Barad-dûr: Difference between revisions

{{location

| location=Northwestern [[Mordor]]

| realms=[[Mordor]]

| description= Gargantuan tower that hosted the [[Eye of Sauron]]

| othernames=Lugburz, The Dark Tower

| etymology=[[Sindarin|S.]] "Dark Tower"

 

<center>{{quote|...wall upon wall, battlement upon battlement, black, immeasurably strong, mountain of iron, gate of steel, tower of adamant... Barad-dûr, fortress of Sauron.|Vision of [[Frodo Baggins]]<ref name="Breaking">{{FR|Breaking}}</ref>}}</center>

'''Barad-dûr''', the '''Dark Tower''', was the chief fortress of [[Sauron]], on the [[Plateau of Gorgoroth]] in [[Mordor]]. Known in [[Black Speech]] as '''[[Barad-dûr#Etymology|Lugbúrz]]''', the Eye of Sauron kept watch over [[Middle-earth]] from its highest tower.

Barad-Dûr was built upon the end of a long southern spur of the [[Ered Lithui]] in the northern part of the Plateau of Gorgoroth. It stood about 30 miles east of [[Mount Doom]] and about 100 miles southeast of the [[Black Gate]]. There was both a road leading north to the Black Gate and Sauron's road to the [[Sammath Naur]] leading west to Mount Doom.<ref name="Mount Doom">{{RK|Doom}}</ref> Latter ran from the Dark Tower's western gate over a deep abyss, the plain and around the mountain to the dark entrance of the Chambers of Fire.

Barad-Dûr was the greatest fortress ever built since the Fall of [[Angband]]. It was founded upon a mighty iron mountain throne above immeasurable pits and appeared even blacker and darker than the mantling clouds and shades in which it stood. It was immeasurably strong with its countless gargantuan towers, walls and battlements and was made of very hard and unbreakable substances.<ref name="Breaking"/> Usually it was described as made of steel, iron or adamant. It had gaping gates, great courts and dungeons with deep and terrible prisons.<ref name="Mount Doom"/>

The year after the Downfall of Númenor in {{SA|3319}} Sauron's spirit secretly returned to Barad-dûr.<ref name="Tale"/> There he worked a terrible shape for himself, took up again the One Ring and prepared for war against the Eldar and the Exiles of Númenor who had established their realms in [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]].<ref name="Rings"/> He succeeded in taking [[Minas Ithil]] but in {{SA|3430}}<ref name="Tale"/> [[Elendil]] and [[Gil-galad]] forged the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] and defeated Sauron four years later in the [[Battle of Dagorlad]].<ref name="Rings"/> Then they passed into Mordor and besieged Barad-dûr. The siege lasted for seven years, Gil-galad and Elendil were slain and in {{SA|3441}}<ref name="Tale"/> Sauron was finally defeated.<ref name="Rings"/> Isildur son of Elendil cut the One Ring from Sauron's hand and took it for his own instead of destroying it. The Dark Tower was finally leveled but its foundations remained since Barad-dûr was created using the power of the One Ring and couldn't be destroyed as long as that existed.

Around {{TA|1050}} Sauron returned and secretly made a stronghold at [[Dol Guldur]].<ref name="Tale"/> [[Gandalf]] did not discover that Sauron was the master of Dol Guldur until {{TA|2850}}, and in {{TA|2941}} the [[White Council]] attacked the fortress. Sauron retreated to Barad-dûr which the [[Nazgûl]] had prepared for him and began to rebuild it in {{TA|2951}}. From then on Sauron stayed in Barad-dûr and conducted his war on the free people of Middle-Earth from there.

On [[25 March|March 25]], {{TA|3019}} the ring-bearer [[Frodo Baggins]] succeeded in destroying the One Ring, although it was the creature [[Gollum]] who actually held the ring as it fell into the [[Cracks of Doom]]. With the Ring destroyed Barad-dûr ultimately collapsed to ruin and Sauron was finally defeated.

{{quote|A brief vision he had of swirling cloud, and in the midst of it towers and battlements, tall as hills, founded upon a mighty mountain-throne above immeasurable pits; great courts and dungeons, eyeless prisons sheer as cliffs, and gaping gates of steel and adamant: and then all passed. Towers fell and mountains slid; walls crumbled and melted, crashing down; vast spires of smoke and spouting steams went billowing up, up, until they toppled like an overwhelming wave, and its wild crest curled and came foaming down upon the land. And then at last over the miles between there came a rumble, rising to a deafening crash and roar; the earth shook, the plain heaved and cracked, and Orodruin reeled.|Vision of [[Samwise Gamgee]] from the downfall of Barad-Dûr<ref name="Mount Doom"/>}}

Barad-Dûr translates from [[Sindarin]] as "Dark Tower". ''[[barad]]'' means "tower" and ''[[dûr]]'' means "dark".<ref name="App">{{S|Appendix}}</ref>  

'''''Lugbúrz''''' was the name of Barad-dûr in the [[Black Speech]], composed of of the Black Speech words ''lûg'' ("fortress, lock-up, prison") and ''[[búrz]]'' ("dark").<ref>{{TT|III3}}</ref><ref>{{PE|17}}, p. 79</ref>

Image:Barad-dur_FOTR_game.png|<center>[[The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game)|''The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (video game)]]</center>

:Barad-dûr is portrayed as a simple fortress. During a [[The One Ring|ring]]-induced dream, [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] dreams of taking the Ring and storming the Tower, but his common sense gains the upper hand in time.<ref>[[The Return of the King (1980 film)|''The Return of the King'' (1980 film)]], "[[Samwise the Strong]]"</ref>

:Barad-dûr is one of the first sites visited. After the [[Witch-king]] captures [[Gollum]] snooping on the edge of Mordor, the [[Mouth of Sauron]] questions the creature in the Dark Tower.<ref>[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' (1981 radio series)]], "[[The Shadow of the Past (1982 episode)|The Shadow of the Past]]"</ref>  

:The Tower is briefly visible in the opening scene. [[Galadriel]] narrates a vision from her [[Mirror of Galadriel|Mirror]]. It is only referred to a "The Dark Tower of Mordor", and it is the base of the [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]] (as opposed to [[Minas Morgul]]). The Eye of Sauron is portrayed as a fiery eye at the top, but only visible for a split second.

:Barad-dûr is shown in the introduction scene, looking similar to its movie design. It does not play a role in any of the campaigns, and does not appear on any of the maps.

:Like in its predecessor, the tower of Barad-dûr plays no active role in this game. In the "War of the Ring" mode, it can be seen in the territory of Mordor, but it is absent on the map itself.