The One Ring

"One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them".

This is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom, taken by Isildur from the hand of Sauron himself.
Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings

Seven to the Dwarf lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls

And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else, desire power.
For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race.

In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master Ring, to control all others.
And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life

One Ring to Rule them all, One Ring to find them. One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them".

Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee had a difficult journey through the eastern Emyn Muil. They wandered through the twisted knot of hills for four days seeking a way down until February 29, when they came to the point where the cliff was lower. The Hobbits descended the cliff with the help of the Elven rope that Sam had obtained in Lothlorien. They then came to the river gulley but were unable to cross it.

That night they saw Gollum climbing down the cliff. Sam tried to seize the creature, but Gollum caught him in a strangle-hold. Frodo threatened Gollum with Sting, but in the end he took pity on Gollum and spared his life. After attempting to escape again, Gollum swore to serve Frodo as the Master of the One Ring. He led the Hobbits into the river gulley and out of the Emyn Muil.

The Dead Marshes were a vast network of pools, mires, and waterways southeast of the Emyn Muil, and the wetlands were fed by many small rivers that ran down from the hills. Reeds and grasses grew in the marshes and there were snakes and worms and creatures in the water, but no birds. The air was thick with mists and vapors and the Dead Marshes gave off a terrible stench.

Gollum led the Hobbits to the Black Gate of Mordor on March 5, 3019. Frodo saw that the gate was impenetrable and heavily guarded and realized they could enter that way. He agreed to follow Gollum to a secret way into Mordor. Before they left the Black Gate, Frodo saw armies of Men enter the Black Gate to fill the ranks of Sauron's forces.

Ithilien

Ithilien was a fair, green region of Gondor on the borders of Mordor. Enemy forces passed through Ithilien many times throughout its history, but the land retained much of its natural beauty.

Frodo and his companion Sam Gamgee had been led into Ithilien by their guide Gollum, who was taking them to the Stairs of Cirith Ungol in the Morgul Vale. Frodo and Sam felt their hearts lighten as they entered the green and pleasant land of Ithilien. The scent of the air reminded them of the uplands of the Northfarthing in the Shire. With Gollum's help, they even managed to enjoy a hot meal of stewed rabbit.

When they encountered Faramir, the Hobbits were taken to the refuge of Henneth Annun where they spent the night. Gollum was found fishing in the Forbidden Pool below the falls. Frodo coaxed Gollum to come to him and the Rangers seized the creature. Gollum felt that Frodo had betrayed him, though Frodo had been trying to save his life.

Faramir and the Hobbits parted company on the morning of March 8. Frodo and Sam were led southward through Ithilien by Gollum. They reached the Morgul-road at dusk on March 9. The next day they turned east to the Cross-roads, where they saw the great statue of a King. It had been defiled by Orcs and covered with crude symbols. The head had been replaced by a stone painted with a hideous face with one red eye. The head of the statue lay on the ground by the road. A beam of sunlight from the West touched the fallen head, and Frodo saw that white and gold flowers had twined around it like a crown. That night the Hobbits continued to the Morgul Vale and they saw the Lord of the Nazgul lead the great Morgul-host from Minas Morgul.

Minas Morgul

Minas Morgul was the stronghold of the Ringwraiths. It was located in the Morgul Vale, a valley in the Mountains of Shadow on the western border of Mordor. It was a walled city of white marble built on a high shelf of rock. Within the walls there were white houses and a tall tower. The walls and the tower had many windows, and the top of the tower revolved slowly back and forth.

the Ring-bearer Frodo Baggins, passed Minas Morgul on the way into Mordor with Sam Gamgee and their guide Gollum on March 10, 3019. Frodo felt compelled by the power of the Ring to approach the city where the Witch-king dwelled, but he was stopped by Sam and Gollum at the head of the bridge. They had begun to climb the path leading to Cirith Ungol when a great red flash was sent up from Barad Dur as a signal to launch the assault on Gondor.

Shelob's Lair

Tunnels inhabited by the Great Spider Shelob. Shelob's Lair was located high in the Mountains of Shadow on the western border of Mordor. The western entrance to the lair was in a cliff about a mile from the top of the Stairs of Cirith Ungol.

Inside Shelob's Lair, the main tunnel ran west to east. It was high and wide with smooth walls and a floor that sloped upwards. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling. There was a terrible smell in the tunnel and it was pitch dark. Gollum found Shelob's Lair around 2980 of the Third Age. Many years later, on March 12, 3019, he brought Frodo Baggins and Sam Gamgee to Shelob's Lair in hopes that he would be able to retrieve the One Ring after Shelob killed the Hobbits. Abandoned by Gollum, Frodo and Sam made their way eastward through the main tunnel and past the passage leading to Shelob's pit. When they came to the fork in the main tunnel, Shelob came up behind them, but Frodo drove her back with Sting and the Phial given to him by Galadriel.

Frodo used Sting to cut through the cobweb and ran out of Shelob's Lair, but Shelob came out of her secret upper exit and injected him with her poison while Sam was waylaid by Gollum. Sam wounded Shelob, and she retreated into her Lair where she may have died.

Sam believed Frodo to be dead and took the Ring from him, intending to continue the quest, but then Frodo was found by Shagrat and Gorbag. The Orcs took Frodo back into Shelob's Lair and down the Under-way to the gate in the lower level of the Tower of Cirith Ungol. Sam tried to follow them, but the gate was closed in his face. He retraced his steps out of Shelob's Lair and crossed the Pass of Cirith Ungol, approaching the Tower from the front to come to Frodo's rescue.

Mordor

Mordor was the realm of the Dark Lord Sauron. It was a terrible land of darkness and fear, inhabited by Orcs and other evil creatures. High mountain ranges on three sides formed a nearly impenetrable defense around Mordor. But during the War of the Ring, two Hobbits entered Mordor to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom, and much of the land was laid to waste and its evil inhabitants - including Sauron - perished.

Sauron gathered most of his forces in Udun to await the arrival of the forces of the West. Gorgoroth was deserted as Frodo and Sam moved eastward, and they were able to stay on the road much of the time. Finally they turned south to Mount Doom, reaching the foot of the mountain on March 24.

The Last Move

Gandalf counselled that though they could not defeat Sauron by force, that they must move against him in order to give the Ring-bearer time to fulfill his quest. Aragorn agreed, and the others vowed to follow him.

Aragorn led the Host of the West from Minas Tirith on March 18

Battle of the Morannon

Battle between the Host of the West and the forces of Sauron during the War of the Ring. The Battle of the Morannon took place on March 25, 3019, in front of the Black Gate of Mordor. The purpose of the battle was to give Frodo Baggins time to fulfill the quest to destroy the One Ring, and in that it was successful.

The remaining 6,000 troops came before the Black Gate on March 25. Aragorn organized the army on two great hills of piled dirt and stone in front of which lay a mire of mud and pools of water. He then approached the Black Gate with Gandalf and representatives of the free peoples of Middle-earth: Eomer and Imrahil for the Men; Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir for the Elves; Gimli for the Dwarves; and Pippin Took for the Hobbits.

They were met by the Mouth Of Sauron, who showed them Frodo's mithril shirt and Elven cloak and Sam's sword. He claimed that the one who had borne these tokens would endure years of torment in Barad-Dur unless the Host of the West surrendered. The Mouth of Sauron then presented Sauron's terms: That all lands east of the Anduin would be Sauron's realm and that Gondor and Rohan would be subject to the rule of Mordor. Despite his anguish, Gandalf utterly rejected Sauron's terms and the battle began.

A great army emerged from the Black Gate. Orcs came down from the hills on either side of the gate and an army of Easterlings marched from the shadow of the Ash Mountains. There was also a company of Hill-Trolls from Gorgoroth, and the Nazgul flew overhead mounted on Fell Beasts. The Host of the West was surrounded by a force greater than ten times their number.

Aragorn and Gandalf stood on one hill under the banner of the King of Gondor while on the other hill flew the banners of Rohan and Dol Amroth. In the front rank stood the Dunedain, Prince Imrahil and his knights, Elladan and Elrohir, and members of the Tower Guard including Beredond and Pippin.

The first assault of the Enemy forces was hindered by the mire that lay like a moat in front of the hills. The Orcs shot a volley of arrows at the Host of the West, but the Hill-Trolls were able to wade through the mud and attack the front rank. Beregond was struck by a great Troll-chief and Pippin saved his life by stabbing the creature with his sword, which he later called Trolls Bane. The Hobbit was crushed under the weight of the Troll's carcass and was found alive after the battle by Gimli.

The battle was going ill for the Host of the West when the Great Eagles arrived led by Gwihir the Wind Lord. But as the Eagles bore down on the Winged Nazgul, there was a sudden terrible cry from Barad-dur and the Nazgul turned and sped toward Mount Doom.

Frodo and Sam Gamgee reached Mount Doom on March 24. They had approached the mountain from the northwest. The air became more difficult to breathe because of the fumes from the volcano and they had found no water for days on the ashy plain at the mountain's feet. The burden of the Ring grew heavier on Frodo as he drew near the place where it had been created.

On the morning of March 25, Frodo was so weighed down by the Ring that he was unable to walk. He started to crawl up the mountainside, but Sam picked his master up and carried him on his back. More than halfway up the base, Sam found Sauron's Road and followed it upward. At a bend in the road, the Hobbits were ambushed by Gollum. Frodo fought him off and continued up the mountain. Sam threatened to kill Gollum but he decided to spare the creature's life and followed his master to the Chambers of Fire.

At the edge of the Crack of Doom, in the chamber where the Ring had been forged, Frodo was unable to resist the will of the Ring any longer and he claimed it for himself. Sauron became aware of Frodo and all his thought was bent on Mount Doom. The Winged Nazgul were sent racing toward the mountain to seize Frodo. But then Gollum attacked Frodo and bit the Ring from his hand.

In his exuberance at regaining his Precious, Gollum fell into the Cracks of Doom and the Ring was destroyed.

Sauron Defeated

The forces of Sauron wavered and the Host of the West began to advance against them, but Gandalf told them to stand firm and wait.

The realm of Mordor fell into ruin: the Tower of the Teeth collapsed, the Black Gate was hurled down, Barad-dur was destroyed, and Sauron himself was vanquished.