Mount Doom

Mount Doom, also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth, was a volcano in Mordor where the One Ring was forged, and the only place it could be destroyed. It was the ultimate destination for Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee in the Quest of the Ring.

Description Edit

Mount Doom was located in the Plateau of Gorgoroth in northwestern Mordor. It was connected to Barad-dûr through the steaming fissures of Sauron's Road. It stood about 4,500 feet with its base about 3,000 feet tall.^[1]

History Edit

During the Second Age, Sauron chose the land of Mordor as his dwelling-place. He used the fire that welled there from the heart of the earth in his sorceries and his forging. Around SA 1600, Sauron forged the One Ring in the depths of the Cracks of Doom, which was built within Mount Doom itself. On SA 3429, Mount Doom erupted, signalling Sauron's attack on Gondor, where it earned its name "Amon Amarth."^[1][2][3]

After the War of the Last Alliance and Sauron's disappearance, it seemed to be dormant and only sprung into life when the One Ring was rediscovered.

On TA 3019, Frodo and Sam trekked the slopes of Mount Doom and entered Sammarth Naur.^[4]

With the destruction of the Ring, Mount Doom had a massive eruption, sending massive lava floes down its sides and scattering the area with volcanic debris. The fiery eruption destroyed the Nazgûl and their mounts as they tried to reach Frodo on their Fell Beasts to reclaim the Ring.^[4]

Etymology Edit

Orodruin was the common Sindarin name for Mount Doom. It means "Fire Mountain", from orod ("mountain") and ruin ("burning, fiery red"). However, the literal Sindarin translation for Mount Doom is Amon Amarth, from amon ("hill, mountain") and amarth ("doom, fate").^[5][6] It is also possible that "Doom" is a mis-anglicization of "Dun", an old-English and possibly Rohirric term for "mountain".

Portrayal in adaptations Edit

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy Edit

In Peter Jackson's film trilogy, the New Zealand volcano Mount Ngauruhoe was used as Mount Doom in some scenes. In long shots, the mountain is either a large model or a CGI effect or a combination. Filming the summit of Ngauruhoe itself was not permitted because it is sacred to the Māori of the region. However, some scenes on the slopes of Mount Doom were filmed on the actual slopes of Mount Ruapehu.^[7]

On November 22, 2012, it was incorrectly reported by media outside New Zealand that "Mount Doom" Ngauruhoe had erupted. The reported eruption was actually from nearby Mount Tongariro, not Mount Ngauruhoe.

Real-life Edit

The International Astronomical Union names all mountains on Saturn's moon Titan after mountains in J. R. R. Tolkien's work. In 2012, they named a Titanian mountain "Doom Mons" after Mount Doom.

In the real world, the Italian volcano Stromboli was the inspiration for Mount Doom.

Gallery Edit

Map of Mount Doom, as seen in The Atlas of Middle-earth

Mount Doom stands beside the Barad-dûr

Translations around the world Edit

References Edit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} The Atlas of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings, "Mount Doom"
2. ↑ The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
3. ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (i): "Númenor"
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter III: "Mount Doom"
5. ↑ Parma Eldalamberon, Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. ↑ Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings, Mordor
7. ↑ Brian Sibley, The Making of the Movie Trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin (2002)