Bar-en-Danwedh
| Bar-en-Danwedh | |
|---|---|
| Refuge | |
 | |
| "Ascent to Amon Rûdh" by Anke Eißmann | |
| General Information | |
| Other names | House of Ransom, Bar-en-Nibin-noeg (S), Echad i Sedryn (S), the Echad |
| Location | Amon Rûdh, Talath Dirnen |
| Type | Refuge |
| People and History | |
| Inhabitants | Mîm and his sons, Gaurwaith |
| Destroyed | F.A. 489 Sack of Bar-en-Danwedh |
Bar-en-Danwedh (S. House of Ransom) was an underground complex built inside Amon Rûdh. It was originally known as Bar-en-Nibin-noeg (S. House of the Petty Dwarves) before the Gaurwaith made it their secret refuge. After the establishment of Dor-Cúarthol the refuge was also known as Echad i Sedryn (S. Camp of the Faithful).
Description
The entrance of Bar-en-Danwedh was hidden, to find it you have to approach Amon Rûdh from the north and follow a secret path on the slopes of the hill. The path wound to and fro, and without a guide it may take days to find the right way.[1]
The house of Mîm was vast and could have housed hundreds or more. There were many chambers within the halls for storage, working and dwelling but they were mostly empty. There was a small room that Mîm used for work that had a hearth and it shared a smoke-vent with another small hall. There was a hidden stair that led to the summit of Amon Rûdh that Mîm kept secret.[2]
History
The place was originally a collony of Petty-dwarves, and it was known as Bar-en-Nibin-noeg, the "House of the Petty-dwarves". As the First Age wore on, these people dwindled, until at last only three survived: Mîm and his two sons Khîm and Ibun. To their misfortune, the Petty-dwarves encountered Túrin at the time he led a desperate band of outlaws. Mîm's sons fled, but Mîm himself was caught, and agreed to house the outlaws in exchange of his own life. So the Dwarf-delvings of Amon Rûdh became known as Bar-en-Danwedh, meaning 'House of Ransom'. The ransom, in fact, was a double one: when they returned to Amon Rûdh, it was learned that Khîm had been shot by an arrow as he fled, and was dead. In recompense, Túrin promised to pay Mîm a ransom of his own, if ever he was able.
Túrin and the outlaws stayed for more than a year in Bar-en-Danwedh, where they were joined by Beleg Strongbow out of Doriath. They defended the lands around against Morgoth's forces, and became so famous in that region that they gained a following, with Túrin and Beleg coming to be known as the Two Captains of Dor-Cúarthol. In the end, though, disaster struck: Mîm betrayed them to the Orcs, who slew the outlaws and captured Túrin in a net. Beleg survived, and Mîm fled from him, never to return to his old House of Ransom on Amon Rûdh.[3][4]
Other names
Another name of the house was Echad i Sedryn (Sindarin, "Camp of the Faithful"). The "faithful" referred to Túrin Turambar and his companions, after they had taken refuge there.[5]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "Of Mîm the Dwarf", pp. 128-30
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "Of Mîm the Dwarf", pp. 136-7
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Túrin Turambar"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "Of Mîm the Dwarf"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Children of Húrin, "The Land of Bow and Helm", p. 144
