Dates

Used as a refuge by the Rohirrim from III 2510 (especially in the winter of III 2759); occupied and worked by Dwarves after the War of the Ring

Location

Races

Men, and later Dwarves

Divisions

Cultures

Originally part of Gondor, but later fell within the realm of the Rohirrim; after the War of the Ring, the caves were settled by a colony from the Dwarves of Erebor

Settlements

Associated with the Hornburg and the defences of Helm's Deep; settled after the War of the Ring by Gimli and his followers

Source

The Deeping-stream probably had its source in these caves¹

Important peaks

Pronunciation

Something close to 'glah'mshravoo'

Meaning

'caves of radiance'

Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

Glǣmscrafu

The Glittering Caves

The Glittering Caves of Glǣmscrafu (slightly conjectural)²

The name among the Rohirrim for the shining caverns that lay behind Helm's Deep in the White Mountains, better known as the Glittering Caves or (in Elvish) Aglarond. Glǣmscrafu is an Old English name, meaning 'radiant caves', a reference to their shimmering beauty. During the War of the Ring Gimli became captivated by these caverns, and after the War he settled there with a band of Dwarves to become Lord of the Glittering Caves.

1	Tolkien isn't specific about the source of the Deeping-stream, except to say that it ran out of Helm's Deep. However, the caves must have been created by flowing water, so it seems reasonable to assume that it was the stream's waters passing through the rock that formed the caverns of Glǣmscrafu.
2	The broad geography of this area is well established, but certain elements of this map are conjectural, including the exact course of the Deeping-stream and the location of Grimslade. The detailed structure shown for the caverns themselves is also speculative, and should be taken as merely indicative of their general location.