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.
