The Misty Mountains

The Misty Mountains, called Hithaeglir in the Elvish tongue, are the great mountain range that runs north to south down the heart of Middle-earth, dividing the lands of the west, Eriador and the Shire, from the vale of the Anduin and the lands of the east. Among the longest and mightiest of mountain ranges, they form a formidable barrier crossed by only a few perilous passes, and within and beneath them lie great realms and great dangers, including the Dwarf-city of Moria.

The Misty Mountains stretch from the icy north, near the lands of Angmar, far south to the Gap of Rohan and the spur where Isengard stands. Their high passes, their orc-infested caverns, and the wild creatures that haunt their slopes make them one of the chief obstacles to travel in Middle-earth.

Geography

The range runs roughly north to south for many hundreds of miles. Notable features include Mount Gundabad in the far north, an ancient and revered place to the Dwarves later seized by orcs; the High Pass above Rivendell, guarded by the goblin-tunnels where Bilbo found the One Ring; the peak of Caradhras, the Redhorn, one of the great mountains above Moria; and the Redhorn Pass beneath it. Beneath the central peaks lies Moria, the realm of Durin's Folk; on the eastern side, the river Silverlode flows down toward Lothlórien and the Anduin. To the south the range gives out near the Gap of Rohan.

History

The Misty Mountains were raised, in the old tales, by the Vala Melkor in the Elder Days to hinder the riding of the Vala Oromë. Through the ages they were settled by Dwarves, who delved Moria beneath them, and infested by orcs and goblins, who made warrens of their tunnels. Great events touched them: the Dwarves' wars with the orcs, including the Battle of Azanulbizar before the East-gate of Moria, and the awakening of the Balrog in the deeps.

In the story

The Misty Mountains figure in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In The Hobbit, Bilbo and the dwarves are captured by goblins beneath the High Pass, and there Bilbo finds the Ring and meets Gollum. In The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring attempts to cross the mountains by the Redhorn Pass but is driven back by the malice of Caradhras and snow, and so takes instead the dark road through Moria, where Gandalf falls fighting the Balrog. The mountains thus stand as a great divide and a place of trial on the journeys of the West.