Figure 10. Adapted from Tolkien, J. R. R. (2012). The realm of Middle-earth [Map]. The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Mordor was the stronghold of Sauron for centuries before the events of LotR until its final destruction at the close of the War of the Ring. The Black Gate of Minas Morgul secures the northwest valley which is flanked by the volcanic Mount Doom (Orodruin), from which the Ring of Power was forged (McNelis, 2006, p 434). Meticulous study of the geological features of this area will greatly increase understanding of the novel.
Recommended Readings
Noad, C. E. (1996). Frodo and his spectre: Blakean resonances in Tolkien. Mythlore: A Journal of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature, 21(2), 58-62.
O’Neill, K. (2005). Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: A Cistercian perspective. Cistercian Studies Quarterly, 40(3), 293-324.
The Geography of Middle-earth 