Thangorodrim
Encyclopedia
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien
, Thangorodrim ("The Mountains of Oppression" or, literally, "oppression mountain group", pronounced θaŋɡɔˈrɔdrim) was a group of three volcanic mountains in the Iron Mountains in the north of Middle-earth
during the First Age
. The highest peaks of Middle-earth, they were raised by Morgoth
, who delved his fortress of Angband
beneath them, and far back into the Iron Mountains.
Thangorodrim was said to have been the piles of slag
from Morgoth's furnaces and rubble from the delving of Angband, but at the same time the mountains were solid enough to form sheer precipices; Maedhros
was nailed to a cliff of Thangorodrim, and Húrin
imprisoned on a high terrace. The tops of Thangorodrim perpetually smoked, and sometimes spewed forth lava
. The three peaks of Thangorodrim functioned as furnaces for Morgoth's great smithies deep in Angband.
For a time the Eagles
lived on Thangorodrim, but at some time during the First Age they moved to the Crissaegrim near Gondolin.
At the base of the south face of the middle peak was the Great Gate of Angband, a deep canyon leading into the mountain, lined with towers and forts. There were also a number of secret gates scattered around the sides of the mountain group, from which Morgoth's hosts could issue forth and surprise their foes.
The position and size of Thangorodrim are unclear. One drawing by Tolkien, if to scale, would have made Thangorodrim 35,000 ft high, and the statement that it lay 150 leagues (450 Númenórean miles) north of Menegroth puts it too far away for some of the action in The Silmarillion
to make sense; a distance of 150–200 miles would have been more consistent. It is possible that with the higher figure Tolkien was not referring to 'as the eagle flies', but rather 'as the wolf runs': the plateau of Dorthonion
forced a long detour which added the extra 200–250 miles to the distance.
Along with Beleriand
and the entire west of Middle-earth, Thangorodrim was destroyed in the War of the Valar at the end of the First Age when Ancalagon the Black crashed upon them as he died.
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,...
, Thangorodrim ("The Mountains of Oppression" or, literally, "oppression mountain group", pronounced θaŋɡɔˈrɔdrim) was a group of three volcanic mountains in the Iron Mountains in the north of Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
during the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
. The highest peaks of Middle-earth, they were raised by Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
, who delved his fortress of Angband
Angband (Middle-earth)
-External links:*...
beneath them, and far back into the Iron Mountains.
Thangorodrim was said to have been the piles of slag
Slag
Slag is a partially vitreous by-product of smelting ore to separate the metal fraction from the unwanted fraction. It can usually be considered to be a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. However, slags can contain metal sulfides and metal atoms in the elemental form...
from Morgoth's furnaces and rubble from the delving of Angband, but at the same time the mountains were solid enough to form sheer precipices; Maedhros
Maedhros
Maedhros is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. First introduced in The Silmarillion and later mentioned in Unfinished Tales and The Children of Húrin, he is one of the most enduring characters in The Silmarillion, and has been the subject of paintings by artists such as Jenny...
was nailed to a cliff of Thangorodrim, and Húrin
Húrin
Húrin is a fictional character in the Middle-earth legendarium of J. R. R. Tolkien. He is introduced in The Silmarillion as a hero of Men during the First Age, said to be the greatest warrior of both the Edain and all the other Men in Middle-earth...
imprisoned on a high terrace. The tops of Thangorodrim perpetually smoked, and sometimes spewed forth lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
. The three peaks of Thangorodrim functioned as furnaces for Morgoth's great smithies deep in Angband.
For a time the Eagles
Eagle (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the eagles were immense flying birds that were sapient and could speak. Often emphatically referred to as the Great Eagles, they appear, usually and intentionally serving as agents of deus ex machina , in various parts of his legendarium,...
lived on Thangorodrim, but at some time during the First Age they moved to the Crissaegrim near Gondolin.
At the base of the south face of the middle peak was the Great Gate of Angband, a deep canyon leading into the mountain, lined with towers and forts. There were also a number of secret gates scattered around the sides of the mountain group, from which Morgoth's hosts could issue forth and surprise their foes.
The position and size of Thangorodrim are unclear. One drawing by Tolkien, if to scale, would have made Thangorodrim 35,000 ft high, and the statement that it lay 150 leagues (450 Númenórean miles) north of Menegroth puts it too far away for some of the action in The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
to make sense; a distance of 150–200 miles would have been more consistent. It is possible that with the higher figure Tolkien was not referring to 'as the eagle flies', but rather 'as the wolf runs': the plateau of Dorthonion
Dorthonion
In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, Dorthonion , later Taur-nu-Fuin, was a highland region of the First Age, lying immediately to the north of Beleriand, and south of the plains of Ard-galen that extended north to Morgoth's stronghold of Thangorodrim...
forced a long detour which added the extra 200–250 miles to the distance.
Along with Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
and the entire west of Middle-earth, Thangorodrim was destroyed in the War of the Valar at the end of the First Age when Ancalagon the Black crashed upon them as he died.