Nargothrond

An Elven stronghold, Nargothond was an underground city built on the banks of river Narog by Finrod Felagund, an overlord of Elves.

Nargorthond is a word in Sindarin language that means “fortress or vaulted hall”.

Nargothrond was spread over miles and miles of tunnels and caves made out of rock in multiple different shapes and sizes. The rock used was most probably limestone. Right in the center of those caves and tunnels were three Great Halls in which the king of the city used to sit. A deep-seated chamber stood deep into the cave where Glaurung hid the remnants of the Nargothrond treasures and sat upon it until his departure.
The elf-maiden of Doriath, Luthien stayed in a southwestern chamber during her visit to Nargothrond. The armors of the city were kept in chambers located to the south of the Great Halls.

Finrod established Nargothrond in search of a hiding place against the forces of Morgoth. He was inspired by the Thousand Caves in Doriath. The dwarves of Nogrod helped Finrod and also made him Nauglimir, the Necklace of the Dwarves. Finrod gifted them treasures that he brought from Tirion as a reward. Initially, a small passage along the banks of the river was the only way to reach Nargothrond. After some time, a connecting bridge was constructed across the river. When the underground fortress was ready in the First Age, a grand feast was thrown there, attended by many people which included Galadriel. Finrod wasn’t the first to live in those caves. Petty-dwarves were the first inhabitants there who named it Nulukkizdîn in the Khuzdul language. They lived in the caverns of Narog until they were driven out. What happened with the petty-dwarves at this point has gone unrecorded, but at least a few of them escaped to settle down in Amon Rudh.

Finrod exercised power over Nargothrond until he departed on his Quest for Silmaril along with Beren. His nephew Orodreth succeeded in his position as the ruler of Nargothrond. However, since the two Sons of Feanor, Celegorm and Curufin were defeated in the battle of Dagor Bragollach, they found their way back to Nargothrond where they were accepted as one of them. Even though the city grew stronger due to their inclusion, their influence on people grew higher too and became more powerful than Orodreth. [1] Using their influence, they started sowing fears in the minds of people and spread distrust. Once the news of Finrod’s death reached Nargothrond, the two brothers were banished into exile.

Since the city of Nargrothrond came into existence, the elves there were quietly carrying out a war against Morgoth. They used to hunt down their forces in secrecy instead of going for an open war. However as Turin entered, his esteem grew in the eyes of King Orodreth and he put forth a different strategy. As one of the chief fighters, Turin Turambar convinced people to let go of their secretive policies and fight in the open against Morgoth.

For this, he requested Orodreth to construct the Bridge of Nargothrond so that forces can enter the zone through its speedy passage. Orodreth caved in and waged open war with Morgoth. Even after searching for centuries, Morgoth could not locate the Nargothrond fortress but now its location was revealed. Not only that, the bridge provided a clear path removing the defense shield that was river Narog. [2] The dragon Glaurung descended from Angband with his army of Orcs to seize Nargothrond. They came south, made their way across the bridge, and attacked the city.

Their attack ended up killing people and even selling a few into slavery. The remaining who survived went to seek shelter in Doriath thus informing Thingol of the fall of Nargothrond. Glaurung stayed in the city until First Age 499 till he went to confront Turin Turambar. Turin thrust his sword into Glaurung's belly which killed him. While the city of Nargothrond was destroyed, one of the petty-dwarves, Mim inhabited the caves and claimed that the caves and the treasures were his rewards for the sufferings of the people. He stayed there until Hurin killed him for betraying his son. The caves were also eventually destroyed during the War of Wrath.

1. ^Why did Finrod Felagund allow Celegorm and Curufin to reside in.
2. ^A History of Middle-earth Part 2: The Siege of Angband - The Wertzone.