to killing Tevildo, but was then struck in the eye, giving Tevildo the opportunity he needed to escape up a smooth tree. Huan interrogated Tevildo, denying him access to the ground unless he had freed Beren and Tinúviel. Huan then forced him to toss down his golden collar, which he had considered to be dishonorable, and to reveal the spell which held the stones of his castle together and filled his subjects with evil power beyond their nature. Tinúviel spoke the words of the spell and commanded the now shrunken cats to release every prisoner and thrall they had ever taken. Wherein, revealing that Tevildo's only prisoners were Beren and an aged Gnome named Gimli. Tinúviel lead Beren and Huan away.^[1]

Eventually, Melko learned that Tevildo had lost his power over the cats and he cursed and banished him. Despite this, however, Tevildo still desired to recapture Beren and Tinúviel, slay Huan, and regain Melko's favor, yet was never able to for his own fear of Melko was so great that all he could do was sit in his hall wondering what to do.^[1]

Many centuries later, after Melko was captured and Beleriand broken, Tevildo gnawed on his bonds in Lumbi^[2] for many centuries until eventually, Melko was free from his imprisonment, causing him to be pursued by Telimektar up the Pine of Tavrobel.^[3]

Many millennia later, a man named Eriol came to Tol Eressëa and heard many tales of the Elder Days, including the Tale of Tinúviel from Vëannë and Ausir.^[1] While Eriol stayed at Tol Eressëa, Rúmil made a reference to Tevildo.^[4]

Characteristics[]

His purr was like the roll of drums and his growl like thunder, but when he yelled in wrath it turned the blood cold, and indeed small beasts and birds were frozen as to stone, or dropped lifeless often at the very sound.
—Vëannë to Eriol in The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "The Tale of Tinúviel"

Etymology[]

Tevildo is an unglossed Qenya word derived from the root TEFE ("hate, dislike") and related to teve- ("to hate"), tevin, and tevië ("hatred").^[5] The title,Vardo Meoita was sometimes appended to his name, meaning "Prince of Cats".^[6]

Tiberth was the Gnomish name which the Gnomes knew Tevildo as, though they also called him Tiberth Bridhon Miaugion,^[1] being derived from bridhon ("king, prince") and miaug ("tomcat"),^[7] the masculine form of miog ("cat").^[8]

Other versions[]

Tevildo's Gnomish name, Tiberth, was originally Tifil Miothon,^[5] coming from tîf ("resentment, ill-feeling, bitterness").^[7]

Tevildo's character was the forerunner to the Maia Sauron.^[9]

As seen in Beren and Lúthien (2017), Tevildo's character had been re-adapted into another close companion of Morgoth (separately from Sauron): However, his evolution as a forerunner to Sauron is still mentioned in footnotes. Thû, Lord of werewolves, is treated instead as the first appearance as Sauron.^[9]

...there are even to be discovered elements in the story that were later altogether lost. Thus, for example, the cross-examination of Beren and Felagund and their companions, disguised as Orcs, by Thû the Necromancer (the first appearance of Sauron), or the entry into the story of the appalling Tevildo, Prince of Cats, who clearly deserves to be remembered, short as was his literary life.^[10]

Inspiration[]

Tiberth is a referral to a cat "Tibert" in the medieval European story collection Reynard the Fox.^[11]

References[]