Cave · Misty Mountains
Goblin-town
The goblin caverns under the High Pass where Bilbo met Gollum
- Appears in
- The Hobbit
- Region
- Misty Mountains
- Journeys passing through
- 2
Goblin-town is not a town in any ordinary sense but a system of halls and passages driven into the Misty Mountains under the High Pass. Its front porch is a crack at the back of a cave used by travelers for shelter, which is exactly how Thorin's company was taken.
The goblins dragged them down to the Great Goblin, who recognized Thorin's sword Orcrist as an elvish blade out of Gondolin and ordered the dwarves killed. Gandalf put out the lights, killed the Great Goblin, and led the escape through miles of tunnel with the goblins in pursuit.
Bilbo, knocked unconscious and left behind, crawled through the dark and found a ring lying on the stone. Deeper still he came to the lake where Gollum had lived for centuries, won the riddle-game, and escaped by the back door with the Ring on his finger. It is the quietest scene in The Hobbit and the one that sets the whole of The Lord of the Rings in motion.
Events at this place
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TA 2941 · The Hobbit
Death of the Great Goblin
Gandalf killed the Great Goblin in his own hall and led the dwarves out through the tunnels under the High Pass.
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TA 2941 · The Hobbit
The riddle-game with Gollum
Beside the underground lake below Goblin-town, Bilbo outlasted Gollum at riddles and escaped carrying the Ring.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Goblin-town?
Inside the Misty Mountains beneath the High Pass, east of Rivendell, with entrances opening onto the pass road.
Is Gollum's cave part of Goblin-town?
It lies far below the goblin halls, at the roots of the mountains beside a cold lake. Gollum kept clear of the goblins above.