The Encyclopedia of Arda - Stairs of Cirith Ungol (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Uncertain, but probably dated back to the beginning of the Third Age;1 still in existence at the end of that Age Location Climbing the mountainside of Ephel Dúath northward of Minas Morgul, towards to the pass of Cirith Ungol Races Probably built by Men, but latterly used by Orcs Settlements Led to the Tower of Cirith Ungol Passes Associated with the pass of Cirith Ungol Pronunciation Cirith Ungol is pronounced 'ki'rith oo'ngol' Meaning Cirith Ungol means 'cleft of the spider' Other names The Stairs consisted of two separate flights, with the lower being the Straight Stair, and the upper the Winding Stair Indexes: Alphabetical: C Alphabetical: S Hills and Mountains About this entry: Updated 15 February 2023 Updates planned: 1 The hidden way into Ephel Dúath Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV A pair of steep stairs that cut into the Mountains of Shadow on the borders of Mordor. They led upward and away from Minas Morgul, the city that guarded the main pass through the mountains, to reach a higher and lesser pass guarded by the Tower of Cirith Ungol. The first of the stairs was the steepest, the Straight Stair, which led up to a narrow passage. From there, the second stair, the Winding Stair, led up to Cirith Ungol itself. We're never told who made the stairs. They may have been originally carved by Sauron's servants, or perhaps been made later, by the Gondorians at the same time as they raised the Tower to guard the pass. Whatever their origin, they were no secret to the Orcs that inhabited the Tower in the later Third Age, though Frodo and Sam were still able to use them to find a dangerous way into the Dark Land. Notes 1 We're not told who made the Stairs of Cirith Ungol or when they came into existence, but given that they led up to the Tower of Cirith Ungol that guarded the high pass, it seems reasonable to assume that they would have been made at the same time as the Tower. The Tower of Cirith Ungol was raised by Men after the War of the Last Alliance as part of the guard of Mordor, so the Stairs leading up to the pass might well have been associated with the Tower. Alternatively, the Stairs might have been made in an earlier time, with the pass being used during the Second Age, and the Tower of Cirith Ungol being built later to guard an existing way over the mountains. (If the Stairs predated the Tower that guarded the pass, then they would presumably have been made by Orcs, which - together with their great age - would explain their broken and uneven state at the end of the Third Age.) See also... Gollum, Great Signal, High Pass, Straight Stair, Winding Stair Indexes: Alphabetical: C Alphabetical: S Hills and Mountains About this entry: Updated 15 February 2023 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.Take the FREE myDISCprofile personality test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates Uncertain, but probably dated back to the beginning of the Third Age;1 still in existence at the end of that Age Location Climbing the mountainside of Ephel Dúath northward of Minas Morgul, towards to the pass of Cirith Ungol Races Probably built by Men, but latterly used by Orcs Settlements Led to the Tower of Cirith Ungol Passes Associated with the pass of Cirith Ungol Pronunciation Cirith Ungol is pronounced 'ki'rith oo'ngol' Meaning Cirith Ungol means 'cleft of the spider' Other names The Stairs consisted of two separate flights, with the lower being the Straight Stair, and the upper the Winding Stair Indexes: Alphabetical: C Alphabetical: S Hills and Mountains About this entry: Updated 15 February 2023 Updates planned: 1 The hidden way into Ephel Dúath

Years of the Trees First Age I Second Age II Third Age III Fourth Age IV A pair of steep stairs that cut into the Mountains of Shadow on the borders of Mordor. They led upward and away from Minas Morgul, the city that guarded the main pass through the mountains, to reach a higher and lesser pass guarded by the Tower of Cirith Ungol. The first of the stairs was the steepest, the Straight Stair, which led up to a narrow passage. From there, the second stair, the Winding Stair, led up to Cirith Ungol itself. We're never told who made the stairs. They may have been originally carved by Sauron's servants, or perhaps been made later, by the Gondorians at the same time as they raised the Tower to guard the pass. Whatever their origin, they were no secret to the Orcs that inhabited the Tower in the later Third Age, though Frodo and Sam were still able to use them to find a dangerous way into the Dark Land. Notes 1 We're not told who made the Stairs of Cirith Ungol or when they came into existence, but given that they led up to the Tower of Cirith Ungol that guarded the high pass, it seems reasonable to assume that they would have been made at the same time as the Tower. The Tower of Cirith Ungol was raised by Men after the War of the Last Alliance as part of the guard of Mordor, so the Stairs leading up to the pass might well have been associated with the Tower. Alternatively, the Stairs might have been made in an earlier time, with the pass being used during the Second Age, and the Tower of Cirith Ungol being built later to guard an existing way over the mountains. (If the Stairs predated the Tower that guarded the pass, then they would presumably have been made by Orcs, which - together with their great age - would explain their broken and uneven state at the end of the Third Age.) See also... Gollum, Great Signal, High Pass, Straight Stair, Winding Stair Indexes: Alphabetical: C Alphabetical: S Hills and Mountains About this entry: Updated 15 February 2023 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.Take the FREE myDISCprofile personality test to discover your core personality and your ideal job.