The Eisenzahn Mountains, known also as the Ironteeth, serve as a point of reference in Galahad Stormcrane and Prince James’s discussion of the journey to the Fortress of Maith. Their exchange distinguishes a direct route through Spegel from the longer route around its southern border, sketching the mountains as part of a passage through a region the travelers have not dared to enter.

Name and Setting

Prince James recognizes the Eisenzahn Mountains by their alternate name, the Ironteeth, and says he has traveled to them before. On that earlier journey, his party went around Spegel’s southern border rather than entering Spegel or Iss. The mountains are thus situated in relation to both the forbidden route and the safer circuit the party had taken.

Route to the Fortress of Maith

When Prince James asks how far the Fortress of Maith is, Galahad describes a direct route through Spegel: crossing the region would take two days, after which the travelers would reach a mountain pass entering the narrowest part of Eorna Valley. Beyond the valley stand the Drachenrucken Mountains, among which Maith is located. Prince James estimates the journey at roughly 250 miles if passage through Spegel is possible.

Role in the Journey

The mountains help turn an abstract question of distance into a sequence of geographical obstacles and landmarks: Spegel, the pass into Eorna Valley, and the Drachenrucken Mountains. The contrast between the direct passage and the earlier detour around Spegel makes the route’s central uncertainty clear: the journey could be shorter, but only if the travelers could pass through a region they had previously avoided.