Dark Lord

:For other senses of the word "overlord", see overlord (disambiguation).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dark Lord (also known as an Evil Overlord) is a name often used in fiction to talk about a powerful villain with evil henchmen, especially when pronouncing the real name is thought to bring bad luck. Such a villain usually seeks to rule or destroy the world, galaxy, or universe.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In "religious orders" (as opposed to entertainment literature) contexts, it usually means Satan or other similar entities who hold power over lesser fiendish creatures and seek to disrupt the comfort and lives of people, sometimes tragically, and definitely maliciously.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Many of the clichés of a dark lord came from totalitarian states with a fascist propaganda and ideology. In a modern setting, they are sometimes megalomaniac dictators whose minions are depicted in outfits resembling Nazi troop uniforms, and the architecture is often in the geometric, modernist style common in the former Soviet Union.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In fantasy novels, Dark Lords have become something of a cliché following the success of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, in which the Dark Lord is Sauron. The case of Sauron also started the habit of characters being too afraid to mention a Dark Lord by name: the Gondorians of Middle-earth as a rule never refer to Sauron by his name, because they are afraid it will bring Sauron there: they always call him either "The Enemy" or "The Nameless Enemy", even though they know he has a name. In the prequel "The Silmarillion", it is revealed that Sauron is the second Dark Lord; he was the lieutenant of the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, until the latter's defeat. Morgoth brought original evil to the world and created the Orcs by torturing and mutilating Elves.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Following the example of Sauron, Dark Lords in fantasy are always depicted as immensely powerful, implacably evil creatures with an insatiable lust for power, who cannot be reasoned or bargained with. Only by their ultimate destruction can peace be restored.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Star Wars, Dark Lord is an actual rank that is achieved by those who become Sith Lords.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dark Lords often do not actually engage in direct conflict with the heroes; frequently, they are dark gods or demons, exist in other dimensions, and/or maintain a dark, inaccessible fortress. They usually rely on a vast, shadowy network of minions, often with an extremely hierarchical structure.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The frequency in which these cliches occur spawned the Evil Overlord List, a popular web site satirizing the mistakes Dark Lords make.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fiction: Fiction is storytelling of imagined events and stands in contrast to non-fiction, which makes factual claims about reality. A large part of the appeal of fiction is its ability to evoke the entire spectrum of human emotions: to distract our minds, to give us hope in times of despair, to make us laug...

Villain: A villain is a bad person, especially in fiction. Villains are the fictional characters, or perhaps fictionalized characters, in drama and melodrama who do evil deliberately and work against the hero. As such, villains are an almost inevitable plot device, and more than the heroes, the villains ar...

Henchmen: REDIRECT Henchman...

Dark Lord related Images and Photos (experimental)

Star Wars Dark Lord Rising Canvas Giclee Print	Dark Blue	Dark Star	Dark Woods
Dark Water	Dark Angel	Dark Trees	Dark Cloud
Dark Flame	Dark Water	Dark Riders	Dark Beauty