Encyclopedia of Tolkien's Middle Earth

Information Poems Questions Quotes

[cheaphalloweencostume]

its actually kinda crazy that Grima Wormtongue eats a hobbit in the books

[cheaphalloweencostume]

like okay

[tolkienmatters]

"'Wormtongue!’ called Frodo. ‘You need not follow him. I know of no evil you have done to me. You can have rest and food here for a while, until you are stronger and can go your own ways.’

Wormtongue halted and looked back at him, half prepared to stay. Saruman turned. ‘No evil?’ he cackled. ‘Oh no! Even when he sneaks out at night it is only to look at the stars. But did I hear someone ask where poor Lotho is hiding? You know, don’t you, Worm? Will you tell them?’

Wormtongue cowered down and whimpered: ‘No, no!’

‘Then I will,’ said Saruman. ‘Worm killed your Chief, poor little fellow, your nice little Boss. Didn’t you, Worm stabbed him in his sleep, I believe. Buried him, I hope; though Worm has been very hungry lately. No, Worm is not really nice. You had better leave him to me.’

A look of wild hatred came into Wormtongue’s red eyes. ‘You told me to; you made me do it,’ he hissed.

Saruman laughed. ‘You do what Sharkey says, always, don’t you, Worm? Well, now he says: follow!’ He kicked Wormtongue in the face as he grovelled, and turned and made off. But at that something snapped: suddenly Wormtongue rose up, drawing a hidden knife, and then with a snarl like a dog he sprang on Saruman’s back, jerked his head back, cut his throat, and with a yell ran off down the lane. Before Frodo could recover or speak a word, three hobbit-bows twanged and Wormtongue fell dead."

Kinda crazy that Grima Wormtongue eats a hobbit, Return of the King, The Scouring of the Shire.

[tolkienmatters]

Oliphaunts, also known as “Mûmakil” in Harad (plural of mûmak), were large creatures similar to elephants. They are from Far Harad. They were tamed by the Haradrim and used for war. Strapping siege towers on the back of these elephants and launching darts and spears from there. They were presumably used during the wars with Gondor over Umbar, but were extensively used during the War of the Ring. First seen by Frodo and Sam in Ithilien marching to Mordor. They were also used during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Often considered a myth in the West, the hobbits were very surprised to see such beasts, and Sam sang a poem of them, presumably learned from a Shire folk tale.

“Grey as a mouse, Big as a house, Nose like a snake, I make the earth shake, As I tramp through the grass; Trees crack as I pass. With horns in my mouth I walk in the South, Flapping big ears. Beyond count of years I stump round and round, Never lie on the ground, Not even to die. Oliphaunt am I, Biggest of all, Huge, old, and tall. If ever you’d met me You wouldn’t forget me. If you never do, You won’t think I’m true; But old Oliphaunt am I, And I never lie.” 

- Samwise Gamgee in Ithilien, Two Towers, The Black Gate is Closed.

[l-o-t-r]

Elijah Wood presents Peter Jackson an honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes (5/12/2026)

[tolkienmatters]

“When the black breath blows and death’s shadow grows and all lights pass, come athelas! come athelas! Life to the dying In the king’s hand lying!”

— An old saying regarding the medicinal purposes of kingsfoil/athelas. Many believed it to be false, however Aragorn knew better. Return of the King, The Houses of Healing.

[tolkienmatters]

Meriadoc Brandybuck was a hobbit of the Shire, He is a Brandybuck but also half Tookish through his mother. He is best friends with Frodo Baggins and first cousins with Peregrin Took. The hobbits of Buckland were different from others in that they were fond of boats, and some could swim. Before the events of the Lord of the Rings he was a respected hobbit of Brandy Hall, and he knew of the Ring’s existence having seen Bilbo use it to avoid the Sackville Bagginses. He was greatly involved in Frodo’s conspiracy to leave the Shire, including finding him a hideout home in Crickhollow and using his knowledge of the paths to escape unheeded. He helped lead the party through the Old Forest, and with them was captured by Old Man Willow. Rescued by Tom Bombadil, and captured again in the Barrow Downs by the Wights - and following Frodo’s call to Tom rescued again. Here he received a Barrow Blade, which to a man was simply a dagger. It was forged in Westernesse which gave it ancient power. In Bree he was attacked by a Black Rider but not injured, he was rescued by Nob. He accompanied the hobbits to Rivendell, where he was then appointed as a member of the Fellowship Of The Ring, for his cunning and loyalty to Frodo. He had to be carried by Aragorn in the failed attempt to pass Caradhras. At the entrance to Moria he was credited with helping Gandalf remember the pass through the Doors of Durin. In Lothlorien he was gifted a silver belt from Galadriel. During the Skirmish at Amon Hen Merry and Pippin were captured by the Orcs, after Merry had slew a few goblins. They were spared because the orcs’ orders were to capture halflings, in pursuit of the Ring. Outside of Fangorn Forest they escaped during a battle between the Orcs and the Riders of Rohan. Their journey through Fangorn included Merry and Pipping drinking the Ent-Draught, making them the tallest hobbits in legend. In Fangorn they met Treebeard and accompanied the Last March of the Ents, which engaged in the destruction of Isengard. Upon reuniting with The Three Hunters and the Rohirrim he rejoined the remnants of the Fellowship. Here he was separated from Pippin, and wanting to contribute to the war effort swore fealty to Theoden of Rohan. He was made a squire in a ceremonial sense. As they marched to Gondor to aid Minas Tirith he was denied the ability to fight as he was not big enough to ride a horse. However a knight named Dernhelm took him upon his horse, and he went to the Battle of Pelennor. During the Battle the Witch-King scared Merry’s horse, causing him to fall, however he remained next to the duel between Dernhelm and the Witch-king, fighting over the body of Theoden. Dernhelm reveals herself to be Eowyn, but is almost defeated by the Nazgul, until Merry uses his ancient sword to stab the Witch-king down the back, undoing his armor and he pierced the Ringwraith’s ethereal form, but by doing this he is gravely injured by the Black Breath. He is healed by Aragorn after the battle. After the destruction of the Ring he returned to the Shire and lead the hobbits in the Battle of Bywater, ensuring success and a reconquest of the Shire. He became the Master of Buckland, married a Bolger, and had no children. He visited Gondor with Pippin where they both died peacefully and were buried in the King’s Tomb, next to King Aragorn Elessar.

“You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the Ring. We are horribly afraid - but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.” - Merry speaking for the hobbits and their loyalty after revealing they have known about Frodo’s plans. Fellowship of the Ring, A Conspiracy Unmasked.

[tolkienmatters]

Halbarad, Sindarin name for “Tall Tower”, was a Dunedain of the North and ranger of the Grey Company. He was among Aragorn’s rangers who defended the Shire and ultimately participated in the War of the Ring. He led 30 men to Rohan at the behest of Galadriel to find Aragorn and aid him. With him rode Elrond’s sons Elladan and Elrohir, and with him he brought an enclosed banner of Gondor woven by Arwen. He loyally followed Aragorn through the Paths of the Dead and to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Upon reaching the battle he revealed the majesty of the banner, for it was the White Tree of Gondor, and above it the Seven Stars, and the crown of Elendil. Halbarad died during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, He is not mentioned in the Song of the Mounds of Mundberg, a Rohirric lament to the fallen of said battle, a shame really.

“’A little people, but of great worth are the Shire-folk,’ said Halbarad. ‘Little do they know of our long labour for the safekeeping of their borders, and yet I grudge it not” - Halbarad, Return of the King, The Passing of the Grey Company.

[tolkienmatters]

Mirkwood was a large forest of Rhovanion, flanked by two great rivers, the north was bordering the Grey Mountains and the south by plains and wasteland. It is intersected by numerous rivers, notably the Forest River which flowed through the Elvenking’s land. This river had a smaller river branching off of it, which was enchanted and caused drowsiness and hallucinations. The forest was split by the Old Forest Road, a major trade route that connected the East and the West. Built by the dwarves to connect Erebor and the Iron Hills to the Misty Mountains in the 2nd Age but fell into disuse when the dwarf kingdoms fell. South of the Old Forest Road was much darker as the Elves had less control of the region. By the Third Age there were large spiders throughout the area drawn by the evil of Dol Guldur. Dol Guldur was a base used by Sauron as he regained his power, under the moniker of the Necromancer. The Silvan elves settled in Mirkwood (Greenwood The Great) on their journey to go West. They were less wise and reserved then other elves, and often celebrated with wine and feasts. The first king was Oropher, a grey elf who ruled until he died during the Battle of Dagorlad, slain disobeying orders. His son, Thranduil, became the king. By the Third Age the kingdom was in decline and it became Mirkwood. Thorin’s Company passed through Mirkwood on their quest to Erebor. They suffered passing the Enchanted River and attempted to hunt, but failed. They engaged with many of the Great Spiders and were almost defeated. Tired, hungry, and feeling the effects of the Enchanted River they were gladly captured by the Elves. They were detained by the Elvenking but thanks to Bilbo’s ring and cunning they escaped using wine barrels down the Forest River. During the War Of The Ring Mirkwood was attacked by Mordor, and in the Battle Under The Trees Thranduil repelled the attacks and Galadriel destroyed Dol Guldur. The forest was cleansed and Galadriel renamed it Eryn Lasgalen, “Wood of Greenleaves”. Notable people who dwelt in Mirkwood include Legolas, Radagast, and groups of Northmen.

“There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go. Before you could get round Mirkwood in the North you would be right among the slopes of the Grey Mountains, and they are simply stiff with goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs of the worst description. Before you could get round it in the South, you would get into the land of the Necromancer, and even you, Bilbo, won’t need me to tell you tales of that black sorcerer.” - Gandalf’s warning to the Company of Thorin, The Hobbit, Queer Lodgings.

[tolkienmatters]

Bilbo being a rabbit in The Hobbit

“He wouldn’t make above a mouthful,” said William, who had already had a fine supper, “not when he was skinned and boned”.

“P’raps there are more like him round about, and we might make a pie,” said Bert. “Here you, are there any more of your sort a-sneakin’ in these here woods, yer nassty little rabbit,” said he looking at the hobbit’s furry feet; and he picked him up by the toes and shook him.

“Yes, lots,” said Bilbo, before he remembered not to give his friends away. “No, none at all, not one,” he said immediately afterwards.

William, Tom, & Bert plotting to eat Bilbo, The Hobbit, Roast Mutton.

Gandalf, who was a good deal taller than the others, had found a tree into which they could not climb, a large pine standing at the very edge of the glade. He was quite hidden in its boughs, but you could see his eyes gleaming in the moon as he peeped out.

And Bilbo? He could not get into any tree, and was scuttling about from trunk to trunk, like a rabbit that has lost its hole and has a dog after it. “You’ve left the burglar behind again}” said Nori to Dori looking down.

“I can’t be always carrying burglars on my back,” said Dori, “down tunnels and up trees! What do you think I am? A porter?”

“He’ll be eaten if we don’t ‘do something,” said Thorin

Thorin’s Company hiding in a tree from wolves, The Hobbit, Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire.

Soon another eagle flew up. “The Lord of the Eagles bids you to bring your prisoners to the Great Shelf,” he cried and was off again. The other seized Dori in his claws and flew away with him into the night leaving Bilbo all alone. He had just strength to wonder what the messenger had meant by ‘prisoners,’ and to begin to think of being torn up for supper like a rabbit, when his own turn came. The eagle came back, seized him in his talons by the back of his coat, and swooped off.

Bilbo being picked up by an Eagle, The Hobbit, Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire.

“Don’t pinch!” said his eagle. “You need not be frightened like a rabbit, even if you look rather like one. It is a fair morning with little wind. What is finer than flying?”

Bilbo would have liked to say: “A warm bath and late breakfast on the lawn afterwards;” but he thought it better to say nothing at all, and to let go his clutch just a tiny bit.

Bilbo riding on an Eagle. The Hobbit, Queer Lodgings.

“You! You!” cried Thorin, turning upon him and grasping him with both hands. “You miserable hobbit! You undersized-burglar!” he shouted at a loss for words, and he shook poor Bilbo like a rabbit.

“By the beard of Durin! I wish I had Gandalf here! Curse him for his choice of you! May his beard wither! As for you I will throw you to the rocks!” he cried and lifted Bilbo in his arms.

Thorin angered by Bilbo’s surrender of the Arkenstone, The Hobbit, The Clouds Burst.

[tolkienmatters]

"'And what about your companions? What about Legolas and me?’ cried Gimli, unable to contain himself longer. ‘You rascals, you woolly footed and wool-pated truants! A fine hunt you have led us! Two hundred leagues, through fen and forest, battle and death, to rescue you! And here we find you feasting and idling – and smoking! Smoking! Where did you come by the weed, you villains? Hammer and tongs! I am so torn between rage and joy, that if I do not burst, it will be a marvel!’

‘You speak for me, Gimli,’ laughed Legolas. ‘Though I would sooner learn how they came by the wine.’

‘One thing you have not found in your hunting, and that’s brighter wits,’ said Pippin, opening an eye. ‘Here you find us sitting on a field of victory, amid the plunder of armies, and you wonder how we came by a few well-earned comforts!’

‘Well-earned?’ said Gimli. ‘I cannot believe that!’"

The Three Hunters coming upon a comfortable Merry & Pippin in the ruins of Isengard. Two Towers, The Road to Isengard.

[tolkienmatters]

"Then among the greater casts there fell another hail, less ruinous but more horrible. All about the streets and lanes behind the Gate it tumbled down, small round shot that did not burn. But when men ran to learn what it might be, they cried aloud or wept. For the enemy was flinging into the City all the heads of those who had fallen fighting at Osgiliath, or on the Rammas, or in the fields. They were grim to look on; for though some were crushed and shapeless, and some had been cruelly hewn, yet many had features that could be told, and it seemed that they had died in pain; and all were branded with the foul token of the Lidless Eye. But marred and dishonoured as they were, it often chanced that thus a man would see again the face of someone that he had known, who had walked proudly once in arms, or tilled the fields, or ridden in upon a holiday from the green vales in the hills."

Severed heads being launched into Minas Tirith. Return of the King, The Siege of Gondor.

[tolkienmatters]

Happy Easter!

“And I concluded by saying that the Resurrection was the greatest ‘eucatastrophe’ possible in the greatest Fairy Story - and produces that essential emotion: Christian joy which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow, because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, as selfishness and altruism are lost in Love. Of course I do not mean that the Gospels tell what is only a fairy-story; but I do mean very strongly that they do tell a fairy-story: the greatest.

Tolkien on the Resurrection of Christ. (From a letter to Christopher Tolkien, 28 October 1944 (FS 58) LJRRT, Carpenter)

[tolkienmatters]

The Dead Marshes were a large swampland outside of The Black Gate in the Dagorlad plains. It is here that many great battles were fought, battles that scarred the area and created a wasteland. The name comes from the Battle of Dagorlad during the end of the 2nd Age. The Last Alliance of Men and Elves marched on Mordor to destroy Sauron, and succeeded at great cost. Over several months the casualites included Oropher and Amdír, Silvan Elves who disregarded Gil-Galad’s orders and became trapped and virtually destroyed by Mordor’s armies. Thranduil, Oropher’s son, returned to Mirkwood with a third of his army. Most of Amdír’s host died in the marshes. The marshes were also the site of Gondor’s battles against the Easterlings in the middle of the Third Age. King Ondoher’s army was routed in the marshes, and the Gondor Captain Eärnil II destroyed the Wainrider army in the same war and area during the Battle of the Camp. A millennium later during the Quest of the Ring Frodo, Sam, and Gollum crossed the marshes to reach Mordor. Gollum tells them of the “candles of corpses” that haunt the marshes and lure wanderers into the water. Under the surface of the water the dead of past battles can be seen, which entranced Frodo and almost claimed him. The dead under the water may have been illusions or the results of dark magic. Tolkien has said that “The Dead Marshes and the approaches to the Morannon owe something to Northern France after the Battle of the Somme. They owe more to William Morris and his Huns and Romans.” (Letter to Professor L. W. Forster, 12/31/1960, Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). The Somme Offensive was a battle during the First World War notorious for being one of the bloodiest battles in recorded history, a battle that Professor Tolkien had served in. William Morris’ fantasy writing had recurring themes of warfare and the supernatural, notably in A Tale of the House of the Wolfings and All the Kindreds of the Mark.

“‘I don’t know,’ said Frodo in a dreamlike voice. ‘But I have seen them too. In the pools when the candles were lit. They lie in all the pools, pale faces, deep deep under the dark water. I saw them: grim faces and evil, and noble faces and sad. Many faces proud and fair, and weeds in their silver hair. But all foul, all rotting, all dead. A fell light is in them.’ Frodo hid his eyes in his hands. ‘I know not who they are; but I thought I saw there Men and Elves, and Orcs beside them.’

”`Yes, yes,’ said Gollum. `All dead, all rotten. Elves and Men and Orcs. The Dead Marshes. There was a great battle long ago, yes, so they told him when Sméagol was young, when I was young before the Precious came. It was a great battle. Tall Men with long swords, and terrible Elves, and Orcses shrieking. They fought on the plain for days and months at the Black Gates. But the Marshes have grown since then, swallowed up the graves; always creeping, creeping.’

'But that is an age and more ago,’ said Sam. 'The Dead can’t be really there! Is it some devilry hatched in the Dark Land? ’

`Who knows? Sméagol doesn’t know,’ answered Gollum. 'You cannot reach them, you cannot touch them. We tried once, yes, precious. I tried once; but you cannot reach them. Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch. No precious! All dead.’

Sam looked darkly at him and shuddered again, thinking that he guessed why Sméagol had tried to touch them.’“

- Frodo, Sam and Gollum passing through the Dead Marshes. Two Towers, The Passage of the Marshes.

[tolkienmatters]

"What then happened to Gollum cannot of course be known for certain. He was peculiarly fitted to survive in such straits, though at cost of great misery; but he was in great peril of discovery by the servants of Sauron that lurked in Moria, especially since such bare necessity of food as he must have he could only get by thieving dangerously. No doubt he had intended to use Moria simply as a secret passage westward, his purpose being to find ‘Shire’ himself as quickly as he could; but he became lost, and it was a very long time before he found his way about. It thus seems probable that he had not long made his way towards the West-gate when the Nine Walkers arrived. He knew nothing, of course, about the action of the doors. To him they would seem huge and immovable; and though they had no lock or bar and opened outwards to a thrust, he did not discover that. In any case he was now far away from any source of food, for the Orcs were mostly in the East-end of Moria, and was become weak and desperate, so that even if he had known all about the doors he still could not have thrust them open.  It was thus a piece of singular good fortune for Gollum that the Nine Walkers arrived when they did."

Gollum's great peril and good fortune after his escape from Mordor & before finding the fellowship. Unfinished Tales, The Hunt for the Ring, Other Versions of the Story.

[tolkienmatters]

Already the Ring tempted him, gnawing at his will and reason. Wild fantasies arose in his mind; and he saw Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age, striding with a flaming sword across the darkened land, and armies flocking to his call as he marched to the overthrow of Barad-dûr. And then all the clouds rolled away, and the white sun shone, and at his command the vale of Gorgoroth became a garden of flowers and trees and brought forth fruit. He had only to put on the Ring and claim it for his own, and all this could be.

In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.

Samwise being tempted by the Ring. Return of the King, The Tower of Cirith Ungol.

[tolkienmatters]

Rammas Echor, Sindarin for “Great Circle-Wall”, was a major fortification protecting Minas Tirith. Built following the loss of Minas Ithil, it served as the second line of defense against the East, The first being the Anduin river. It completely encompasses the fertile town lands of Pelennor and the White City, with three major gates. The North gate, The South Gate, and Osgiliath Gate protected by the causeway forts. It ran 10 leagues around the Pelennor, and it’s farthest point of the Osgiliath gate was 4 leagues away. The wall’s first major action was during the War of the Ring, where the Witch-King’s army breached the causeway forts with large explosives and siege weaponry. It was taken quickly, and the next major battle would be at Minas Tirith. The Rohirrim came to the Battle of Pelennor past the occupied wall through the Stonewain Valley, a forgotten road known only to the Woses, Wildmen of the Drúadan Forest. An amazing example of Gondorian architecture, that wasn’t very useful.

“Death in the morning and at day’s ending lords took and lowly, Long now they sleep under grass in Gondor by the Great River. Grey now as tears, gleaming silver, red then it rolled, roaring water: foam dyed with blood flamed at sunset; as beacons mountains burned at evening; red fell the dew in Rammas Echor.”

- Ending stanza of the Mounds of Mundberg, regarding the dead of the Anduin. Return Of The King, The Battle Of The Pelennor Fields.

[tolkienmatters]

‘Not by the hand of man will he fall’ - Prophecy and End of Kings

One of the most enduring moments of the Lord of the Rings is Eowyn’s slaying of the Witch King and fulfilling the Prophecy of Glorfindel, but where did this prophecy come from? During the Witch King’s conquest of Arnor, King Eärnil II sent his son Prince Eärnur with a small army to help defend their ally. Eärnur’s army merged with an Elven host under Glorfindel, and the Host of the West met the Witch King’s army at Fornost. During the battle the Witch King rode issuing a challenge of single combat to Eärnur, who accepted the challenge, but the Witch King’s malice and intimidating aura frightened the Gondorian horses, and Eärnur’s horse fled in fear - taking the Prince with him. The Witch King mocked him for this, and as Glorfindel’s army came the Witch King escaped the battle. Eärnur regained control of his horse and wanted to chase them, but Glorfindel warned against it prophesying “Do not pursue him! He will not return to this land. Far off yet is his doom, and not by the hand of man will he fall”. Eärnur did not pursue, and though the battle was won his pride was hurt, and ultimately Arnor was destroyed. Mordor soon took Minas Ithil, Gondor’s chief position in Mordor, and made it into Minas Morgul, a fortress of dark sorcery. Eärnur came to the throne after the death of his father, and upon his ascension to the throne the Witch King, now based in Minas Morgul, issued his challenge again. Eärnur wished to fight him but was held back by his steward Mardil. Years later the Witch King issued another challenge, but this time Eärnur accepted. He left the Crown of Gondor on his father’s tomb, gathered an escort of knights and rode to Minas Morgul. He and his escort were never seen or heard from again. There was no heir and nobody claimed the throne. The line was broken and nobody wanted to risk another Kin-Strife. So began the Ruling Stewards as the caretakers of the throne, and the Crown of Gondor remained in the tombs until the Fourth Age and the coronation of King Elessar. Glorfindel’s prophecy remained part of legend and gave the Witch King more infamy. Hundred years later, During the Battle of Pelennor Fields in the War of the Ring, Merry the Hobbit broke the Witch King’s armor with a barrow-blade, and Dernhelm revealed himself to be Eowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, who then slew the Witch King. His doom was met by the hand of Woman and Hobbit, and thus the prophecy came to pass.

“Now the descendants of the kings had become few. Their numbers had been greatly diminished in the Kin-strife; whereas since that time the kings had become jealous and watchful of those near akin. Often those on whom suspicion fell had fled to Umbar and there joined the rebels; while others had renounced their lineage and taken wives not of Númenorean blood. So it was that no claimant to the crown could be found who was of pure blood, or whose claim all would allow; and all feared the memory of the Kin-strife, knowing that if any such dissension arose again, then Gondor would perish. Therefore, though the years lengthened, the Steward continued to rule Gondor, and the crown of Elendil lay in the lap of King Eärnil in the Houses of the Dead, where Eärnur had left it. “

- The end of the line of kings from the Third Age into the Fourth. Appendices, Annals of the Kings and Rulers, The Numenorean Kings, Of Numenor

[tolkienmatters]

[tolkienmatters]

"The drums rolled louder. Fires leaped up. Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it."

Grond! Grond! Grond! Return of the King, The Siege of Gondor.