Mount Doom: Difference between revisions
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:''Orodruin redirects here. For the band, see [[Orodruin (band)]].'' |
[[Image:Mount Doom.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Orodruin as depicted in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy.]]:''Orodruin redirects here. For the band, see [[Orodruin (band)]].'' |
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'''Mount Doom''' is a [[volcano]] in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]] universe. It is located in the heart of the black land of [[Mordor]] and approximately 4,500 feet (1.4 km) high. Alternative names, in [[Sindarin]], include '''Orodruin''' ("fiery mountain") and '''Amon Amarth''' ("mountain of fate"). The '''Sammath Naur''' ("Cracks of Doom") is a chasm located deep within the mountain. |
'''Mount Doom''' is a [[volcano]] in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s [[Middle-earth]] universe. It is located in the heart of the black land of [[Mordor]] and approximately 4,500 feet (1.4 km) high. Alternative names, in [[Sindarin]], include '''Orodruin''' ("fiery mountain") and '''Amon Amarth''' ("mountain of fate"). The '''Sammath Naur''' ("Cracks of Doom") is a chasm located deep within the mountain. |
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==Film representation== |
==Film representation== |
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[[Image: |
[[Image:Nouvelle Zélande Ruapehu 01.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Mount Doom / Ruapehu as used in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy.]] |
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In [[Peter Jackson]]'s film adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Orodruin was represented by [[Mount Ngauruhoe]] and [[Mount Ruapehu]], both active volcanoes in [[New Zealand]]. In long shots the mountain is either a large model or a [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] effect, or a combination. It was not permitted to film the summit of Ngauruhoe because the [[Māori]] hold it to be sacred. However, some scenes on the slopes of Mount Doom were filmed on the slopes of Ruapehu.<ref> [[Brian Sibley]]. ''The Making of the Movie Trilogy 'The Lord of the Rings''', [[Houghton Mifflin]] (2002).</ref> |
In [[Peter Jackson]]'s film adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'', Orodruin was represented by [[Mount Ngauruhoe]] and [[Mount Ruapehu]], both active volcanoes in [[New Zealand]]. In long shots the mountain is either a large model or a [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] effect, or a combination. It was not permitted to film the summit of Ngauruhoe because the [[Māori]] hold it to be sacred. However, some scenes on the slopes of Mount Doom were filmed on the slopes of Ruapehu.<ref> [[Brian Sibley]]. ''The Making of the Movie Trilogy 'The Lord of the Rings''', [[Houghton Mifflin]] (2002).</ref> |
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==Further reading== |
==Further reading== |
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*Ian Brodie. 2003. ''The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook'', Published by Harper Collins, ISBN 1-86950-491-7, 126 pages |
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*Larsen, Kristine. Sauron, Mount Doom, and Elvish Moths: The Influence of Tolkien on Modern Science. [[Tolkien Studies]] - Volume 4, 2007, pp. 223-234 |
*Larsen, Kristine. Sauron, Mount Doom, and Elvish Moths: The Influence of Tolkien on Modern Science. [[Tolkien Studies]] - Volume 4, 2007, pp. 223-234 |
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Revision as of 00:24, 6 June 2009
:Orodruin redirects here. For the band, see Orodruin (band).
Mount Doom is a volcano in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe. It is located in the heart of the black land of Mordor and approximately 4,500 feet (1.4 km) high. Alternative names, in Sindarin, include Orodruin ("fiery mountain") and Amon Amarth ("mountain of fate"). The Sammath Naur ("Cracks of Doom") is a chasm located deep within the mountain.
The mountain represents the endpoint of Frodo Baggins' quest to destroy the Ring which is recounted in The Lord of the Rings. The chasm is the site where the One Ring was originally forged by the Dark Lord Sauron and the only place it can be unmade.
Tolkien is reported to have modelled Mordor on the volcano of Stromboli off Sicily, which he once saw during a cruise.[1]
In-universe history
When Sauron began searching Middle-earth during the Second Age for a permanent dwelling place, his attention was immediately drawn to Mordor, and especially to Orodruin, whose power he believed he could use to his advantage. He subsequently established his kingdom based around Orodruin and "used the fire that welled there from the heart of the earth in his sorceries and his forging". The most famous of Sauron's creations forged at Mount Doom is the very powerful One Ring. It is said in The Lord of the Rings that the materials of which the Ring is made are so durable and the enchantments with which it is imbued so powerful that it can only be destroyed in the Cracks of Doom where it was made.
Orodruin is more than just an ordinary volcano; it responds to Sauron's commands and his presence, lapsing into dormancy when he is away from Mordor and becoming active again when he returns. Its activity is also apparently connected to Sauron's personal power. When Sauron is defeated at the end of the Third Age, the volcano erupts violently one final time and then ceases all activity permanently.
Film representation
In Peter Jackson's film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, Orodruin was represented by Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Ruapehu, both active volcanoes in New Zealand. In long shots the mountain is either a large model or a CGI effect, or a combination. It was not permitted to film the summit of Ngauruhoe because the Māori hold it to be sacred. However, some scenes on the slopes of Mount Doom were filmed on the slopes of Ruapehu.[2]
Origin of the phrase "Cracks of Doom"
The phrase "crack of doom" is the modern English for the Old English term for Ragnarök, the great catastrophe of Norse mythology. The term became used for the Christian Day of Judgement, as by William Shakespeare in Macbeth (Act 4, scene 1, 112). This no doubt appealed to Tolkien, a Professor of Old English. Another possible source of the name is a long story by Algernon Blackwood.[3]
Notes
- ^ Kilby, Clyde S; Plotz, Dick (1968), "Many Meetings with Tolkien: An Edited Transcript of Remarks at the December 1966 TSA Meeting", Niekas (19), Niekas Publications, New Hampshire, USA: 39–40
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Referred to at tolkienguide.com. - '^ Brian Sibley. The Making of the Movie Trilogy 'The Lord of the Rings, Houghton Mifflin (2002).
- ^ Dale Nelson. "Possible Echoes of Blackwood and Dunsany in Tolkien's Fantasy. Tolkien Studies Volume 1 (2004), p. 177-181.[]
References
- Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954a). The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 9552942.
- Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Two Towers. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 1042159111.
- Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955). The Return of the King. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 519647821.
Further reading
- Ian Brodie. 2003. The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook, Published by Harper Collins, ISBN 1-86950-491-7, 126 pages
- Larsen, Kristine. Sauron, Mount Doom, and Elvish Moths: The Influence of Tolkien on Modern Science. Tolkien Studies - Volume 4, 2007, pp. 223-234