Mount Doom, also known as Orodruin and Amon Amarth, was a volcano in Mordor where the One Ring was forged. It was the ultimate destination for Frodo's Quest of the Ring.
History
Location of Mount Doom marked in red.
When Sauron chose the land of Mordor as his dwelling-place in the Second Age, Mount Doom was the reason for his choice. Having been originally a Maiar disciple of Aulë the smith (before he decided to follow the evil Morgoth), he used the fire that welled there from the heart of the earth in his sorceries and his forging. The most famous result of his forging, and in fact the only one we know of for sure, was the One Ring.
A map of Mount Doom
Mount Doom was much more than just any volcano; Sauron seems to have extended his own power into it, just as his former master Melkor had extended his own power into the flesh of Arda as his means of corrupting the Valar's shaping of the world. In Sauron's case, it was probably due to his use of it as a foundry for the forging of the Ring, as he was able to control its fires. It seems to have lain dormant when Sauron was away from Mordor, and sprung into life when his power grew.
With the destruction of the Ring, Mount Doom had a massive eruption, sending massive lava flows 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.
Namesakes
The International Astronomical Union names all mountains on Saturn's moon Titan after mountains in Tolkien's work In 2012, they named a Titanian mountain "Doom Mons" after Mount Doom
Etymology
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").
Portrayal in adaptations
Lord of the Rings film trilogy
Behind the Scenes
Mount Ngauruhoe
In Peter Jackson's trilogy of movies, 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.
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.
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Montanha da Perdição |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Montanha de Fogo |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Monte da Condenação |
| Spanish (Spain and Latin America) | Monte del Destino |
| Italian | Monte Fato |
| French | Montagne du Destin |
| German | Schicksalsberg |
|
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
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
- The Atlas of Middle-earth pgs. 92-3
- Swedish Death Metal/Viking Metal band named Amon Amarth
