Ravenhill

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Azog's Ravenhill command post in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Ravenhill was an outlying hill beneath the height of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain. It stood at the end of a ridge of high ground extending southwards from the mountain itself, overlooking the River Running and the valley of Dale.[1]

The Dwarves of Erebor built a guard-post on the hill, about five hours march from the Front Gate to the Mountain,[2] and above its chamber for many years lived friendly intelligent ravens, like Carc. It was they, and the ravens of hill, that gave it its name.[3]

In T.A. 2941[4] Thorin and Company made their first camp north of the hill as they reached Erebor.[1] Much later the Company returned to Ravenhill when they made their escape from the Mountain. After spending one night in the rock chamber on the hill the thrush that they had last seen on the "Doorstep" came to them. When Balin wished that it was a raven the thrush flew off and brought back Roäc, who gave them the news of the death of Smaug and the approach of the Elves and Lake-men.[3]

In the Battle of Five Armies the Elves, Gandalf, and Bilbo Baggins took a stand on Ravenhill.[5] Knocked senseless, Bilbo woke up in this same place the next morning (having not been found since he had been wearing the Ring when he was struck down).[6]

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

In the manuscript of The Hobbit, when the Company climbed up to Ravenhill Thorin pointed to a rocky opening and stated that "steps lead down back into the mountain".[7] That there was to be a tunnel from Ravenhill into the Lonely Mountain was further suggested in J.R.R. Tolkien's plot notes, in which the opening was to be guarded by Dori and Nori.[8] This tunnel did not appear in the finished work.

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2014: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:

In the film the area of the Ravenhill has several Dwarven ruins, like stairs and turrets. The Dwarves go to Ravenhill to see the destruction of Lake-town from a distance. During the battle, it is used by Azog as his command center. Thorin decides to run there to kill him, followed by Dwalin, Kíli and Fíli. However they find nobody when they arrive there. Bilbo follows them invisible, and Tauriel and Legolas also arrive to warn the Dwarves of Bolg's army approaching from Gundabad. Fíli is captured by Azog, who executes him in front of the Dwarves. Thorin engages Azog in a fight on a frozen lake, Bolg knocks Bilbo unconscious, overpowers Tauriel and Kíli temporarily saves her only to be killed. Legolas also battles Bolg on a fallen tower stuck between two edges and eventually kills him throwing him from the edge. Azog has Thorin on the edge of his sword, and Thorin allows him to stab him, so that he can kill Azog.

2018: The Lord of the Rings Online:

By the time of the War of the Ring, Dís served as the main caretaker of Ravenhill, and tended the birds that flocked there. The Ravens, led by Arcah, Daughter of Croär, returned to live at Ravenhill.

References

Route of Thorin and Company
Bag End · Green Dragon · The Shire · Lone-lands · Last Bridge · Trollshaws · Trolls' cave · Rivendell · High Pass · Front Porch · Goblin-town · Goblin-gate · Eagle's Eyrie · Carrock · Beorn's Hall · Wilderland · Forest Gate · Elf-path · Mirkwood · Elvenking's Halls · Forest River · Lake-town · Long Lake · River Running · Desolation of the Dragon · Ravenhill · Back Door · Lonely Mountain · Great Hall of Thráin