The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Known to have existed as early as the First Age, and presumably dated back to the origins of the Orcs themselves
Race
Settlements
Examples possibly include Goblin-town and Gundabad1
Meaning
A 'hold' is an archaic word for a fortress or secure refuge

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 18 December 2018
  • Updates planned: 1

Orc-holds

The dens of Goblin-kind

Underground tunnellings of the Orcs, found throughout Middle-earth, especially in the Misty Mountains and in the valleys of Mordor.


Notes

1

It's difficult to define precisely how large or small an 'Orc-hold' could be. A 'hold' would normally be a fortress or refuge or perhaps (especially in the case of the Orcs) a cavern, and on that basis the named examples we have would all seem to be too large and populous to qualify. If we define an Orc-hold as any place populated by Orcs, then Goblin-town and Gundabad would fall under that definition, as would Moria in its later days. On that basis, there would also have been numerous Orc-holds to be found in Mordor, and doubtless also in Dol Guldur.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 18 December 2018
  • Updates planned: 1

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