| This article refers to the pass. For other namesakes, see Cirith Ungol (disambiguation). |
- "Its name was Cirith Ungol, a name of dreadful rumour."
- —The Two Towers, "The Black Gate is Closed"
Cirith Ungol, also known as the Cleft or Pass of Cirith Ungol[2], was a passage through the Ephel Dúath located near Minas Morgul in Mordor. At its heart was an Orc stronghold, the Tower of Cirith Ungol, near the caves of Shelob's lair.
History[]
Cirith Ungol by Alan Lee
Under Gondor[]
The Pass was originally known as Cirith Dúath and passed through the western mountains of Mordor, running parallel to the Morgul-road into Gondor to some degree. It was guarded by the Tower of Cirith Ungol, which was built by the Men of Gondor after the War of the Last Alliance was fought. It is not known whether the pass and the tower were called Cirith Ungol when the Men of Gondor held it, though it is likely since Shelob "...was there before Sauron, and before the first stone of Barad-dûr" was laid, and Cirith Ungol meant 'Spider's Cleft' in Sindarin.
The pass was reached by several sets of steep stairs leading from close by Minas Morgul up the north cliff-face of Morgul Vale and through a tunnel high in the mountains, with other steep stretches that lacked stairs. Eventually, the path ran straight into Shelob's lair, though many side-tunnels had been carved by Orcs and Men to get past her webs.[1][3][4]
The cleft as seen in Peter Jackson's third film
Under Sauron[]
Gondor occupied the tower guarding the pass until TA 1636 when the Great Plague killed much of Gondor's population. After the Plague, Gondor again occupied the Pass of Cirith Ungol but they were eventually distracted by the Wainriders, and evil was allowed to return to Mordor. The tower was likely occupied by evil forces before Minas Ithil was besieged in TA 2000.
In the Quest of the Ring, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee were led to this pass by Gollum to the lair of the ancient spider Shelob. At this time, there were also three-headed statues that "watched" the gateway into the Tower of Cirith Ungol which could not be passed by mortals. Only through use of the Phial of Galadriel could the ring-bearer and his servant break these entities' will and enter.[5][6]
Etymology[]
Cirith Ungol is Sindarin for "Spider's cleft", from cirith ("cleft, pass")[7] and ungol ("spider").[8]
In adaptations[]
The Pass of Cirith Ungol as depicted in the 1980 film
Rankin/Bass' Return of the King[]
In The Return of the King film created by Rankin/Bass, the Pass of Cirith Ungol is based similar to Tolkien's description. It has the Two Watchers, resembling their description from the book, but instead of their dreadful stare prohibiting access, they had an invisible gate that was controlled by them. When Frodo and Sam left the Pass of Cirith Ungol the gates of the tower collapse very much so to that in the book; with even a Nazgûl coming in to perch on top the ruins.
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films[]
The Pass of Cirith Ungol model used in the Jackson Films
The Pass of Cirith Ungol appears in Peter Jackson's third movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, first from a distant right before Frodo is attacked by Shelob. Later the inside of the tower is shown when the Orcs fight over the Mithril Coat and Sam makes his way in to save Frodo from Gorbag.
The films crew built a model of the Pass of Cirith Ungol based on Tolkien's description, however, the scene with the Two Watchers is altered different from in the book; as Sam is able to pass through with ease with no alarm setting off.
Cirith Ungol as it appears in Middle-earth: Shadow of War
Video games[]
- In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, the names "Cirith Ungol" and "Minas Morgul" are falsely used interchangeably to describe a single fortress.
- In the Return of the King video game, the player may play as Sam who has to kill 80 Orcs and then may progress to the tower, to fight Gorbag and rescue Frodo.
- Cirith Ungol is a playable region in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, featuring the fortress of Dârz-Gurum and the Pass of Cirith Ungol.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Arabic | سيريث اونغول |
| Armenian | Կիրիտհ Օնգոլ |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Кіріт Унгол |
| Bengali | সিরথ আনগোল |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Кирит Унгол |
| Burmese | ခစ်ရစ်အန်ဂေါလ် |
| Catalan | Cirith Úngol |
| Chinese | 西力斯昂哥 |
| Danish | Cirith Ungol ("Edderkoppens Pas") |
| Georgian | კირით უნგოლი |
| Greek | Κιριθ Ονγολ |
| Gujarati | સિરિથ અનગોલ |
| Hebrew | קירית אונגול |
| Hindi | किरिथ उङोल |
| Japanese | シリスアンゴル |
| Kazakh | Кіріт Ұнгол (Cyrillic) Kirit Ungol (Latin) |
| Kannada | ಸಿರಿತ್ ಉಂಗೋಲ್ |
| Korean | 키리스 웅골 |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | Кирит Унгол |
| Latvian | Kirit Ungola |
| Marathi | क्रिथ उंगोल |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Кирит Унгол |
| Nepalese | सर्क्रि अनगोल |
| Persian | کیریت آنگول |
| Russian | Кирит Унгол |
| Serbian | Кирит Унгол (Cyrillic) Kirit Ungol (Latin) |
| Sinhalese | සිරිල් අන්ගෝල් |
| Tamil | சிரித் அன்கோல் |
| Telugu | సిరిత్ అన్గోల్ |
| Thai | คิริธอุงโกล |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Кіріт Унґол |
| Yiddish | כּיריטה ונגאָל |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Atlas of Middle-earth, Regional Maps, "Mordor (and Adjacent Lands)"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: "Annals of the Kings and Rulers", (iv) Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings, "The Path of Cirith Ungol"
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings, "The Tower of Cirith Ungol"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, chapter VIII: "The Stairs of Cirith Ungol"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Ch. IX: "Shelob's Lair"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Index, entry for Cirith Thoronath
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings, pg. 490