Disaster of the Gladden Fields

[TrueSwordsman]

I just re-read the book of Unfinished Tales. I found a small section about the Disaster of the Gladden Fields. It gives a detailed account of the battle and why Isildur had taken that path.

The whole battle takes place on foot (very unlike the movie version), and actually takes place in two parts. Isildur's Men were outnumbered 10 to 1 and actually repelled the first attack then tried to march on. When night fell the orcs surrounded them. Seeing no other way of escape Isildur (with much pain) put the One Ring on to save it not himself. There was only one survivor who managed to keep the Shards of Narsil from the orcs and take them to safety.

Very interesting stuff!
:ring:

[Steve the Great]

Yeah, you're absolutely right! This is a very good, well-detailed description of this battle.
(And an another description can be found in the Armoury section of WotR, under the Campaign Trail... Check it!)

[Ereinion]

The Disaster of the Gladden Fileds were one of my favorite stories in the UT.... It had shown that Isildur was not the coward the FOTR tried to make him.... Poor guy had to leave his men to save the Ring from the enemy.... He tried to repear the mistake he made, and that's admirable...

[TrueSwordsman]

I am glad to have found others who know the true story of what befell Isildur and his older sons.

[Ereinion]

Shamefully, I do not remember it all that well...I've read the UT only once, some months ago, and definitely need to re-read it....But the conversation Isildur had with his son is still fresh in my mind.... It was really surprising to see that he was gonna give the Ring to Elrond, after the movie pictured him to be...not a nice guy :naughty:
But I suppose it was to be expected, after all he was a very brave and loyal man and would have made a great King....

[TrueSwordsman]

Elrond would not have taken it, but maybe they would have decided to destroy it then and not wait until the dark lord had gained power again.

[Ereinion]

Absolutely...They would have had much more time, when Sauron and his Nazgul are very weak.... Besides, all entries to Mordor were under their control, it would have been no problem...

[Steve the Great]

Yeah, we can read somewhere in the Silmarillion (as far as I can remember) that Elrond and Círdan had recommended to Isildur to destroy the Ring, but he had wanted to hold it as a "weregild" (sp?) for the life of his relatives...

[Gil Galad]

yeh he was unfairly threated in the film, it seemed like he just turned to the power of the ring as soon as he had it, but it never actually fully took him even though he had it(on his person not lying in a chest like Frodo did) for over a year.

actually that story made me wonder about the numbers of the Wood Elves, they must have been a huge army because even after they suffered great losses at the Dagorlad and the sige of barad-dur, they were still much to great of a force for this not small orc host to attack

[Finwe]

Just goes to show what power Sauron had, for one thing he kept a watchful eye over the Gladden area and the mountain passages and another how fast he retreated to Dol Guldur to conjure Isildur's assasination.

[IronHills Dwarf]

Even if Isildur gave the Ring to Elrond there is no garuntee it would have been destroyed easily. When Elrond and Cirdan counciled Isildur to destroy the Ring they had never touched it, never felt its power. According to Gandalf its unwholsome quality affected the bearer immediatly.

[Finwe]

Even so... not all was lost in the siege of Barad-Dur so even a small force as the Fellowship could have taken the ring right where it was forged (that's if it would have been done in time to not let Sauron return to Mordor).

[Gil Galad]

but it would have been difficult for even Elrond or Cirdan , wise as they were to give up the ring if they actually touched it, only a hobbit could do that i think(well or Tom), if you remember while it was in Rivendel Elrond never toched the ring and thats why he was able to let them go destroy it.

[Ithielnor]

There was only one survivor who managed to keep the Shards of Narsil from the orcs and take them to safety.
There were actually three survivors, for Ohtar (as he is addressed in the book) took one companion with him, and Estelmo (Elendur's esquire) was stunned rather than killed, and later rescued by woodmen who came on the scene too late.

[Eomund]

and the third? I didnt know half things here, many thanks. Do you know that that in modern calender it wouldwe been on 25 of September.

[Arveleg]

I thought the description of Gladden Fields in UT was one of the better battle descriptions as far as tactics go. The other is in the same book.. the Fords of Isen.