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Talk:The Hobbit (film series)

2006-09-01T03:08:40Z

70.250.43.6:

Dudes, this is awesome news! Dwarf lord

The Shire

2006-08-29T06:23:11Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:fotr0066.jpg|300px|thumb|The Shire in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

'''The Shire''' is the region that is occupied by [[Hobbits]]. It is located in the northwest of Middle-earth, in the 'continent' of [[Eriador]] and the Kingdom of [[Arnor]]. Its name in [[Westron]] was '''Sûza''' "Shire" or '''Sûzat''' "The Shire".

According to Tolkien, the Shire measured 40 leagues (222 km, 120 [[Númenórean]] miles) from the Far Downs in the west to the Brandywine Bridge in the east, and 50 leagues (278 km, 150 miles) from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. This is confirmed in an essay by Tolkien (on the Languages of Middle-earth) wherein he describes The Shire as having an area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 km²). In order for this figure to be accurate it must be assumed that the Shire was roughly rectangular in shape.

The Brandywine ([[Baranduin]]) river bounds the Shire from the east. (Hobbits also live in ''Buckland'', which lies east of the river and west of the Hedge protecting the Shire from invasion from the [[Old Forest]]; however, Buckland was not formally recognised as part of The Shire until after the [[War of the Ring]], when it was granted officially to The Shire by [[Aragorn]] King Elessar.) From the north and the west The Shire has no topographical borders, but rather is bounded by the ancient south and east roads, and by vague geographical features such as the [[Tower Hills]].

The Shire was settled by Hobbits in the year 1601 of the Third Age (Year 1 in Shire Reckoning). The Hobbits (who originally lived in the vale of [[Anduin]]) had migrated west over the perilous [[Misty Mountains]] in the decades before that, and before entering The Shire they had lived in [[Dunland]] and parts of the depopulated [[Arnor]]ian splinter-realms [[Cardolan]] and [[Rhudaur]]. It has been speculated that the Hobbits had originally moved west to escape the evils of [[Mirkwood]], and the trouble caused by the [[Easterlings]].

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - One Morning Long Ago.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''One Morning Long Ago'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]
The Shire was a part of [[Arthedain]], and as such a part of Arnor. The Hobbits got official permission from King [[Argeleb II]] at Norbury ([[Fornost]]) to settle the lands, which were not populated and seen as the King's hunting grounds. The Hobbits considered themselves as subjects of the King, and sent some support troops to the great battles Arnor fought against [[Angmar]]. After the fall of Arnor, the Shire remained a minor but independent political unit.

Its small size, relative lack of importance, and brave and resilient Hobbit population made it too modest an objective for conquest. More important was that the Shire was guarded and protected by the [[Dúnedain]] Rangers, who watched the borders and kept out intruders. The only strangers to enter the Shire were the [[Dwarves]] travelling on the [[Great Road]] that ran through the Shire to and from their mines in the [[Blue Mountains]], and the occasional [[Elves]] on their way to the [[Grey Havens]].

Officials of the Shire were the '''[[Mayor of Michel Delving|Mayor]]''' of [[Michel Delving]] in the [[White Downs]] (by extension seen as the [[Mayor of the Shire]]), the '''[[Thain]]''' from ''[[Tuckborough]]'' who was the head of the important [[Took Family|Took clan]], and the '''[[Master of Buckland]]''' at ''[[Bucklebury]]''. While nominally the Thain ruled over the four [[Farthings]], in practice authority was so decentralized that the title was seen as more of a formality. The Mayor's chief duties were serving as postmaster of the Shire's mail service and presiding at fairs, while the Master controlled Buckland.

This peaceful situation changed after [[Bilbo Baggins]]' acquisition of the [[The One Ring|One Ring]] in the year 1343 of the Shire Reckoning. Shortly after the beginning of the events described in [[The Lord of the Rings]] (autumn of the year 1419 in Shire Reckoning), the Shire was first visited by the Nine [[Ringwraiths]] and then captured by [[Saruman]]. It was liberated with the help of [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] after the end of the Quest of the Ring through their victory at the [[Battle of Bywater]]. After [[Aragorn]]'s return as the King of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]], the Shire became a protected enclave inside the Reunited Kingdom. He is known to have issued an order that forbade the entrance of full-sized [[Men]] into the Shire.

[[Image:fotr0059.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The Shire in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

The Shire is described as a small but beautiful and fruitful land, beloved by its inhabitants. The Hobbits had an extensive agricultural system in the Shire, but did not proceed with industrialization. Various supplies could be found in the Shire, including cereals, fruit, wood and tobacco (a favourite treat of Hobbits). Its relatively peaceful existence during the perilous period preceding the defeat of [[Sauron]] can be attributed to the vigilance of [[Gandalf]] and [[Rangers of the North]] led by [[Aragorn]] who used daring tactics to keep evil at bay. However when these set out to a distant war, the Shire became essentially defenceless, which led to its capture. But the damage which Saruman caused by forced industrialization was undone by the Hobbits' efforts. The Shire was restored with soil from [[Lórien]], given to Sam by [[Galadriel]]. The year 1420 (SR) was considered by the inhabitants of the Shire to be the most productive and prosperous year in their history.

The industrialization of the Shire was based on Tolkien's witnessing of the extension of the Industrial Revolution to rural Warwickshire during his youth, and especially the deleterious consequences thereof. The rebellion of the hobbits and the restoration of the pre-industrial Shire may be interpreted as a prescription of voluntary simplicity as a remedy to the problems of modern society.

On Tolkien's maps, the Shire is located at about the same position as England is on modern European maps and has been cited as an example of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_England#Deep_England Deep England] ideology (of course, England being an island while Shire is inside the continent). Throughout the narrative, Tolkien also implies numerous points of similarity between the two, such as weather, agriculture and dialect. One can also see England as Tolkien's source of inspiration for the Shire in its very name.

The Shire was originally divided in four Farthings (''[[Northfarthing]]'', ''[[Southfarthing]]'', ''[[Eastfarthing]]'', and ''[[Westfarthing]]''), but [[Buckland]] and later the [[Westmarch]] were added to it. Within the Farthings there are some smaller, unofficial divisions such as family lands: the [[Took Family|Tooks]] nearly all live in or near Tuckborough in Tookland, for instance. In many cases a Hobbit's last name indicates where their family came from: [[Samwise Gamgee]]'s last name derives from ''Gamwich'', where the family originated. Outside the Farthings, Buckland itself was named for the [[Oldbucks]] (later [[Brandybuck Family|Brandybucks]]). See further ''[[Regions of the Shire]]''.

The Shire was quite densely populated in parts with many villages and a few towns, but it still was open enough to allow for wide forested areas and marshes.

==See also==
*[[Thain|Thains of the Shire]]

[[Category:Shire]]
[[Category:Eriador]]
[[Category:Realms]]

The Shire

2006-08-29T06:20:50Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:fotr0066.jpg|300px|thumb|The Shire in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

'''The Shire''' is the region that is occupied by [[Hobbits]]. It is located in the northwest of Middle-earth, in the 'continent' of [[Eriador]] and the Kingdom of [[Arnor]]. Its name in [[Westron]] was '''Sûza''' "Shire" or '''Sûzat''' "The Shire".

According to Tolkien, the Shire measured 40 leagues (222 km, 120 [[Númenórean]] miles) from the Far Downs in the west to the Brandywine Bridge in the east, and 50 leagues (278 km, 150 miles) from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. This is confirmed in an essay by Tolkien (on the Languages of Middle-earth) wherein he describes The Shire as having an area of 18,000 square miles (47,000 km²). In order for this figure to be accurate it must be assumed that the Shire was roughly rectangular in shape.

The Brandywine ([[Baranduin]]) river bounds the Shire from the east. (Hobbits also live in ''Buckland'', which lies east of the river and west of the Hedge protecting the Shire from invasion from the [[Old Forest]]; however, Buckland was not formally recognised as part of The Shire until after the [[War of the Ring]], when it was granted officially to The Shire by [[Aragorn]] King Elessar.) From the north and the west The Shire has no topographical borders, but rather is bounded by the ancient south and east roads, and by vague geographical features such as the [[Tower Hills]].

The Shire was settled by Hobbits in the year 1601 of the Third Age (Year 1 in Shire Reckoning). The Hobbits (who originally lived in the vale of [[Anduin]]) had migrated west over the perilous [[Misty Mountains]] in the decades before that, and before entering The Shire they had lived in [[Dunland]] and parts of the depopulated [[Arnor]]ian splinter-realms [[Cardolan]] and [[Rhudaur]]. It has been speculated that the Hobbits had originally moved west to escape the evils of [[Mirkwood]], and the trouble caused by the [[Easterlings]].

[[Image:Ted Nasmith - One Morning Long Ago.jpg|thumb|left|250px|''One Morning Long Ago'' by [[Ted Nasmith]].]]
The Shire was a part of [[Arthedain]], and as such a part of Arnor. The Hobbits got official permission from King [[Argeleb II]] at Norbury ([[Fornost]]) to settle the lands, which were not populated and seen as the King's hunting grounds. The Hobbits considered themselves as subjects of the King, and sent some support troops to the great battles Arnor fought against [[Angmar]]. After the fall of Arnor, the Shire remained a minor but independent political unit.

Its small size, relative lack of importance, and brave and resilient Hobbit population made it too modest an objective for conquest. More important was that the Shire was guarded and protected by the [[Dúnedain]] Rangers, who watched the borders and kept out intruders. The only strangers to enter the Shire were the [[Dwarves]] travelling on the Great Road that ran through the Shire to and from their mines in the [[Blue Mountains]], and the occasional [[Elves]] on their way to the [[Grey Havens]].

Officials of the Shire were the '''[[Mayor of Michel Delving|Mayor]]''' of [[Michel Delving]] in the [[White Downs]] (by extension seen as the [[Mayor of the Shire]]), the '''[[Thain]]''' from ''[[Tuckborough]]'' who was the head of the important [[Took Family|Took clan]], and the '''[[Master of Buckland]]''' at ''[[Bucklebury]]''. While nominally the Thain ruled over the four [[Farthings]], in practice authority was so decentralized that the title was seen as more of a formality. The Mayor's chief duties were serving as postmaster of the Shire's mail service and presiding at fairs, while the Master controlled Buckland.

This peaceful situation changed after [[Bilbo Baggins]]' acquisition of the [[The One Ring|One Ring]] in the year 1343 of the Shire Reckoning. Shortly after the beginning of the events described in [[The Lord of the Rings]] (autumn of the year 1419 in Shire Reckoning), the Shire was first visited by the Nine [[Ringwraiths]] and then captured by [[Saruman]]. It was liberated with the help of [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]], [[Sam Gamgee|Sam]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]] and [[Peregrin Took|Pippin]] after the end of the Quest of the Ring through their victory at the [[Battle of Bywater]]. After [[Aragorn]]'s return as the King of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]], the Shire became a protected enclave inside the Reunited Kingdom. He is known to have issued an order that forbade the entrance of full-sized [[Men]] into the Shire.

[[Image:fotr0059.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The Shire in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

The Shire is described as a small but beautiful and fruitful land, beloved by its inhabitants. The Hobbits had an extensive agricultural system in the Shire, but did not proceed with industrialization. Various supplies could be found in the Shire, including cereals, fruit, wood and tobacco (a favourite treat of Hobbits). Its relatively peaceful existence during the perilous period preceding the defeat of [[Sauron]] can be attributed to the vigilance of [[Gandalf]] and [[Rangers of the North]] led by [[Aragorn]] who used daring tactics to keep evil at bay. However when these set out to a distant war, the Shire became essentially defenceless, which led to its capture. But the damage which Saruman caused by forced industrialization was undone by the Hobbits' efforts. The Shire was restored with soil from [[Lórien]], given to Sam by [[Galadriel]]. The year 1420 (SR) was considered by the inhabitants of the Shire to be the most productive and prosperous year in their history.

The industrialization of the Shire was based on Tolkien's witnessing of the extension of the Industrial Revolution to rural Warwickshire during his youth, and especially the deleterious consequences thereof. The rebellion of the hobbits and the restoration of the pre-industrial Shire may be interpreted as a prescription of voluntary simplicity as a remedy to the problems of modern society.

On Tolkien's maps, the Shire is located at about the same position as England is on modern European maps and has been cited as an example of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_England#Deep_England Deep England] ideology (of course, England being an island while Shire is inside the continent). Throughout the narrative, Tolkien also implies numerous points of similarity between the two, such as weather, agriculture and dialect. One can also see England as Tolkien's source of inspiration for the Shire in its very name.

The Shire was originally divided in four Farthings (''[[Northfarthing]]'', ''[[Southfarthing]]'', ''[[Eastfarthing]]'', and ''[[Westfarthing]]''), but [[Buckland]] and later the [[Westmarch]] were added to it. Within the Farthings there are some smaller, unofficial divisions such as family lands: the [[Took Family|Tooks]] nearly all live in or near Tuckborough in Tookland, for instance. In many cases a Hobbit's last name indicates where their family came from: [[Samwise Gamgee]]'s last name derives from ''Gamwich'', where the family originated. Outside the Farthings, Buckland itself was named for the [[Oldbucks]] (later [[Brandybuck Family|Brandybucks]]). See further ''[[Regions of the Shire]]''.

The Shire was quite densely populated in parts with many villages and a few towns, but it still was open enough to allow for wide forested areas and marshes.

==See also==
*[[Thain|Thains of the Shire]]

[[Category:Shire]]
[[Category:Eriador]]
[[Category:Realms]]

Ettenmoors

2006-08-29T06:20:15Z

70.250.43.6:

The mountainous, wild, untamed lands that lay north of [[Rivendell]]. It was here that the [[Witch-king of Angmar]] fled after his defeat in the [[Battle of Fornost]]. It is said to be the home of [[Trolls]].

It is speculated that [[Mount Gram]], which is where a host of [[Goblins]] attacked the [[Shire]] from, was located in the '''Ettenmoors'''.

[[Category:Locations]]
[[category:Eriador]]

Blue Mountains

2006-08-29T06:18:26Z

70.250.43.6:

{{Pronounce|Ered Luin.mp3|Ardamir}}
The '''Blue Mountains''' ('''''[[Ered]] [[Luin]]''''' in [[Sindarin]]), also known as the '''''Ered Lindon''''', was the mountain range at the far west of [[Eriador]].

== In the Beginning ==
During the creation of [[Arda]], the Blue Mountains were meant to line up directly with the Grey Mountains of the southlands, forming the western wall of [[Arda]]. They lay parallel to the [[Red Mountains]] and [[Yellow Mountains]] that formed the eastern wall. The Blue Mountains were originally connected with the Red Mountains by the [[Iron Mountains]] which stretched across the entire north. The symmetry of Arda was broken during the wars between the [[Valar]] and [[Melkor]] in the ages before the [[Years of the Lamps]].

== Before and During the First Age ==
In the [[First Age]], the Blue Mountains were an unbroken line separating Eriador from [[Beleriand]]. Seven rivers flowed from its western side, and the land these rivers flowed through was known as [[Ossiriand]]. Later, when the [[Green Elves]] settled there, the land was called [[Lindon]], and the mountains sometimes referred to as the '''''Ered Lindon'''''.

Two [[Dwarves|Dwarven]] clans, the [[Firebeards]] and [[Broadbeams]], built their great cities in the Blue Mountains. They were [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], respectively.

== After the First Age ==
The Blue Mountains were ruined during the [[War of Wrath]], and at the middle of the range the sea broke through. The [[Lhûn|River Lhûn]] now flowed through the mountains to the [[Gulf of Lhûn]]. On the west side of the Blue Mountains a small section of Lindon remained, and here the retreating [[Elves]] built the [[Kingdom of Lindon]], ruled by [[Ereinion Gil-galad]], last [[High King of the Noldor]]. Its most important city was the [[Grey Havens]], from where departing Elves left Middle-earth for [[Valinor]].

The Dwarven cities of Nogrod and Belegost were also ruined when the Blue Mountains were broken. Nogrod in the North was completely destroyed and Belegost in the South was ruined beyond repair. Many surviving Dwarves fled east to [[Khazad-dûm]]. Some, however, remained in the Blue Mountains, working the lesser iron mines that survived the destruction, and rebuilding what they could of their ancestrial homes.

In the [[Third Age]] the '''Blue Mountains''' would become a refuge for most of Durin's folk who had become exiled from their halls in [[Erebor]] by [[Smaug]] the [[Dragon]]. Until Erebor was retaken from the Dragon by [[Thorin Oakenshield]] and company, then many of the Durin's folk relocated there.

[[Category:Mountains]]
[[Category:Eriador]]

Petty-dwarves

2006-08-29T06:09:05Z

70.250.43.6:

the '''Petty-dwarves''', or ([[Sindarin]]) '''Noegyth Nibin''' or '''Nibin-Noeg''', were a diminuitive race of [[Dwarves]].

The Petty-dwarves were Dwarves of several [[Fathers of the Dwarves|houses]], which had been exiled for various reasons, such as small stature, bodily deformity or slothful disposition. They were the first to cross the [[Ered Luin]] in the [[First Age]], and established strongholds in [[Beleriand]] before the [[Elves]] arrived, at [[Nargothrond]] and [[Amon Rûdh]].

The [[Sindar]], not acquainted with Dwarves yet, saw the Petty-dwarves as little more than bothersome animals, and hunted them. Not until the Dwarves of [[Belegost]] and [[Nogrod]] established contact with the Sindar did they realize what the Petty-dwarves were. Afterwards they were mostly left alone, but not before the Petty-dwarves came to hate all Elves with a passion.

Petty-dwarves were differed from normal Dwarves in various ways: they were smaller, far more unsociable, and they freely gave away their names: other Dwarves kept their [[Khuzdul]] names and language a secret. This may have been one of the reasons they were exiled.

By the time of the [[War of the Jewels]], after the return of the [[Ñoldor]], the Petty-dwarves had nearly died out. The last remnant of their people were [[Mîm]] and his two sons, who lived at Amon Rûdh.

[[Category:Dwarves]]

Ironfists

2006-08-29T06:06:45Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''Ironfists''' were one of the seven clans of the [[Dwarves]] that dwelt in the [[mountains]] of the [[East]].

It is likely that the Ironfists fought in the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]] during the [[Third Age]], for it is said that [[Durin's folk]] called all the houses of the Dwarves together to destroy the [[Orcs]] who killed their king, [[Thror]].

{{dwarvenclans}}

Stiffbeards

2006-08-29T06:05:27Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''Stiffbeards''' were one of the seven clans of the [[Dwarves]] that dwelt in the [[Mountains]] of the [[East]].

It is possible that the '''Stiffbeards''' fought in the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
{{dwarvenclans}}

Stonefoots

2006-08-29T06:03:30Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''Stonefoots''' were one of seven clans of the [[Dwarves]] that dwelt in the [[mountains]] of the [[East]].

It is possible that they fought in the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
{{dwarvenclans}}

Blacklocks

2006-08-29T06:01:57Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''Blacklocks''' were one of the seven clans of the [[Dwarves]] that dwelt in the mountains of the East. They were paired with the [[Stonefoots]].

It is possible they fought in the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
{{dwarvenclans}}

History of the Dwarves

2006-08-24T02:32:56Z

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The '''History of the Dwarves''' began with their creation, and here ends with the dwindling of their race.

== The Creation of the Dwarves ==

The Dwarves were created by [[Aulë]] the smith (whom they called [[Mahal]]) somewhere in [[Middle-earth]], and were put to sleep until the creation of the [[Elves]]. The Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]] were created, by which all Dwarves are descended from. However, Aulë did not have the power to give life to his creations; only [[Eru Ilúvatar]] could give life. Realizing this, Aulë went to Eru to confess his sin and gave Eru his children. Eru accepted them and made them his adopted children, and they were to awake after the Elves appeared on Arda.

== The Years of the Trees ==

The Seven Fathers awoke throughout Arda in pairs: the Firebeards and Broadbeams, Ironfists and Stiffbeards, Blacklocks and Stonefoots, and [[Durin I]] the father of the Longbeards, who awoke alone. These clans made their halls where they awoke: the Firebeards and Broadbeams, in the [[Ered Luin]], where they built the cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]], and Durin who awoke in the [[Misty Mountains]] settled in the caves above [[Kheled-zâram]]. We do not know exactly where the Ironfists, Stiffbeards, Blacklocks, and Stonefoots awoke.

They all became very prosperous in their mountains, making fine jewelry, weapons, and other treasures.

The first meeting of [[Elves]] and Dwarves in [[Beleriand]] took place in the year 1250 of the [[Two Trees|Trees]]. Even if their friendship was cool, the Dwarves worked for the [[Sindar]], delving the caves of [[Menegroth]] and forging weapons for them.

== The First Age ==

The [[First Age]] came with the awakening of [[Men]].

After the [[Return of the Noldor]], [[Finrod Felagund]] desired to settle himself in the [[Caves of Narog]]. So he built a great city in those caverns, and the Dwarves of the Ered Luin aided him. They liked him, and gave him the dwarven name of [[Felagund]], which meant “hewer of caves”. They eventually made for him the [[Nauglamír]].

==The Second Age==

== The Third Age ==

The [[Third Age]] was a dark and sometimes prosperous time for the Dwarves, starting with the awakening of the Balrog, and ending with the [[War of the Ring]]

== The Fourth Age ==

Dwarves

2006-08-24T02:24:11Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:WAR-ICONS Dwarves.jpg|left|150px]]The '''Dwarves''', or '''''[[Khazâd]]''''', were beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They were typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.

==History==
''Main Article: [[History of the Dwarves]]''

Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of [[Ilúvatar]]. They were created by [[Aulë]] the Smith. They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone. Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.

They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]]. They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts. (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which first brought suspicion and hate between Elves and Dwarves)

The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "''Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!''", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"

The Dwarves were known for their strength and endurance in battle, as well as their fury, especially when revenging their kin. They fought in many wars and battles over the ages of Middle-earth's existance, among which were:

* The [[First Battle of Beleriand]].
* The [[Battle of Unnumbered Tears]].
* The [[Sack of Doriath]].
* The [[War of the Last Alliance]].
* The [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
* The [[Battle of Five Armies]].
* The [[War of the Ring]].

==Clans of the Dwarves==

Most Dwarves mentioned in Tolkien's works are of [[Durin's folk]], the clan founded by [[Durin I]] of [[Khazad-dûm]], called the Longbeards. (A notable exception are the inhabitants of the dwarf-cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] in the [[Ered Luin|Blue Mountains]], spoken of in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''). The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age. There were three pairs of Dwarf Fathers that awoke together, and their Folk would build their halls near each other, though Durin himself had awoken alone. (In his letters, Tolkien adds that all the Dwarf Fathers except for Durin also had wives who awoke with them). Therefore the halls of the Longbeards at Khazad-dûm were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom. The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from Khazad-dûm.
* [[Firebeards]], originally from Nogrod. Paired with the
* [[Broadbeams]], originally from Belegost.
* [[Ironfists]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stiffbeards]].
* [[Blacklocks]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stonefoots]].

There was also an eigth group of Dwarves that was not a separate member from these seven kindreds, but composed of exiles from each: the [[Petty-dwarves]], who were hunted like animals to the point of extinction by the [[Elves]] in the First Age.

==Dwarf-characters in [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[the Hobbit]]==

[[Thorin Oakenshield]] brought twelve Dwarves to [[Bag End]] to recruit [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] for their treasure hunt in ''[[The Hobbit]]''. The Twelve Dwarves were:

*[[Dori]].
*[[Nori]].
*[[Ori]].
*[[Bifur]].
*[[Bofur]].
*[[Bombur]].
*[[Oin]].
*[[Glóin]].
*[[Balin]].
*[[Dwalin]].
*[[Fili]].
*[[Kili]].

[[Dain II Ironfoot]], lead five-hundred heavily armed Dwarves, to the Lonely Mountain to aid Thorin Oakenshield, and ended up particapating in the Battle of Five Armies.

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] and befriended [[Legolas of Mirkwood]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

==Names==

The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this translates as the ''Hadhodrim'' in [[Sindarin]], and the ''Casari'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them the ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

Almost all the names of the dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Icelandic saga of Völuspá.

According to Tolkien, the "real 'historical'" plural of ''dwarf'' is ''dwarrows'' or ''dwerrows''. He once referred to ''dwarves'' as "a piece of private bad grammar" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|Letters]]'', 17), but in Appendix F to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' he explains that if we still spoke of ''dwarves'' regularly, English might have retained a special plural for the word ''dwarf'' as with ''man''. The form ''dwarrow'' only appears in the word ''Dwarrowdelf'', a name for [[Moria]]. Tolkien used ''Dwarves'', instead, which corresponds with ''Elf'' and ''Elves'', making its meaning more apparent. The use of a different term also serves to set Tolkien's Dwarves apart from the similarly-named creatures in mythology and fairy-tales.

The enduring popularity of Tolkien's books, especially ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' has led to the popular use of the term ''dwarves'' to describe this race in fantasy literature. Before Tolkien, the term ''dwarfs'' (with a different spelling) was used, as seen in ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. In fact, the latter spelling was so common that the original editor of ''The Lord of the Rings'' "corrected" Tolkien's ''dwarves'' to ''dwarfs'' (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 138).

----
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Melkor]].

[[Category:Dwarves|*]]
[[Category:Races]]

Dwarves

2006-08-24T02:23:51Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:WAR-ICONS Dwarves.jpg|left|150px]]The '''Dwarves''', or '''''[[Khazâd]]''''', were beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They were typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.

==History==
''Main Article: [[History of the Dwarves]]''

Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of [[Ilúvatar]]. They were created by [[Aulë]] the Smith. They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone. Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.

They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]]. They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts. (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which first brought suspicion and hate between Elves and Dwarves)

The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "''Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!''", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"

The Dwarves were known for their strength and endurance in battle, as well as their fury, especially when revenging their kin. They fought in many wars and battles over the ages of Middle-earth's existance, among which were:

* The [[First Battle of Beleriand]].
* The [[Battle of Unnumbered Tears]].
* The [[Sack of Doriath]].
* The [[War of the Last Alliance]].
* The [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
* The [[Battle of Five Armies]].
* The [[War of the Ring]].

==Clans of the Dwarves==

Most Dwarves mentioned in Tolkien's works are of [[Durin's folk]], the clan founded by [[Durin I]] of [[Khazad-dûm]], called the Longbeards. (A notable exception are the inhabitants of the dwarf-cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] in the [[Ered Luin|Blue Mountains]], spoken of in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''). The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age. There were three pairs of Dwarf Fathers that awoke together, and their Folk would build their halls near each other, though Durin himself had awoken alone. (In his letters, Tolkien adds that all the Dwarf Fathers except for Durin also had wives who awoke with them). Therefore the halls of the Longbeards at Khazad-dûm were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom. The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from Khazad-dûm.
* [[Firebeards]], originally from Nogrod. Paired with the
* [[Broadbeams]], originally from Belegost.
* [[Ironfists]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stiffbeards]].
* [[Blacklocks]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stonefoots]].

There was also an eigth group of Dwarves that was not a separate member from these seven kindreds, but composed of exiles from each: the [[Petty-dwarves]], who were hunted like animals to the point of extinction by the [[Elves]] in the First Age.

==Dwarf-characters in [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[the Hobbit]]==

[[Thorin Oakenshield]] brought twelve Dwarves to [[Bag End]] to recruit [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] for their treasure hunt in ''[[The Hobbit]]''. The Twelve Dwarves were:

*[[Dori]].
*[[Nori]].
*[[Ori]].
*[[Bifur]].
*[[Bofur]].
*[[Bombur]].
*[[Oin]].
*[[Glóin]].
*[[Balin]].
*[[Dwalin]].
*[[Fili]].
*[[Kili]].

[[Daín II Ironfoot]], lead five-hundred heavily armed Dwarves, to the Lonely Mountain to aid Thorin Oakenshield, and ended up particapating in the Battle of Five Armies.

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] and befriended [[Legolas of Mirkwood]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

==Names==

The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this translates as the ''Hadhodrim'' in [[Sindarin]], and the ''Casari'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them the ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

Almost all the names of the dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Icelandic saga of Völuspá.

According to Tolkien, the "real 'historical'" plural of ''dwarf'' is ''dwarrows'' or ''dwerrows''. He once referred to ''dwarves'' as "a piece of private bad grammar" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|Letters]]'', 17), but in Appendix F to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' he explains that if we still spoke of ''dwarves'' regularly, English might have retained a special plural for the word ''dwarf'' as with ''man''. The form ''dwarrow'' only appears in the word ''Dwarrowdelf'', a name for [[Moria]]. Tolkien used ''Dwarves'', instead, which corresponds with ''Elf'' and ''Elves'', making its meaning more apparent. The use of a different term also serves to set Tolkien's Dwarves apart from the similarly-named creatures in mythology and fairy-tales.

The enduring popularity of Tolkien's books, especially ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' has led to the popular use of the term ''dwarves'' to describe this race in fantasy literature. Before Tolkien, the term ''dwarfs'' (with a different spelling) was used, as seen in ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. In fact, the latter spelling was so common that the original editor of ''The Lord of the Rings'' "corrected" Tolkien's ''dwarves'' to ''dwarfs'' (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 138).

----
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Melkor]].

[[Category:Dwarves|*]]
[[Category:Races]]

Dwarves

2006-08-24T02:19:59Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:WAR-ICONS Dwarves.jpg|left|150px]]The '''Dwarves''', or '''''[[Khazâd]]''''', were beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They were typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.

==History==
''Main Article: [[History of the Dwarves]]''

Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of [[Ilúvatar]]. They were created by [[Aulë]] the Smith. They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone. Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.

They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]]. They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts. (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]], which first brought suspicion and hate between Elves and Dwarves)

The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "''Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!''", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"

The Dwarves were known for their strength and endurance in battle, as well as their fury, especially when revenging their kin. They fought in many wars and battles over the ages of Middle-earth's existance, among which were:

* The [[First Battle of Beleriand]].
* The [[Battle of Unnumbered Tears]].
* The [[Sack of Doriath]].
* The [[War of the Last Alliance]].
* The [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
* The [[Battle of Five Armies]].
* The [[War of the Ring]].

==Clans of the Dwarves==

Most Dwarves mentioned in Tolkien's works are of [[Durin's folk]], the clan founded by [[Durin I]] of [[Khazad-dûm]], called the Longbeards. (A notable exception are the inhabitants of the dwarf-cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] in the [[Ered Luin|Blue Mountains]], spoken of in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''). The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age. There were three pairs of Dwarf Fathers that awoke together, and their Folk would build their halls near each other, though Durin himself had awoken alone. (In his letters, Tolkien adds that all the Dwarf Fathers except for Durin also had wives who awoke with them). Therefore the halls of the Longbeards at Khazad-dûm were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom. The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from Khazad-dûm.
* [[Firebeards]], originally from Nogrod. Paired with the
* [[Broadbeams]], originally from Belegost.
* [[Ironfists]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stiffbeards]].
* [[Blacklocks]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stonefoots]].

There was also an eigth group of Dwarves that was not a separate member from these seven kindreds, but composed of exiles from each: the [[Petty-dwarves]], who were hunted like animals to the point of extinction by the [[Elves]] in the First Age.

==Dwarf-characters in [[The Lord of the Rings]] and [[the Hobbit]]==

[[Thorin Oakenshield]] brought twelve Dwarves to [[Bag End]] to recruit [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] for their treasure hunt in ''[[The Hobbit]]''. The Twelve Dwarves were:

*[[Dori]].
*[[Nori]].
*[[Ori]].
*[[Bifur]].
*[[Bofur]].
*[[Bombur]].
*[[Oin]].
*[[Glóin]].
*[[Balin]].
*[[Dwalin]].
*[[Fili]].
*[[Kili]].

[[Gimli]] son of Glóin joined the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] and befriended [[Legolas of Mirkwood]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

==Names==

The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazâd]]'', the name Aulë gave them; this translates as the ''Hadhodrim'' in [[Sindarin]], and the ''Casari'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them the ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

Almost all the names of the dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Icelandic saga of Völuspá.

According to Tolkien, the "real 'historical'" plural of ''dwarf'' is ''dwarrows'' or ''dwerrows''. He once referred to ''dwarves'' as "a piece of private bad grammar" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|Letters]]'', 17), but in Appendix F to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' he explains that if we still spoke of ''dwarves'' regularly, English might have retained a special plural for the word ''dwarf'' as with ''man''. The form ''dwarrow'' only appears in the word ''Dwarrowdelf'', a name for [[Moria]]. Tolkien used ''Dwarves'', instead, which corresponds with ''Elf'' and ''Elves'', making its meaning more apparent. The use of a different term also serves to set Tolkien's Dwarves apart from the similarly-named creatures in mythology and fairy-tales.

The enduring popularity of Tolkien's books, especially ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' has led to the popular use of the term ''dwarves'' to describe this race in fantasy literature. Before Tolkien, the term ''dwarfs'' (with a different spelling) was used, as seen in ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. In fact, the latter spelling was so common that the original editor of ''The Lord of the Rings'' "corrected" Tolkien's ''dwarves'' to ''dwarfs'' (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 138).

----
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Melkor]].

[[Category:Dwarves|*]]
[[Category:Races]]

Stone-trolls

2006-08-24T02:12:18Z

70.250.43.6:

A race of trolls in the service of [[Sauron]]. We know nothing for certain of these creatures except that they inhabited the [[Westlands]] of [[Middle-earth]]: the trolls encountered by [[Bilbo Baggins]] and his companions on their journey to [[Erebor]] were likely of this kind.

[[Category:Races]]

Stone-giants

2006-08-24T02:10:37Z

70.250.43.6:

'''Stone-giants''' were mighty creatures of the [[Misty Mountains]], and perhaps elsewhere in [[Middle-earth]]. The only known reference to them occurs in [[The Hobbit]], in which [[Bilbo]] and the [[Dwarves]] encounter them as they cross the [[Misty Mountains]]. During a storm, the Stone-giants emerge, and cast huge boulders about a rocky valley as part of a bizarre game.

The difficulty of fitting Stone-giants (and all giants, for that matter) into [[Tolkien]]'s world has led some to see the Stone-giants as a metaphor for crashing thunderbolts, or something similar. However, the detail of the Stone-giants' description, and the occurrence of other giants in Tolkien's work, makes it seem likely that these creatures actually did exist in Middle-earth.

[[Category:Races|Giants]]

Squirrels

2006-08-24T02:09:57Z

70.250.43.6:

Nut-eating rodents often found in trees. Most would have been red or grey, but in [[Mirkwood]], the squirrels were said to be black in colour.

Snow-trolls

2006-08-24T02:08:48Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Trolls]] adapted for life among snow and ice. No snow-troll appears in [[Tolkien]]'s work, but we can infer their existence from the fact that [[Helm Hammerhand]] is compared to one of these creatures during his sorties against the [[Dunlendings]] during the [[Long Winter]].

[[Category:Races]]

Orcs of the Mountains

2006-08-24T02:06:22Z

70.250.43.6:

A race of [[Orcs]] that inhabited the [[Misty Mountains]]. They were of a recognisably different kind to other Orcs, being somewhat larger than most, and well adapted for life in their tunnels beneath the [[Mountains]]. Their most important contribution to history was at the beginning of the [[Third Age]], when they descended from their Mountains to attack [[Isildur]] as he rode home from the [[War of the Last Alliance]]. Thus, the Orcs of the Mountains were directly responsible for the loss of the [[Ruling Ring]] that Isildur carried.

Long centuries after that fateful raid, their chieftain [[Azog]] slew the Dwarf-king [[Thrór]], and so triggered the long [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]]. After that War, most of the Orcs of the Mountains were slain or scattered, but some survived under the leadership of Azog's son [[Bolg]]. They still had a part to play in history: not least because it was the capture of [[Bilbo Baggins]] and his companions by a band of these Orcs that led to the finding of the [[One Ring|Ring]] - the same Ring their ancestors had caused to be lost nearly 3,000 years before.

[[Category:Races]]

Mountain-trolls

2006-08-24T02:05:18Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:John Howe - Mountain Troll.jpg|thumb|''Mountain Troll'' by [[John Howe]].]]
'''Mountain-trolls''' were trolls that lived in the mountains of [[Middle-earth]]. It was creatures of this kind that wielded the great battering-ram, [[Grond]], at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]].

[[Category:Races]]

Nurn

2006-08-22T02:24:25Z

70.250.43.6:

'''Nurn''' (unknown origin) was the name given to the southern regions of [[Mordor]], more fertile than [[Gorgoroth]] in the north, in which the great inland sea of [[Núrnen]] lay. The people who inhabited Nurn were [[Men]], and there also may have been prisoners of war there as well. These people were enslaved by [[Sauron]], working the soil around the sea of Nurn to feed Sauron's armies.

After the [[War of the Ring]], [[King Elessar]] liberated the peoples of Nurn and giving them the land as there own.

Mordor

2006-08-22T02:16:27Z

70.250.43.6:

'''Mordor''' is the dwelling place of [[Sauron]], in the southeast of Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] went there to destroy the [[One Ring]]. Mordor was unique because of the three enormous mountain ridges surrounding it, from the North, from the West and from the South, that protected this land from an unexpected invasion by any of the people living in those directions.

== Geography ==
Mordor was protected from three sides by mountain ranges, arranged roughly rectangularly: [[Ered Lithui]] in the north, [[Ephel Dúath]] in the west, and an unnamed (or possibly still called Ephel Dúath) range in the south. In the northwest corner of Mordor the deep valley of [[Udûn]] was the only entrance for large armies, and that is where Sauron built the Black Gate of Mordor. In front of the [[Morannon]] lay the [[Dagorlad]] or the ''Battle Plain''. Sauron's main fortress [[Barad-dûr]] was at the foothills of [[Ered Lithui]]. To southwest of Barad-dûr lay the arid plateau of [[Gorgoroth]] and [[Mount Doom]]; to the east lay the plain of [[Lithlad]]. A narrow pass led through Ephel Dúath and the fortress of [[Minas Morgul]] (earlier [[Minas Ithil]]) was guarding that; an even more difficult pass was guarded by the giant spider [[Shelob]] and the fortress of [[Cirith Ungol]]. Another known fortress was [[Durthang]] in northern Ephel Dúath.

The southern part of Mordor, [[Nurn]], was slighly more fertile, and moist enough to carry the inland [[sea of Núrnen]]. Nurn was made somewhat fertile because the ash blown from Mount Doom left its soil nutrient rich, thus allowing dry-land farming. Unfortunately, the inland sea of Núrn was salty, not freshwater.

To the west of Mordor was the narrow land of [[Ithilien]] with the city of [[Osgiliath]] and the great river [[Anduin]], to the northeast [[Rhûn]], and to the southeast, [[Khand]].

== Formation ==
Mordor was a relic of the devastating works of [[Morgoth]], apparently formed by massive volcanic eruptions. It was given the name Mordor already before Sauron settled there, because of its volcano [[Orodruin]] and its eruptions. Sauron however was the first to settle there.

== History ==

'''See also:''' [[Timeline]]

=== Early history ===

Sauron settled in Mordor 1,000 years after the end of the First Age, and it remained the pivot of his evil contemplations for the whole of the [[Second Age|Second]] and Third Ages of Middle-earth. In the north-western corner of this land stood Mount Doom or [[Orodruin]], where Sauron had forged the [[One Ring]]. Near Orodruin stood Sauron's stronghold [[Barad-dûr]]. After this time, Sauron was known as the [[Dark Lord|Dark Lord of Mordor]].

For two and a half thousand years, Sauron ruled Mordor uninterruptedly. Having wrought the Ring, it was from there that he launched the attack upon the Elves of [[Eregion]]. He was repelled by the Men of [[Númenor]]. He fought against the Men again, almost a thousand years later; that time, he was captured by the Númenóreans and brought to their island kingdom, eventually causing its destruction (see ''[[Akallabêth]]''). Immediately after [[Númenor]]'s destruction, Sauron returned to Mordor as a spirit and resumed his rule.

=== The Last Alliance and Third Age===

Sauron's rule was interrupted yet again when his efforts to overthrow the surviving Men and Elves failed, and they fought their way back to their foe's domain. After several years of siege, forces of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men came into Mordor. Sauron was defeated in a final battle on the slopes of Orodruin. For about a thousand years, Mordor was guarded by [[Gondor]] in order to prevent any evil forces from breaking out.

However Gondor had failed in the long run, and deprived of guard, Mordor began to fill with evil things again. [[Minas Ithil]] was conquered by the Nine [[Ringwraiths]]; other fortifications that were supposed to defend Gondor from the menace inside Mordor were turned into a means of shielding Mordor. By the time Sauron returned into Mordor after his false defeat in [[Dol Guldur]] (in the events that took place at the time of [[Bilbo Baggins]]'s [[The Hobbit|quest]]), Mordor was protected too well to be captured by any military might that was available in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. In the north of Mordor during the War of the Ring were the great garrisons and forges of war, while surrounding the bitter inland Sea of Núrnen to the south lay the vast fields tended for the provision of the armies by hordes of slaves brought in from lands to the east and south.

=== War of the Ring ===

During the War of the Ring, Sauron gathered all his forces to Mordor. After the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], a Host of the West went to the Black Gate. Sauron sent his army to destroy the Men of Gondor and Rohan, but then [[Frodo Baggins]] destroyed the One Ring and Mordor fell. The Dark Tower, the Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth collapsed to ruin. Mount Doom exploded. Both Sauron and his Ringwraiths were apparently destroyed.

After the ultimate defeat of Sauron, Mordor became mostly empty again as the [[Orcs]] inside it fled or were killed. Crippled by thousands of years of abuse and neglect, but capable of sustaining life, the land of Mordor was given to the defeated foes of Gondor as a consolation, as well as to the freed slaves of Nurn who were formerly forced to farm there to feed the armies of Mordor.

== Naming ==
Mordor actually has two meanings: "The Black Land" in Tolkien's contrived language [[Sindarin]], and "The Land of Shadow" in [[Quenya]]. The root ''mor'' ("dark", "black") also appears in [[Moria]]. ''Dor'' ("land") also appears in ''Gondor'' ("stone-land") and ''[[Doriath]]'' ("fenced land"). The Quenya word for Shadow is "mordo".

A proposed etymology out of the context of Middle-earth is [[Old English]] ''morthor'', which means "mortal sin" or "murder". (The latter are descended from the former.) It is not uncommon for names in Tolkien's fiction to have relevant meanings in several languages, both those invented by Tolkien, and "real" ones, but this of course happens with any two languages. ''Mordor'' is also a name cited in some [[Nordic mythology|Nordic mythologies]] referring to a land where its citizens practise evil without knowing it, imposed on themselves by the society long created for that purpose. This quite fits with Tolkien's Mordor.

----
In ''[[The Atlas of Middle-earth]]'', [[Karen Wynn Fonstad]] assumed that the lands of Mordor, [[Khand]], and [[Rhûn]] lay where the inland [[Sea of Helcar]] had been, and that the [[Sea of Rhûn]] and [[Sea of Núrnen]] were its remnants. The atlas was however published before ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', where it turned out that the [[Sea of Rhûn]] and Mordor existed already in the First Age.

'''Compare:''' [[Moria]]

[[Category:Realms]]

Mordor

2006-08-22T02:16:02Z

70.250.43.6:

'''Mordor''' is the dwelling place of [[Sauron]], in the southeast of Middle-earth to the East of Anduin, the great river. [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] went there to destroy the [[One Ring]]. Mordor was unique because of the three enormous mountain ridges surrounding it, from the North, from the West and from the South, that protected this land from an unexpected invasion by any of the people living in those directions.

== Geography ==
Mordor was protected from three sides by mountain ranges, arranged roughly rectangularly: [[Ered Lithui]] in the north, [[Ephel Dúath]] in the west, and an unnamed (or possibly still called Ephel Dúath) range in the south. In the northwest corner of Mordor the deep valley of [[Udûn]] was the only entrance for large armies, and that is where Sauron built the Black Gate of Mordor. In front of the [[Morannon]] lay the [[Dagorlad]] or the ''Battle Plain''. Sauron's main fortress [[Barad-dûr]] was at the foothills of [[Ered Lithui]]. To southwest of Barad-dûr lay the arid plateau of [[Gorgoroth]] and [[Mount Doom]]; to the east lay the plain of [[Lithlad]]. A narrow pass led through Ephel Dúath and the fortress of [[Minas Morgul]] (earlier [[Minas Ithil]]) was guarding that; an even more difficult pass was guarded by the giant spider [[Shelob]] and the fortress of [[Cirith Ungol]]. Another known fortress was [[Durthang]] in northern Ephel Dúath.

The southern part of Mordor, [[Nurn]], was slighly more fertile, and moist enough to carry the inland [[sea of Núrnen]]. Nurn was made somewhat fertile because the ash blown from Mount Doom left its soil nutrient rich, thus allowing dry-land farming. Unfortunately, the inland sea of Núrn was salty, not freshwater.

To the west of Mordor was the narrow land of [[Ithilien]] with the city of [[Osgiliath]] and the great river [[Anduin]], to the northeast [[Rhûn]], and to the southeast, [[Khand]].

== Formation ==
Mordor was a relic of the devastating works of [[Morgoth]], apparently formed by massive volcanic eruptions. It was given the name Mordor already before Sauron settled there, because of its volcano [[Orodruin]] and its eruptions. Sauron however was the first to settle there.

== History ==

'''See also:''' [[Timeline]]

=== Early history ===

Sauron settled in Mordor 1,000 years after the end of the First Age, and it remained the pivot of his evil contemplations for the whole of the [[Second Age|Second]] and Third Ages of Middle-earth. In the north-western corner of this land stood Mount Doom or [[Orodruin]], where Sauron had forged the [[One Ring]]. Near Orodruin stood Sauron's stronghold [[Barad-dûr]]. After this time, Sauron was known as the [[Dark Lord|Dark Lord of Mordor]].

For two and a half thousand years, Sauron ruled Mordor uninterruptedly. Having wrought the Ring, it was from there that he launched the attack upon the Elves of [[Eregion]]. He was repelled by the Men of [[Númenor]]. He fought against the Men again, almost a thousand years later; that time, he was captured by the Númenóreans and brought to their island kingdom, eventually causing its destruction (see ''[[Akallabêth]]''). Immediately after [[Númenor]]'s destruction, Sauron returned to Mordor as a spirit and resumed his rule.

=== The Last Alliance and Third Age===

Sauron's rule was interrupted yet again when his efforts to overthrow the surviving Men and Elves failed, and they fought their way back to their foe's domain. After several years of siege, forces of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men came into Mordor. Sauron was defeated in a final battle on the slopes of Orodruin. For about a thousand years, Mordor was guarded by [[Gondor]] in order to prevent any evil forces from breaking out.

However Gondor had failed in the long run, and deprived of guard, Mordor began to fill with evil things again. [[Minas Ithil]] was conquered by the Nine [[Ringwraiths]]; other fortifications that were supposed to defend Gondor from the menace inside Mordor were turned into a means of shielding Mordor. By the time Sauron returned into Mordor after his false defeat in [[Dol Guldur]] (in the events that took place at the time of [[Bilbo Baggins]]'s [[The Hobbit|quest]]), Mordor was protected too well to be captured by any military might that was available in Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age. In the north of Mordor during the War of the Ring were the great garrisons and forges of war, while surrounding the bitter inland Sea of Núrnen to the south lay the vast fields tended for the provision of the armies by hordes of slaves brought in from lands to the east and south.

=== War of the Ring ===

During the War of the Ring, Sauron gathered all his forces to Mordor. After the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], a Host of the West went to the Black Gate. Sauron sent his army to destroy the Men of Gondor and Rohan, but then [[Frodo Baggins]] destroyed the One Ring and Mordor fell. The Dark Tower, the Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth collapsed to ruin. Mount Doom exploded. Both Sauron and his Ringwraiths were apparently destroyed.

After the ultimate defeat of Sauron, Mordor became mostly empty again as the [[Orcs]] inside it fled or were killed. Crippled by thousands of years of abuse and neglect, but capable of sustaining life, the land of Mordor was given to the defeated foes of Gondor as a consolation, as well as to the freed slaves of [[Nurn]] who were formerly forced to farm there to feed the armies of Mordor.

== Naming ==
Mordor actually has two meanings: "The Black Land" in Tolkien's contrived language [[Sindarin]], and "The Land of Shadow" in [[Quenya]]. The root ''mor'' ("dark", "black") also appears in [[Moria]]. ''Dor'' ("land") also appears in ''Gondor'' ("stone-land") and ''[[Doriath]]'' ("fenced land"). The Quenya word for Shadow is "mordo".

A proposed etymology out of the context of Middle-earth is [[Old English]] ''morthor'', which means "mortal sin" or "murder". (The latter are descended from the former.) It is not uncommon for names in Tolkien's fiction to have relevant meanings in several languages, both those invented by Tolkien, and "real" ones, but this of course happens with any two languages. ''Mordor'' is also a name cited in some [[Nordic mythology|Nordic mythologies]] referring to a land where its citizens practise evil without knowing it, imposed on themselves by the society long created for that purpose. This quite fits with Tolkien's Mordor.

----
In ''[[The Atlas of Middle-earth]]'', [[Karen Wynn Fonstad]] assumed that the lands of Mordor, [[Khand]], and [[Rhûn]] lay where the inland [[Sea of Helcar]] had been, and that the [[Sea of Rhûn]] and [[Sea of Núrnen]] were its remnants. The atlas was however published before ''[[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]'', where it turned out that the [[Sea of Rhûn]] and Mordor existed already in the First Age.

'''Compare:''' [[Moria]]

[[Category:Realms]]

Fornost

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{{Pronounce|Fornost.mp3|Ardamir}}
The chief city of [[Arthedain]], and the seat of its Kings from [[Amlaith]] to [[Arvedui]]. Soon after the loss of the kingdom of Arthedain, the [[Battle of Fornost]] was fought there between [[Gondor]] and [[Angmar]].

It is believed that [[Men]] returned to Fornost and rebuilt it in the [[Fourth Age]].

[[Category:Pronounced articles]]
[[Category:Cities]]

Dunland

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'''Dunland''' means 'Hill Land' in the language of neighbouring [[Rohan]], who's people named it after arriving in nearby [[Calenardhon]] in the later [[Third Age]].

The ancient ancestors of the Dunlendings inhabited the forested regions of [[Middle-earth]] either side of the [[Gwathló]] in the early [[Second Age]], and so were called 'Gwaithuirim' by the early Númenoreans. They spoke a language related to that of the Second House of Men, the [[Haladin]], rather than the vastly different [[Bëor]]ian/[[Marach]]ian tongue which stood at the base of [[Adûnaic]], and this lack of mutual understanding led to outright hostility. The Númenoreans greedily harvested their forests for timber, and after much war and bloodshed, the Gwaithuirim from south of the Gwathlo fled east to the [[Hithaeglir]], while others scattered to the cape of [[Eryn Vorn]] and the [[White Mountains]].

At the end of the Second Age, the land north of the Gwathlo and south of the [[Baranduin]] was named [[Minhiriath]], 'Land between the Rivers', although the land south of Minhiriath remained unnamed.
It's inhabitants were ignored, although a city grew up on the Gwathlo, west of the Misty Mountain hill-folk who had been Gwaithuirim long before.

It was not until [[Gondor]] abandoned this city ([[Tharbad]]) in T.A 2050 that the people and their land were renamed: both became known as [[Enedwaith]], 'The Middle-folk' and 'The Middle Region', because they no longer owed allegiance to either North or South Kingdom.

These Hill-folk of the Hithaeglir kept their hatred of the descendants of Númenor, unlike those of Eryn Vorn and the White Mountains, who nevertheless remained uncooperative. The Dead Men of [[Dunharrow]], for example, who betrayed [[Isildur]], were descended from Gwaithurim.

When [[Gondor]] decided to give the depopulated province of [[Calenardhon]] to the numerous people of [[Éothéod]] in 2510 T.A., the Hill-folk of the Hithaeglir felt threathened by these 'Forgoil', or ''Strawheads'' (referring to the blonde hair). The Hill-folk had slowly colonized Calenardhon during the dwindling of the [[Dúnedain]], and had already reclaimed all the land between the rivers [[Adorn]] and [[Isen]].

Still, open war was not waged until the reign of [[Helm Hammerhand]] (2741 T.A. - 2759 T.A.). [[Freca]], the lord of the hill-men (whom the Rohirrim now called [[Dunlendings]]) tried to get the throne of Rohan for himself by petitioning for the marriage of his son [[Wulf]] to the daughter of Helm. Freca was killed, and Wulf led the Dunlendings into open war with Rohan. They unsuccessfully besieged the [[Hornburg]] during the [[Long Winter]] of 2758–2759. Wulf did take [[Edoras]] and killed Haleth, the son of Helm, in front of the golden hall of [[Meduseld]]. But in the refuge of [[Dunharrow]] Helm's nephew [[Fréaláf]] held out against the Dunlendings. He recaptured Edoras in the end of the long winter and killed Wulf personally. The Dunlendings were driven out of Rohan, and Fréalaf succeeded the deceased Helm Hammerhand.

Guarding the [[Gap of Rohan]] was the fortress of [[Isengard]], where a hereditary guard watched for Gondor. However, by the time of the [[Steward of Gondor]] [[Beren]], these guards had mixed with Dunlendings, and it had become hostile to Gondor. To remedy this situation, Beren gave [[Saruman]] the keys to [[Orthanc]], to guard Isengard for Gondor.

Saruman used this old history to tempt the Dunlendings into supporting him during the [[War of the Ring]].

After the battle at [[Helm's Deep]], the Rohirrim allowed the surviving Dunlendings to return to their homes. The Rohirrim required that all hostilities cease, and that the Dunlendings retreat behind the [[Isen]] river again.

[[Category:Locations]]

Dunland

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'''Dunland''' means 'Hill Land' in the language of neighbouring [[Rohan]], who's people named it after arriving in nearby [[Calenardhon]] in the later [[Third Age]].

The ancient ancestors of the Dunlendings inhabited the forested regions of [[Middle-earth]] either side of the [[Gwathló]] in the early [[Second Age]], and so were called 'Gwaithuirim' by the early Númenoreans. They spoke a language related to that of the Second House of Men, the [[Haladin]], rather than the vastly different [[Bëor]]ian/[[Marach]]ian tongue which stood at the base of [[Adûnaic]], and this lack of mutual understanding led to outright hostility. The Númenoreans greedily harvested their forests for timber, and after much war and bloodshed, the Gwaithuirim from south of the Gwathlo fled east to the [[Hithaeglir]], while others scattered to the cape of [[Eryn Vorn]] and the [[White Mountains]].

At the end of the Second Age, the land north of the Gwathlo and south of the [[Baranduin]] was named [[Minhiriath]], 'Land between the Rivers', although the land south of Minhiriath remained unnamed.
It's inhabitants were ignored, although a city grew up on the Gwathlo, west of the Misty Mountain hill-folk who had been Gwaithuirim long before.

It was not until [[Gondor]] abandoned this city ([[Tharbad]]) in T.A 2050 that the people and their land were renamed: both became known as [[Enedwaith]], 'The Middle-folk' and 'The Middle Region', because they no longer owed allegiance to either North or South Kingdom.

These Hill-folk of the Hithaeglir kept their hatred of the descendants of Númenor, unlike those of Eryn Vorn and the White Mountains, who nevertheless remained uncooperative. The Dead Men of [[Dunharrow]], for example, who betrayed [[Isildur]], were descended from Gwaithurim.

When [[Gondor]] decided to give the depopulated province of [[Calenardhon]] to the numerous people of [[Éothéod]] in 2510 T.A., the Hill-folk of the Hithaeglir felt threathened by these 'Forgoil', or ''Strawheads'' (referring to the blonde hair). The Hill-folk had slowly colonized Calenardhon during the dwindling of the [[Dúnedain]], and had already reclaimed all the land between the rivers [[Adorn]] and [[Isen]].

Still, open war was not waged until the reign of [[Helm Hammerhand]] (2741 T.A. - 2759 T.A.). [[Freca]], the lord of the hill-men (whom the Rohirrim now called [[Dunlendings]]) tried to get the throne of Rohan for himself by petitioning for the marriage of his son [[Wulf]] to the daughter of Helm. Freca was killed, and Wulf led the Dunlendings into open war with Rohan. They unsuccessfully besieged the [[Hornburg]] during the [[Long Winter]] of 2758–2759. Wulf did take [[Edoras]] and killed Haleth, the son of Helm, in front of the golden hall of [[Meduseld]]. But in the refuge of [[Dunharrow]] Helm's nephew [[Frèaláf]] held out against the Dunlendings. He recaptured Edoras in the end of the long winter and killed Wulf personally. The Dunlendings were driven out of Rohan, and Fréalaf succeeded the deceased Helm Hammerhand.

Guarding the [[Gap of Rohan]] was the fortress of [[Isengard]], where a hereditary guard watched for Gondor. However, by the time of the [[Steward of Gondor]] [[Beren]], these guards had mixed with Dunlendings, and it had become hostile to Gondor. To remedy this situation, Beren gave [[Saruman]] the keys to [[Orthanc]], to guard Isengard for Gondor.

Saruman used this old history to tempt the Dunlendings into supporting him during the [[War of the Ring]].

After the battle at [[Helm's Deep]], the Rohirrim allowed the surviving Dunlendings to return to their homes. The Rohirrim required that all hostilities cease, and that the Dunlendings retreat behind the [[Isen]] river again.

[[Category:Locations]]

Free Peoples of Middle-earth

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The '''Free Peoples of Middle-earth''', were those not under the rule of [[Sauron]] or his supporters.

Book of Mazarbul

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[[Image:Mazarbul_book.jpg|300px|thumb|The Book of Mazarbul, as seen in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

The record of [[Balin]]'s return to [[Moria]] with a group of Longbeard [[Dwarves]] in [[Third Age|T.A.]] 2989.

==Etymology==

Mazarbul means "records" in [[Khuzdul]]. This name was used in connection with the [[Chamber of Records]] of [[Khazad-dûm]] and the Book of Records found in that chamber.

==The Books==

===History & Contents===

[[Image:Mazarbul_howe.jpg|150px|left|thumb|An image of the Book of Mazarbul by [[John Howe]].]]

The Book of Mazarbul was begun in T.A. 2989, upon Balin's return to Moria. The book recounted a battle with the [[Orcs]] that inhabited the old halls of Khazad-dûm, in which [[Balin]]'s Dwarves were victorious. They settled in the Twenty-first Hall, above the East-gate, and Balin himself ruled his new domain from the old Chamber of Records, also called the [[Chamber of Mazarbul]]. Over the next five years, the [[Dwarves]] seem to have settled quite successfully into their new home, exploring under the Mountains as far as the [[West-gate|West-gate of Moria]], and recovering [[Durin I|Durin]]'s Axe and apparently other priceless items made of mithril.

The Lordship of Balin was short-lived. [[Ori]], who was with him in Moria, recorded in the last pages of the Book how an army of Orcs came unexpectedly out of the east, slaying Balin outside the [[East-gate]]. The Dwarves defended themselves, but they were beleaguered from the the east by the Orcs, and from the west by the mysterious [[Watcher in the Water]]. Their last stand was in the Chamber of Mazarbul, where the Orcs eventually overcame and destroyed them.

The victorious Orcs seem not to have understood the significance of the Book, so that rather than carrying it off or destroying it, they left it to rot in the Chamber. There it was found twenty-four years later by the [[Company of the Ring]], burned, slashed and blood-stained, and missing a number of pages, but still readable in some parts. [[Gandalf]] passed it to [[Gimli]] to return to King [[Dáin II Ironfoot|Dáin]], after which nothing more is heard about it. If Gimli was able to keep it through the battles that followed, and didn't discard it with his gear at [[Parth Galen]], it is possible that he carried it throughout his travels in [[Middle-earth]], returning it at last to Dáin's heir [[Thorin III Stonehelm|Thorin III]] in [[Erebor]].

===Composition Details===
The Book of Mazarbul was written by many different authors, using the runes of both Moria and Dale, as well as Elvish letters. The pages of the book were marked with numbers referring to the years after Balin's arrival in Moria. [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] created three sample pages from the book (the three read aloud by Gandalf in the Chamber of Mazarbul). In the actual Book of Mazarbul, these pages were separated by numerous other leaves.

====First Page====

[[Image:mazarbulpage2.jpg|150px|thumb|The first sample page of the Book of Mazarbul made by Tolkien.]]

The first page Tolkien created was the first page read aloud by Gandalf in the Book of Mazarbul. It was written using [[Angerthas Erebor]]. Tolkien justifies its use as likely in a diary, written quickly without attempt at calligraphy or meticulous consistency of spelling, by Dwarves from Dale. In writing the Common Speech, the Dwarves tended to blend its usual spelling with certain idiosyncratic phonetic usages. The Dwarves did not like to use any letter or rune in more than one value, nor to express a simple sound by combinations of letters. For a fuller discussion of the Book of Mazarbul runes and sample pages, see ''[[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', ''[[The Treason of Isengard]]'' and ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator]]''. This page is numbered at the top with the runic numeral "three".

Following is a translation of what is readable on this page, as transcribed by [[Christopher Tolkien]]:
* “We drove out the orcs from the Great Gate and guardroom and took the First Hall. We slew many in the bright sun in the dale. Flói was killed by an arrow. He slew the great chieftain…Floi under grass near Mirrormere…came…ken we repaired…We have taken the Twenty-first Hall of North End to dwell in. There is good air…that can easily be watched…the shaft is clear…Balin has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul…gathered…gold…wonderful lay Durin’s Axe…silver helm. Balin has taken them for his own. Balin is now lord of Moria:…today we found truesilver…well-forged helm…n…coat made all of purest mithril…Óin to seek for the upper armories of the Third Deep…go westwards to s…to Hollin gate.”

Gandalf was able to make out a little less of the page in the dim light of the Chamber of Mazarbul than what is presented above, but he noted that "the top page is marked ''one-three'', so at least two [pages] are missing from the beginning". Following is what Gandalf read:
* “We drove out orcs from the Great Gate and guardroom. We slew many in the bright sun in the dale. Flói was killed by an arrow. He slew the great….Flói under grass near Mirrormere…We have taken the Twenty-first Hall of North End to dwell in. There is…shaft…Balin has set up his seat in the Chamber of Mazarbul…gold…Durin’s Axe…helm…Balin is now lord of Moria. [Gandalf assumes this is the end of a chapter]…we found truesilver…well-forged…mithril….Óin to seek for the upper armories of the Third Deep…go westwards…to Hollin gate.”

====Second Page====

[[Image:mazarbulpage1.jpg|150px|thumb|The second sample page of the Book of Mazarbul made by Tolkien.]]

This second page created by Tolkien was written using [[Tengwar]] of the later Westron convention. Gandalf described the text as written by "a large bold hand using an Elvish script", which Gimli describes as [[Ori]]'s hand. The runic figure at the bottom of the page is the numeral "five".

Following is Christopher Tolkien's transcription of the page:
* “r…(ye)ars since…ready sorrow…yesterday being the tenth of November Balin, lord of Moria, fell in Dimrill Dale. He went alone to look in Mirrormere. An orc shot him from behind a stone. We slew the orc, but many more ca(me)…(u)p from east up the Silverlode…we rescued Balin’s body…re a sharp battle…we have barred the gates but doubt if…can hold them long. If there is…no escape it will be a horrible fate to suffer, but I shall hold.”

Gandalf notes that the pages begin to be numbered "five", meaning the fifth year of the colony. Following is what Gandalf was able to make out:
* “…sorrow…yesterday being the tenth of November Balin, lord of Moria, fell in Dimrill Dale. He went alone to look in Mirrormere. An Orc shot him from behind a stone. We slew the orc, but many more…up from east up the Silverlode…we have barred the gates…can hold them long if…horrible…suffer…”

====Third Page====

[[Image:Mazarbul.jpg|150px|thumb|The third sample page of the Book of Mazarbul made by Tolkien.]]

Tolkien's third and final sample page was the last page of the Book of Mazarbul read aloud by Gandalf. It is written in Angerthas Erebor, similar to that of the first page, but with a different hand and different details in the runes, except for the last line ("a trailing scrawl of elf-letters"), written in Tengwar. The page seems to be numbered at the top.

Christopher Tolkien's transcription of the page follows:
* “We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and Second Hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there bravely while the rest retr…Mazarbul. We still ho…g...but hope u…n…Óin’s party went five days ago but today only four returned. The pool is up to the wall at West-gate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin--we cannot get out. The end comes soon. We hear drums, drums in the deep. They are coming.”

Gandalf makes out this much:
* “We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and Second Hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there…went five days…the pool is up to the wall at West-gate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin. We cannot get out. The end comes...drums, drums in the deep. They are coming.”

====Tolkien's Comments====
The use of English to represent the Common Speech in primary sources such as the pages of the Book of Mazarbul was a result of Tolkien's vision of completely translating all Westron into modern English, even in authentic documentation, although upon reflection Tolkien said that this translation was "an erroneous extension of the general linguistic treatment" (''[[The_Peoples_of_Middle-earth|The Peoples of Middle-Earth]]'', pp. 298-9: "Of Dwarves and Men").

Tolkien comments on his general treatment of the Book of Mazarbul pages: "...the text was cast into English spelt as at present, but modified as it might be by writers in haste whose familiarity with the written form was imperfect, and who were also (on the first and third pages) transliterating the English into a different alphabet."; "...since documents of this kind nearly always show uses of letters or shapes that are peculiar and rarely or never found elsewhere, a few such features are also introduced..." (''same reference as above'', pp. 298-9). Thus, the Book of Mazarbul showcases some slightly different distributions of certain English sounds.

===References===

* [[The Lord of the Rings]]: [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] Book II: Chapter 5: [[The Bridge of Khazad-dûm]]
* [[The Lord of the Rings]]: [[Appendix E]]
* [[Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien]]: "Leaves from the Book of Mazarbul"
* [[The Treason of Isengard]]: Appendix on Runes
* [[J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator]]
* [[The Peoples of Middle-earth]]: "Of Dwarves and Men"

==The Films==

[[Image:135.jpg|300px|thumb|The Book of Mazarbul, as seen in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

===Appearances===
* [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]], [[Scene 35: Balin's Tomb]]

===Portrayal===
The Book of Mazarbul appears on screen nearly identical to its description in the book. The outer cover decoration is of typical [[Dwarven design]] and the inside pages are written in a variety of different styles, using Angerthas Erebor (and, presumably, [[Angerthas Moria]]), as well as Tengwar.

===Cover and Interior Runes===
The outside cover of the Book of Mazarbul in the films reads:
* "Records (of the) Longbeards of Khazad-dûm".

The first page of the book read by Gandalf in the movie is written using [[Cirth]] (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full mode), perhaps written by Ori. A number of leaves before this page fall out when Gandalf opens the book. This apparently is the second to the last page. The translation is as follows:
* Cirth: "And so we come to our final hope. Óin is going to the West-gate to see if we can escape that way."
* Tengwar: "The orcs have taken all the lower levels and the upper halls to the fifth level. Our stores of food are running low and we have no water to drink. Unless Oin can find a way out at the West-gate, we are doomed whether the orcs get us or not."

The last page of the book is written using Cirth (Angerthas Erebor) and Tengwar (full-vowel mode). The translation is as follows:
* Cirth: "We cannot get out. We cannot get out. They have taken the bridge and Second Hall. Frár and Lóni and Náli fell there bravely whil the rest retreated to Mazarbul. We still hold the chamber but hope is fading now. Óin's party went five days ago but today only four returned. The pool is up to the wall at West-gate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin----we cannot get out. The end comes soon. We hear drums, drums in the deep."
* Tengwar: "They are coming."

===What Gandalf Reads===

[[Image:fotr1085.jpg|300px|thumb|Gandalf reading from the Book of Mazarbul, as seen in [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring]].]]

In Scene 35 (Balin's Tomb) of Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf reads a portion of the Book of Mazarbul. The results of his translation of the runes are as follows (with lines not found in the last two pages in italics):

* While looking at the second to last page: "They have taken the bridge and the second hall. (last page) ''We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes, ''drums...drums in the deep. (last page)"

* While looking at the last page: "We cannot get out. (last page) ''A shadow moves in the dark.'' We cannot get out.... (last page) They are coming. (last page)"

What Gandalf is reading seemingly does not always correspond with the page he is viewing when doing so. He also "reads" a few lines not seen in the viewable pages. It has been suggested that Gandalf was glancing simultaneously at three pages of text, reading and translating them in his mind and then uttering the results of his thought process all the while to the Fellowship. In other words, he was composing a translation quickly from three separate pages, perhaps including one of the pages that fell out of the book when he opened it. "We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long" is a phrase from Tolkien's second sample page of the Book of Mazarbul, so this is likely from one the pages that initially fell out of the book.

===Behind the Scenes===

The outside cover of the Book of Mazarbul was probably designed by [[Alan Lee]] in typical Dwarven fashion. The interior pages were penned by [[Daniel Reeve]]. Tolkien's third sample page was copied almost exactly to create the last page of the book, with a few additions to fill in the missing pieces. The page before this was written in as close a manner as possible to Tolkien's original samples.

===References===
*[http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie.htm Fellowship of the Word-smiths: Other Movie Inscriptions] - A web page discussing many inscriptions from the movies, including those found within the Book of Mazarbul.
* Alan Lee's [[The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook]]: "Moria"

==Related Links==
Original Location: [[Khazad-dûm]] | [[North End]] | [[Seventh Level]] | [[Twenty-first Hall]] | [[Chamber of Mazarbul]]

* [[Balin]]
* [[Ori]]

Yellow Mountains

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The '''Yellow Mountains''' were a range of mountains to the South-East of [[Middle-earth]]. They Felt the effects of the [[War of Wrath]] and were ruined.

Yellow Mountains

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The '''Yellow Mountains''' were a range of mountains to the South-East of [[Middle-Earth]]. They Felt the effects of the [[War of Wrath]] and were ruined.

Arador

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'''Arador''' ('[[Sindarin|S]]. 'Lord of the Land'; ''[[ara]]'' "noble" + ''[[dôr]]'' "land") was the fourteenth of the [[Chieftains of the Dúnedain]].

Like his forefathers, he was raised by [[Elrond]] in [[Rivendell]] while his father [[Argonui]] dwelt in the wild.

Arador became the [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain]] in [[Third Age|T.A.]] 2912 at the death of his father. This was after the [[Fell Winter]], and great floods devastated [[Enedwaith]] and [[Minhiriath]]. The city of [[Tharbad]] at the southern end of the former realm of [[Arnor]] was ruined and deserted.

Arador died in 2930, when he was captured by [[Hill-trolls]] north of [[Rivendell]]. He was followed by his young son [[Arathorn II]].

[[Category:Dúnedain of the North]]

Arador

2006-08-19T05:57:01Z

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'''Arador''' ('[[Sindarin|S]]. 'Lord of the Land'; ''[[ara]]'' "noble" + ''[[dôr]]'' "land") was the fourteenth of the [[Chieftains of the Dúnedain]].

Like his forefathers, he was raised by [[Elrond]] in [[Rivendell]] while his father [[Argonui]] dwelt in the wild.

Arador became the [[Chieftain of the Dúnedain]] in [[Third Age|T.A.]] 2912 at the death of his father. This was after the [[Fell Winter]], and great floods devastated [[Enedwaith]] and [[Minhiriath]]. The city of [[Tharbad]] at the southern end of the former realm of [[Arnor]] was ruined and deserted.

Arador died in 2930, when he was captured by [[Hill-troll]]s north of [[Rivendell]]. He was followed by his young son [[Arathorn II]].

[[Category:Dúnedain of the North]]

Last Homely House

2006-08-19T05:55:13Z

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A name given to [[Elrond]]'s refuge at [[Rivendell]], so called because it was the last outpost in the relatively civilised lands of [[Eriador]] before a traveller crossed the [[Misty Mountains]] and entered the [[Wilds of Rhovanion]].

Ruffians

2006-08-19T05:53:39Z

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'''Ruffians''', were a group of [[Men]] that followed [[Saruman]] to take over the [[Shire]]. They were defeated by the [[Hobbits]] in the [[Battle of Bywater]].

Moria Gate

2006-08-19T05:51:06Z

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Also appearing in the form 'Moria-gate', a term used for either of the two gates of Moria. One opened westward to the old [[Elvish]] land of [[Eregion]], the other eastward onto the valley of [[Nanduhirion]].

[[Category:Gates]]

Dunland

2006-08-19T05:50:06Z

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'''Dunland''' means 'Hill Land' in the language of neighbouring [[Rohan]], who's people named it after arriving in nearby [[Calenardhon]] in the later [[Third Age]].

The ancient ancestors of the Dunlendings inhabited the forested regions of [[Middle-earth]] either side of the [[Gwathló]] in the early [[Second Age]], and so were called 'Gwaithuirim' by the early Númenoreans. They spoke a language related to that of the Second House of Men, the [[Haladin]], rather than the vastly different [[Bëor]]ian/[[Marach]]ian tongue which stood at the base of [[Adûnaic]], and this lack of mutual understanding led to outright hostility. The Númenoreans greedily harvested their forests for timber, and after much war and bloodshed, the Gwaithuirim from south of the Gwathlo fled east to the [[Hithaeglir]], while others scattered to the cape of [[Eryn Vorn]] and the [[White Mountains]].

At the end of the Second Age, the land north of the Gwathlo and south of the [[Baranduin]] was named [[Minhiriath]], 'Land between the Rivers', although the land south of Minhiriath remained unnamed.
It's inhabitants were ignored, although a city grew up on the Gwathlo, west of the Misty Mountain hill-folk who had been Gwaithuirim long before.

It was not until [[Gondor]] abandoned this city ([[Tharbad]]) in T.A 2050 that the people and their land were renamed: both became known as [[Enedwaith]], 'The Middle-folk' and 'The Middle Region', because they no longer owed allegiance to either North or South Kingdom.

These Hill-folk of the Hithaeglir kept their hatred of the descendants of Númenor, unlike those of Eryn Vorn and the White Mountains, who nevertheless remained uncooperative. The Dead Men of [[Dunharrow]], for example, who betrayed [[Isildur]], were descended from Gwaithurim.

When [[Gondor]] decided to give the depopulated province of [[Calenardhon]] to the numerous people of [[Éothéod]] in 2510 T.A., the Hill-folk of the Hithaeglir felt threathened by these 'Forgoil', or ''Strawheads'' (referring to the blonde hair). The Hill-folk had slowly colonized Calenardhon during the dwindling of the [[Dúnedain]], and had already reclaimed all the land between the rivers [[Adorn]] and [[Isen]].

Still, open war was not waged until the reign of [[Helm Hammerhand]] (2741 T.A. - 2759 T.A.). [[Freca]], the lord of the hill-men (whom the Rohirrim now called [[Dunlendings]]) tried to get the throne of Rohan for himself by petitioning for the marriage of his son [[Wulf]] to the daughter of Helm. Freca was killed, and Wulf led the Dunlendings into open war with Rohan. They unsuccessfully besieged the [[Hornburg]] during the [[Long Winter]] of 2758–2759. Wulf did take [[Edoras]] and killed Haleth, the son of Helm, in front of the golden hall of [[Meduseld]]. But in the refuge of [[Dunharrow]] Helm's nephew [[Frealaf]] held out against the Dunlendings. He recaptured Edoras in the end of the long winter and killed Wulf personally. The Dunlendings were driven out of Rohan, and Fréalaf succeeded the deceased Helm Hammerhand.

Guarding the [[Gap of Rohan]] was the fortress of [[Isengard]], where a hereditary guard watched for Gondor. However, by the time of the [[Steward of Gondor]] [[Beren]], these guards had mixed with Dunlendings, and it had become hostile to Gondor. To remedy this situation, Beren gave [[Saruman]] the keys to [[Orthanc]], to guard Isengard for Gondor.

Saruman used this old history to tempt the Dunlendings into supporting him during the [[War of the Ring]].

After the battle at [[Helm's Deep]], the Rohirrim allowed the surviving Dunlendings to return to their homes. The Rohirrim required that all hostilities cease, and that the Dunlendings retreat behind the [[Isen]] river again.

[[Category:Locations]]

User:Hyarion/Reviews/Ringers: Lord of the Fans

2006-08-19T05:37:40Z

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[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans DVD (cover).jpg|thumb|200px|Cover of [[Ringers: Lord of the Fans]] DVD.]]

This is a [[User:Hyarion/Reviews|Review]] of [[Ringers: Lord of the Fans]]. Please keep in mind while reading this review that I am ''not'' even close to a [[Purists|Purist]], I'm all for the movies because they allowed so many new fans to be exposed to the genre and [[Middle-earth]], but if anything this movie has propelled me to dislike the movies and what they have done for the world [[J.R.R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] created.

Overall I'm giving the movie two out of five stars. It was not even close to what I was hoping for and expecting for when I shelled out $20. I enjoyed ''Trekkies'' much more and I've never even seen any kind of ''Star Trek'' episodes or films. But I also realize the Ringers team just did not want to make the movie that I (or most Ringers out there) wanted to see, they filled it with repetition and mundane history that we already know instead of showing what we really wanted to see, the fans.

The movie came in your standard DVD case, fine, no brochure on the inside, just some advertisements, fair enough. Let's take a look at the cover; we see [[Dominic Monaghan]] covering a good quarter of the front with "Narrated By Dominic Monaghan" in huge bold letters. What's the title of this movie again, ''The Documentary of Merry”? No. It's about the FANS, something it seems no one behind this film knew about. I enjoyed the "Special Edition" Sony slapped across the top, oh well, I understand to get a project like this manufactured you have to cave in to the upper-management, i.e. Sony.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans (menu).jpg|thumb|left|300px|The main menu for the DVD]]

Let's pop the DVD in, oh fun I get to watch some previews I do not want to see, I'll let this one slide since Sony is most likely just trying to squeeze their money from advertisements since obviously the DVD is not going to sell very well. Onto the title screen, it looks like someone photoshoppped in some random images while he was driving to deliver the DVD to the reproduction center. Oh well, I'll give them some more slack, budgeting can be a pain, let's get to the actual movie.

...did I pop in [[The Fellowship of the Ring]] by accident? What the heck, that doesn't sound like [[Cate Blanchett]]...don't tell me they had [[Dominic Monaghan]] do some cheap rip off of the introduction narration... I'm glad they went all out on these blue clouds, very Tolkien-like. This is the first example of the movie trying to appeal to the hippies.

Moving on, we're starting out good, an actual fan, and not a terribly bad looking one at that. We get a quick preview of pretty much the whole movie with some nice music to go along with it, this part I liked. Fans, music, pretty good narration, if only the whole film could have continued like this.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 02.jpg|thumb|200px|A ringer]]

In the next segment they try and recap the history of [[The Lord of the Rings]] in what looks to be a rip off of the Monty Python cartoon style (I'm sure they did not originate it, but that's just what I remember it from). Next we get to see the first of a series of flash-back settings of a room, the first being in the 50's. Good idea if you think about it, bad idea if you try to implement it in a low-budget film. What they ended up with was what looked to be a rushed high school drama production. To make matters worse they throw in the fact that [[C.S. Lewis]] wrote anonymous reviews of ''The Lord of the Rings'', it just degrades the work by making it look like Tolkien needed his friends to write good reviews.

Next Dominic starts to insult Tolkien by mimicking his voice in an attempt to quote something that has relatively nothing to do with the basis of the film, THE FANS. Then they go on about Forrest J. Ackerman, the poor soul who tried to turn The Lord of the Rings into a film way back then, nice history for someone who did not already know it, but what does this have to do with Ringers?? Then they go on about Tolkien keeping his mouth shut after reading there would be quite a few absurd changes to the script in hopes he would collect a large sum of money...are we trying to make the poor guy look bad?

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 03.JPG|thumb|left|300px|3 annoying cartoons]]

We then jump ahead to the film trying to make fun of the English with cartoons and we get to see an angel-like [[C.S. Lewis]] fly in to spurt some more history, wow that's amazing, now where are the Ringers?! Dominic references another not-so-complimenting quote and is nice enough to translate it into a terrible British accent for us. We move along to some negative reviews of The Lord of the Rings, a nice touch, if we were trying to degrade the books!

In the next scene, we finally get to see some Ringers, it took 10 minutes but at least it looks like they're going to make an appearance. Unfortunately we have to listen to Cliff Broadway, sorry TORners, he just comes off arrogant and annoying to me. A few seconds with a fan and we're off for an interview with [[Sean Astin]] and then [[Billy Boyd]]...and then [[John Rhys-Davies]]...and then [[Elijah Wood]], and then [[Brian Sibley]], and then [[Colin Duriez]]... I don't know about you but I was hoping for something other than an Extended Extended Edition of The Lord of the Ring's interviews that give us no new information.

Finally a fan! (and again, not too bad looking). Then Ava gives us an uplifting sermon and informs us that she thinks everybody is rooting for good. WRONG. Later on we'll see that almost everyone's favorite characters are evil. Next up an interview with [[Viggo Mortensen]] who we just couldn't fit enough of in the Extended DVDs as well as [[David Carradine]], at least he's a new face and I suppose we can count him as a fan. Then we have [[Phillipa Boyens]], [[John Noble]] and [[Ian McKellen]] give us some more heart warming uplifting messages...am I at church? Wow, another fan, it must be our lucky..."about faith and trust and..." am I in church again? Next. Now we skip over to [[Orlando Bloom]] and [[Liv Tyler]] that teach us how races can unite to defeat evil, wow, thanks! I'm not even going to continue listing these actors but they throw in some more interviews and continue to randomly tune in music that doesn't go at all with what the person is saying.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 04.JPG|thumb|300px|Andy Serkis and a fan]]

Next we get to hear from an actual Ringer, yes I know I'm shocked as well. And then [[Andy Serkis]] joins in with his [[Gollum]] impersonation which is always nice but man that guy has got to be ready to kill the next person who asks to hear him say "My preciousss". Up comes another fan, two in a row! We're on a roll, unfortunately he blows it by saying he's part of the original generation of the 1960's...first off you're a bit late, for The Lord of the Rings which was released in 1954/55 but thats assuming we're excluding The Hobbit which was released way back in 1937.

Next they throw in some more random hippie music, bright lights, and bad dancing. After that we have some more David Carradine talk and more hippie music and psychedelic imagery. More cringing with Cliff Broadway who manages to screw up a blantly obvious fact about Ace publishing. Now we get to go back to these like 10 second shots of shadow dancing, bright lights and hippie music...are we supposed to be high?! Now Dominic manages to go back to making Tolkien look bad by stating Tolkien only cared about getting rid of Ace because he wasn't getting any money when it was really his publishing company that was upset.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 05.JPG|thumb|left|300px|Pyschedelic imagery]]

Next we go on to learn the 60's books had "irrelevant trippy psychedelic covers", lets keep kicking that name that we call The Lord of the Rings down to the ground. After that we get to hear a quote from Tolkien insulting his fans, ya that's nice. Up next is just more purple dancing women and interviews with the same people. Moving along we try to decipher what Lemmy Kilmister is saying. We learn more about drugs and hippies. And just when you thought it couldn't get anymore hippier we get to see more 10 second shots of dizzying colors and blue people dancing.

Next up an interview with an actual fan, Jymm Magon and he even sounds like a geek, finally someone I can relate to. After that back to hippie music and colors and the UK saying the U.S. was all about smoking and drugs.

Woah, already another fan, Deborah. Unfortunately she fails, all she talks about is protesting this and protesting that...wtf...then something about all being one but then she goes to say we are all different, obviously she's still living in the '60s.

More interviews with the same old people all saying how Middle-earth relates to hippies. But we do actually get about a 15 second clip of photographs of some Ringers. And wtf, this Deborah character is talking about breeding new hippies, HELL no, we dont want any more hippies.

Next up is the Green Party transforming themselves into [[Ents]] for a parade and they do a pretty fine job if I may say so. Thanks for including that but how many conventions, gatherings, parties, etc a year do we have?! Where are all those?! Up next is more interviews with actors and with Dominic who looks like he went to extra trouble to make sure his hair looked as if he just got out of bed.

Then we have the music video with Leonard Ni...oh I'm not even going to go there, we all know it. My favorite quote appears right after that by Lemmy Kilmister, "it was a big old basement warehouse place, because they all are you know"...wtf does that have to do with ''anything''?

More interviews with actors...oh wait, a fan, unfortunately its just ramblings about Led Zeppelin followed by more history about the well known Beatles Lord of the Rings movie. We move along to the music section with a history of all the bands who have ever sung about anything remotely related to Tolkien. Lemmy Kilmister shoots off another one of the most amazing quotes in the whole movie where he states a lot of the high pitched singers sing about faeries and how "suspicious" that is.

Now we move on to a history about how there aren't many roadside attractions left...sure it's leading up to their next bit about a [[Hobbits|Hobbit]]-like tour but was it really necessary? Cliff Broadway's amazing interviewing talent continues with asking whether someone would like to visit Middle-earth if it was a real place...would you also like to win the lottery if you had the chance? Do tell!

Continuing on to the next segment which is all about the '70s now...is this movie about Tolkien's impact on music or RINGERS. We get to hear Arlo's rendition of The Greatest Adventure which isn't too bad. And YES, more colored dancing shadows, I was getting worried. But they're dancing in front of the images and text we're supposed to be reading, do they want to give us an epileptic attack? We continue on to more colored dancing shadows while we run through the history of the live action film that never happened and Bakshi's animated one.

We get to hear from a fan, yay, and we hear some people not bashing the Bakshi films for once. Then Dominic goes on to list how bad the Return of the King animated film was...it seems all they want to do is bash things to try and sound cool. Although I admit I dont want to see them saying how everything was so amazing it seems the film focuses more on the bad sides of the films than the good sides. World Without Sundays then does a nice rendition of Where There's a Whip There's a Way which I really need to downloa...purchase.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 06.JPG|thumb|300px|Fan who thinks Frodo is a female roll.]]

Another fan! Unfortunately his favorite character is Gandorf... Followed by more interviews with Dominic and Ian. Next up a 30 second shot of the camera zooming in on Tolkien's grave...fascinating... Then a history of the Silmarillion...moving on... More terrible acting and dancing in this apartment which all the special features talk about is how amazing of an idea this was...

Yes, a fan! Dressed like Obi-wan...no that is not going to count. Terry Prachett gives us a nice history of Mount Fuji...wow thanks. Up next, a history of fantasy movies, I guess the team was getting low on relevant film to use. Another old interview with PJ which we've all seen. Next up another pretty decent song. Another interview with Elijah Wood tieing in Middle-earth with crap. Oh wait cool, another feminist fan...trying to say Frodo is a female roll, no. no. and NO.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 07.JPG|thumb|left|300px|Star Wars fan pretending to be a Tolkien fan]]

Wait, whats this, an actual video from a line party?! But the film lets us down, not only do we have to listen to more of Cliff but 'Grimlock' cleary states how he's a much bigger Star Wars fan than Lord of the Rings...were you guys that short on footage? Some more cheap acting follows and then a few clips of fans and how they enjoy the Internet, thanks Captain Obvious.

Next up a fan interview but unfortunately not only is she yammering on about Lord of the Peeps, she's wearing a Johnny Depp costume... Oh wait, another interview with a fan who informs us fan fic is separated into two categories, people putting themselves in the book and most likely having sex and people writing about two male characters having sex... She goes on to state how fan fic is pretty much all girls daydreaming about one of the male actors in the film, I personally know a lot, well a few people who are going to be upset by this. Next up a reenactment with figurines imagining having sex with each other. That's something I could have done without.

Next up we have to put up with more Cliff with some geeky fan, but at least its a fan. Cliff points out how she amazingly hand-made one of the kilts for a figure...its a piece of cloth wrapped around its legs, fantastic. I now am going to be working with the Oxford police in guarding off Tolkien's poor grave from any intruders, she states she's going to take her action figures and get a picture taken with them on his grave. The film is followed by more bad acting and psychedelic colored dancing shadows.

[[Image:Ringers Lord of the Fans - 08.JPG|thumb|300px|Lord of the Peeps]]

Now we get to see some, you guessed it, mariachi for some reason, a '''terribly''' sung song with awful lyrics as if they tried to put the whole thing together in a half hour. Just because someone on the staff is hispanic doesn't mean this is what any of the fans want to see. They manage to make up about 1% of the last 2 minutes with some actual fan interviews afterwards. Again followed by a pretty decent song.

Moving along we have that song from the beginning I liked and a collection of Ring fans over in New Zealand on Red Carpet Tours goofing around, this is what I wanted the movie to be about, the geeks. Next up a Klingon...what movie is this again? Oh well, at least I’m hoping he’s a Ringer so I won’t complain here. Following is a few more shots of some fans and testimonials about how their favorite characters are the ''evil'' characters, which contradicts someone's previous statement about everyone wanting good.

Ian McKellen then tells us that the ‘Lord of the Rings’ isn’t actually a character in the books...eh I don’t know Ian, Tolkien goes quite into detail about the many forms Sauron took and his evil deeds, I think we see a great deal about him in the books. Some more testimonials up next, a bit more of what I was hoping for in the film. Next we get to hear some kid say he would kick Lurtz in the "wiener" if he saw him. I hope his parents are proud. And if I was Lurtz I’d say screw Frodo I’m going to bitch-slap this damn kid, let’s see if he’s still smiling after that.

Diane gets off to a good start by telling us how it’s the whole aspect of the world that...oh wait, now she’s talking about the soundtracks and the cast, she probably doesn’t even know that there are books. Next up more interviews with actors, although Viggo does mention the fact that Tolkien despised allegory and that’s something I always have to stress to people so it’s good they included that.

Terry Pratchett informs us that when we’re in a war with another country, we need to realize that we are fighting other human beans, not Orcs...Orcs have feelings too, racist bastard. Then he tells us there’s no such things as evil empires…has he not heard of Microsoft?!

Clive Barker continues to sound like he’s been smoking for 500 years. Next up we get to meet the dad who drags his kid along to the TTT premiere on a school night, apparently that counts as "love" nowadays. Andy Serkis is then forced to do yet another Gollum impression, poor guy.

A few more testimonials, someone saying that they saw the movies over 100 times, quite a few, probably haven’t had time to read the books either. More interviews with PJ, the actors and people in the industry with a couple Ringers thrown in. John Rhys-Davies takes a crack at PJ’s weight, “this is being made by the biggest fan of all”.

Next up we get to listen to girls praising their love for the men in the movies and poor Elijah, it’s not that bad when everyone thinks your hot, what’s bad is when 99% of them are over weight middle-aged women. Followed is a few more clips of Ringers, along with someone who says they aren’t obsessed enough to bring a sign that says ‘elijah lick me’, but oh oh ya I was the first one in line since before 5am.

Then there’s Clarice who had to sell her house to pay for the trip to Wellington. Judging by her outfit it was her "[summer] house". The film continues with a few more clips of Ringers, we’re on a roll. But then right back to actors talking about how spiritual The Lord of the Rings is.

A good collection of ringers saying how The Lord of the Rings impacted them, unfortunately its bland and boring and we have this damn hippie again saying everyone likes The Lord of the Rings because we wanted to be "one" and loved... [expletives removed]

And…it’s a miracle, the credits start rolling, after a while they start to show some fan testimonials, good to see they’re putting a bit more of them in the second part of the movie, unfortunately their choices are just stupid. The first goes on about Hobbits being better lovers because of the feet, but honestly, doesn’t look like she is the best one to know about making love. The next one has to be told which one Strider is, the next one says "great" about 10 times and that's not counting all the "super great"s, woah that’s a bit too much greatness for me. And why on earth did this need a PG-13 rating? Hm, maybe it was the fact that they had to keep showing these close-up crotch shots of greek statues. It would have been a a bit nicer to have a more clean movie with a PG rating for the kids, oh well.

But, if you own the DVD, keep watching the credits roll and wait for the guy in the yellow shirt and hat. He made the whole movie worth it for me, you guys ''have'' to see his confession, I was laughing out loud, he just has so much "fiery passion" just bursting out of him. If you own the DVD you really need to check out the special features so you can see the full confession by him. If only the DVD had more like him it would have rocked.

Throughout the film we get to see interviews with the stars and take a little history lesson but there are very few clips of actual fans, what happened? I wanted to see people I could relate with, I wanted to be able to see a person and be able to say "woah, that guy is even geekier than me" but the only actual interviews are of idiots who either make Middle-earth seem like its some whole spiritual thing or it's all about smoking pot and getting high.

'''Pros:'''
* Music, especially the World Without Sundays bits.
* Camera work and editing really wasn't too bad.
* The passionate testimonial
* Illustrations that were included

'''Cons:'''
* Not enough footage of actual Ringers
* Way too many references to hippies
* Out of everything out there the movie tends to focus on random things while neglecting everything else.

In the end though, I know the film makers did not have $100 million to spend on the project and I'm sure they did the best to their capabilities. Hopefully other Ringers enjoy it more so than I did and that's all that matters. I probably would be complaining no matter what so try not to take too much offense to the above rant. If you agree or disagree with this article feel free to discuss about it [http://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Hyarion/Reviews/Ringers:_Lord_of_the_Fans&action=edit&section=new|on the discussion page]

'''Update:''' Interesting enough the Ringers team has removed a link to this review on their forums. Sounds like censorship to me especially when many agreed with my points, but whatever, it's their forums, they can choose to do what they like.

Celebdil

2006-08-19T05:34:50Z

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'''Silvertine''' was one of the three peaks that made up the [[Mountains of Moria]], above the Dwarf-city of [[Khazad-dûm]]. Its [[Dwarvish]] name was [[Zirakzigil]], while the [[Elves]] called it [[Celebdil]].

West-mark

2006-08-19T05:32:58Z

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The military division of [[Rohan]] that lay to the west of the [[Entwash]] and [[Snowbourn]] rivers (excepting the lands around the capital at [[Edoras]]), commanded by a [[Marshall]] based at [[Helm's Deep]]. Bordering on Rohan's enemies in [[Dunland]], the West-mark was historically the scene of much strife. The worst troubles in this region were seen during the [[Long Winter]], when the [[Dunlendings]] forced the Rohirrim to abandon [[Edoras]] and flee to the West-mark, where they sheltered in Helm's Deep.

[[Isengard]] also lay on its borders, so that the West-mark was of great importance during the [[War of the Ring]]. The King's son [[Théodred]] was given the rank of Second Marshal of the Mark, and given the command of this region in the wars with [[Saruman]]. He went to battle with the enemy at the [[Fords of Isen]], where he lost his life. The command of the West-mark was then taken by the lord [[Erkenbrand]], who fought and lost a second battle at the Fords, but was able to rally enough of his forces to help in the desperate defence of Helm's Deep.

East Lórien

2006-08-19T05:32:29Z

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'''East Lorien''', was the name and the Eastern border of Lothlorien in [[Southern Mirkwood]], after the cleansing of [[Dol Guldur]] during the [[War of the Ring]].

East Lórien

2006-08-19T05:32:10Z

70.250.43.6:

'''East Lorien''', was the name and the Eastern border of Lothlorien in [[Southern Mirkwood]], after the cleansing of [[Dol Guldur]] during the War of the Ring.

Talk:Dwarves

2006-08-19T01:58:02Z

70.250.43.6:

There needs to be a history of the Dwarves on here.

Dwarves

2006-08-18T20:47:58Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:WAR-ICONS Dwarves.jpg|left|150px]]The '''Dwarves''' are beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They are typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.

The enduring popularity of Tolkien's books, especially ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' has led to the popular use of the term ''dwarves'' to describe this race in fantasy literature. Before Tolkien, the term ''dwarfs'' (with a different spelling) was used, as seen in ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. In fact, the latter spelling was so common that the original editor of ''The Lord of the Rings'' "corrected" Tolkien's ''dwarves'' to ''dwarfs'' (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 138).

According to Tolkien, the "real 'historical'" plural of ''dwarf'' is ''dwarrows'' or ''dwerrows''. He once referred to ''dwarves'' as "a piece of private bad grammar" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|Letters]]'', 17), but in Appendix F to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' he explains that if we still spoke of ''dwarves'' regularly, English might have retained a special plural for the word ''dwarf'' as with ''man''. The form ''dwarrow'' only appears in the word ''Dwarrowdelf'', a name for [[Moria]]. Tolkien used ''Dwarves'', instead, which corresponds with ''Elf'' and ''Elves'', making its meaning more apparent. The use of a different term also serves to set Tolkien's Dwarves apart from the similarly-named creatures in mythology and fairy-tales.

Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of [[Ilúvatar]]. They were created by [[Aulë]] the Smith. They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone. Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.

They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]]. They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts. (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]].)

The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"

The Dwarves were known for their furiousity, skill, strenghth, and indurance in battle. They fought in many wars and battles over the many ages of Middle Earth's existance, which were:

* The [[First Battle of Beleriand]].
* The [[Battle of Unnumbered Tears]].
* The [[Sack of Doriath]].
* The [[War of the Last Alliance]].
* The [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
* The [[Battle of Five Armies]].
* The [[War of the Ring]].

Most Dwarves mentioned in Tolkien's works are of [[Durin's folk]], the clan founded by [[Durin I]] of [[Khazad-dûm]], called the Longbeards. (A notable exception are the inhabitants of the dwarf-cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] in the [[Ered Luin|Blue Mountains]], spoken of in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''). The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age. There were three pairs of Dwarf Fathers that awoke together, and their Folk would build their halls near each other, though Durin himself had awoken alone. (In his letters, Tolkien adds that all the Dwarf Fathers except for Durin also had wives who awoke with them). Therefore the halls of the Longbeards at Khazad-dûm were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom. The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from Khazad-dûm.
* [[Firebeards]], originally from Nogrod. Paired with the
* [[Broadbeams]], originally from Belegost.
* [[Ironfists]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stiffbeards]].
* [[Blacklocks]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stonefoots]].

There was also an eigth group of Dwarves that was not a separate member from these seven kindreds, but composed of exiles from each: the [[Petty-dwarves]], who were hunted like animals to the point of extinction by the [[Elves]] in the First Age.

[[Thorin Oakenshield]] brings twelve Dwarves to [[Bag End]] to recruit [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] for their treasure hunt in ''[[The Hobbit]]''.

[[Gimli]] joins the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] and befriends [[Legolas]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

==Names==
The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazad]]'', the name Aule gave them; this translates as the ''Hadhodrim'' in [[Sindarin]], and the ''Casari'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them the ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

Almost all the names of the dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Icelandic saga of Völuspá.

----
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Melkor]].

[[Category:Dwarves|*]]
[[Category:Races]]

Dwarves

2006-08-18T20:44:55Z

70.250.43.6:

[[Image:WAR-ICONS Dwarves.jpg|left|150px]]The '''Dwarves''' are beings of short stature, often friendly with [[Hobbits]] although long suspicious of [[Elves]]. They are typically blacksmiths and stoneworkers by profession, unrivaled in some of their arts even by the Elves.

The enduring popularity of Tolkien's books, especially ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' has led to the popular use of the term ''dwarves'' to describe this race in fantasy literature. Before Tolkien, the term ''dwarfs'' (with a different spelling) was used, as seen in ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. In fact, the latter spelling was so common that the original editor of ''The Lord of the Rings'' "corrected" Tolkien's ''dwarves'' to ''dwarfs'' (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 138).

According to Tolkien, the "real 'historical'" plural of ''dwarf'' is ''dwarrows'' or ''dwerrows''. He once referred to ''dwarves'' as "a piece of private bad grammar" (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|Letters]]'', 17), but in Appendix F to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' he explains that if we still spoke of ''dwarves'' regularly, English might have retained a special plural for the word ''dwarf'' as with ''man''. The form ''dwarrow'' only appears in the word ''Dwarrowdelf'', a name for [[Moria]]. Tolkien used ''Dwarves'', instead, which corresponds with ''Elf'' and ''Elves'', making its meaning more apparent. The use of a different term also serves to set Tolkien's Dwarves apart from the similarly-named creatures in mythology and fairy-tales.

Unlike Elves and [[Men]], the Dwarves are not counted among the Children of [[Ilúvatar]]. They were created by [[Aulë]] the Smith. They were kept asleep until the creation of the Elves. Aulë created the Seven [[Fathers of the Dwarves]], from whom all other Dwarves are descended. Aulë's work was doomed, though, because he did not have the power to grant independent life to his creations - that power belonged to Ilúvatar alone. Aulë later repented and confessed to Ilúvatar. When the Dwarves were completed, though, the voice of Ilúvatar spoke to Aulë and agreed to grant them true life, and include them in His plan for Arda. Ilúvatar granted the Dwarves life, and therefore they are known as the Adopted Children of Ilúvatar.

They mined and worked precious metals throughout the mountains of Middle-earth. In many ways, they were in between the Elves and [[Men]]. They were not immortal, but lived to two hundred and fifty years or more. They were generally less corruptible than Men, but committed their share of rash and greedy acts. (Among these are the slaying of Elu [[Thingol]] and the dispute over the [[Nauglamír]].)

The Dwarven language was created by Aulë, and was known as [[Khuzdul]]. It was a strange language to Elves and Men, and few non-Dwarves learned it, also because they kept it secret. However, one Dwarven phrase is well known: the ancient battle cry, going back to at least the First Age: "Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!", which means "Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you!"

The Dwarves were known for their furiousity, skill, strenghth, and indurance in battle. They fought in many wars and battles over the many ages of Middle Earth's existance, which were:

* The [[First Battle of Beleriand]].
* The [[Battle of Unnumbered Tears]].
* The [[Sacking of Doriath]].
* The [[War of the Last Alliance]].
* The [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].
* The [[Battle of the Five Armies]].
* The [[War of the Ring]].

Most Dwarves mentioned in Tolkien's works are of [[Durin's folk]], the clan founded by [[Durin I]] of [[Khazad-dûm]], called the Longbeards. (A notable exception are the inhabitants of the dwarf-cities of [[Nogrod]] and [[Belegost]] in the [[Ered Luin|Blue Mountains]], spoken of in ''[[The Silmarillion]]''). The seven different groups of Dwarf-folk originated in the locations where the Seven Fathers of the Dwarves first awoke before the First Age. There were three pairs of Dwarf Fathers that awoke together, and their Folk would build their halls near each other, though Durin himself had awoken alone. (In his letters, Tolkien adds that all the Dwarf Fathers except for Durin also had wives who awoke with them). Therefore the halls of the Longbeards at Khazad-dûm were not located near the halls of another Dwarf-kingdom. The seven clans of the Dwarves were:

* [[Longbeards]], Durin's Folk, originally from Khazad-dûm.
* [[Firebeards]], originally from Nogrod. Paired with the
* [[Broadbeams]], originally from Belegost.
* [[Ironfists]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stiffbeards]].
* [[Blacklocks]], originated somewhere far in the East. Located paired with the
* [[Stonefoots]].

There was also an eigth group of Dwarves that was not a separate member from these seven kindreds, but composed of exiles from each: the [[Petty-dwarves]], who were hunted like animals to the point of extinction by the [[Elves]] in the First Age.

[[Thorin Oakenshield]] brings twelve Dwarves to [[Bag End]] to recruit [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] for their treasure hunt in ''[[The Hobbit]]''.

[[Gimli]] joins the [[Fellowship of the Ring]] and befriends [[Legolas]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

==Names==
The Dwarves called themselves the ''[[Khazad]]'', the name Aule gave them; this translates as the ''Hadhodrim'' in [[Sindarin]], and the ''Casari'' in [[Quenya]]. Casari was the common word for Dwarves among the [[Noldor]], but the [[Sindar]] usually called them the ''Naugrim'' or ''Nogothrim'', the Stunted People.

Almost all the names of the dwarves of Middle-earth are taken from the Icelandic saga of Völuspá.

----
In the earliest versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth mythology (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'') the dwarves were evil beings created by [[Melkor]].

[[Category:Dwarves|*]]
[[Category:Races]]

East-gate

2006-08-18T20:28:11Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''East-gate''', was the Eastern entrance to [[Khazad-dum]]. It was located in the valley of the [[Dimrill Dale]].

In the year 2790 King [[Thror]] and his companion [[Nar]], went to Moria to see the ancient halls of their ancestors. Despite the warnings oof Nar Thror went through the East-gate. He was later captured by the Orc chieftain Azog, and was butchered. Azog wrote in his own name in [[Dwarvish runes]] on Thror's head and threw his it, and his body outside the gate for Nar to retrieve. He let Nar go to tell all the Dwarves that a Orc ruled Moria now, and so Nar did, which started the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].

In the year 2799 the War came to it's climax with the Battle of Aznulbizar, which was the largest battle of the war. The battle was fought in the Dimrill Dale, and on the very steps of the East-gate itself. In the end the Azog was slain on the gate steps by [[Dain II Ironfoot]] and the Dwarves won the battle, but with heavy casualties. Dain, looked through the gate and saw the the [[Balrog]] still lurked in it's halls and would not allow his people to reclaim it.

East-gate

2006-08-18T20:27:50Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''East-gate''', was the Eastern entrance to [[Khazad-dum]]. It was located in the valley of the [[Dimrill Dale]].

In the year 2790 King [[Thror]] and his companion [[Nar]], went to Moria to see the ancient halls of their ancestors. Despite the warnings oof Nar Thror went through the East-gate. He was later captured by the Orc chieftain Azog, and was butchered. Azog wrote in his own name in [[Dwarf runes]] on Thror's head and threw his it, and his body outside the gate for Nar to retrieve. He let Nar go to tell all the Dwarves that a Orc ruled Moria now, and so Nar did, which started the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].

In the year 2799 the War came to it's climax with the Battle of Aznulbizar, which was the largest battle of the war. The battle was fought in the Dimrill Dale, and on the very steps of the East-gate itself. In the end the Azog was slain on the gate steps by [[Dain II Ironfoot]] and the Dwarves won the battle, but with heavy casualties. Dain, looked through the gate and saw the the [[Balrog]] still lurked in it's halls and would not allow his people to reclaim it.

East-gate

2006-08-18T20:27:27Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''East-gate''', was the Eastern entrance to [[Khazad-dum]]. It was located in the valley of the [[Dimrill Dale]].

In the year 2790 King [[Thror]] and his companion [[Nar]], went to Moria to see the ancient halls of their ancestors. Despite the warnings oof Nar Thror went through the East-gate. He was later captured by the Orc chieftain Azog, and was butchered. Azog wrote in his own name in [[Dwarf-runes]] on Thror's head and threw his it, and his body outside the gate for Nar to retrieve. He let Nar go to tell all the Dwarves that a Orc ruled Moria now, and so Nar did, which started the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].

In the year 2799 the War came to it's climax with the Battle of Aznulbizar, which was the largest battle of the war. The battle was fought in the Dimrill Dale, and on the very steps of the East-gate itself. In the end the Azog was slain on the gate steps by [[Dain Ironfoot]] and the Dwarves won the battle, but with heavy casualties. Dain, looked through the gate and saw the the [[Balrog]] still lurked in it's halls and would not allow his people to reclaim it.

East-gate

2006-08-18T20:21:22Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''East-gate''', was the Eastern entrance to [[Khazad-dum]]. It was located in the valley of the [[Dimrill Dale]].

In the year 2790 King [[Thror]] and his companion [[Nar]], went to Moria to see the ancient halls of their ancestors. Despite the warnings oof Nar Thror went through the East-gate. He was later captured by the Orc chieftain Azog, and was butchered. Azog wrote in his own name in [[Dwarvish runes]] on Thror's head and threw his it, and his body outside the gate for Nar to retrieve. He let Nar go to tell all the Dwarves that a Orc ruled Moria now, and so Nar did, which started the [[War of the Dwarves and Orcs]].

In the year 2799 the War came to it's climax with the Battle of Aznulbizar, which was the largest battle of the war. The battle was fought in the Dimrill Dale, and on the very steps of the East-gate itself. In the end the Azog was slain on the gate steps by [[Dain Ironfoot]] and the Dwarves won the battle, but with heavy casualties. Dain, looked through the gate and saw the the [[Balrog]] still lurked in it's halls and would not allow his people to reclaim it.

East-gate

2006-08-18T19:56:21Z

70.250.43.6:

The '''East-gate''', was the Eastern entrance to [[Khazad-dum]]. It was located in the valley of the [[Dimrill Dale]].

Stone of Erech

2006-08-18T19:48:09Z

70.250.43.6:

A great black stone, spherical in shape and roughly six feet in diameter. It was half-buried at the top of the [[Hill of Erech]] at the mouth of the [[Blackroot Vale]], far to the west of [[Minas Tirith]]. The Stone was a mysterious and eerie place, shunned by the people of the valley, who claimed it had fallen from the sky, and was haunted by restless spirits. In fact, the Stone had its origins in [[Númenor]], and was brought to [[Erech]] after the [[Downfall of Númenor|Downfall]] by [[Isildur]] himself.

It was at the Stone of Erech that the [[King of the Mountain]] swore allegiance to Isildur's cause in the time of the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|Last Alliance]]. When war came, though, he failed to fulfil his oath, and Isildur cursed the King and his people to wander the hills until they made good their promise. After waiting through the long years of the Third Age, their chance came at last when [[Aragorn Elessar]] led them out from beneath the [[Dwimorberg]] to the Stone of Erech. There at last they fulfilled their ancient bond, and marched to the aid of Gondor.