Thorin and Company crossing the pass, as depicted in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The High Pass, also known as the Pass of Imladris[1] and Cirith Forn en Andrath[2],[3] was an important pass over the Misty Mountains east of the elven refuge of Rivendell.[4] Somewhere close to Rivendell[2] a long, hard, and dangerous Mountain-path[5] climbed into the mountains until it reached the mountain above Goblin-town on its way to the High Pass.[6][7][8] From the High Pass the ancient Menn-i-Naugrim descended to the Vales of Anduin to the river Anduin and then on into Mirkwood forest.[1][9]
There were two passes near Goblin-town: the High Pass and another pass that was easier to travel. The main gate of Goblin-town was located near the easier pass. Because the Orcs of Goblin-town had often caught travelers who spent the night near the main gate in the easier pass, travelers stopped using that pass and used the High Pass instead. However, the Orcs created a new entrance in a cave near the High Pass.[10]
History[]
The High Pass was first created before the First Age by Oromë the Vala, in order to allow for a crossing of the mountains by the Eldar. Later in the First Age the High Pass was found by the Dwarves, who connected the East-West Road and the Menn-i-Naugrim through Mirkwood with the Mountain-path.
In the year 3434 of the Second Age,[11] Isildur and the main part of Gil-galad's army and a part of the army of Arnor used the High Pass and the Redhorn Gate to cross the Misty Mountains on their march to Mordor in the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.[12] After this war, Isildur was slain on his way back from Gondor to Rivendell at the Gladden Fields by Orcs that had been sent there before the war by Sauron to watch the passes.[2]
During the Third Age, the pass was frequently trodden by traveling Dwarves, who often came into contact with the Harfoot-Hobbits farther south in the Vales of Anduin. The breed of Hobbits named the Fallohides lived in northern forests adjacent to the High Pass, and this is the way they migrated into Eriador to flee the spreading shadow of Mirkwood.
In the later Third Age, the High Pass became dangerous again because of the Orcs increasing in the mountains. Only after the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, which nearly wiped out all of the Northern Orcs, did the pass become safe again. Nevertheless, in the year 2940, the Orcs of Goblin-town had burrowed their way back to it, and Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves of Thorin's company were captured there the next year during the Quest of Erebor.[6]
After the Battle of Five Armies, the pass was once again free from danger and was maintained by the Beornings, and for many years afterwards it became important for trade between Eriador and Rhovanion. During the War of the Ring, Grimbeorn the Old and the Beornings kept the High Pass open, but the Fellowship of the Ring ignored the High Pass because the eastern side of the Misty Mountains had become too dangerous due to a winter snowstorm.[13]
Etymology[]
Cirith Forn en Andrath is a Sindarin name meaning "High-Climbing Pass of the North".[3] Paul Strack on eldamo.org suggests that the name is a combination of cirith ("pass"), forn ("north"), en ("of the"), and andrath ("long climb").[14]
In adaptations[]
Goblins heading to the High Pass to attack the Elves in The Battle for Middle-earth II
The High Pass is portrayed in a number of adaptations, including The Battle for Middle-earth II as the site of a conflict between goblins and Elves.
It also appears in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in much the same capacity as in the book, though Gandalf does not join Thorin and Company for the crossing.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Afrikaans | Hoë Slaagsyfer |
| Albanian | Kalojë Të lartë |
| Amharic | ሊቀ ማለፊያ |
| Arabic | ارتفاع تمرير |
| Armenian | բարձր անցնել |
| Azerbaijani | Yüksək keçid |
| Basque | Goi pasatzea |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | высокіх частот |
| Bengali | উচ্চ পাস |
| Bosnian | Visoka Proći |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Високо пропусклив |
| Cambodian | ដំណាក់ខ្ពស់ |
| Catalan | Pas Elevat |
| Chinese | 高 山口 |
| Croatian | Visoke Proći |
| Czech | Vysoká Průchod |
| Danish | Det Høje Pas |
| Dutch | Hoog Passeren |
| Esperanto | Alta Enirpermesilo |
| Estonian | Kõrge Liigu |
| Filipino | Mataas Pumasa |
| Finnish | Korkea Kulkea |
| French | Haut Col |
| Galician | Alto Pase |
| Georgian | მაღალი უღელტეხილი |
| German | Hoher Pass |
| Greek | Υψηλή Πέρασμα |
| Gujarati | ઉચ્ચ પાસ |
| Haiti Creole | Segondè Pase |
| Hawaiian | Kiʻekiʻe Hele ? |
| Hebrew | ה מעבר הגבוה |
| Hindi | उच्च दर्रा |
| Hungarian | Északi Magas Hágó |
| Icelandic | Hár Fjallaskarð |
| Igbo | Elu Ngafe |
| Indonesian | Tinggi Iewat |
| Irish Gaelic | Pas Ard |
| Italian | Alto Passo |
| Japanese | ハイパス |
| Javanese | Dhuwur Pass |
| Kannada | ಹೈ ಪಾಸ್ |
| Kazakh | Жоғары Асу (Cyrillic) Joğarı Asw (Latin) |
| Korean | 하이 패스 |
| Kurdish | Bilind Nasname (Kurmanji) |
| Kyrgyz Cyrillic | бийик ашуу |
| Laotian | ຜ່ານສູງ |
| Latin | pervium Mons |
| Latvian | Augstas Caurlaide |
| Lithuanian | Aukštoji perėja |
| Luxembourgish | Héich Zéit |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | високи тонови |
| Malagasy | Avo Mandalo |
| Malaysian | Lulus Tinggi |
| Malayalam | ഹൈ പാസ് |
| Maltese | Għoli Jgħaddu |
| Manx | Harrym Ard ? |
| Maori | Teitei ara |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Өндөр уулын ам |
| Nepalese | उच्च भन्ज्याड़ |
| Norwegian | Høypasset |
| Pashto | د لوړ کوتل |
| Persian | رمز بالا |
| Polish | Wysoka Przełęcz |
| Portuguese | Passa Alta |
| Punjabi | ਹਾਈ ਪਾਸ |
| Romanian | Mare Trece |
| Romansh | Passar Ault |
| Scottish Gaelic | Àrd Bhealaich |
| Serbian | Високи превој (Cyrillic) Visoki prevoj (Latin) |
| Shona | Yakakwirira Zvichipfuura |
| Sindhi | هاء لڪ |
| Sinhalese | ඉහළ සාමාර්ථයක් |
| Slovak | Horná Priepusť |
| Slovenian | Visoka Podaja |
| Spanish | Paso Alto |
| Swedish | Högpass |
| Tajik Cyrillic | ағбаи баланди |
| Tamil | உயர் பாதை |
| Telugu | అధిక ప్రవాహం |
| Thai | สูงทางเดิน |
| Turkish | Yüksek Geçit |
| Turkmen | Ýokary Gezmelemek ? |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | висока Пас |
| Urdu | اعلی درہ |
| Uzbek | Ҳигҳ Пасс (Uzbek Cyrillic) Yuqori O'tkazgan (Latin) |
| Vietnamese | Vượt qua cao |
| Welsh | Uchel Pasio |
| Yoruba | Ga Kọja |
| Yiddish | הויך פאָרן |
| Zulu | Kudlule Okusezingeni |
|
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 | Khazad-dûm (Moria) | 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[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part Three: The Third Age, I: "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", Notes, note 14
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part Three: The Third Age, I: "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Index, entry Cirith Forn en Andrath
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", pg. 207 (entry High Pass)
- ↑ The Hobbit, ch. IV: "Over Hill and Under Hill", "The Mountain-path" by J.R.R Tolkien [illustration]
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Hobbit, ch. IV: "Over Hill and Under Hill"
- ↑ Middle-earth, Regional Maps, "Wilderland"
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, Regional Maps, "The Misty Mountains"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
- ↑ The Hobbit, ch. VI: "Out of the Frying-Pan into the Fire"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, "Appendix B", The Second Age
- ↑ Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part Three: The Third Age, I: "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", Notes, note 20
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, vol. I: The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, ch. I: "Many Meetings"
- ↑ "Cirith Forn en Andrath" on eldamo.org