The Glittering Caves of
Helm's Deep (slightly conjectural)
The Glittering Caves of
Helm's Deep (slightly conjectural)
Also called Aglarond, the spectacular jewelled caverns that lay in the White Mountains behind Helm's Deep. Gimli Elf-friend was astonished by their beauty during the War of the Ring, and they were later colonised by the Dwarves of Erebor, with Gimli becoming Lord of the Glittering Caves.2
The Glittering Caves is one of very few locations in Tolkien's work that we can associate with a real place. They were inspired by the caves of Cheddar Gorge, in the southern English county of Somerset.
Notes
1 |
Strictly, all we know about the source of the Deeping-stream is that it ran out of the Deeping-coomb, the deep valley into which the Glittering Caves opened. We know, however, that the caves were filled with pools and the sounds of water, so it is hard to escape the conclusion that the stream's source lay within them.
|
2 |
The brief account of Gimli's later life in Appendix A to The Lord of the Rings gives the impression that he dwelt permanently within the Glittering Caves as their Lord. This may indeed be correct, but the Epilogue to the book (in volume IX of The History of Middle-earth) gives a slightly different account. In that source, Gimli and his people were said to have eventually removed from the caves to dwell in the White Mountains westward of Minas Tirith, with Gimli returning to visit the Glittering Caves each year. |
Indexes:
About this entry:
- Updated 31 January 2022
- This entry is complete
For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.
Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2026. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.
SHARE
