Natural/Unnatural: Wargs

Wargs are an interesting combination of both natural and unnatural.

They are natural because they are like normal wolves in many ways, such as hunting in packs, gathering under the moon, and howling.

However they are also unique in some other ways. They are bigger than, regular wolves, have a language comprehensible to Gandalf and the goblins, and they seem to be much more intelligient as well.

This is a good example of Tolkien's habit of taking something familiar and twisting it into a more evil and scarier version of itself. Natural wolves don't attack towns or people except under unusual circumstances. The wargs go out of their way to plot an attack against the men who are moving north into the woods at the feet of the misty mountains. The wargs' alliance with the goblins immediately establishes them as evil creatures, by association with the goblins that we have already seen as an evil force. 

The question of perspective in what we decided was natural or unnatural was a fascinating one, because clearly what is natural on earth and what is natural in middle-earth are totally different. From an earth perspective magic is unnatural, but from a middle-earth perspective it is an accepted force in the world. This question of reference frame has always fascinated me, and I think Tolkien does an excellent job of showing us what is and is not natural in his world independent of our own. For example the Nazgul are shown as being unnatural even in middle-earth, but things we do not have in our primary world like hobbits, dwarves, elves, goblins, and wizards are perfectly normal in middle-earth.