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Osgiliath was the first capital city of Gondor. During the War of the Ring, the abandoned city gained strategic importance as a crossing point over the Anduin, both for the Men of Gondor and Orcs of Mordor.

At the heart of Osgiliath was a great stone bridge over the river. On the bridge was a tower containing the famous Dome of Stars, which housed the city's palantír. Another important building (or possibly the same one) was the Great Hall, which initially served as a throne room.

Translated, its name means "Citadel of the Host of Stars".

History[]

Osgiliath Matěj Čadil

Osgiliath in its days of splendor, by Matěj Čadil

Rise & decline[]

The city was founded by Isildur and Anárion near the end of the Second Age, built on either side of the Anduin river. Ruling Gondor jointly, Osgiliath was their joint capital. During the War of the Last Alliance the city was attacked by Sauron's forces but was successfully defended by Anárion.

At the height of Gondor's power the city was a reflection of the splendour of Númenor's cities, but this was not to last. Decline started with the Kin-strife when Osgiliath was sacked and burned by the forces of Castamir the Usurper in TA 1437 and the city's palantír was lost in the Anduin. The decline of the city was greatly accelerated by the Great Plague of TA 1636 and Osgiliath began to fall into ruin, with King Tarondor moving the capital to Minas Anor in TA 1640.

Osgiliath ALong

A glimpse of the ruined city as a Black Wing flies above, by Aaron Long

The final blow came in TA 2475, when Uruks of Mordor overran and captured Osgiliath. Though they were thrown back by Boromir, son of the then-Steward Denethor I, Osgiliath was finally ruined and completely abandoned, and its great bridge was broken.[1]

War of the Ring[]

In TA 3019, Beregond recounted to Pippin how Gondor recaptured East Osgiliath a few decades before the War of the Ring ("...in the days of the youth of Denethor..."), for use as a military outpost and to secure a crossing of the Anduin. In June 3018, however, a detachment of Sauron's forces, led by the Nazgûl, again took the east bank, and the defenders, led by Boromir and Faramir, were forced to retreat, destroying the last bridge.[2]

Osgiliath reclaimed

The city of Osgiliath, after its prime, shortly before being again overrun by Mordor

Osgiliath was one of the few places between Rauros and the Sea where large armies could cross the Anduin without needing many boats. Thus, a key part of Gondor's defensive strategy after the loss of East Osgiliath was to hold West Osgiliath and oppose any attempt at crossing the river. It was while he was on guard in West Osgiliath in February 3019 that Faramir saw Boromir's funeral boat. But when the Witch-king and his army attacked Gondor in March 3019, it was revealed that Sauron's forces had secretly built many floats and barges in East Osgiliath. Though they met with determined opposition from Faramir and the Osgiliath garrison, they were able to cross with fewer casualties than the defenders had hoped, and Faramir ordered a general retreat to the Rammas Echor. When he led the bulk of his army to besiege Minas Tirith, the Witch-king left some reserves in Osgiliath. Gothmog later deployed these forces against Gondor and its allies in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.[3]

Fourth Age and beyond[]

After Sauron was defeated and the Fourth Age began, Aragorn II, the new King of Gondor, may have rebuilt the city, but he kept Minas Tirith as his capital.

In adaptations[]

At the end of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), Faramir leads his Rangers from Henneth Annûn to Osgiliath, which is under light bombardment by Orcs on its eastern side. Since he had captured Sam, Frodo and Gollum, he takes them there by force. A Nazgûl upon a Fellbeast attacks the city, and the company scatters. Frodo is drawn to the wraith, at a bridge, but Faramir fends it off, and afterwards soon releases them. In the Extended Edition, the three are seen escaping from Osgiliath via its sewers. There is also a flashback from a prior year of Boromir speaking to the masses of Osgiliath, and to his brother, after Sauron's first assault.

Boromir speech

Boromir speaking to the people of Gondor after its western shore was defended in TA 3018

In The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Osgiliath is featured in many scenes, including that of its western half's final seizure by Orcs, led by Gothmog at night, in a battle lost and fled by Faramir and the defenders. A few days later, the Morgul-host and its siege-towers are seen crossing through the city over repaired bridges.

The Lord of the Rings Online - Osgiliath

Osgiliath in The Lord of the Rings Online

In The Lord of the Rings Online, Osgiliath exists in three different versions. Before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Osgiliath is overrun by the Morgul-host while Mablung and Damrod lead the surviving Rangers of Ithilien in the city into hiding in the culverts. After the battle, the situation is reversed: the city has been reclaimed as the Host of the West makes its way to the Black Gate, but remaining enemies still remain in Osgiliath's culverts. A third version of the city, set in TA 3018 during the Sauron's attack on Osgiliath, is the battleground for player-versus-monster-player fights; this version is notable for having all bridges across the Anduin still intact.

Notable landmarks are the Gates of the Moon at the eastern entrance to the city are beyond which is the Court of Isildur, the Gates of the Sun at the western entrance beyond which is the Court of Anárion, The Palace of Eldacar in the north-west corner of the city, Meneldil's Square, Rómendacil's Square, the Theatre of Cemendur and the Dome of Stars.

Etymology[]

Osgiliath in Sindarin means "Citadel of the Host of Stars", from ost ("city, town") and giliath ("host of stars").

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ዖስጊሊኣጥ
Arabic اوسجيلياث
Armenian Ոսգիլիատհ
Belarusian Cyrillic Осгилиат
Bengali অসগিলিয়াথ
Bosnian Ozgiliat
Bulgarian Cyrillic Осгилиат
Chinese (Hong Kong) 奧斯力亞古斯
Georgian ოსგილიათ
Greek Οσγκίλιαθ
Gujarati ઑસ્ગિલિઅથ
Hebrew אוסגיליאת
Hindi ओस्ज़ीलैथ
Japanese オスギリアス
Kannada ಒಸ್ಗಿಲಿಥ್
Kazakh Осгіліатһ (Cyrillic) Osgiliath (Latin)
Korean 오스길리아스
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Осгилиатч
Macedonian Cyrillic Осгилиатх
Marathi ओस्गिलिअथ
Mongolian Cyrillic Осгилиатh
Nepalese ॐस्गिलिअथ
Pashto وسګیلیاته
Persian ازگیلیات
Punjabi ਓਸ੍ਗਿਲਿਅਥ
Russian Осгилиат
Sinhalese ඔස්ගිලියත්
Serbian Озгилијат (Cyrillic) Ozgilijat (Latin)
Tajik Cyrillic Осгилиатҳ
Telugu ఒసగిలియాత్
Thai ออสกิเลียธ
Ukrainian Cyrillic Осґіліат
Urdu عثگالیات
Uzbek Осгилатҳ (Cyrillic) Osgiliath (Latin)
Yiddish אָסגיליאַטה
Places of Middle-earth and Arda

Middle-earth Locations:

Provinces/Regions:

Arnor | Dunland | Ettenmoors | Forochel | Forodwaith | Gondor | Harad | Ithilien | Khand | Lindon | Minhiriath | Mordor | Rhovanion | Rhûn | Rivendell | Rohan | The Shire

Forests & Mountains:

Amon Dîn | Amon Hen | Amon Lhaw | Caradhras | Emyn Muil | Erebor | Fangorn Forest | High Pass | Iron Hills | Lórien | Mirkwood | Mount Doom | Mount Gundabad | Old Forest | Orod-na-Thôn | Tower Hills | Weathertop Hill

City/Fortifications:

Angband | Barad-dûr | Bree | Caras Galadhon | Dol Guldur | Fornost Erain | Hornburg | Isengard | Minas Morgul | Minas Tirith | Last Homely House | Tower of Amon Sûl | Tower of Orthanc | Osgiliath | Umbar | Utumno

Miscellaneous:

Argonath | Astulat | Buckland | Cair Andros | Dagorlad | Dead Marshes | Enedwaith | Fords of Isen | Gap of Rohan | Grey Havens

The rest of Arda:

Aman | Burnt Land of the Sun | Dark Land | Empty Lands | Neldoreth | New lands | Númenor | Tol Eressëa

References[]

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