Black Gate

The Black Gate, also known as the Morannon, was the most strongly protected ingress into the kingdom of Sauron. It was in the Northwest Mordor and the Gate of Udun. The Black Gate was embedded in impenetrable walls of black stone and iron that extended over a vast area from the Mountains of Ash to the North to the Ephel Duath toward the East. The wall in which it was embedded was huge with an estimated height of over 60 feet and a length of 250 feet. The Gate was made up of two halves, each of which was 90 feet in width, and were mounted on huge stone wheels. Two giant circular embankments made up the rear of the gate. Two pairs of colossal Mountain Trolls were fastened with the huge beams and were pushed through the embankment’s course and provided the leverage to open the huge gates gradually when moved so that Mordor’s armies could enter or exit the region.

The Black Gate was initially constructed by Mordor’s Dark Lord Sauron during the Second Age. Its objective had been twofold: to defend and safeguard the entrance to Mordor and to pre-empt any attempt to capture through the space between the Ash Mountains and Ephel Duath. As in the case of the Barod-Dur, its construction was in all likelihood supported by the Power of the One ring. Subsequent to the downfall of Sauron following the Battle of Dagorlad. It became a fortress for Gondor and its men. In the initial days, the Gondor, which was then building cities and towers Cirith Ungol and Minas Ithil near the border with Mordor, built Narchost and Carchost, two huge pillars of the Teeth. These towers were raised on the two sides of the wall. These towers were sufficiently high to provide a view of the wall from them. The gate was duplicated on the opposite side by the Isenmouthe. The Durthang castle provided additional protection from the west. The gate was revamped to further strengthen it and defend against anything wicked entering or exiting Mordor.

Thus effectively safeguarding it from undesirable external influences and the external environment from it. It was with this same objective in mind that the Minas Ithil was reconstructed and the Cirith Ungol was also erected. These attempts were not sustainable over a period of time as the vassals of Sauron took over the gate after a while. Once this happened, and the enemy had obtained power over the gate, it became a symbol of dread, terror, wickedness, and fright for its beholders. In this manner, the Ringwraiths and the Orcs gained their entry back into Mordor, ultimately overpowering the garrisons, taking possession of them, and settling there. At about the same time, the Nazgul took over Minas Ithil’s Tower and changed its name to Minas Morgul.

Frodo and Sam arrived at this gate while the War of the Ring was going on and considered the possibility of entering it. Seeing the heavy fortification of the tower and the manner in which it was guarded, they abandoned this idea and made their entry through another passage. At that time, they observed an army of Easterlings going through the gate. The Black Gate was where the War of the Ring’s final battle happened, on the eastern side. The numerous armies still remaining at Mordor were challenged in March 3019 by the Army of the West, which was led by Aragorn Elessar. This army had a strength of around 6,000 men and was joined by an elf, a dwarf, a hobbit, and a witch. The objective of this army was to divert the attention of the vigilant Eye of Sauron from the Mount Doom so as to enable Frodo to throw the One Ring into the Crack of Doom and thus destroy it. The ploy was successful, and the One Ring was cast into the fires of Mount Doom, where it was finally extinguished. With its destruction, the Black Gate and the Towers of Teeth also collapsed.

The word Moronnon, which in Sindarin literally means “Black Gate,” comes from two Sindarin words Mor, meaning dark or black, and Annon, meaning gate or door.

In the film adaption by Peter Jackson, [1] Sam, Gollum, and Frodo encounter a closed Black Gate when they approach it. On seeing an army of Easterlings, Sam tries to enter the open gate but without success, as he stumbles on a mountain of hard rocks. In the process, he is almost captured by the Easterlings but escapes. Following this, the gate is closed, and the trio move to Cirith Ungol.

In this version, [2] the black gate is an impenetrable barrier that instantly kills anyone attempting to cross it, but it loses this power with the defeat of Sauron, allowing entry into the Mordor thereafter.

According to this version, prison labor was employed for building the watch Towers of Narchost and Carchost. The Black Gate was defended for more than 2,000 years by the Rangers of Gondor until the great plague weakened them and considerably reduced their capacity to defend it in the final years. [3]

1. ^The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
2. ^The Lord of the Rings Online™.
3. ^Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor™.