- "Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it."
- —The Return of the King
Grond, also known as the Wolf's Head, was a one hundred and fifty-foot long battering ram with a head in the shape of a ravening wolf.
History
Grond was forged in Mordor by Smithies of Barad-dûr during the final years of the Third Age, specifically for use by the army besieging the city of Minas Tirith in Gondor. It shared its name, in homage, with the "Hammer of the Underworld," a great mace wielded by Morgoth, Sauron's former master.
Grond was said to be 60 feet high, 150 feet long, and as thick around as an enormous tree, making it much larger than any other such battering ram in Middle-earth. Fire burned in its great maw. It was operated by a team of great beasts and several trolls were needed to utilize it. The ram contained so much innate evil, that it is said the creatures pulling it would occasionally go mad and run through the battlefield, trampling anything and anyone underfoot. Aided by the "spells of ruin" laid on it during its forging in Mordor, and by the Witch-king of Angmar during the Siege, Grond smashed open the formidable gate of Minas Tirith with just three blows.[citation needed]
Portrayal in adaptations
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
- "Bring up the wolf's head."
- —Gothmog
Grond Approaches the Gates of Minas Tirith
In Peter Jackson's film The Return of the King, Grond has fire spewing from its carved jaws and the Great Beasts pulling it are four huge rhinoceros-like creatures(In the book only called the "great beasts"). The ram's wolf design is extended, with the whole battering ram carved to resemble a great wolf. Gothmog refers to it as both "Grond" and "the wolf's head" in the film; in the Extended Edition of The Return of the King, he summons it after a failed attempt to breach Minas Tirith with a standard battering ram. As the Host of Mordor and its allies watched it approaching Minas Tirith, they could be heard chanting its name: "Grond! Grond! Grond!" It also appears to be slightly weaker than its portrayal in the book, as it strikes Minas Tirith's gates several times before finally breaking through.
Rankin Bass
Grond in the Rankin/Bass film of 1980.
In the 1980 animated Return of the King film, Grond is depicted as drooling acid in one shot, and its eyes glow red. Here the Great Beasts that tow it into position are Oliphaunts.
Video games
- Grond also appears in the video games The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, and The Lord of the Rings Online
Translations around the World
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Hong Kong) | 葛龍德 |
Gallery
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 |
 |
 |
| Barrow-blades • Sting | |
| Durin's Axe • Orcrist | |
| Grond (battering ram) • Grond (hammer) • Morgul-knife | |
| Aeglos • Anglachel • Anguirel • Angrist • Aranrúth • Belthronding • Dailir • Glamdring • Orcrist • Ringil | |
| Andúril • Dramborleg • Black arrow • Dagmor • Gúthwinë • Gurthang • Herugrim • Narsil • Red Arrow | |
