Amon Rûdh

A prominent hill that stood amid the wild moorlands south of Brethil and west of Doriath. Its crown was steep bare rock - apart from the red-flowering seregon plant that grew there - and this feature gave it its name: Amon Rûdh means 'the Bald Hill'. It long held a hidden dwelling of the Petty-dwarves, exiles from the eastern Dwarf-cities, who settled secretly among the lands of Beleriand. Hidden paths and entrances around the hill's crown led down into a subterranean lair known originally as Bar-en-Nibin-noeg, the House of the Petty-dwarves.

The race of Petty-dwarves dwindled in numbers as Elves and Men spread across Beleriand and took over the lands for themselves. In the hard times after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, only three remained in Bar-en-Nibin-noeg, Mîm and his two sons Khîm and Ibun. When Mîm was captured by Túrin's desperate outlaws, he ransomed his life by guiding them to his secret home within the hill, which became known as Bar-en-Danwedh, the House of Ransom.

Soon afterwards, Beleg Strongbow came to Amon Rûdh seeking his friend Túrin, and together they built up a land in opposition to Morgoth: Dor-Cúarthol, based around their concealed stronghold beneath the Bald Hill. In the end, though, Mîm betrayed his unwelcome guests, leading a force of Orcs through the secret ways into the hill. Túrin was captured, and Beleg wounded almost to death, and so the land that had grown up around Amon Rûdh came to an untimely end.