Keeper of the Dungeons

From Tolkien Gateway
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"Keeper of the Dungeons" is a concept which has only appeared in an adaptation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Keeper of the Dungeons
Orc
The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies - Keeper of the Dungeons.jpg
Biographical Information
TitlesKeeper of the Dungeons
PositionDungeon keeper
LocationDol Guldur
AffiliationOrcs of Dol Guldur
LanguageBlack Speech
DeathT.A. 2941
Dol Guldur
Notable forAttempting to steal Narya from Gandalf
Physical Description
GenderMale
Hair colorRed
Eye colorBlue
WeaponryScimitar
GalleryImages of Keeper of the Dungeons

The Keeper of the Dungeons,[note 1] was an Orc of Dol Guldur who served as the keeper of the Necromancer's dungeons. The Keeper of the Dungeons was invented by Warner Bros. for The Hobbit film series, where he was portrayed by Conan Stevens.

History

The Keeper of the Dungeons participated in the Battle of Azanulbizar where he fought Dwalin and was scarred in the encounter. Years later, during the Quest of Erebor, the Keeper of the Dungeons was summoned by the Necromancer to the fortress of Dol Guldur. He first spotted Gandalf hanging in a cage in Dol Guldur. He removed the cage, and then opened it to remove Gandalf. He then started interrogating Gandalf about the Three Rings for the Elven-kings, and suddenly spotted Narya on one of the Wizard's fingers. While attempting to claim it for his master, the Keeper is interrupted by the intruding Galadriel, who blasts the orc to pieces, killing him.

Other versions

Unlike the Extended Edition, the Three Rings are never mentioned in the theatrical version and the Keeper of the Dungeons never noticed Narya on Gandalf's finger, though he still attempts to kill Gandalf, despite the reason never being mentioned in that version.

The appearance of the Keeper of the Dungeons was originally intended as an early design of Azog, though the design was later reused for Bolg, and even appeared as such in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.[1] However, that idea was scrapped and the design was later re-purposed again for a third time to be the appearance of the Keeper of the Dungeons.

Notes

  1. Despite appearing in the ending credits of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, he was never given an actual name, thus making him one of the only two Orcs with a speaking role, along with the Orc Underling from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, to have no known name.

References