A Brief History of Wargs

All of a sudden they heard a howl away down hill, a long shuddering howl. It was answered by another away to the right and a good deal nearer to them; then by another not far away to the left. It was wolves howling at the moon, wolves gathering together!

-The Hobbit; Ch. 6: Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire

Goblins are bad . . . nobody quibbles about that; but goblins plus wolves? That's more than most anybody can handle. Even old Gandalf scrambled up a tree to get away from a pack of these fiendish beasts. Because these aren't just any old, garden-variety wolves . . . these are Wargs, sinister wolves that live in the shadows of the Misty Mountains and have long been allies of the goblins and orcs.

But just what exactly is a warg, anyways? Where did they come from and why--unlike most animals in Middle-Earth--are they servants of the Shadow? Read on past the break to find out!