Today, we talk about Mordor’s history and Mount Doom. It is a place where an unimaginable Evil Within is protected by three mountain ranges. Although it wouldn’t be the Dark lord’s home until the second age, its roots go back to a far earlier Darkness.
Rings of Power Episode 6 had and really explosive ending. We saw the explosion or eruption of Mount Doom, bursting flame all over the lands of Southland and its people. While everyone is running, we see Galadriel just see it and accept her fate as the episode goes black.
Now the Southland that we see in the Rings of Power series will eventually become Mordor, the place where Sauron’s army resides. Also, Mount Doom, which we saw at the end of Episode 6 will be where Sam and Frodo go to destroy The One Ring. And in this article, we’ll be going through the entire history of Mordor and Mount Doom. Don’t worry there won’t be any Spoilers for the Rings of Power show, but there will be Heavy Spoilers for the Lord of The Rings movie trilogy.
Here is Rings Of Power’s Mount Doom & Mordor Explained:
Mount Doom & Mordor Backstory
One of Mordor’s most distinctive characteristics is also one of its oldest. Morgoth constructs Mountain Doom in the first age, the mountain where Sauron will eventually construct his Ruling Ring. According to the book “The Peoples of Middle Earth”, due to its volcano Orodruin and its outbursts, Mordor may have already been known by this Elvish name even as Sauron was building his castle there in secret. This was not a creation of Sauron, but rather a remnant of Melkor’s destructive efforts during the long first age.
Additionally, the Silmarillion informs us that “Melkor, however, was also present from the start and interfered with everything that was done, if possible twisting it to his own preferences and goals while doing so, and he also lit large fires. Melkor desired Earth when it was yet young and fiery, so he told the other Valar, “This is my own realm, and I give it my own name “. The dwarves refer to it as Nargun, although the Elvish title of Mordor is Sindarin for “Black Land.”
The land would eventually be ruled by Sauron, but not before another wicked force. The gigantic spider Shelob, who resides in Ephel Duath in the Shadow Mountains, was responsible for humanity’s escape from the War of Wrath just at end of the first age. She would eat men and elves who were either nearby or passing by her house. The Ephel Duath, which stretches along Mordor’s western boundary and arcs along its southern border, is among the most terrifying mountains in all of Middle Earth.
It meets the nearly 500-mile-long Ered Lithui or Ash mountains in the northwest, which serve as Mordor’s northern boundary.
Sauron Is Defeated And Land Of Mordor Is Freed
A Dark Tower is built in the Fortress’ northwest region by Sauron, who settles in Mordor a thousand years further into the second era. Sauron would rule the kingdoms of Mordor for well over two thousand years; neither his loss in the war between the elves and Sauron, nor his imprisonment at the hands of the Numenoreans, would release him from this stranglehold, nor would his power in the east or the south.
The Last Alliance, which consists of men and elves, travels to Mordor in the year 3434 of the Second Age in an effort to defeat the dark lord. They arrive at the northwest corner of his territory, where Sauron had placed a gate between the Erid lithui and the Ephel duath. The alliance travels through Miranda, across Udun Valley, and Gorgoroth’s dry plains. Sauron is finally defeated on the summit of Mount Doom after a 7 year Siege of Naradur, and the land of Mordor is briefly set free from his anger.
The Gondorians build massive watchtowers and fortifications all around Mordor to defend against the enemy’s potential return. They constructed two substantial towers at the moranin, one on either side of the black gate. Carchost, which means fangfort, and Narchost which means bitter biting Fort, when combined they are named The Towers of the teeth.
Although not verified, it’s possible that the neighboring Tower of Durthang was built by Gondorians. It has a view of the Eisenmuth Pass and the Udun Valley. The Minas Ithil city of Isildur was already at the pass leading into Mordor. However, in order to more effectively protect Minus ithil and the regions of Ethylene from the remaining Sauron armies, the Gondorians construct a tower inside of Mordor itself.
For many years, the Gondorian outpost there would defend the pass and keep an eye on activity in Mordor itself. This was the Tower of Kirath Ungol. With these strongholds, Gondor would be able to hold off the invaders for a very long time.
The Return Of Evil In Mordor
The Third Age’s Great Plague, however, would strike Middle Earth in 1635, particularly hard in Gondor. Their losses were so significant that they abandoned the fortifications defending Mordor and called back their warriors. Evil things start to repopulate Mordor without nobody to stop them. The Nazgul ruler returns to Mordor in 1980 after his northern realm of Angmar is overthrown, calls for the other eight ringwraiths, and together they start the process of getting ready for the Dark Lord’s return.
The Naz Gul launch an offensive in the year 2000 of the Third Age, targeting the gondoran city of Minas ithil. After being under siege for two years, the city falls and is turned into the terrible fortress of Minas Morgul, the Witch King’s personal palace. Now they are protected by the fortifications that were initially built to fight off Mordor’s evils. The Tower of Kirathungo, Dorthang, and the Tower of the Teeth are taken over by Sauron’s soldiers. Instead of Mordor, Sauron would first make a comeback in Dolguldur in the north.
Sauron was forced to retreat to his original Abode, nonetheless, when the White Council attacked the old castle in 2941 of the third age. He publicly declares himself there in 2951 and starts to rebuild Baradur, finishing it in 2953.
In the following year, the long-dormant Orodruin would send out a troubling signal. After Baradur was built once again and Mount Doom caught fire, the final Athelian people fled far away. Sauron then rose once more, declared himself publicly, and invaded Mordor, which had been prepared for him long ago.
Nurn And Its Land
While the majority of Mordor’s activities and buildings are centered in the northwest of the realm, Nurn also encompasses a sizable portion of the south and east of the realm. The fields of Nurn were far more productive than Gorgoroth, which was a true desert wasteland full of pits and gases coming from cracks in the ground.
Although it is thought that there were also Orcs in these areas, they are now worked by men who have been captured by Sauron and made to labor the fields near Lake Nurnen in order to supply Sauron’s army. The Sea of Nurnen, also known as Sad Water or Dead Water, gets its name from the presence of salt water. Despite this, Nurn’s soil is nutrient-rich thanks to the ash that is blown there from Mount Doom, making dry land farming ready.
In the later third age, Sauron would lead his Legions of Orcs throughout the War of the Ring from Baradur. Easterlings and Haradrum, followers of the dark lord, would flood into Mordor through the black gate, and the Witch King would command Sauron’s army as they attacked Gondor from Minas Morgul.
Mount Doom Explodes
Aragon would eventually lead an army to the black gate and, like his great-ancestor Ellendale more than three thousand years earlier, lead the army of the West in the battle against Sauron after the Witch King was defeated and killed on the Pelinor fields. Unlike before, Sauron’s downfall would occur secretly. The ring would be burned when Gollum falls into Mount Doom’s fiery lava depths when Sam and Frodo had traveled through his realms of Mordor and arrived at the mountain itself.
Baradur whose very roots were linked to the One Ring, crumbles into ruin together with the towers of the teeth and the black. The mountain trembled, large holes opened on its side, painfully slow rivers of fire burned down the long slopes, and rain of scorching ash was falling. The Earth gaped, and from Deep Rifts and caves smoke and fumes leaped up. Mount Doom blows up as Sauron is ultimately defeated with just the destruction of the Ring.
Mordor is mostly abandoned in the aftermath of the Dark Lord’s defeat since the Orcs there either died or fled. As a result of his victory, Aragon releases the Mordor slaves and appoints them as the permanent rulers of the Nurn territories.
Also Read: Aegon’s Conquest Explained: The New Game Of Thrones Spinoff
