Paths of the Dead
Encyclopedia
In J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
, the Paths of the Dead were a haunted passage under the White Mountains
.
The Paths of the Dead started at the Dark Door at the end of the long valley of Harrowdale, beyond the Firienfeld and the forest of Dimholt, wedged in between the mountains Irensaga (Iron Saw), Starkhorn, and the Dwimorberg.
After the Dark Door, the Paths went under the Dwimorberg, past another door where Aragorn
and company found the remains of Baldor, son of the second King of Rohan, Brego. The Paths then continued past forgotten cities, emerging at the southern end of the White Mountains in Morthond vale, near the Stone of Erech.
. It differs from the story in that Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli must fight skeletons which have been brought to life by the spirits of the Oathbreakers. In the next level, the "King of the Dead", Aragorn must defeat the King so that he will fight for Minas Tirith
.
In Peter Jackson
's film The Return of the King
, Aragorn, Gimli
and Legolas
travel the Paths of the Dead and are able to conjure the undead. However, as they emerge from the mountain, they find themselves directly above a river upon which a fleet of pirates is sailing towards Minas Tirith. Thus the plotline diverts from Tolkien's novel, where the stone of Erech is located about 300 miles from the river Anduin
and the corsairs.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
, the Paths of the Dead were a haunted passage under the White Mountains
White Mountains (Middle-earth)
The White Mountains, a loose translation of the Sindarin Ered Nimrais "Whitehorn Mountains", is a fictional mountain range in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. The mountains are named after the glaciers of their highest peaks...
.
The Paths of the Dead started at the Dark Door at the end of the long valley of Harrowdale, beyond the Firienfeld and the forest of Dimholt, wedged in between the mountains Irensaga (Iron Saw), Starkhorn, and the Dwimorberg.
After the Dark Door, the Paths went under the Dwimorberg, past another door where Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
and company found the remains of Baldor, son of the second King of Rohan, Brego. The Paths then continued past forgotten cities, emerging at the southern end of the White Mountains in Morthond vale, near the Stone of Erech.
In adaptations of The Lord of the Rings
The Paths of the Dead is a playable level in EA Games' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (video game)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 cross-platform third-person hack and slash video game based on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The game was published by EA Games and developed by EA Redwood Shores and...
. It differs from the story in that Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli must fight skeletons which have been brought to life by the spirits of the Oathbreakers. In the next level, the "King of the Dead", Aragorn must defeat the King so that he will fight for Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith , originally named Minas Anor, is a fictional city and castle in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. It became the heavily fortified capital of Gondor in the second half of the Third Age...
.
In Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's film The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
, Aragorn, Gimli
Gimli (Middle-earth)
Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....
and Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
travel the Paths of the Dead and are able to conjure the undead. However, as they emerge from the mountain, they find themselves directly above a river upon which a fleet of pirates is sailing towards Minas Tirith. Thus the plotline diverts from Tolkien's novel, where the stone of Erech is located about 300 miles from the river Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
and the corsairs.