Angband, also known by its translation, Iron Prison, was an ancient fortress built by Melkor under the Iron Mountains before the First Age, and from which he tried to subjugate Arda. It was destroyed at the conclusion of the War of Wrath.[1]
Description
Map of Northern Lands and the location of Angband.
Angband was a primarily subterranean stronghold under the three volcanic mountains of Thangorodrim, the largest mountains in Middle-earth. Before the Great Gate, there was a sombre court area flanked by frightening cliffs and walled by the towers of a great battlement. Through the gate, there was a long great tunnel leading to a 'labyrinthine pyramid' of stairs to corridors, tunnels, smithy chambers which a tall chimney went up through the mountain to the smokey towers of Thangorodrim, which spewed poisonous fumes. There were also many tunnels leading to the slave quarters or vaults. At its foundation was the entrance to Morgoth's throne room in the Nethermost Hall.[1]
History
Melkor originally built Angband to guard against a possible attack from Aman by the Valar, and put Sauron in command of it. However, at the initiation of the War of Powers, the assault of the Valar leveled Angband without much difficulty, and forced Melkor to flee to his primary stronghold of Utumno. However, Angband's underground vaults and caverns were left relatively intact after the Valar's onslaught, as they were in great haste to capture Melkor for the sake of keeping the newly-awakened Elves safe. After Melkor's defeat at Utumno, the Balrogs came to Angband and went into hibernation in its ruined foundations. Eventually, the Orcs began to multiply in great numbers in Angband, and soon made their way south into Beleriand, threatening the Dwarves and Thingol's kingdom. It is possible that Sauron remained in the ruins of Angband with the Balrogs, as he had presumably been commanding the fortress when it was attacked. However, it is not certain where Sauron dwelt during Melkor's imprisonment. After three ages of imprisonment, Melkor destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor and stole the Silmarils from Fëanor and escaped Aman.
After fleeing, Melkor, now called Morgoth by his enemies, returned to Middle-earth and re-delved the ruins of Angband, raising the volcanic peaks of Thangorodrim over it as protection. These peaks were created from the slag and rubble caused by the re-delving of the fortress, and as such, it is possible that the rebuilt Angband extended for a considerably greater distance underground than it's original incarnation did. From here on his dark throne in the Nethermost Hall, Morgoth directed the war against the Ñoldor who had returned from the West and all the Free Peoples that supported them in Beleriand. Ultimately, he achieved complete victory over them. At the end of the First Age, the Valar took pity on the Ñoldor and suffering of Morgoth's other enemies and instigated the War of Wrath, which not only utterly destroyed Angband but broke most of northern Middle-earth so throughly that it sank beneath the ocean.[2]
Earlier versions of the legendarium
In earlier versions of Tolkien's mythology (see: The History of Middle-earth) it was called Angamando, the Quenya form of the name.
Etymology
Angband is a Sindarin word that meant 'iron prison'.[3]
See also
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Arabic | أنجباند |
| Armenian | Անգբանդ |
| Belarusian | Ангбанд |
| Bengali | আঙ্বান্দ |
| Bulgarian | Ангбанд |
| Catalan | Àngband |
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 安格班 a.k.a. 鐵之牢獄 |
| Dari | انگباند |
| French | Angband a.k.a. Enfer d'Acier |
| Georgian | ანგბანდ |
| German | Angband a.k.a. Eisenkerker |
| Greek | Άνγκμπαντ |
| Gujarati | આઙ્બન્દ |
| Hebrew | אנגבנד |
| Hindi | आङ्बन्द |
| Japanese | アングバンド |
| Kazakh | Ангбанд |
| Kurdiah | ئنگباند (Arabic script) Angband (Latinised) |
| Kyrgyz | Ангбанд |
| Macedonian | Ангбанд |
| Marathi | एंगबैंड |
| Mongolian | Ангбанд |
| Nepali | यान्गब्यान्ड |
| Pashto | آنګباند |
| Persian | انگباند |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Angband a.k.a. Infernos de Ferro |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Angband a.k.a. Inferno de Ferro |
| Russian | Ангбанд |
| Sanskrit | आङ्बन्द् |
| Serbian | Ангбанд (Cyrillic) Angband (Latinised) |
| Sinhala | ආඞ්බඳ් |
| Spanish (Spain and Latin America) | Angband a.k.a. Infierno de Hierro |
| Tajik | Angband |
| Tamil | ஆங்பந்த் ? |
| Telugu | ఆఙ్బన్ద ? |
| Ukrainian | Анґбанд |
| Urdu | انگبند |
| Uzbek | Ангбанд (Cyrillic) Angband (Latinised) |
| Yiddish | אַנגבאַנד |
|
Places of Middle-earth and Arda
Middle-earth Locations:
Provinces/Regions: Arnor | Dunland | Ettenmoors | Forochel | Forodwaith | Gondor | Harad | Ithilien | Khand | Lindon | Minhiriath | Mordor | Rhovanion | Rhûn | Rivendell | Rohan | The Shire Forests & Mountains: Amon Dîn | Amon Hen | Amon Lhaw | Caradhras | Emyn Muil | Erebor | Fangorn Forest | High Pass | Iron Hills | Lórien | Mirkwood | Mount Doom | Mount Gundabad | Old Forest | Orod-na-Thôn | Tower Hills | Weathertop Hill City/Fortifications: Angband | Barad-dûr | Bree | Caras Galadhon | Dol Guldur | Fornost Erain | Hornburg | Isengard | Minas Morgul | Minas Tirith | Last Homely House | Tower of Amon Sûl | Tower of Orthanc | Osgiliath | Umbar | Utumno Miscellaneous: Argonath | Astulat | Buckland | Cair Andros | Dagorlad | Dead Marshes | Enedwaith | Fords of Isen | Gap of Rohan | Grey Havens The rest of Arda:
Aman | Burnt Land of the Sun | Dark Land | Empty Lands | Neldoreth | New lands | Númenor | Tol Eressëa |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Thangorodrim"
- ↑ The Silmarillion
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
