Angband (Middle-earth)
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| Angband (Hells of Iron) | |
|---|---|
| Place from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium | |
| Description | The lesser fortress of Morgoth |
| Location | Dor Daedeloth |
| Lifespan | Originally founded sometime before Y.T. 1090 and expanded Y.T. 1496 - end of the First Age |
| Founder | Morgoth |
| Lord | Sauron, then Morgoth, later Sauron again |
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Angband (Sindarin for 'Hells of Iron', although the literal meaning is 'iron prison') is the name of the fortress of Melkor, constructed before the First Age, located in the Iron Mountains in the enemy's land Dor Daedeloth north of Beleriand.[1][2]
The fortress is described in Tolkien's The Silmarillion. It was built by Melkor (later called Morgoth) to guard against a possible attack from Aman by the Valar, who left Sauron in command of it. Nonetheless, the Valar's attack succeeded in capturing Morgoth and destroying his main stronghold Utumno.
However, while the Valar had focused on destroying Utumno utterly, Angband, though devastated, was only partially destroyed. Over time, the dark creatures in Morgoth's service would gather in its ruined pits. After three ages of imprisonment, Morgoth returned to Middle-earth and set himself up in Angband, raising the volcanic Thangorodrim over the fortress as protection. He never came out of it again but once, when challenged to single combat by the Elven king Fingolfin. He reigned there until the end of the First Age, when it was destroyed in the War of Wrath.
[edit] Trivia
- In earlier versions of Tolkien's mythology (see The History of Middle-earth) it was called Angamando, the Quenya form of the name.
- The name for the Tolkien-themed roguelike Angband is taken from his name for this place.
[edit] Works cited
- ^ Tolkien, J.R.R. (1977). "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor", The Silmarillion, 1st ed. ISBN 0-345-32581-8.
- ^ Oberhelman, David D. (2006). "Angband", in Drout, Michael D. C.: J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Routledge, 17-18. ISBN 0-415-96942-5.
[edit] References
- Fonstad, Karen Wynn (1991), The Atlas of Middle-earth, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Angband, ISBN 0-618-12699-6
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