The TOLKIEN GALLERY
page FIVE



The fall of Osgiliath

THE    FALL    of    OSGILIATH
      OS- 'round', ost 'fortress'; GIL- 'star'; -ath plural suffix

Citadel of the Stars

At one time a gleaming city that spanned the great
River Anduin, the pride of Gondor; even a palantir
was kept there, but it was destroyed in a fire.
Preparatory to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields the
forces of the Dark Lord overran Osgiliath just to
the East.
 
 

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Downfall of Númenor
ATALANTË [AT(AT)- 'again' + LANTA- 'fall (down)']

The fall of Númenor; seduced by Sauron, some men of the blessed isle of the West sailed for the Undying Lands to seize immortality; the Valar retaliated by sinking the land mass back into the sea. Those who remained loyal narrowly escaped to Middle-earth - the Edain.
Note the similarity to the legendary name Atlantis.

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The Temple
MENELTARMA [MENEL 'heaven' + TA- 'high', tarma 'pillar']
Pillar of Heaven

With the defeat of Morgoth [Melkor], the first Dark Lord, at the end of the First Age, the Edain were given a Land of Gift [Andor] for their tremendous sacrifices, also called Númenor... an island between Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. In gratitude for such a gracious gift, the Númenóreans built a temple on the heights of their land dedicated to Eru Ilúvatar [The One, Father of All].
When the ships of Númenor returned to Middle-earth centuries later, they captured Sauron and brought him back to their island. Eventually Sauron seduced many of the Edain into changing their worship to Melkor as the true divinity of Middle-earth, which led to the destruction of their land [above].

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Orodruin and the Lithlad
 
 
 
 

ORODRUIN [ORO- 'high' ... OROT-, orod
'mountain'; RUN 'red', ruin 'fiery red']

Mountain of (Red) Fire
 

The volcano where the One Ring was forged,
seen from heights near the Barad Dûr.
Below is seen the Plateau of Gorgoroth
[Unspeakable Horror]. Of similar
devastation was the Lithlad [LIT-, lith 'ash'
+ LAD- 'plain'] the Plain of Ash or Ashen Plain.
Herein lies the ravaged land of SAURON:
Mordor.
 
 

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