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This page concerns the real world.
This article refers to the valley of Mordor. For other namesakes, see Udûn (disambiguation).
Udunvalley

The valley of Udûn as shown in The Atlas of Middle-earth

Udûn was a wide, depressed valley in northwestern Mordor that lay between Cirith Gorgor and the Carach Angren.

Description[]

Probably the origin of Udûn is related to the volcanic activities present lands of Mordor. The Atlas of Middle-earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad suggests that the genesis of Udûn was linked to the formation of Mount Doom. In fact, according to Fonstad, the valley could be a caldera or more likely an anular dike.[1]

History[]

When Sauron settled in Mordor he exploited the geography of Udûn in order to make it the pivot of his defense against enemies, sealing Cirith Gorgor with the Black Gate and building forts at the Isenmouthe. Within its circumference were the forges of Sauron's armies and many Orc-holds, including Durthang.

During both the War of the Last Alliance and the War of the Ring, the vast armies of Mordor under the command of Sauron passed through here and out the Black Gate to confront their enemies.[1] With the destruction of the One Ring, Udûn was changed, and the Black Gate thrown down.

Etymology[]

Udûn is a Sindarin word meaning 'Hell'.

Portrayal in adaptations[]

Udûn (Mordor)

View of Sauron's army marching through Udûn to the Black Gates, as seen in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy[]

Udûn appears in the third film of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, while Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee are traveling towards Mount Doom. The valley itself is depicted similarly to its description in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, though the apparent distances are altered in order for Barad-dûr to be visible from the Black Gate.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor[]

In Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, following the Battle of Dagorlad, Udûn became populated by the Outcasts of Udûn, descendants of banished Gondorian criminals and slaves. They built a shanty town known as The Slabs in the eastern reaches of the valley. Upon Sauron's return to Mordor, the Outcasts were either enslaved or driven out of Udûn and their city was converted into Uruk's Hollow, a slave camp and home for Sauron's minions.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 The Atlas of Middle-earth, Regional Maps, "Mordor (and Adjacent Lands)"

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Belarusian Cyrillic Удуна
Bengali উড়ুন
Bulgarian Cyrillic Удун
Chinese 烏頓
Danish Udûn ("Helvedesdalen")
Greek Οδον
Gujarati ઉડ્ડન
Hebrew אודון
Hindi उडुन
Kannada ಉಡುನ್
Marathi उडुन
Persian اودون
Punjabi ਉਡੁਨ
Russian Удун
Sinhalese උඩුන්
Tamil உடுந்
Tatar Удун
Telugu ఉదున్
Ukrainian Cyrillic Удун
Urdu اڈون
Uzbek Удун (Cyrillic) Udun (Latin)
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