Objects/Places
Edoras: The capitol of Rohan.
Rohan/Rohirrim: A kingdom to the north of Gondor ruled by Theoden. The men of Rohan are known as the Rohirrim or men of the Mark. They are famous for their equestrian abilities.
Gondor: The last great kingdom of men, which Aragorn is destined to rule.
Minas Tirith: The capitol of Gondor where the good men of the earth must make a stand against the forces of Mordor.
Mordor: The land of evil and seat of Sauron's power. It is to Mordor that Frodo must go to destroy the ring.
Ring of power: The most important item in The Lord of the Rings. This ring was crafted by the evil lord Sauron and can overpower all of the other rings of Middle Earth: The nine of men, three of elves and three of dwarves. Bilbo found it by accident in the deep caverns of the Misty Mountains in The Hobbit. It makes normal mortals invisible, but can give great power to those who know how to use it. Sauron, risen again, desires the ring so he can overcome the forces of good. The ring must be destroyed so that no one can wield it.
Shadowfax: Gandalf's horse. Shadowfax is a king of horses. Theoden gave him to Gandalf in thanks for ridding him of Grima Wormtongue and the threat of Saruman.
Hobbit: Creatures half the size of men with round faces and bellies and hairy toes. They tend to live in homes that are partially underground and they very rarely go on adventures.
Steward of Gondor: Denethor is the current steward of Gondor. He is the last in a long line of lordly men who ruled the Kingdom and waited for the return of the heir of Isildur.
Isengard: The citadel of Saruman, which was destroyed in The Two Towers. It has now been converted to an orchard.
Moria : Mines below tall mountains where dwarves once mined for Mithril. A group of dwarves tried to return there and died. The Company gets trapped in the mines for some time and this is where Gandalf falls with the Balrog.
Osgillath: The ruins of the old capitol city of Gondor. It is maintained as a fort against the approach of Mordor. Faramir makes a futile stand here to delay the passing of Sauron's armies.
Black Riders, Ringwraiths, Nazgul: The bearers of the nine human rings. They can sense the Ring of Power and search over the Earth for it in the shape of the Black riders. After their horses were destroyed, they were given winged creatures to ride.
Anduin: Anduin is a river of strategic importance. A great black fleet sails up this river and is destroyed by the protectors of Gondor.
Shire: A land far in the North West inhabited primarily by the Hobbits. Few people in other parts of the world know anything of it and the Hobbits know little of the rest of the world.
Elves: Graceful and thin people who live for an indefinite amount of time. Elves are associated with the forest and nature as well as magic. In these books there are the high elves and the wood elves.
Dwarves: Short stocky people who have beards. They are usually associated with mountains, mining, and metalworking. For some past transgression they are sworn enemies with Elves.
Dunedain: The rangers, also called the Dunedain, are descendants of the men of the Westernesse of the kingdom of Numenor who fought Sauron alongside the elves and men led by Isildur, the ancestor of Aragorn. There are very few of them left but they live on their own fighting evil throughout the north-west of Middle-earth.
Helm's Deep: The site of a large battle between the men of Rohan and orcs in The Two Towers. It is a strong fortress standing in a canyon.
Paths of the Dead: A passage through a mountain inhabited by a dead army that broke a pledge to Aragorn's ancestor. They are domed to lurk in the shadows until they fulfill their pledge to an heir of Aragorn.
Ithilien: The land outside of Minas Ithil. It was once a beautiful plain but now it darkens with the shadow of Mordor. Men of Gondor still patrol it. After the fall of Sauron, it again becomes a beautiful place to be ruled by Faramir.
Cirith Ungol, Minas Ithil, Morgul : A fortress on the far side of Mordor where there are fewer guards and more secret passages. Sauron calls it Minas Morgul. It was once a place of good built by Aragorn's ancestor, Isildur, to watch over Mordor. This is where Frodo is imprisoned at the beginning of the tale.
Wild Men: Men who live in the forest near the edge of Gondor. They help Theoden and the Rohirrim make their way to Minas Tirith without being intercepted by orcs.
Haradrim: Southern men who fight for Sauron.
palantir: A stone that allows one to communicate over long distances. There were originally seven. Gandalf takes one from Orthanc and Pippin looks into it. It is through this stone that Sauron gained control of Saruman. Denethor also has one in his tower that causes him to go mad.
Orodruin: Mount Doom. This is where the Ring of Power was forged and is, therefore, the only place where it can be destroyed.
phial of Galadriel: A magical vial of light given to Frodo by Galadriel. It gives them light in the darkness and helps Frodo and Sam pass in and out of Minas Ithil.
Lembas: The wafer food that was giving to the company by the elves. It is sort of magical and has the power to sustain a traveler for many days on very little.
Eagles: Giant intelligent eagles. One of these rescued Gandalf after he fought with the evil creature in Moria. Eagles also made the decisive attack to win the battle of five armies in The Hobbit. Without the intervention of the eagles, Sam and Frodo surely would have died.
Rivendell: An elvish settlement where the Company of the ring originally met and set out for their long journey. Bilbo has been staying here for many years.
Ents: Giant creatures that look like trees. They live an indefinite amount of time and possess great strength and wisdom.
Orthanc: The tower in the middle of Isengard. It was made before the wizards came and is very powerful.
Bree: The town near the old forest where the north-south and east-west roads intersect. Here hobbits and men live together.
Buckland: A land inhabited by hobbits right over the river to the East.
View More Summaries on The Return of the King
