The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Osgiliath was founded between II 3320 and II 3429; it fell into decay from III 1640, and was completely ruined in III 2475
Location
That part of Osgiliath that lay eastward of the river Anduin; the city itself stood about fifteen miles northeastward of Minas Tirith
Origins
Osgiliath was founded by Elendil and his sons
Race
Division
Culture
Pronunciation
Osgiliath is pronounced 'osgi'liath' ('ath' to rhyme with 'path')
Meaning
Osgiliath literally means 'fortess of the (host of) stars', but is also translated 'Citadel of the Stars'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 31 July 2024
  • Updates planned: 1

Eastgate of the Bridge

The gate at the eastern end of the bridge of Osgiliath

"At the Eastgate of the Bridge on a bright morning Meneldil bade him farewell."
From the account of Isildur's departure from Osgiliath
Unfinished Tales Part Three I
The Disaster of the Gladden Fields

After the War of the Last Alliance and the defeat of Sauron at the end of the Second Age, the victorious Isildur spent two years in the South-kingdom of Gondor. His seat as High King, however, lay at Annúminas in the North-kingdom of Arnor, and so he set out from the Gondorian capital of Osgiliath, committing the southern realm to his nephew Meneldil. Anduin the Great River flowed through Osgiliath, spanned by a great bridge, and because Isildur's plan was to follow the river's eastern bank northward for the early part of the journey, he departed through the bridge's Eastgate. There he left Meneldil as he led a small troop of Men away towards the North.

In the event, their farewell at the Eastgate proved to be the last time that Isildur and Meneldil would see one another. Isildur's northward journey ended in disaster as he was attacked by a band of Orcs and was lost as he attempted to cross the river, and with him the Ring that he bore. With the High King slain, Meneldil found himself the sole ruler of the South-kingdom, and founded a line of Kings that would last far into the Third Age.


The Eastgate of the Bridge is mentioned only as a passing reference, but nonetheless it provides one of our very few clues to the layout and architecture of old Osgiliath. Osgiliath had several bridges, but among them was a 'great stone-bridge'1, and this must have been the bridge guarded by the Eastgate. The bridge would stand long into the Third Age, until it was broken in III 2475 when the first Uruks appeared to ravage Ithilien and destroy Osgiliath. The fact that the bridge had an Eastgate would seem to imply that there was also a Westgate on the river's western bank, but this detail is not specifically confirmed.


Notes

1

The Lord of the Rings Appendix A I (iv), Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 31 July 2024
  • Updates planned: 1

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