Nan Ungol is a valley on the northeastern facing side of the Ephel Dúath in the southwestern corner of Mordor.
It first appeared on a merchandise map of Mordor for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King that was drawn by Daniel Reeve[1] in 2003[2].
In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor it is mentioned that while some of Shelob's children, traveling south, have
taken Nan Ungol (Sindarin for "Valley of the Spiders") as their primary home, they've since spread across Mordor taking residence in its caves and other dark places, and are actively reporting back to their queen.
There, it is said that "Their nests and lairs are littered with the crushed bones of their prey" and none who enter this valley come back alive.
Etymology
Nan Ungol seems to be a Sindarin name, which means "Valley of the Spider", because the map shows a spiderweb between two mountains and a spider close to the label "Nan Ungol". It seems to contain the elements nan ("vale", "valley")[3] and ungol ("spider")[4].
Gallery
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2003 merchandise map
.jpg)
References
- ↑ . "The Lord of the Rings: Maps". Daniel Reeve, artist
- ↑ Daniel Reeve, personal correspondence (June 2026):
the Decipher maps pre-dated the ROTK merchandising map (Mordor). I created [...] the ROTK merchandising map in 2003. So the Decipher Mordor map served as a kind of template when I later made the merchandising map of Mordor – at which time I expanded upon it, adding a lot more invented detail and names. […] I created the places and names myself.
- ↑ . "S. nan(d) n.". Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon. Retrieved 24 June 2026
- ↑ . "S. ungol n.". Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon. Retrieved 24 June 2026