Disaster of the Gladden Fields
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| Disaster of the Gladden Fields | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Last Alliance | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Army of Arnor | Unknown number of Orcs | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Isildur†, (High-King of Arnor and Gondor) Elendur (Heir to the Throne) |
Orcs of Mordor | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 200 Knights and Soldiers less than 20 archers |
Unknown, said to be up to ten times the number of Númenóreans | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| Isildur Elendur Aratan Ciryon 217 men of Arnor |
Serious casualties | ||||||
| War of Sauron and the Elves |
|---|
| Battle of Dagorlad – Siege of Barad-dûr – Disaster of the Gladden Fields |
The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, also known as the Battle of the Gladden Fields was a short battle in the The Lord of the Rings fantasy universe created by J. R. R. Tolkien, taking place on the eaves of Greenwood the Great forest, in the second year of the Third Age.
After the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur remained in Gondor for several years before returning to Arnor, reordering the kingdom and instructing his late brother's son Meneldil, who became king after Isildur's departure from Gondor. Although he sent most of his army back home, he kept some two hundred with him. They set out for Rivendell, as Isildur had left his youngest son and wife there, expecting to march there within forty days.
As the sun was setting and the army was preparing to make camp for the night, a large band of orcs appeared out of the trees and attacked. The orcs had many more warriors than Isildur, and Isildur gave his father's sword, Narsil into the keeping of his esquire, Ohtar, who he commanded to escape to Rivendell. Ohtar escaped the orcs and came into Elrond's valley some months later.
Isildur and his army were able to easily beat off the attack with their superior tactics and armour. He was still concerned and the army moved down closer to the river, although they only expected the orcs to send their scouts after Isildur's stronger force as they would usually do after being defeated. However the One Ring was calling out to all the servants of its recently fallen master, crying to be rescued.
The orcs attacked again after less than a mile, committing all of their forces and they soon had the Dúnedain surrounded. Although the archers were taking out many of the orcs, there were far too few and the sun was setting. The orcs attacked at the sound of their trumpets but were kept back by the long reach of the Dúnedain weaponry. They drew back to reconsider and charged again. This time two or even more orcs would jump up at a single Dúnadan and crush him. The victim was then dragged out and killed. Isildur lost two sons this way.
Although the orcs paid as much as five-to-one, they could afford it. Isildur and Elendur, his last son, rallied the Dúnedain. Elendur commanded his father to flee and sealed his own fate. Soon all of the remaining Dúnedain were dead, apart from Estelmo, the squire of Elendur, who had been clubbed on the head and then covered in bodies of his comrades.
Isildur was able to make his way to the Anduin before casting off his greatsword and armour. Still wearing the Ring, he swam to the other side and was shot through the throat by an orc-archer set there for just such a purpose. The Ring had fallen into the Great River.
Thranduil, King of Greenwood, hastened to the battle, hoping to save the Dúnedain, but he was unable to do anything beyond stopping the mutilation of their corpses.
[edit] Source
- The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, Unfinished Tales by J. R. R. Tolkien
