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Dates
Raised on the night of 3-4 March III 3019
Location
Within the valley of the Deeping-coomb, a mile downstream from Helm's Dike
Origins
Created by the Ents to entomb the Orcs defeated in the Battle of the Hornburg
Race
Made by Ents to hold the remains of slain Orcs
Settlements
Raised within the valley overlooked by the Hornburg
Meaning
A 'down' in this sense is a low hill

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 July 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

Death Down

The grave of the Orcs in the Deeping-coomb

At the close of the Battle of the Hornburg, the Huorns of the Ents passed into the Deeping-coomb, and the Orcs1 that had fled into that strange wood were not seen alive again. When the mysterious trees withdrew from the valley, they left behind a great dark mound or hill of stones piled over a deep pit, about one mile down the valley from Helm's Dike.

That mound was thought to be the resting place of the lost Orcs, created by the Ents and Huorns to contain their bodies. According to tales, no Man ever stood on that mound, and no green plant would grow there, earning it the name of the Death Down.


Notes

1

The Death Down is described explicitly as being the grave of Orcs, though we know that the armies of Saruman also included Men and other beings as well as Orcs. We can account for the Men because most of them surrendered themselves to the Rohirrim. As for the other members of the army, such as the half-orcs and wolves that we know were present, we have no clear account, though it seems most plausible that they were counted among the Orcs and also laid within the Death Down.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 July 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2014, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

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Death Down

The grave of the Orcs in the Deeping-coomb

Dates
Raised on the night of 3-4 March III 3019
Location
Within the valley of the Deeping-coomb, a mile downstream from Helm's Dike
Origins
Created by the Ents to entomb the Orcs defeated in the Battle of the Hornburg
Race
Made by Ents to hold the remains of slain Orcs
Settlements
Raised within the valley overlooked by the Hornburg
Meaning
A 'down' in this sense is a low hill

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 July 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

Death Down

The grave of the Orcs in the Deeping-coomb

At the close of the Battle of the Hornburg, the Huorns of the Ents passed into the Deeping-coomb, and the Orcs1 that had fled into that strange wood were not seen alive again. When the mysterious trees withdrew from the valley, they left behind a great dark mound or hill of stones piled over a deep pit, about one mile down the valley from Helm's Dike.

That mound was thought to be the resting place of the lost Orcs, created by the Ents and Huorns to contain their bodies. According to tales, no Man ever stood on that mound, and no green plant would grow there, earning it the name of the Death Down.


Notes

1

The Death Down is described explicitly as being the grave of Orcs, though we know that the armies of Saruman also included Men and other beings as well as Orcs. We can account for the Men because most of them surrendered themselves to the Rohirrim. As for the other members of the army, such as the half-orcs and wolves that we know were present, we have no clear account, though it seems most plausible that they were counted among the Orcs and also laid within the Death Down.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 July 2023
  • Updates planned: 1

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2014, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
DISC personality profiling brings a host of benefits and advantages.