Located at the north of the Morgul Pass, Cirith Ungol was a pass through the Ephel Duath as described in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. The two clefts through the western mountains in Mordor were the only path towards the land from the west. The Tower of Cirith Ungol was built by the Men of Gondor to guard this pass after the War of the Last Alliance between Men and Elves. It is said that during the War of the Ring, Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins were taken through this pass by Gollum to the Stairs of Cirith Ungol to Shelob’s lair. It was a big spider living in the caves near which lay the Orc stronghold at the heart of Cirith Ungol.
The path led to Shelob’s lair through a number of side tunnels were created by men and Orcs to cross the web. The tower guarding the Cirith Ungol was possessed by Gondor until the Third Age when the Great Plague destroyed much of the population. The Wainriders attacked Gondor, and evil returned to Mordor and the tower was held by evil forces. Gollum had led Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins to the pass in the Quest for the Ring to the lair of Shelob.
At that time, there existed a three-headed statue facing the gateway into the cleft that could not be crossed by mortals. Such statues are called Watchers and possess three bodies connected to one vulture-shaped head. Only the ring-bearers could break the entity to enter the pass with the use of the Phial of Galadriel. Orcs from Minas Morgul fought with Shargrat’s Orcs to take possession of it. When the battle ended, orcs from both the parties had destroyed each other and Sam could enter the tower and rescue Frodo.
History
Passing through the western ghats of Mordor and lying parallel to Morgul-road into Gondor. The Tower of Cirith Ungol shielded it against the evil forces. The mighty tower was built to defend Ithilien from attacks by Sauron’s servants. It also aimed at stopping them from using the pass to return to Mordor. [1] The cleft could be reached through steep stairs from the north and a tunnel in the mountains and steep stretches where stairs did not exist.The path led to Shelob’s lair through a number of side tunnels were created by men and Orcs to cross the web. The tower guarding the Cirith Ungol was possessed by Gondor until the Third Age when the Great Plague destroyed much of the population. The Wainriders attacked Gondor, and evil returned to Mordor and the tower was held by evil forces. Gollum had led Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins to the pass in the Quest for the Ring to the lair of Shelob.
At that time, there existed a three-headed statue facing the gateway into the cleft that could not be crossed by mortals. Such statues are called Watchers and possess three bodies connected to one vulture-shaped head. Only the ring-bearers could break the entity to enter the pass with the use of the Phial of Galadriel. Orcs from Minas Morgul fought with Shargrat’s Orcs to take possession of it. When the battle ended, orcs from both the parties had destroyed each other and Sam could enter the tower and rescue Frodo.
Etymology
Cirith Ungol is a Sindarin name composed of words ‘Cirith’ (pass, cleft) and ‘Ungol’ (spider) translating to ‘Spider’s Cleft’.Adaptations
In the video game ‘Middle Earth – Shadow of War’, [2] Cirith Ungol is depicted as a playable area and also features the fortress. The game ‘Return of the King’ allows the player to play the role of Sam who kills 80 Orcs to be able to proceed to the tower to rescue Frodo from the captivity of Gorbag. In the video game, ‘Lord of the Rings – The Battle for Middle Earth’, the terms ‘Minas Morgul’ and ‘Cirith Ungol’ are used for each other throughout the game to point to the same fortress.References
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Black Speech
Sindarin
Sindarin locations
