View source for Lonely Mountain

{{short description|Solitary mountain}}
{{cleanup}}
{{disambig-more|Lonely Mountain|[[Lonely Mountain (disambiguation)]]}}
{{location infobox
| name=Lonely Mountain
| image=J.R.R. Tolkien - Smaug flies round the Mountain.jpg
| caption="Smaug flies round the Mountain" by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
| pronun=
| othernames=''Erebor'' ([[Sindarin|S]])
| location=North-east of [[Rhovanion]]
| type=Mountain
| description=A large mountain apart from any other ranges.
| regions=
| towns=
| inhabitants=[[Dwarves]] except when occupied by [[Smaug]] (a [[Dragons|dragon]]).
| created=
| destroyed=
| events=[[Sack of Erebor]], [[Siege of Erebor]]
| gallery=the Lonely Mountain
}}

The '''Lonely Mountain''' ([[Sindarin|S.]] '''''Erebor''''') was a large, solitary mountain in the north-east of [[Rhovanion]] and the source of the river [[River Running|Running]]. It housed the vast underground [[Dwarves|Dwarven]] city of the [[Kingdom under the Mountain]] and stood as one of the most importantDwarven [[Dwarf realms|realms]] of the [[Third Age]].

Founded by [[Thráin I]] after the loss of [[Moria|Khazad‑dûm]], Erebor became a centre of trade and craftsmanship, maintaining close ties with the neighbouring [[mannish|Men]] city of [[Dale]]. The kingdom reached its height under [[Thror|King Thrór]], whose wealth drew the [[Dragons|dragon]] [[Smaug]] to sack the mountain and drive the Dwarves into exile.

Erebor was reclaimed during the [[Quest of Erebor]], when [[Thorin|Thorin II Oakenshield]] and his companions reached the mountain and Smaug was slain. The [[Battle of Five Armies]] followed, after which [[Dáin Ironfoot]] restored the kingdom. In the [[War of the Ring]], the Dwarves and [[Men]] of the region again defended Erebor, which endured as a renewed Dwarven realm into the [[Fourth Age]].

==History==
The [[Longbeards]] held Erebor from at least the early [[Second Age]].<ref>{{PM|Relations}}</ref> After the awakening of [[Durin's Bane]] in Khazad-dûm, Thráin I led a company of Dwarves eastward and delved halls and passages, establishing the Kingdom under the Mountain in {{TA|1999}}.<ref name="ta">{{App|TA}}, p. 1087</ref> During Thráin's rule many riches were mined from the depths of the mountain, including the [[Arkenstone]].<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Appendix A]], "Durin's Folk", p. 1072</ref> 

Thráin's son, Thorin, abandoned the Mountain in {{TA|2210}} in favour of the [[Grey Mountains]], which were largely unexplored and richer in ores. He also hoped to reunite the [[Durin's Folk|Longbeards]]. Although these mountains were likely larger than Erebor, the region later became troubled by dragons, and after the [[war of the Dwarves and Dragons]] in {{TA|2590}}, King Thrór returned to the Lonely Mountain and re-established it as the capital of Durin's folk, though some would follow his brother [[Grór]] into the [[Iron Hills]].<ref name="ta" />  

Erebor again grew prosperous, which led to the establishment of the town of [[Dale]],<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[The Hobbit]], [[An Unexpected Party]]</ref> built by Men between Erebor's slopes. The Dwarves mined and expanded the tunnels and halls beyond those of their earlier settlement. The Dwarves of Erebor were treated with reverence by the Men of Dale. The friendship and commerce between these two settlements became renowned throughout the North.

[[File:Donato Giancola - The Coming of Smaug.jpg|left|thumb|''The Coming of Smaug'' by [[Donato Giancola]]]]

In {{TA|2770}}, the dragon [[Smaug]] descended upon the mountain, driving out the Dwarves and destroying the town of Dale.<ref>{{App|TA}}, p. 1088</ref> The Lonely Mountain afterward lay empty for nearly two centuries, occupied only by Smaug, who slept in the innermost chamber on a great treasure hoard. No Dwarf or Man approached the mountain while the dragon remained.

In {{TA|2941}}, a small company led by Thorin Oakenshield returned to Erebor with the aim of reclaiming their kingdom. After the Smaug had realized that the Dwarves had been helped by the [[Lake-men]], he went to their town of [[Lake-town|Esgaroth]] intent on destroying them, only to be killed by a man named [[Bard]].<ref name=":0">{{App|TA}}, p. 1089</ref>

With the death of Smaug, the Lonely Mountain was left unguarded, and Thorin and company were able to reclaim the Erebor and its treasure.  Thorin Oakenshield briefly took the title of [[King under the Mountain]], but succumbed to Dragon Sickness, which caused dispute between Thorin, Men of Esgaroth and [[Elves of Mirkwood]]. A siege of Erebor and then the [[Battle of Five Armies]] followed, in which Thorin was wounded by [[goblins]], and died within the mountain.   [[File:Matt Stewart - The Battle Under the Mountain.jpg|thumb|''The Battle Under the Mountain'' by [[Matt Stewart]]]] His cousin, Dáin Ironfoot, then became king and re-established the Kingdom under the Mountain, returning the Longbeards to their ancestral home and Erebor to its former glory.<ref name=":0" />  Under Dáin’s rule, the Longbeards began  rebuilding their city within and on the mountain, including the roads dug deep underground and the towers built on the mountain, later described by [[Glóin]] to [[Frodo Baggins]].<ref>{{FR|Meetings}}, p. 229</ref>

During the [[War of the Ring]], Erebor and the neighbouring [[Kingdom of Dale]] were attacked by an army of [[Easterlings]] under [[Sauron]]'s rule. The Dwarves and Men retreated into the mountain after King [[Brand]] and King Dáin were killed at its gates on [[17 March]] [[Third Age 3019|T.A. 3019]], and they withstood a siege until news of Sauron's defeat caused the attackers to despair and lose hope. At this, the besieged emerged from the mountain and attacked and drove the Easterlings from Dale across the river Running.<ref>{{App|TA}}, The Great Years, p. 1089</ref>

Erebor and Dale continued to prosper well into the [[Fourth Age]], and the Lonely Mountain remained an important stronghold of Durin's Folk even after the Longbeards reclaimed [[Khazad-dûm]].
==Geography==
{{Sources}}
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lonely Mountain.jpg|thumb|right|The Lonely Mountain sketch by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]]] 
[[File:J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lonely Mountain and the Long Lake maps.jpg|thumb|200px|"The Lonely Mountain and the Long Lake maps" by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]]]

The Lonely Mountain rose as a solitary, star‑shaped peak, with six ridges extending outward as spurs. It was possibly about 3,500 metres in height, and its summit remained snow‑capped even in Spring. The mountain was rich in metals and jewels.<ref>[[Karen Fonstad]], ''[[The Atlas of Middle-earth]]''</ref>

The south-western spur held [[Ravenhill]], which served as a Dwarven guardpost.<ref name=":1">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[Not at Home]]"</ref> Between the two western spurs and behind an overhanging cliff was a narrow vale which was the exit from the [[Back Door]].<ref name=":2">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[On the Doorstep]]"</ref> Rough steps ascended to the top of the southern ridge along a narrow ledge that turned eastward behind a boulder into a steep bay.

Within the mountain, the Dwarves had dug passages and tunnels leading to cellars, halls and mansions, including the [[Great Chamber of Thrór]] near the [[Front Gate]], and a secret tunnel that led to the bottom-most cellar.
[[File:Jef Murray - The Lonely Mountain 2.jpg|thumb|left|140px|''The Lonely Mountain'' by [[Jef Murray]]]]
The Front Gate was the main entrance into the mountain.  It stood on the southern side and opened into a valley between two great spurs. The River Running sprang from beneath the mountain and issued from the Front Gate, forming a waterfall that fell into the valley below.<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[Thrór's Map#The illustration of the Map|Thrór's Map]]"</ref>

Inside the Front Gate a broad paved road followed the river into the mountain in a wide curve. Not far from the Front Gate lay the Great Chamber of Thrór, where feasts and councils were held.<ref name=":1" /> Deeper within the Lower Halls, at the root of the mountain, was a vast chamber called the [[Great Hall of Thráin]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Hobbit]]'', "[[Inside Information]]"</ref> From this hall a secret passageway led to the [[Back Door]], invisible from the outside except on [[Durin's Day]], when the light of the setting sun revealed its keyhole.<ref name=":2" />
==Etymology==
{{Pronounce|Erebor.mp3|Ardamir}}
''Erebor'' is the [[Sindarin]] translation of "Lonely Mountain" and can be analyzed as ''[[ereb]]'' ("lonely" or "isolated")<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entry ''[[er]]''</ref> and ''[[orod|or(od)]]'' ("mountain").<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]] (ed.), ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entry ''orod''</ref>

==Portrayal in adaptations==
===The Lonely Mountain in adaptations===
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="200px" heights="150px">
File:The Hobbit (1977 film) - The Lonely Mountain.jpg|The Lonely Mountain in [[The Hobbit (1977 film)|''The Hobbit'' (1977 film)]]
File:The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug - Erebor.jpg|The Lonely Mountain, as it appeared in [[The Hobbit (film series)|''The Hobbit'' film trilogy]]
File:The Lord of the Rings Online - Lonely Mountain.jpg|The Lonely Mountain in ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]''
</gallery>

'''2013: ''[[The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug]]'':'''
:The Dwarves enter when the Dragon is still inside. When Smaug notices them, they lead him to the smithies where they make him start them up, so they can smelt gold. This gold they cast in a giant mold, making a giant golden statue. They remove the mold and, because it did not yet dry, the hot gold flows towards Smaug, severly wounding him. Wanting to take revenge, he flies towards [[Lake town]].

'''2018: ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'':'''
:After a minor appearance depicting the [[Siege of Erebor]], Erebor proper was added in 2018 as part of [[Eryn Lasgalen]] and the [[Dale]]-lands. After the breaking of the siege, it is now ruled by King [[Thorin Stonehelm]] who must deal with some of the enemy's army still remaining near his lands. Other than the main hall of Erebor, players can also visit the living quarters, the burial tombs as well as several hidden chambers within the Mountain.

{{references}}
{{companyroute}}{{durinskings}}
[[Category:Mountains]]
[[Category:Mines]]
[[Category:Rhovanion]]
[[de:Erebor]]
[[fr:encyclo/geographie/reliefs/rhovanion/erebor]]
[[fi:Erebor]]