Grond (battering ram)

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This article is about the battering ram. For the weapon used by Morgoth, see Grond (Hammer of the Underworld).

Grond was a battering ram, used by Sauron's forces to destroy the Great Gate of Minas Tirith during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. The ram was "a hundred feet in length", and its head was of black steel, made to resemble a wolf. It is told that Grond had been induced with "spells of ruin". During the Siege of Gondor, Grond was drawn to the Great Gate by "great beasts" and was wielded by mountain-trolls.[1]

Etymology

Grond means "very weighty and ponderous" in Sindarin.[2] It was named intentionally to evoke the memory of the ancient weapon of Morgoth, the "Hammer of the Underworld".[1]

Portrayal in adaptations

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King:

The ram took the shape of the whole wolf's body, rather of just its head. Gothmog called it in after a smaller battering ram proved futile against the great gates.

2015: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Grond was encountered in the Epic Quest "The Strength of Sauron Book 3: Chapter 8: Gothmog Appears". The player managed to slightly damage the great ram, delaying its use in the coming battle. Gothmog's arrival forced the player to withdraw before further damage could be done.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Siege of Gondor"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), pp. 99, 183