Fortress in the wilderness to the
north of Beleriand, originally built by Melkor/Morgoth prior to the birth of the elves, overrun but not fully explored by the Valar in this period, and later reoccupied by Morgoth and his followers, including Sauron and the Balrogs. Angband was a large
iron fortress with deep and
complicated dungeons in which Morgoth kept prisoners and slaves and bred foul creatures such as dragons, werewolves and orcs.
Included Utumno and was surrounded by a second defensive perimeter, Thangorodrim. It is a central location in JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion.
Angband was virtually unassailable, and was used by Morgoth as a base of operations for his infiltration and conquest of Beleriand. Beren and Luthien succeeded by means of magic in entering the fortress, beguiling Morgoth and stealing a Silmaril, but elvish military operations in the First
Age were necessarily defensive, and the areas between Angband and the elven realms, such as the Passes of Sirion,
Ard-Galen, Dorthonion and the plains of Lothlann, were the site of battles throughout the First
Age. Angband, along with Beleriand, was destroyed at the end of the First
Age.
There is also an action/
RPG computer
game named "Angband" and a second named "Utumno",
based loosely on Morgoth's fortress.
After his capture, Maedhros son of Feanor was strung up from the face of Angband.
The Orcs were bred in the pits of Angband from
elves lured into the fortress and then imprisoned by Morgoth.
Morgoth's lieutenant Sauron was sent to a fortress nearer the
elves, on the
river Sirion. He fled back to Angband after this fortress was destroyed by Luthien.
