Minas Morgul

"Not the imprisoned moonlight welling through the marble walls of Minas Ithil long ago, Tower of the Moon, fair and radiant in the hollow of the hills. Paler indeed than the moon ailing in some slow eclipse was the light of it now, wavering and blowing like a noisome exhalation of decay, a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing."

- The Two Towers: "The Stairs of Cirith Ungol," p. 312



Minas Morgul was a city/fortress of Mordor. Minas Morgul was once called Minas Ithil, the Tower of the Moon. It was the sister city of Minas Anor (later known as Minas Tirith) during the early part of the Third Age. Situated in an upland valley at the feet of the Mountains of Shadow, it commanded the only easily accessible pass through the mountains into Mordor and east of Osgiliath, near the pass of Cirith Ungol.

Early History
It was founded by the Númenorean Isildur, son of Elendil as a fortress city to defend Gondor from Sauron in Mordor. Isildur made his home in Minas Ithil, while Isildur's brother Anarion dwelled across the Anduin in Minas Anor. In front of his house, Isildur planted a sapling of the White Tree, which he had rescued from the Downfall of Numenor, and in the tower was kept one of the Palantiri called the Ithil-stone.

Minas Ithil, in its heyday it was described as a beautiful sight, as moonlight filled its inner courts with silver light and its walls gleamed silver and white with moonlight. It was a walled city of white marble built on a high shelf of rock. Within the walls, there were white houses and a tall tower. The walls and the tower had many windows, and the top of the tower revolved slowly back and forth. A road ran from Osgiliath on the Anduin through Ithilien to the city and crossed the Mountains of Shadow into Mordor via the pass.

After Sauron was defeated in the War of the Last Alliance in SA 3441, a watch was kept from Minas Ithil becoming a lookout fortress of Gondor and was constantly maintained and manned by its troops.

The Nazgûl returned to Mordor in 1980 to prepare for Sauron's return. Their leader was the Witch-king of Angmar, the chief Nazgûl and most fearsome of Sauron's minions. Meanwhile Gondor had been devastated by many attacks of Mordor`s allies the Wainriders, Variags, and Haadrim, who had gained 2 devastating victories and killed 2 kings and conquered almost all provinces east of the Anduin. Soon Mordor started to attack and conquer parts of Gondor. In TA 2000, the forces of nine Nazgûl laid siege to Minas Ithil and in TA 2002 after a long siege captured and transformed into a foul, evil place. As a result, it came to be called Minas Morgul, which in Sindarin means "Tower of Dark Sorcery." Minas Morgul stood upon the Morgulduin, a tributary of the Anduin river.

The Palantir’s (ithil-stone) fate was unknown, many people of Gondor believed that the guards of the city destroyed it but by the nature of the Palantir, this was impossible. Others believed that it was taken to Barad-dûr, which became to be known as the real hypothesis in the War of the Ring. The city was then filled with dread spirits and the Tower of the Moon became a fortress of evil.



A Fortress of Evil
Terror and war were directed at Gondor from Minas Morgul until Ithilien was deserted. During the War of the Ring, the army that attacked Osgiliath and undertook the Siege of Gondor came from Minas Morgul.

In fashion Minas Morgul seems to have been much like Minas Tirith, only corrupted and hellish. The top most course of the tower revolved slowly, and the walls were illuminated by a constant eerie hue. This evil, sickly green glow extended out from the city into the surrounding fields, as well. The city had a strange watchfulness about it, and intruders to Morgul Vale were always noted. Most who approached the city could not stand to set eyes on it, and felt that they were being watched.

War of the Ring


During the War of the Ring, the city garrisoned a corps (200,000) of orcs. Virtually the entire garrison was sent along with the armies to attack Minas Tirith. Following the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, the bridge leading to Morgul was pulled down by the Army of the West and its fields set aflame, and they met no opposition there. Gorbag and his fellow Morgul Orcs bore the device of a hideous, grinning moon on their shields and considered themselves a cut above Sauron's other Orcs.

Minas Morgul was abandoned and fell into decay after the Nazgûl were destroyed. After the War of the Ring, Faramir was made Prince of Ithilien by King Elessar, who advised him to make his abode in the Emyn Arnen southeast of Minas Tirith. Faramir dwelt there with his new bride Éowyn, for King Elessar counseled that even though Minas Morgul was completely abandoned, the land was such a terror in the minds of Men that it would not be fit for habitation or even human contact for many years. It is likely that the city was eventually rebuilt as Minas Ithil once the evil that once tainted the land had finally been extinguished.

Rulers of Minas Morgul

 * Witch-king of Morgul. Better known as the Witch-king of Angmar, is the leader of the Nazgûl and the principal ruler of Minas Morgul.
 * Nazgûl. The Ringwraiths claimed Minas Ithil to his own, and now rule the corpse-city under Witch-king's leadership.
 * Gothmog. Lieutenant of Morgul and commander of its army.

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Minas Morgul Minas Ithil Minas Morgul Minas Morgul Минас Итиль