Undermined Morgul

Minas Morgul (“Tower of Sorcery” in Sindarin), also known under its old name of Undermined Ithil (“Tower of the Moon”), is an imaginary city in the unviers of J.R.R. Tolkien of the Ground of the Medium.

Second Age

After the destruction of Númenor, Isildur and Anárion, the wire of Elendil, arrived at the Gondor. Isildur built Minas Ithil in its stronghold of Ithilien, close to the mountainous border of the Mordor, while Anárion built Minas Anor in the west of the Anduin. The brothers had their thrones side by side with Osgiliath, on the Anduin. Isildur planted a young seedling of the White Tree Nimloth outside its house with Minas Ithil. One of the seven palantíri was kept in the tower. The white marble walls of the city were intended to catch and reflect the light of the moon. The night, the city shone of a pale silver plated luminescence.

When Sauron returned after the destruction of Númenor, it attacked exiled of Númenor, and its armies took Minas Ithil by the force in year 3429 of the Second Age. The White Tree was flaring. Isildur succeeds in escaping with its family while descending Anduin, carrying with him a young seedling of the white tree and seeking his/her Elendil father. The city was taken again later and Isildur, Anárion and Elendil attacked Mordor.

When the Last Alliance of the Elves and the Men overcame Sauron in year 3441 of the Second Age, Minas Ithil became again a city and thrived of many years, although it was from now on under the orders of the son of Anárion Meneldil, because Isildur intended to take the command of the kingdom of his/her father, Arnor. Isildur planted the young White Tree with Undermined Anor in remembering Anárion, which had been killed during the War.

Third Age

Minas Ithil suffered much from the Grande Plague in the year 1636 of the Third Age. Its population and its garrison were decreased and the monitoring towards Mordor was slackened. In the year 1980 T.A., the Nazgûl turned over to Mordor, after the defeat of the King-Wizard of Angmar vis-a-vis a coalition of elves, Dúnedain and men of Gondor, under the command of Prince Eärnur.

To prepare the return of their Master, the Spirits Serving as the Ring besieged Minas Ithil in 2000 and took the city later two years. Minas Ithil was then occupied by cruel creatures and its walls covered with menaçantes fortifications. The palantír kept in the tower was captured and installed later with Barad-hard. The city became a immonde place and cursed. The city changed name to become Minas Morgul , the Tower of the Black Magic. The valley in which it was became the valley of Morgul. In answer, Minas Anor was renamed Minas Tirith, “Turn of duty”, to point out the eternal vigilance of Gondor towards the threat of the King-wizard.

After Eärnur was crowned king of Gondor in 2043, the King-wizard, Seigneur of Nazgûl, defied it in singular combat to conclude a duel disputed between-them with the battle from Fornost. In 2050, Eärnur accepted a second challenge. It left with knights to Minas Morgul and it never returned. As it did not have a heir and that it was not officially declared died, the line of Surintendants of Gondor directed the Kingdom in its place until the return of a heir to isildur. The first was the proper intendant of Eärnur, Mardil.

Cité des nazgûl

Under the Spirits Serving as the Ring, Minas Ithil was denatured in a horrible corrupted version of its old beauty. Its door was described as an enormous mouth. More the high summit of the tower turned slowly, showing with each tower a head with the bad glance. The marble of the walls of Morgul did not shine any more with the reflection of the moon, but from the city emanated pale and alarming luminescence, that Tolkien described as a “cadaveric light” which did not illuminate rien'. Where Minas Ithil was an agitated and noisy city as Minas Tirith, Minas Morgul was as quiet as a tomb. The walls and the tower of Undermined Morgul had many windows, but they were not lit and did not reveal anything the horrors inside. The black magic which impregnated the valley of Morgul was so strong that it could make insane the men who approached too near. a white bridge crossed the Valley of morgul to the door of the city on its septentrional wall, and at each end of the bridge hideous statues of men and twisted animals were. On each side of the valley were dull fields of flowers which released an odor of rotted.

When Frodon Saquet, Samsagace Gamegie and Gollum passed by the city while going to Cirith Ungol, the Single Anneau almost succeeds in forcing Frondon to go towards the doors of the city. After having climbed the staircases of Cirith Ungol, Sam and Frodon transfer a red flash coming from barad-hard to announce the departure of the attack towards Minas ithil. Immediately after, a similar flash of blue color was émi tower of Undermined Morgul, because its garrisons, led by the King-Wizard, left in war against the Gondor.

The War of the Ring and the Fourth Age

During the War of the Ring, Minas Morgul was the base of operations of the King-Wizard, as well as largest of the garrisons and largest of the armies of Sauron. The army of orcs and trolls who attacked Osgiliath and Minas Tirith came from Undermined Morgul.

When the Armies of the West left for Minas Morgul for their last combat in Morannon (the Black Door), they destroyed the bridge leading to the Valley of Morgul and burned its fields. The forces of Aragorn did not meet any opposition on behalf of the Tower, because the garrisons of the city had been killed with the battle of the Fields of Pelennor.

After the Guerre of the Ring, when Aragorn was crowned King Elessar, it named Faramir Prince d' Ithilien. Faramir elected residence with Emyn Arnen, in the south-east of Undermined Tirith. During his crowning, King Elessar also issued whom Minas ithil would be destroyed and left vacuum during seven years. Even after these years, no man dared to settle there. It is not known if Undermined Ithil and Osgiliath were rebuilt. The majority of the population of Ithilien lived with Emyn Arnen.

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