The villains of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were infamous for corrupting lands that once belonged to the Free Peoples of Middle-earth. Whether it was Smaug forcing the Dwarves out of Erebor, Sauron turning Greenwood the Great into Mirkwood, or the Nazgûl conquering Minas Ithil and renaming it Minas Morgul, no place seemed truly safe from the forces of evil. In J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel, even the Shire was taken over by Saruman, who, unlike in Peter Jackson’s film, survived his defeat at Isengard. The reverse was far rarer in Middle-earth’s history, but there were a few instances of The Lord of the Rings‘ heroes claiming Sauron’s territory for themselves. The most notable example of this was Gondor’s occupation of the Black Gate early in the Third Age.
The Black Gate, or Morannon as it was known in the Elvish language of Sindarin, was the main entrance to Sauron’s land of Mordor. It was a pair of massive metal doors within a wall that stretched between the Ash Mountains and the Mountains of Shadow in the northwestern corner of Mordor. The Black Gate was impenetrable, especially when guarded by Sauron’s minions, and the protection it offered was vitally important to the Dark Lord. The only other entrances to Mordor, such as Shelob’s Lair, were too perilous for anyone to traverse — aside from some intrepid hobbits, of course. Sauron could wage war across Middle-earth with little fear of retribution from his many enemies. However, according to the novel, Gondor once managed to wrest the Black Gate away from Sauron, and even more impressively, maintained control of it for almost 2,000 years. During that time, they strengthened the Black Gate, which they eventually came to regret. Before the events of The Lord of the Rings, Sauron reclaimed the Black Gate, and he turned the Gondorians’ improvements against them.
Gondor Took Control of the Black Gate After the War of the Last Alliance
Image via New Line Cinema
Tolkien did not go into much detail about the origins of the Black Gate. Sauron constructed it at some point in the Second Age, likely around the year S.A. 1000, as that is when he established Mordor as his base of operations. Throughout most of the Second Age, none of Sauron’s enemies dared to attack Mordor, as they struggled to simply defend themselves. However, that changed with the formation of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men in S.A. 3430. By working together, the forces of Gondor, Arnor, and the Elven Realms were able to turn the tide against Sauron. After the Battle of Dagorlad in S.A. 3434, the Last Alliance was able to enter Mordor by following Sauron’s retreating minions through the Black Gate. This gave the Men and Elves a chance to besiege Barad-dûr, as shown in the prologue of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
The War of the Last Alliance ended with the destruction of Sauron’s body in S.A. 3441, ushering in the Third Age of Middle-earth. Most of the Dark Lord’s surviving minions scattered or went into hiding, which left Mordor largely defenseless. The Free Peoples of Middle-earth could have conquered and settled Mordor, but they did not want to. Sauron’s evil aura still permeated the land, and there was an ever-present threat of Mount Doom erupting. Additionally, there was no telling what ancient evils still lurked within the unknown regions of Mordor. However, the Gondorians thought it wise to establish outposts along the borders of Mordor, including the Black Gate. Soldiers stationed there could ensure that the forces of evil did not regroup in Mordor, and they could also prevent any of Sauron’s lingering minions from escaping Mordor and threatening Gondor. It was a sensible plan, but it was ultimately doomed to fail, and in the long run, it did more harm than good to the Free Peoples of Middle-earth.
War and Pestilence Weakened Gondor’s Hold on Mordor
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Narchost meant “Bitter-biting Fortress” in the Elvish language of Sindarin, and Carchost meant “Fang Fortress” in Sindarin.
After taking control of the Black Gate, the Gondorians improved Mordor’s fortifications. They built two giant towers called Narchost and Carchost on either side of the Black Gate. Together, they were known as the Towers of the Teeth, the Towers of the Black Gate, or the Teeth of Mordor. The Towers of the Teeth provided the Gondorian soldiers with excellent vantage points from which they could survey the surrounding area — and, if necessary, shoot arrows at enemies. The Gondorians’ construction projects in Mordor were not limited to the Black Gate. They were responsible for the creation of the Tower of Cirith Ungol near Shelob’s Lair. In The Lord of the Rings, this is where the Orcs brought a paralyzed Frodo to torture him and loot his equipment. The Gondorians also built a castle called Durthang just southwest of the Black Gate. That building was absent from Jackson’s films, but it was briefly mentioned in the novel version of The Lord of the Rings.
Gondor’s occupation of the Black Gate did not last forever. Trouble began in the year T.A. 1636 when the Great Plague spread to Gondor. It caused countless deaths and led to the total abandonment of several cities. The soldiers stationed along Mordor’s border either died or returned to Gondor, where they were more needed. According to the official timeline from the novel version of The Lord of the Rings, “Mordor [was] left unguarded” by T.A. 1640. This may have been part of Sauron’s plot, as the Great Plague originated in Mordor around the same time that Mirkwood fell to darkness. Gondor’s population was devastated, so for several years, it lacked the manpower to station soldiers at the Black Gate or anywhere else along Mordor’s border. Gondorians eventually returned there, but their foothold there was never again as strong as it once was. The Great Plague was the beginning of the end for Gondor’s occupation of the Black Gate, and it foreshadowed Sauron’s rise to power in the Third Age. Throughout the following centuries, war with the Easterlings weakened the kingdom even further.
When Sauron Reclaimed the Black Gate, It Was Stronger Than Ever
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According to Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Gondor still controlled the Black Gate at the time of King Ondoher’s death, which took place in T.A. 1944. Tolkien did not provide a specific date for when Mordor reclaimed the Black Gate, but it must have been at some point before T.A. 1980 because that is when the Witch-king of Angmar returned to Mordor and gathered his fellow Nazgûl. The video game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor opened with Sauron’s forces taking back the Black Gate. The game’s protagonist was Talion, the Captain of the Watch, who was stationed at the Black Gate when an army of Orcs led by three Black Númenóreans attacked. The game took place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, though that does not fit within the novel’s timeline. In the novel, having regained control of the Black Gate, the Nazgûl carried out attacks against Gondor. It was during one of these attacks that they conquered Minas Ithil, as previously mentioned. They also prepared Mordor for the return of their master, who was forming a new body in Dol Guldur.
Sauron returned to Mordor in T.A. 2951, having been ousted from Dol Guldur by the White Council. Ironically, the very fortifications that had been strengthened to prevent his return now protected him. He stationed his own minions in the Towers of the Teeth, Cirith Ungol, and Durthang. During the War of the Ring, the Black Gate was a major obstacle that made Sauron untouchable. Frodo had no way of sneaking past it, and the Free Peoples of Middle-earth had no hope of breaking through it. Aragorn led an attack against the Black Gate at the end of The Return of the King, but he was not actually expecting to win; it was just a last-ditch distraction so that Frodo could hopefully throw the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. Against all odds, Aragorn’s plan worked, and Sauron did not realize what was happening until too late. When the One Ring was destroyed, Mount Doom erupted, causing an earthquake that destroyed Mordor’s fortifications. In the chapter “The Field of Cormallen,” Tolkien wrote, “The earth groaned and quaked. The Towers of the Teeth swayed, tottered, and fell down; the mighty rampart crumbled; the Black Gate was hurled in ruin.” With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that the Gondorians strengthening Mordor’s defenses was a terrible idea, but a handful of heroes managed to overcome the challenge and claim ultimate victory.
