The History of Mordor - Region Spotlight

[@IronDragon-2143]

Sam: Mordor, the one place in Middle Earth we never want to go to. And it's the one place in Middle Earth we're trying to get to. It's just where we can't get.

[@FatGouf]

Reminds me of school.

[@IronDragon-2143]

@@FatGouf Lol

[@half-witthobo7816]

Mordor always seemed too conveniently fortified by the mountains surrounding it, to me. The thought that Morgoth, ages ago, may have made it that way intentionally and strategically for future plans is something I really like.

[@stevedenis8292]

Hey Morgoth wats with all the mountains ? Nothing just some mountains nothing to see here. Laughs evilly .

[@logandarklighter]

"Loved doing all the crinkly bits. Won an award for that, you know." :D

[@theemissary1313]

It does seem that way BUT it's not entirely unnatural. Of course it is in middle earth because Sauron, but most mountain ranges are curved as are the Ephel Duath in the west and south of Mordor and the Carpathian mountains in Romania have a sort of right angle corner in them. So, yeah, not entirely impossible, but dark magic is still best explanation so comment is pointless.

[@racoonlittle1679]

@@theemissary1313 I like how you rabbled on only to end at "this comment is pointless"

[@SvenTviking]

It’s obviously a Caldera, much like Yellowstone. Udûn is an extinct side crater, while the mountains of Shadow and of Ash are the remains of the walls of a super Volcano that has collapsed. Mt Doom itself is a new cone rising from the old caldera.

[@ronmoonen3602]

Years ago, I've read somewhere that the creation of the "black land of Mordor" and the Dead Marshes was inspired by Tolkien's experiences during "The Battle of the Somme" in the first World War. I also believe that the phrase "You Shall not Pass" was dervived from a common phrase used in the French Millitary during that time. In my humble opinion this makes his creation of the lore even more epic.

[@orrointhewise87]

"Build me am army worthy of Moooooordoooooooooor" It makes me wonder, even long after the defeat of Sauron, if those lands were still haunted; like the lands of Angband and how screams of Morgoth still haunted those lands even after his absence. Either way, glad he was defeated and the healing can continue ^_^

[@luukje777]

Only Angband was almost directly drowned in the sea by the breaking of Beleriand

[@farahahmed8201]

Utumno would have been more haunted

[@patrickmcglonejr8163]

I always get Angbad and Angmar confused lol

[@orrointhewise87]

@@patrickmcglonejr8163 similar names, I get it haha

[@rolux4853]

@@patrickmcglonejr8163 Damn, me too! That’s why at first I was pretty confused by the post haha.

[@ThePowerFrank]

Mordor: Landscaping and gardening with the dark lords

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

Saurons skills in Feng Shui suck.

[@samsunguser3148]

Welcome to our show, Backyard in Mordor. We have Glaurung to help with "resetting" the garden and Sauron to- HEY, WHERE ARE THE BUCKETS. We will be back shortly

[@racoonlittle1679]

@@samsunguser3148 Includes exclusive interview with Morgoth!

[@samsunguser3148]

@@racoonlittle1679 lool

[@Hopium500]

Sees ungoliant: "Were gonna need a bigger rolled up newspaper" 😬

[@sakellarioudimitris7439]

Gothmog : No problem, I've got my boys here with me!

[@luthientinuviel2823]

Build the newspaper!

[@johnhanifin1952]

One man created all this, while I as an aspiring author struggle to even come up with a name for my potential story. Tolkien is an eternal legend

[@nehemiahharrington9898]

Good luck!

[@a.hollins8691]

How about "Jolly John Grumbo and His Duplicitous Duplicate"?

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

I know the feeling I have the names of most of my characters down And the names of most of the locations but i dont have a name for the story

[@stalhandske9649]

Do not despair. I remember reading from JRRT biography by Humphrey Carpenter that Tolkien himself had trouble naming the three books. Or, to be more precise, "The Return of the King" was clear in his mind when he started - only he had no idea _who_ that king would be, at that point. He considered his writing to be discovery, actually, having some scenes in mind first and then seeing how the story would take path towards those sections. One of the first ones he had imagined was Hobbits encountering the unknown rider while still in the Shire. Originally it was Gandalf reaching them already, but then it became "some dark rider". But who's that then? And that is how the Nazguls emerged. You could try something similar - think about your idea for conclusion chapter, the message You are sending with it, and name that chapter accordingly. Then keep going with other chapters the same way, and see what kind of pattern emerges.

[@quixotiq]

Truly we will never again see his like.

[@penelopegreene]

Gamgee was tempted to use the ring to heal Mordor. Sneaky thing...

[@mattnorris7124]

Corrupted by the evil, earthly desires of Radagast the Brown

[@penelopegreene]

@Daniel Martinez Yeah, but Sam was so down to Earth, The Ring had nothing left to tempt him with! XD

[@mattjones1506]

Less can be more and small can beautiful for life isn't all... just big and wonderful and what do i need when you get right down to it all my cares come From greed and it's time that I knew it things I cant do without are the small things that life is all about

[@berserkerofthrawn5707]

The ring cannot be destroyed Gimli son of gloin by any craft that we here possess it was made in the fires of Mount Doom only there it can be unmade

[@TheWoodsmanMilling]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYbVe5epg8RgeJI

[@BigBWolf90]

LET THE LORD OF THE BLACK LAND COME FORTH! LET JUSTICE BE DONE UPON HIM!

[@generalobiwankenobi9327]

*"Hello there! Seeing and hearing about Mt Doom brings conflicted memories of Mustafar to me, before the dark times before the Empire!"*

[@MenoftheWest]

G E N E R A L K E N O B I! You are a bold one... Indeed, Gollum and Anakin suffered some horrible burns :(

[@jakealter5504]

Men of the West except anakin survived his burns while golum didn’t

[@Decrepit_biker]

General Kenobi, I wager that you had only once before seen such a wretched hive of scum and villainy as Mordor....

[@taylorlowe7039]

I have the high ground don’t do it

[@Mattharing]

Truly the sun has gone down in the west, for so much of what once was is now lost. Sorrow. Let us look forward in hope, and pray that the horrible mass intellectual rape that was performed upon Star Wars by Disney will not befall Tolkien at the hands of Amazon. Hope still lingers.

[@joshuaott7783]

Thank you for the upload. Something to watch at work. Thank you, Men of the West

[@christianfarren1179]

Of all the regions of Mordor, I first learned of and came to appreciate Núrnen in the Shadow of Mordor game series (fanficky though they can be). We usually imagine Mordor as this foreboding, blasted wasteland, (much like Udûn) but despite all of Sauron’s corruption, some vestiges of beauty and tranquility still exist in Núrnen. IMO, this makes the region all the more precious and worth protecting, even as Talion is forced to draw upon the dark powers of the Nazgûl to keep their master at bay.

[@paulwagner688]

In the days between the Fall of Sauron and the Return of the King, there is a "golden haze" above Mordor. Yes, Gorgproth was a volcanic plain, but the books also tell of the fields and farms of Nurnen. I would like to believe that Mordor became a land of farms in the south, with the volcanic plain to the north. And as we have learned from Kilauea, even those plains will support abundant life.

[@a.hollins8691]

What was the real estate market like post-Sauron? Glengarry Glen Mordor ...

[@animistchannel2983]

Mordor would become the coffee capital of the world! All that mineral-rich volcanic soil, the warm days, the chilly nights on the mountainsides. Ideal climate for your favorite percolated beverage.

[@logandarklighter]

@@animistchannel2983 Black Gate Coffee - Purists insist the best way to drink it is straight dark. No cream added. :D

[@connormcmillan6761]

Perfect example of “shall prove but mine instrument” from Eru in the early pages of the silmarillion

[@animistchannel2983]

@@logandarklighter Oh sure, Black Gate would be their espresso blend. Then they could do "'Gondorian Watch,' a smooth rich morning blend to get your day started alert," with a dollop of fresh white whipped cream on top -- "...like the mountains themselves!" tag...

[@thedunadan8021]

Great video! I've loved LOTR most of my life, and Mordor has always haunted my imagination. Always like a shadow on the borders of old stories. Well done!

[@TheWoodsmanMilling]

"One does not simply walk into Mordor."

[@srimadhumithra2330]

True. But Frodo and Sam did. Albeit in secrecy..

[@a.hollins8691]

@@srimadhumithra2330 They more scuttled rather than walked.

[@torianholt2752]

@@srimadhumithra2330 As well as Smeagol, twice.

[@Hotchpotchsoup]

Then how does the orcs do it??

[@conroypawgmail]

@@Hotchpotchsoup - They march.

[@marionbaggins]

While watching this I was thinking, "Man, I wish my High School Geography Classes where Great like This..." But Alas! Thanks for the History of the *Second or Third* Famous Place in Middle Earth...Which involves the Infamous Poem!!! Until Gondor: Civil War *Trying to do to it like Captian America's Civil War Title* Marion Baggins Out!!!

[@MenoftheWest]

LOL! Both of your points made me laugh, thank you as always, for the support!

[@marionbaggins]

@@MenoftheWest Your Welcome Mellon!!!

[@gobigblue6782]

Hahaha, high school world geography changes everyday in this mixed up world. Think of a map 50 years ago and how countries and names have changed. Hmmmm, parallels to middle earth once again, Mr. Tolkien. Take care , Mellon.

[@FenrirFire18]

Nice! You're my #1 LOTR channel!! Your vids never get old!

[@MenoftheWest]

Thanks Fenrir, I appreciate that, my friend!

[@12345678900987659101]

I wonder how Gandalf originally intended to pass into Mordor. Maybe with his power the Fellowship could have passed safely through the caves of Shelob.

[@half-witthobo7816]

That’s something I’ve always wondered as well. Or did Gandalf know some other way or some plot to put in motion to enter Mordor? Very curious.

[@samsunguser3148]

Hm, never think of that! That would be an interesting topic

[@MrAwrsomeness]

Wouldn't be surprised and I think it's somewhat alluded to, that he knew frodo would have to eventually find his own path into mordor

[@animistchannel2983]

I've considered this over the years, now and then. I do agree with other posters in this thread that Gandalf was pretty much improvising this trip, since it was hard to predict how much attention the party would draw, and when. Still, there are a couple other routes into Mordor that aren't too far out of the way. Just to get it out of the way, of course Gandalf & the Fellowship could have handled Shelob, but that might have made such a ruckus that the orcs came looking. Remember, Shelob was an opportunist/ambusher and couldn't stand bright light. Gandalf could make a lot of light :) Also, there was another pass into Mordor that many copies of the main map miss. It's about halfway between Minas Morgul and the Black Gate, east of the Falls of Rauros, with a smaller guarding fort at the gap. It was leftover from the old Gondorian watch forts that the orcs had taken over, but it wasn't going to be as heavily manned as the Nazgul's city, and its watches would not be so alert. Second, there were lower hills along the border between Gorgoroth and Nurn, including a near-gap in the border mountains. You could get into Mordor more easily there, because it wouldn't be heavily guarded. Then you approach Mt. Doom from the southwest, keeping it between you and Barad Dur. Third, but longer, you could travel east along the mountains on the northern border of Mordor, then get in from the opposite side from Gondor. The mountain ranges separated Mordor from the west and north. From the east you could just walk in, skirt around the north side of the Sea of Nurn, then turn north with Mt Doom between you and Barad Dur. While there were undoubtedly defenses or patrols there, that side faced allied territory, so it would be easier to infiltrate. So those are some options. Gandalf may have had other allies or intelligence of the layout of the land that would open up other ones. For example, just because we don't know what the "Blue" wizards were up to, that doesn't mean Gandalf didn't know. He might have had a way to get help from the east, too.

[@12345678900987659101]

@@animistchannel2983 He was certainly improvising but I find it hard to believe he wouldn't have the slightest idea on how to slip into Mordor.

[@direstr7768]

I would like to know why the armies of Minas Morgul used a different banner, and not the eye, i think that would be interesting. Great video by the way, i found this channel thanks to geekzone

[@MenoftheWest]

Thanks for the suggestion! For now, I think they were of a different sub-faction than the forces directly out of Mordor, but at the end of the day, during the War of the Ring, from Khand to Umbar, and Harad to Rhûn, and the Morgul Vale to Mordor, all such forces fought for Sauron. Oh that's awesome, I love Geek Zone, Carl is a great guy!

[@animistchannel2983]

Different elements of a combined/allied army need to keep track of themselves, and who is in which chain of command. Especially if you consider an army without radios, orders tend to get passed around by word of mouth.

[@SantomPh]

They are under a lieutenant of Morgul aka Gothmog and have their own fortress and command structure Cirith Ungol is more of the same, but it is technically an outpost of the Dark Tower itself

[@rowdy589]

Well the Witch-King commanded them and I have two theories as to why. 1 its was because he wanted to use the banner that men and elves would recognize as the one that destroyed Arnor. 2 The Witch-King realized that Sauron was fallible so (I know its out there but I really like the idea of evil moving to another force instead of being destroyed) it was part of a long game in which the Lord of the Nazgul would supplant the Throne and become the new Dark Lord.

[@ChadHuey79]

Well just like militaries in real life, it’s a unit specific ceremonial item that’s a point of Pride and tradition. Every unit has there own flags and guide’ons with all their specific units achievements, medals, awards and campaign streamers hanging from them. Some units have more than others. Back in the medieval days, you may have fought for the king of England or France, etc... however, you were directly managed your local lord over the fief you lived in and you would have carried his house sigil and banner as well as the king he owed allegiance too. While you served the local lord, he served the king and by extension or default... you served the king too. But the king was not your direct superior, there were levels of lords and officers in between you and the king that you owed more immediate fealty too on a more immediate basis. Make sense?

[@thewilhelmscream7912]

I find it interesting that a summary of Mordor is a very brief summary of the Lord of the rings as well, as far as the forging, losing and destruction of the ring of power, really puts in perspective how important a villain is to a story since Sauron basically becomes Mordor metaphorically and how privelant the region becomes as both the villain and the desired finish line for our heroes, great video as usual!!!! 👍

[@Revenix]

Thanks for the upload! I love when you do! ❤️

[@Revenix]

Thanks for hearting my comment, it means so much! ❤️

[@johnrandolph1989]

So even in the best description hell, there's a paradise waiting for liberation.

[@PeterJCimino]

Yes! I am so excited to watch this! Thanks!

[@XramBrain]

This is the first channel I subscribed regarding the Lord of the Rings and I will always appreciate the way you share your realization or lessons in life everytime you discuss a topic in the LOTR.

[@naofumi5616]

I have been waiting all week for another upload. They are always done so masterfully.

[@Badboyben1422]

A notable quote from Return of the King of our favorite Hobbit Samwise, "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-dur. 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." Also I dont think the sea of Nurnen was said to be salt water cause then how could the lands of Nurn be so fertile? I did some research in books to see if there was any support to say the Sea of Nurnen was salt water but I couldnt really find anything.

[@tijltrienen]

Its called the sad waters

[@creedcaldwell361]

Ash creates fertile land, which is one of the reason ranchers in Kansas and other states like that burn pastures every year. There also would have been a lot of precipitation due to the large body of water and the temperature would’ve been temperate.

[@intzbk1]

Thank you. I think it's about time I did a re-run on your old episodes, what a great channel, keep up the good work!

[@Steel-101]

Yeah!! Thanks for the video Mr. Men of the West!!! J. R.R Tolkien would be proud man. 😁👍🏼

[@raymondmccauley9451]

Love all your LOR videos

[@Horizon344]

Excellent film & narration, seeing the transformation of it at the end with evil gone was powerful.

[@joematthew2746]

You really are amazing. I could listen to you all day. Absolutely fascinating, eloquent and insightful as always.

[@troyjeffrey4311]

I really appreciate you making these videos. When I'm in the blues of another impending work week, watching these videos and hearing Get Your Ticket is evidence enough Aragorn is right, "There is always hope."

[@netherveilgames996]

Please make a detailed video describing the geography, climate, landmarks, and settlements found in Mordor sometime. Thanks!

[@salmanhyder1655]

This is one of my favourite videos from your channel. I'm always curiously searching to learn more and more about Mordor. Thanks

[@leeloothewhite]

This channel and it’s content is always so great. Thank you sir!

[@littleredsubmarine]

I enjoyed this video and learned a lot. Thank you.

[@UpIrons777]

"There are signs on The Ring, which make me feel so down. There is one to enslave all rings. To find them all in time, and to drive them into darkness. Forever they will bound... And there is no way out. Mordor, dark land under Sauron's spell... One ring for the dark lord's hand sitting on his throne, in the land so dark where I have to go."

[@technounionrepresentative4274]

I always liked the irony that the black gates were made to keep ork in But it became one of the biggest deturants to people who tried to enter

[@brunoventura3]

Interesting the line that Morgoth created Mordor and Mount Doom. But the maps of the First Age show us the place where is Mordor in Second and Third Ages is the Sea of Helcar.

[@MenoftheWest]

Hmm I see the maps you are referring to, those from Karen Fonstad and the Atlas of Middle-earth. I am not fully inclined to believe those maps, as they are not published by Tolkien or his son, but it is an interesting idea!

[@gm2407]

There are no accurate maps of middle earth as JRRT was not a cartographer or artist and many maps were printed at different times. The Simirillion was printed later and did not show all the lands if I remember rightly.

[@Timbo__Slice]

I was just looking for info on the dark elves of Arda and I couldn't really find much so I figured it would probably be a great video for you and while I can't speak for everyone personally think it would be a really interesting topic to cover

[@srimadhumithra2330]

Wow Mellon, Excellent information for the region spotlights. One question though: Was Mordor a hot place or a cold one? Keep it up. Brilliant effects as always!!!!

[@MenoftheWest]

Mordor was actually quite cold across the plains. In the movies, we also see Sam and Frodo shivering in one scene. I imagine the volcano was quite hot though haha.

[@tima5033]

MELLLLLONN

[@robertshay9235]

Great video!! Love the detail, presentation and delivery!!

[@splyketv7386]

this was very educational. After seeingt he RoP I thought it was weird how it came to be and how the volcano erupted. Plus it made no sense scientifically. Thank you once again I shall share this.

[@neathizar9743]

Always wondered what happened to Mordor after the Destruction of the One Ring, I wonder what they were like culturally, most likely something similar to Gondor

[@Servant_of_Morgoth]

I was waiting for a video about Mordor !!! Thank you for that!! I got a question : when beleriand was destroyed, was the island of balar destroyed as well ? That was the original home of kirdan the shipmaker. Also how about a new "what if " video ? What would have happened if feanor had not abandoned his kin when they sailed east!

[@sethmiller2534]

All that I can truly learn from this video is that I more-adore you😍

[@MenoftheWest]

Well I'm Gone-adoring all of you ;)

[@dsp8363]

Great stuff once again!

[@johnpatricktan5545]

Nice video on the land of shadow

[@jamesandthemgiantcheeks2798]

Really helps making a lord of the rings map for d&d campaigns, it's reallyyyyyyyy something I've been wanting to do

[@overlorddan7868]

After beating Shadow of Mordor, I have even more love for Middle Earth Lore (which I didn’t think was possible and also Ik it’s not canon but I can dream)

[@skere272]

Another awesome video love learning about world of middle earth. Have you thought about doing videos of reading the actual books?

[@madambutterfly1997]

One does not simply post a video explaining Mordor.

[@FritsGerlich07]

Unless you have a channel called Men of the West and listen to the name Yoistan.

[@autumnleaves240]

Thank you my friend

[@chrissilva3825]

Could you do "Dol Guldor" for your next region spotlight?

[@TheSaneHatter]

One would like to hear more about the people of Nurnen: where they came from, what they were like, how they lived (and suffered), and what they did with the country after being freed. It's probably one of those overlooked topics that Tolkien should have left a partial story behind about.

[@Taistelukalkkuna]

*Dark Tower collapsing after One Rings destruction* Architect watching in distance: "I told him, the tower was structurally unsound."

[@mattnorris7124]

The real power of the One Ring was the strength of the adhesive they obtained from it to keep the tower of Barad-dûr standing for so long. But once the ring was destroyed, so too was the adhesive.

[@1DeathEater]

The Realm of Mordor is sooo interesting, it's like you want to know more about it, but there's not much to go on..

[@michaelgibson4067]

Fantastic lore guys!

[@chevin0]

I hate to corect, and it WAS a great video, seriously enjoyed it...but Shelob was not the 'oldest denizen of Mordor', Ungoliant may have been older than Sauron, but Sauron was far older than Shelob

[@MenoftheWest]

Sorry haha, oldest as in, has been there for the longest. In among of years having lived in Mordor, Shelob has the eldest amount of years. Sorry, I suppose there was a better way to say that haha "Longest residing denizen" may have been a better way of saying it!

[@chevin0]

@@MenoftheWest understood, thanks for clarifying!

[@ChiaraSiasat]

Great video Yoysten! I always wondered what had happened to these lands after the end of the War of the Ring and all of Sauron’s minions were mostly vanquished. I know in discord we had the discussion about how Orcs were “bred” I wonder though if at some point all Orc/Urukai and Goblins were eventually driven out of the lands.

[@MenoftheWest]

Hey Angel, good to hear from you! I think you're right about that, it appears all of the Orcs and Goblins and likely all servants of Sauron were driven out of Mordor after a time!

[@christosvoskresye]

It is fun to try to overlay the map of middle earth on the map of Europe, with the Shire in England and Mt. Doom = Stromboli. It would appear that quite a lot of change has taken place.

[@James_Mansbridge]

I've heard people compare Gondor to the Roman Empire, which would work reasonably well like that.

[@hughgedney3393]

A very extremely great second video as always Men of the West.

[@TheMinarus]

I was there Gandalf...I was there 3000 years ago when the force of men failed. I took Isildur to mount doom where the One had been forged, the only place where it could be destroyed. All could have been ended that day, yet he did not, and shadows were allowed to persist...

[@SuSpence60]

Can you do a video of the east? I would love to hear more about from your channel. Love the channel bro!

[@KlaustheViking]

I love how I’m wearing an Amon Amarth (the band) shirt as I’m watching this lol.

[@bloodlore00]

Love your stories - thank you.

[@johnortiz5426]

haha I love how you use the lotro maps. They are great!

[@darkspark5770]

It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand...I believe Gollum still has a role to play! (that he did)

[@ZeekTheZack22]

Loved it!

[@rgrwlco]

Mordor, or morðor also means "murder" in Old English

[@DDickinson458]

I assume there's a remnant of that or a common root word for words like mortify, mortician, mortal, and mortuary.

[@rgrwlco]

@@DDickinson458 They are indeed all related, albeit not directly through Old English. The words you listed entered English through French, but all of them ultimately come from the Proto-Indo-European root *mer-

[@menachemsalomon]

That is the subject of a _Black Widowers_ story, an armchair detective series by Isaac Asimov. You will not be surprised that Asimov was a fan of Tolkien.

[@DDickinson458]

@@rgrwlco Ok that's kind of what I figured. It makes sense, but it's still amazing how much in modern Indo-European languages can be traced back to PIE.

[@rometotalsam]

Mordor comes from elvish meaning “black land”

[@TheGrimmCommoner]

Mordor was the furthest Sam had ever been from home.

[@Revenix]

Love your vids!

[@shadowofchaos8932]

I was researching and found a fact little known on the Fandom page. Mordor, Rhun, and the East raised out of the sea after Belariand sank into the sea at the end of the First Age.

[@MenoftheWest]

That's a cool idea, but I do not believe that to be canon unfortunately. Those Fandom pages aren't strict about canon lore, so it's possible that idea came from a game or fan-story. Mordor's regions had been there since the Elder Days, even, I believe, since the Valar lived on the Almaren island during the Years of the Lamps.

[@shadowofchaos8932]

It's hard to find references of these lands during that time too so it could be added later from something.

[@gillianlovell9578]

@@MenoftheWest *canon*

[@gobigblue6782]

The art work in each of ur videos is off the charts. Much appreciated every week. What r ur sources if possible? Could spend hours appreciating the paintings, lithographs, etc.

[@venkelos6996]

I often wish Mordor was the most extreme east and south region of Middle Earth, because then it wouldn't leave as many questions about the lands even more remote to our things we know. No one relevant to us ever went there, with Mordor seemingly blocking the way. It's also weird how Barad-dur was actually so close to Mordor's border, and the Black Gate, when there was so much more territory that could have lain between it and an attacking force, that could have been filled with evermore Orc fodder. Speaking of Orcs, where did they grow in such numbers? Mordor was somewhat inactive for years, following Sauron's defeat, yet by the time he planned to crush Gondor, he had an army bigger than any other. If they had just been in Mordor, one would think Gondor would launch extermination pogroms upon them, while they lacked tougher leaders, and command, at least until their own numbers thinned too much. They had some numbers in Moria, and Mirkwood, but they came there from somewhere, and it wasn't Mordor. The Gate was also shut, so Orcs couldn't just walk back into Mordor, either. Were they just in the extreme most East, where no one else could afford to go? Was there some other secret stronghold of these twisted beings, where they could grow in numbers unmolested? They didn't come from Gundabad, Moria, or Mirkwood, and even the parts of Mordor close to Gondor seemed devoid, yet they bred somewhere; snuck into these places from somewhere. Was it Goblin Town? Were there many such settlements of that kind, disgorging countless Orcs to these other places?

[@aliciadouglas905]

id pay to have a middle earth history textbook

[@lopirobinson1991]

Gollum, the hero no one wanted but the one they needed! In some twisted way Gollum got his revenge against Sauron. In my mind I like to think that the reason the One Ring took Gollum so hard and fast was because it had been hiding for so long. Then when it was found it was like it woke up and was shocked so it used a little too much power to make sure the one who found it would protect it.

[@irishnecromancer4335]

Love the video brother. Would love to see a video surrounding ancalagog the black!

[@patrickmcglonejr8163]

Yet I love how in Shadow of War and whatnot there is lush forests and grasslands in Mordor lol

[@FuerstMykisch]

Thank you for the video. I was hoping to also find some information on the coming into being of mordor since in another video you questioned the thesis that Mordor was where the helcar sea originally was

[@sainiharika]

Eonwe the banner bearer of Manwe. I love what u said at the end. ♥️♥️♥️

[@UpIrons777]

I always wondered why Gondor never kept any checks on their dark and evil next door neighbors? Since Gondor is literally right beside Mordor, it just seems like Gondor would have kept a closer watch and lookout on all the stuff going on in Mordor instead of just letting that dark land go completely unchecked. Which doing so, just opened Gondor completely up for attack. Seems like Gondor would have had a stronger defense against Mordor and would have at least noticed some of what their dark next door neighbors were doing and were up to instead of being completely blindsided by open attacks upon the kingdom of Gordor and an invasion force coming out of Mordor? Maybe it was because Gondor did not have a king during this time?

[@2shadesofgray752]

It was because it took some thousand years for souron to return while numerus events took place including the war with the witch king, the wars against the easterlings and the men of harad, as well as the great plage and the the gondorian civil war. All of this equaled a the lack of manpower and motivation to watch a seemingly empty and abandoned land.

[@ebeneezerscrooge8394]

Another great video.

[@armithel3133]

Ya know, the physical land of Mordor itself has almost never been talked about in all of my years a fan of Tolkien. I feel fear and angst when I think about Mordor because up until now, (about 20 years of my life) I had NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED that Mordor would turn into green and beautiful landscape after the evil was gone. Also, Melkor created the volcanoes, man I learned some facts today

[@Chronocrits]

Oh wow. Never knew I wanted to see green Mordor, but now I’m glad I did.

[@wesleyvl8572]

A other good vidoe dude keep it up you rock

[@tscarb]

Thank you! Fine work! How accurate do you think was irruption of the mountain at the end of the return of the king? Introspectively speaking The eruption of a volcano in a place like Mordor as a symbol of rebirth is an allusion , If you think about it

[@ironman7630]

It has been said that Mordor was formed and scorched and burned by one of the great lamps that Melkor toppled over in the age of the Lamps. I always thought that is why it is basically surrounded by mountains and burned to ash, because it is essentially a great crater. I do not know if this is correct, but it's what I've heard and I think it provides a believable reason for Mordor to be the way it is.

[@Hi.im.V]

Ohhh when you used images from shadow of war i got real happy. Fuckin love the game ( even tho it breaks cannon alot)

[@Toviyah]

Great work again I find that Mordor is really interesting and how Mordor has bit of fate because morgoth created mount doom and later Sauron created his one ring and with the ring being created the ring was destroyed so with morogoth creating darkness darkness was destroyed hopefully my comment makes sense

[@draccoonxcii1288]

I like to imagine Mordor going through what the forests of Mt St Helens are going through. Slowly coming back to life with shrubs and grasses in the volcanic soil, and maybe even remaining geothermally active like Yellowstone.

[@holicekaderliiii6787]

When they create a show that took place during the Second Age of Middle Earth and Sauron is shown as Annatar which actor would you choose to play him.

[@christina1wilson]

Someone drop dead gorgeous and can act.

[@ShizaruBloodrayne]

I've always wondered about what goes on around Nurn and Nurnen after I found out they weren't barren wasteland like gorgoroth but I still question why the fellowship didn't try entering Mordor in the eastern opening where there are no mountains. The Easterlings most likely would be harder to slip by than Gondor since Gondor was resisting Mordor but there's still plenty of space to possibly go unnoticed. I tried looking up any theories on why didn't they take the Eastern side instead but all that pops up is the theory of why they couldn't take the eagles.

[@erwingvargas2272]

You know what I just realized..... how come none came to help the east when Sauron started conquering them? Sometimes It seems people in the east where just abandoned, not to say that some follow Souron of their own free will but some had no choice 🤔

[@shadytribe6680]

Whenever I read mount doom I think someone misspelled mtn dew help

[@masalamonkey4092]

please make a video about the men that lived in nurn, mordor? where they in service to sauron like easterlings and haradim?

[@buddycollins285]

Just imagine for a moment that the Dark Lord Sauron appeared in front of you but he wanted you to have an interview with him and he happily answered your questions and he let you live.

[@PleaseNThankYou]

I wish I had LOTR friends to share this with... I am a lone Ranger. I'll just share it to my alt FB personalities.

[@drewmack5300]

If possible I’d love to hear your opinion on the Shadow Of Mordor video game series

[@MenoftheWest]

I'm not the biggest fan of how they use the lore... but as games they are fun and entertaining! I watched a clip on Shelob's backstory from the game today... cringed a bit there

[@TheWoodsmanMilling]

@@MenoftheWest War in the North is better in my opinion, lore wise, but they're fun games.

[@kossend1]

@@MenoftheWest I'm not a gamer anymore so I haven't seen the game, but I was under the impression that the Tolkien Estate is a very jealous guardian of the lore. How then can the game go against it?