Mordor

Mordor is the dark realm of the Dark Lord Sauron, the ultimate source of evil in Middle-earth during the Third Age. It is a land of perpetual shadow, volcanic fire, and industrial desolation, sealed off from the rest of the world by great mountain ranges. The entire narrative of The Lord of the Rings is driven by the need to enter this forbidden land and destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged.

Geography and Defenses

Mordor is a roughly rectangular region, approximately six hundred miles from north to south and four hundred and fifty miles from west to east, enclosed on three sides by mountain walls. To the west and south rise the Ephel Dúath, the Mountains of Shadow, while the northern edge is formed by the Ered Lithui, the Ash Mountains. The only easy entrance for large armies is through the narrow pass of Cirith Gorgor in the northwest, which is heavily fortified by the Black Gate (the Morannon) and the two Towers of the Teeth, Carchost and Narchost. A more secret and perilous route, the pass of Cirith Ungol, lies in the west, guarded by the giant spider Shelob and the tower of the same name. The interior of Mordor is a barren and blasted plain called Gorgoroth, covered in ash, slag, and the fumes of industry. In the northwest of this plain rises Orodruin, the Fire-mountain, also known as Mount Doom, an active volcano that is the source of the One Ring's power. Far to the east, built upon a spur of the Ered Lithui, stands Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower, Sauron's vast and impregnable fortress. The southern part of Mordor contains the inland sea of Núrnen, surrounded by slave-worked fields that provide food for Sauron's armies.

History and the War of the Ring

Mordor was originally a region of volcanic activity, but it became Sauron's chosen stronghold in the Second Age after the downfall of Morgoth. There he forged the One Ring and built Barad-dûr, waging war against the Elves and the Men of Númenor. After his defeat in the War of the Last Alliance, the Ring was lost and Sauron's spirit fled, leaving Mordor desolate and watched over by Gondor for many centuries. However, as the Third Age waned, Sauron's power returned. He re-entered Mordor openly around the year 2951 of the Third Age, rebuilt Barad-dûr, and began to gather his immense forces. The land became a vast military camp, with orcs, trolls, and enslaved Men from the East and South massing for war. The atmosphere of Mordor is one of choking fumes, perpetual gloom, and oppressive malice, a physical manifestation of Sauron's will. The very air is poisonous to those not accustomed to it, and the land is devoid of all natural life, replaced by the products of Sauron's industry: forges, pits, and armies.

The Climax of the Quest

The entire quest of Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee is to infiltrate Mordor and cast the One Ring into the Cracks of Doom within Mount Doom. Their journey through the desolate landscape is a harrowing ordeal of thirst, hunger, and spiritual torment, as the Ring's power grows and the Eye of Sauron searches for them. The climax of the War of the Ring occurs simultaneously at the Black Gate, where the armies of the West launch a desperate diversionary attack, and within the heart of Mordor itself, on the slopes of Mount Doom. There, Frodo ultimately fails to destroy the Ring of his own will, but Gollum, in his lust for the Ring, seizes it and falls into the fiery chasm, destroying both himself and the Ring. This cataclysm causes the immediate and total collapse of Sauron's power. Barad-dûr crumbles, the Black Gate falls, the armies of Mordor are thrown into chaos, and the land itself is convulsed by earthquakes and eruptions. The Shadow is lifted, and Mordor, once a symbol of absolute terror, becomes a ruined and impotent wasteland, its power broken forever.