Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur, "the Hill of Sorcery", was the fortress and stronghold of Sauron in southern Mirkwood during much of the Third Age, before he openly returned to Mordor. From this dark hold the shadow spread that gave the great forest its later name.

Description

Dol Guldur stood upon a high hill in the south-western part of Mirkwood, a place of dungeons, sorcery, and creeping dread. While Sauron dwelt there in secret he was known only as the Necromancer, and few guessed his true identity. The forest around it grew dark and tangled, infested with spiders and evil things.

History

The shadow first crept into Greenwood the Great about a thousand years into the Third Age, and the forest came to be called Mirkwood. The Wizards and the Wise feared that an evil power had taken root in Dol Guldur. Gandalf entered the fortress in secret and discovered that the Necromancer was indeed Sauron, returned and gathering strength.

The White Council, the gathering of the Wise, at length drove Sauron from Dol Guldur, but he had already prepared his return and removed openly to Mordor. During the War of the Ring, forces from Dol Guldur thrice assailed Lothlórien and made war upon the woodland realm. After the fall of Sauron, Galadriel threw down the walls of Dol Guldur and laid bare its pits, cleansing the forest at last.