Erech
Erech | |
---|---|
Hill | |
General Information | |
Location | Northern Lamedon, south of the White Mountains and Edoras |
Type | Hill |
Description | Hill capped by a great black stone |
Regions | Gondor Reunited Kingdom |
Inhabitants | Originally Men, later abandoned |
Gallery | Images of Erech |
Erech was a hill in Gondor situated in the far north of the province of Lamedon at the mouth of the Blackroot Vale, far to the west of Minas Tirith.[1] It lay near to the southern entrance to the Paths of the Dead. Upon the summit stood a smooth black globe, the Stone of Erech.
History
In the Second Age, Isildur brought with him the stone as a symbol of his lineage and Gondor. He set it upon the hill of Erech and made the local hill tribes swear an oath of loyalty on the stone. The hill tribes later broke their oath and were doomed to haunt the place as the Dead Men.
The area was completely abandoned by the end of the Third Age. On 8 March T.A. 3019,[2] at midnight, the heir of Isildur, Aragorn, came to Erech to hold the Dead to their oath again, promising that upon its fulfillment they would have peace.[3] On 13 March[2] they held true to their oath and formed the Host of the Dead to help Aragorn defeat the Corsairs of Umbar at Pelargir. After the battle at Pelargir, Aragorn released them from their oath and they were allowed to rest.[4]
Etymology
The name Erech, like so many names in Gondor, was of unknown Mannish pre-Númenórean origin.[5]
See Also
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men"