my god is he STILL going on?
On
Orthanc well,
Gil-Galad in his letter to Tar-Meneldur claims that the great gap at Calenardhon, later known as the 'Gap of
Rohan' was the weak point of the Western defences against
the East, and claims that they needed a seat of power there. He was right, as that was where
Sauron's attack on Ost-in-Edhil came from. but when Sauron invaded
Eriador, Tharbad, was only lightly held.
In all these
regions Gondor still had retained under it's own command only the
fortress of
Angrenost, within which was the third tower of Gondor, the impregnable Orthanc where was held the fourth
palantiri of the southern
realm.
Cirion and Eorl; U.T
(Note: Angrenost was the
Sindarin/Gondorian (
Treebeard also calls it 'Angrenost') name for
Isengard.
Merry and
Pippin, who wrote most of the chapters whereby Orthanc is named, would have used the Rohhirc term 'Orthanc'. 'cunning mind' )
We hear that during the Watchful Peace the Dúnedain who live in Calenardhon dwindled, and the main citadel would have been Angrenost. Strategically the Gap of Rohan was a v. important place. The Orks and
Easterlings over-ran Calenardhon before the Battle of Celebrant.
We hear that the
Rohirrim, who mainly settled close to the
White Mountains were afraid of the 'Lord of Isengard' believing him to be a magician who dabbled in Black Magic. (They were equally suspicious about the
Elves ('
Elvish wraiths') so I don't know if the lord at this time can be considered '
evil')
But Gondor eventually lost contacts with Angrenost until the
Dunedain who resided there eventually died out or became mingled with the
Dunlendings. In the days of King Deor (2644-2718) the Dunlendings after being much harassed by the Third
King of Rohan, Aldor, took control of Isengard and began to settle in the Northern Westfold and close to the South of
Fangorn. Though the people of Angrenost didn't want to merge with the Dunlendings, and the Dunlendings, feigning friendship entered Angrenost and slew them. Deor, after defeating a host of Dunlendings in the Westfold, marched to Angrenost to tell them the good news (He thought they were in good relations with Rohan nonetheless and had been besieged) but found it had been taken over by hostile Dunlandish forces and he couldn't drive them out as Eglamoth the steward at the time (the father of
Beren who gives
Saruman the keys to Orthanc which were in the hands of the
stewards) but eventually the Dunlendings were starved out by the Great Winter of 2758-9 and destroyed by Frealaf, nephew of
Helm (Through his sister Hild)
Argonath are (at least, the King who built them is mentioned in the Appendices -- Rómendacil if I'm not mistaken).
The Argonath were built by Minalcar who was then regent but later crowned as Romendacil II, who built them to ward off the Easterlings he had recently been warring with.
Angrenost may have been built in the time of Tarannon, in which Gondor reached the 'height of its power' that he 'extended the sway of Gondor along the coasts west and south of the Vale of
Anduin' One can presume 'West' meant from the River Isen to either Druwaith Iaur or Andrast' and further south alongst the coast of Langastrand, Belfalas etc. (It may be that it was now that the Dunedain began to occupy these areas though we don't know about the indeginous popualtions.
Faramir mention's the stewards becoming allied with the people of the coasts, and we see in the chapter
Minas Tirith that the re-inforcments that arrived a few village-men under command of their lord Golsagil. Though, Belfalas of course, was a fief of Gondor and in
Dol Amroth it's cheif port, dwelt remnants of the faifthful who were related to
Elendil and he bestowed the name 'prince' on their rulers.
Anyway, to continue my inane babbling, one can presume tha as Tarannon began to extend his power along the coasts, he deemed that a fortress needed to be built along the Isen and since the Gap of Calenardhon was the ideal place to build it, because of the threat of the
Gwathuirim and the the general weakness of Gondor in that region. One must wonder why
Isildur or Anarion would want to build a fortress agaisnt attack when they thought Sauron had perished, and we hear little about any skirmishes between them and his servants.
But your quote is very definite, listing Orthanc and
Aglarond after the Argonath.
I don't see how that effects anything. Erech for example, (Or the stone of Erech) was set by Isildur after the downfall of
Numenor, yet that is listed after the Argonath.
It seems very possible that this was the "arousal" referred to in Treebeard's quote.
Maybe
Tolkien says his small remaining force was assailed in the East of Calenardhon, but he never says by whom? Maybe the
Ents were angered at his burning of forests in Eriador and were thus aroused. *Giggles* (Sorry every time I hear the words 'Ents' and 'aroused' strange thoughts come into my head
)
Eriador: Virtually desolate, with the refuge of
Rivendell in the west and elvish population beyond Lune
Gil-Galad was said to have icnreased his strength during Sauron's absence.
In the Vales of
the White Mountain: The people of the black host,
Druedain's with some Dunlanders also
Maybe, but they wouldn't be in peaceful co-existence. We hear about the people who disoebyed Isildur's summons worshipping Sauron in the 'dark years'. One Druedain settlement in or adjacent to the white Mountains would have been where Dunharrow stood at the time of the WoTR. Note that the Woses were said to have been driven out of their original homes my incoming
men and they had a deep-set hatred for the gorgun (orks) and it is doubtful whether they worshipped Sauron, and may have been in conflict with the Men of the White Mountains, though they certianly weren't friendly with them.
few mixed clans [Relatives of the first age tribes of Hador and Beor] would also be occupying that area
Most of the
Mannish tribes of
Rhovanion or living between Carnen and the
Sea of Rhun were driven into hiding by invasion of Easterlings. We never hear of them joining the alliance, or of them meeting them, even though the Alliance marched through Rhovanion.
This marked the end of the Alliance of the
Longbeards with Men of the North. For though
Moria remained impregnable for many centuries, the Orks reinforced and commanded by
servants of Sauron invaded the
mountains again. Gundabad was re-taken, the Ered Mithrin infested and the communication between Moria and the
Iron Hills for a time cut off. The Men of the Alliance were involved in war not only with Orks but with alien Men of evil sort. For Sauron had acquired dominion over many savage tribes in the East (of old corrupted by
Morgoth), and he now urged them to seek land and booty in the West. When the storm passed, the Men of
the old Alliance were diminished and scattered, and those that lingered on in their old regions were impoverished, and lived mostly in
caves or in the borders of the Forest.
Of Dwarves and Men
strongholds in the Mountains, perhaps the ancestors of Hillmen mentioned in
the third age occupying northern course of Anduin. A few mixed clans [Relatives of the first age tribes of Hador and Beor] would also be occupying that area.
Don't forget the Borrim!
We would have Dwarvish colonies in the
Misty Mountains with Moria being the chief
Yes, but the Dwarves were pretty inactive at the time of the alliance.
heavinly influenced by Sindarin realm of Loriland in the forest
Note,
Lorinand was a
Silvanic realm with a Sindarin minority, and some of the
Noldor of Ost-in-Edhil. Though it was under the rule of a Sindarin prince-Amdir, so was
Mirkwood, which at time was further south, and under the kingship of Oropher.
then we can easily imagine a few brushes between Men and Ents.
I really doubt it. I doubt whether the
Numenoreans would go so far inland as Fangorn, or thereabouts, their felling of
trees seems to be concentrated, Treebeard may have remembered it and it would have tainted his view of them, plus I mean Treebeard and the Ents seem to be quite impassive to Men. (i.e him and the Ents allow the Dunlendings of Isengard to pass after questioning them.)
