Black Gate: Difference between revisions
(Corrected a typo) |
(Corrected the info box, the wall was not made of iron, it is not known if the Black Gate was build around SA 1600, it may already have been built sometime after SA 1000) |
||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
| pronun= | | pronun= | ||
| othernames=''Morannon'' ([[Sindarin|S]]) | | othernames=''Morannon'' ([[Sindarin|S]]) | ||
| location= | | location=Northern end of [[Cirith Gorgor]], between [[Ephel Dúath]] and [[Ered Lithui]] | ||
| type=Gate | | type=Gate | ||
| description=Iron wall | | description=Iron gate with two doors in a wall of stone | ||
| regions= | | regions= | ||
| towns= | | towns= | ||
| inhabitants= | | inhabitants=forces of [[Sauron]], later [[Gondorians]], then again forces of Sauron | ||
| created= | | created=after {{SA|1000}} | ||
| destroyed=[[25 March]], {{TA|3019}} | | destroyed=[[25 March]], {{TA|3019}} | ||
| events= | | events= | ||
| gallery=the Black Gate | | gallery=the Black Gate | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Black Gate''' ([[Sindarin]]: '''Morannon''') was the main entrance into the land of [[Mordor]]. It blocked the pass of [[Cirith Gorgor]], the gap between the [[Ephel Dúath]] and the [[Ered Lithui]]. The pass of Cirith Gorgor led to the valley of [[Udûn]] that led to the plain of [[Gorgoroth]].<ref>{{FR|Map}}</ref> The Black Gate was a single gate of iron, which consisted of two vast iron doors,<ref>{{RK|Gate}}</ref> in a rampart of stone with a battlement that was patrolled by sentinels.<ref>{{TT|Gate}}</ref> | The '''Black Gate''' ([[Sindarin]]: '''Morannon''') was the main entrance into the land of [[Mordor]]. It blocked the pass of [[Cirith Gorgor]], the gap between the [[Ephel Dúath]] and the [[Ered Lithui]]. The pass of Cirith Gorgor led to the valley of [[Udûn]] that led to the plain of [[Gorgoroth]].<ref>{{FR|Map}}</ref> The Black Gate was a single gate of iron, which consisted of two vast iron doors under a frowning arch,<ref name=Opens>{{RK|Gate}}</ref> in a rampart of stone with a battlement that was patrolled by sentinels.<ref>{{TT|Gate}}</ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 14:11, 15 November 2021
|
This article or section needs more/new/more-detailed sources to conform to a higher standard and to provide proof for claims made. |
| The Black Gate | |
|---|---|
| Gate | |
 | |
| "The Black Gates" by John Howe | |
| General Information | |
| Other names | Morannon (S) |
| Location | Northern end of Cirith Gorgor, between Ephel Dúath and Ered Lithui |
| Type | Gate |
| Description | Iron gate with two doors in a wall of stone |
| People and History | |
| Inhabitants | forces of Sauron, later Gondorians, then again forces of Sauron |
| Created | after S.A. 1000 |
| Destroyed | 25 March, T.A. 3019 |
| Gallery | Images of the Black Gate |
The Black Gate (Sindarin: Morannon) was the main entrance into the land of Mordor. It blocked the pass of Cirith Gorgor, the gap between the Ephel Dúath and the Ered Lithui. The pass of Cirith Gorgor led to the valley of Udûn that led to the plain of Gorgoroth.[1] The Black Gate was a single gate of iron, which consisted of two vast iron doors under a frowning arch,[2] in a rampart of stone with a battlement that was patrolled by sentinels.[3]
History
It was probably built with the power of the One Ring, like the Barad-dûr. After Sauron's fall, it became a Númenorean garrison. Backed up on the other side by the Isenmouthe, and protected by the castle of Durthang to the west, it was redesigned to keep all of Mordor's evil inside, shielding the outside from it - and it from the outside. The reconstruction of Minas Ithil, Tower of the Rising Moon, as well as the construction of Cirith Ungol were also done for the same purpose.
However, during the aftermath of the Kin-strife in Gondor the watchfulness of the guards in these strongholds relaxed. Thus the Ringwraiths and Orcs re-entered Mordor, eventually overrunning the garrisons and inhabiting them for themselves. In T.A. 1944 when king Ondoher of Gondor and both his sons fell in a battle against the Wainriders north of the Morannon[4][5] the Morannon and the Towers of the Teeth were still manned by troops from Gondor.[6] It was at this time that the tower of Minas Ithil was taken by the Nazgûl, having its name changed to Minas Morgul, Tower of Sorcery.
During the War of the Ring, the Army of the West, numbering under 6,000 men,[2] arrived at the Black Gate with the intention of drawing the Eye of Sauron away from Mount Doom, to allow Frodo the Ringbearer to cast the One Ring into the Crack of Doom within it. This they achieved, and the Ring was destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom, following which the Black Gate and the Towers of the Teeth immediately collapsed.
Portrayal in adaptations
| The Black Gate in adaptations | |||||||||
| |||||||||
2001-03: The Lord of the Rings (film series):
- The Black Gate is present in the film series. in the second film is appears as a double gate, operated by Trolls, where Frodo and Sam attempt to go through the Gate until convinced by Gollum not to do so. In the third film the Black Gate is a focal point of the Battle of the Morannon, and after the destruction of the One Ring the Black Gate and the Towers of the Teeth are seen to collapse.
2017: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- The Black Gate appears in the game as the location of a number of quests in the lead up to the defeat of Sauron.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Black Gate Opens"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Black Gate is Closed"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion", entry for king Ondoher
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "(i) The Northmen and the Wainriders"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "Notes", note 15
