Utumno

The Gates of Utumno

Utumno (Q.: "Underworld; Hell"; S.: Udûn; Mo."Ûtum"; Av."Utup'û") was the vast underground realm and fortress of the Vala Melkor in the far north of Middle-earth. In its time the center of all that was Unholy, it was the first and greatest of Melkor's citadels, delved in the great Spine of Arda, directly above the steppes of Rhún and the pinewoods of the north, immediately following his return to Middle-Earth at the construction of the Two Lamps. It afterwards remained Melkor's chief stronghold, residence, and nation for a great span of the Elder Days until its destruction for the sake of the Elves. At its peak, the fortress of Hell was a dreadful complex of dungeons, fortresses, and pits, built by the whim of Melkor at the hight of his power and pride, and while Angband that followed it was somewhat darker and more fortified, his first realm was larger, more cunningly designed, and more personal in architecture; that is to say, that Melkor dedicated himself in sadistic pleasure to decorating and embellishing his fortress in dastardly fashion. It was a great, stone-hewn series of seven pit-levels, each successively smaller than the other, but each assigned for a more wicked purpose and this to a greater position in hierarchy. Within, Melkor raised great fires, and used them to light his realm and power its great engines, belching smoke and fumes. Each level held vast hosts of enthralled spirits, corrupted beasts, and, when they were captured by the servants of the Dark Lord, imprisoned Avari freshly-born, to be twisted and enslaved into the thrall-warrior race of the Orcs, who at once multiplied in misery in the fiery shadows of Ûdûn. Everywhere within could be found danger and misery, and an Elf who wandered into that fortress even on their own will (not indeed that there were any such) would never, lest they be chained, broken, and turned bestial and savage, walk free from it again. It can thus be accounted a great relief that the unholy realm was nigh-utterly destroyed by the host of the Ainur for the sake of the beset Elves at the climax of the Elder Days, though even then its deepest pits remained unmolested, and within dark things lurked, and multiplied, spreading west and south from the bay made in its fall.

Places within Utumno (in order from north to south:

Glaciers of The Devil
Fortresses of the North
Blue Arches
Giant Gates
the Grim Hall
First Throne-Hall
Caves of the North
The Unholy Stairs
Caves of the North
Deepest Halls
The Great Vaults
The Great Tombs
Imelca
Slender Stair
The Deepest Halls
The Deepest Furnaces
- Furnace
- Cairn
Úmavaisor -the Throne-Hall of Hate (Melkor's residence and seat of power)

Remains of Utumno[]

The majority of Utumno was, thankfully destroyed in the Elder Days by the wrath of the armies and hosts of the True Valar, who then flooded it beneath the northern Helkëar, turning it to the Bay of Utum. Fell energies remained strong there nonetheless, and remnants of western Utumno persisted in the form of Mount Utumno, a great volcanic isle at the center of the bay, which was host to Orcs and other fell folk until they at last died out, leaving the isle to be colonized by unfortunate Men. Also persistent were the Vaults of Utumno, the Underdeeps within the Gulf of Utûm, within which the Orc race survived the invasion from the west. After the capture and imprisonment of their god, they spread nonetheless from these deeps, through the surrounding Iron Mountains southward, and westward into Beleriand. Even after its fall and predominant abandonment, Utûm was still a name of fear and threat amongst Elves and Men. Folk shunned the Bay of Utûm and feared to drink from any waters flowing from it. As late as the Seventh Age, Men of all kinds used it as a standard for an unpleasant fate; it was said amongst many Men that the spirits of the wicked in life would in death be condemned ("damned") to enter Hell (or its remains) and there suffer torment and lament for their earthly deeds. This concept passed into such commonplace proverbs as the irreverent "Go to Hell" and others; yet the spirits of Men were not specifically condemned to return to the ruins of Utûm after its fall, indeed the fate of Men after death was a mystery even to most of the Valar, especially Morgoth himself. Nonetheless, if a spirit refused to pass onwards to the Halls of Mandos, then, if it was guided to do so, it could indeed travel to the ruins of the Dark Lord's realm, and there it would lament on its own mistakes and those of the world itself, suffering a fate just as miserable as theoretical damnation.

Inhabitants[]

Aûr Dúrin´s Bane Boldog Caradhras Carrog Coldagnir Dark Hunter Drul Chaurka Duran Durlach Eloeklo Eos Erfaug Fankil Fercha Gan Gaurhir Gilthrang Gothmog Gulavhar Gwathnor Iaurloke Ior Jäänainen Kadaena Kax Kel Kuruki Lairathin Langon Lesh-Y Lingering Evil Thing Lungorthin Maroch Master of Malice Máugarth Miaulë Mistress of Pestilence Monstrosity of diverse Shape Morgoth Moria doom spirit Morloch Morrigan Mourfuin Muar Muul Baas Noose of the Sea Oikeroi Old man willow Príclís Razarac Sauron Slyardach Starvar Telmorng Tevildo The 3 Evil Sisters Thuringwethil Tredeinos Tselakus Ulbandi Umuiyan Ûpo Watcher in the Water Xarbanisan Zaken

References[]

J.R.R. Tolkien, Chirstopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion