The eastern hills was a spur of hills described in relation to the Ephel Dúath. It was either in the southwest of Mordor coming out from the Ephel Duath, or it was in the north-east of the Plateau of Gorgoroth, coming out from the Ered Lithui. The term could also be referring to both spurs. Sometime after Shelob made her lair in the Pass of Cirith Ungol, she mated with her many miserable offspring before devouring them, bringing forth "lesser broods" of spiders that "spread from glen to glen, from the Ephel Dúath to the eastern hills" and eventually spreading as far north as Dol Guldur and Mirkwood.[1][2][3]
Portrayal in adaptations
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Maps of Middle-earth
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Merchandise map
On a map of Mordor by Daniel Reeve in Maps of Middle-earth (2002) for Decipher's The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, the southern spur of eastern hills was given the name Maegond Spur. On the other side of the valley at its tip, through which a road passes into the Plateau of Gorgoroth region, was the northern spur of eastern hills, which was given the name Mithram Spur. Some fortresses were located in the Mithram Spur, including Seregost.[4] A revision of this map was used as merchandise for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[5]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Shelob's Lair"
- ↑ Robert Foster, The Complete Guide to Middle-earth, p. 353 (entry "Shelob")
- ↑ . "Where Did Shelob’s Offspring Live?". Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog, Science Fiction and Fantasy: Xenite.Org - Worlds of Imagination on the Web. Retrieved 30 January, 2026
- ↑ John Rateliff, The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game: Maps of Middle-earth (Decipher, 2002)
- ↑ . "The Lord of the Rings: Maps". Daniel Reeve: artist, calligrapher, cartographer. Retrieved 30 January, 2026