Dead Marshes - wikipedia Dead Marshes `` The template Infobox fictional location is being considered for merging. '' Dead Marshes J.R.R. Tolkien 's legendarium location Type Bogs to the northwest of Mordor Geographical Feature Location Gondor later disputed The Dead Marshes is a fictional place from J.R.R. Tolkien 's universe, Middle - earth. Contents 1 Literature 2 Inspiration 3 Portrayal in Adaptations 4 References 5 External links Literature Once a part of the ancient battlefield of Dagorlad, the Dead Marshes lie north - west of the Morannon, the principal entrance to Mordor. The Battle of Dagorlad was fought there, at the end of the Second Age, when the Last Alliance met the forces of Mordor with many casualties on both sides amongst Elves, Men, and Orcs. Through the years, the marshland began to encroach upon parts of the battlefield, and engulfed the dead that lay there. The Marshes are also known as ' The Mere of Dead Faces ' ; they are described in The Passage of the Marshes in The Two Towers as `` dreary and wearisome. Cold, clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy milky surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long forgotten summers. '' On their way to Mordor to destroy the One Ring, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee are led through the marshes by Gollum. They see the aforementioned dead, Gollum stating, `` Only shapes to see, perhaps, not to touch. '' Frodo is mesmerized by the candle - like lights that appear to float over the Marshes ( called by Gollum `` candles of corpses '' ) ; those who are hypnotised by these lights, and who therefore try to touch the bodies, are likely to drown in the waters and join the dead. In the book, Gollum reveals the dangers to Sam, who calls to the stiff and lifeless Frodo and breaks his trance before he can touch the waters. Inspiration In a 1960 letter Tolkien said that `` the Dead Marshes and the approaches to the Morannon owe something to Northern France after the Battle of the Somme. They owe more to William Morris and his Huns and Romans, as in The House of the Wolfings or The Roots of the Mountains. '' Portrayal in adaptations Peter Jackson 's flying Nazgûl background shots were filmed above the Kepler Mire, a massive string bog between the towns of Manapouri and Te Anau in the Southland Region of New Zealand. It can be viewed on the Mt York Road some 2 km east of the Highway 95 turn off. The close - up shots were filmed on the Weta Digital Wet - Set at Lower Hutt, NZ. References Middle - earth portal ^ Jump up to : All quotes are taken from J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Two Towers. Jump up ^ Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. ( 1981 ), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Boston : Houghton Mifflin, Letter 226, ISBN 0 - 395 - 31555 - 7 External links `` Dead Marshes ''. Tolkien Gateway. J.R.R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring film soundtrack game The Two Towers film soundtrack game The Return of the King film soundtrack game Production and reception Composition Themes Influences Translations Reception Fandom Study Related works The Hobbit The Adventures of Tom Bombadil The Road Goes Ever On The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales The History of Middle - earth The History of The Lord of the Rings Bilbo 's Last Song The Children of Húrin The History of The Hobbit The Tale of Beren and Lúthien Characters Aragorn Arwen Bilbo Boromir Butterbur Celeborn Ceorl Denethor Elladan and Elrohir Elrond Éomer Éowyn Faramir Frodo Galadriel Gandalf Gildor Gimli Glorfindel Gollum Legolas Merry Mouth of Sauron Old Man Willow Pippin Radagast Sam Saruman Sauron Shelob Théoden Tom Bombadil Treebeard Witch - king Wormtongue Adaptations and other derivative works Books Bored of the Rings ( 1969 ) The Last Ringbearer ( 1999 ) Muddle Earth ( 2003 ) Theatre Fellowship ! ( 2005 ) Lord of the Rings ( 2006 ) Radio The Lord of the Rings ( 1955 ) The Lord of the Rings ( 1979 ) Hordes of the Things ( 1980 ) The Lord of the Rings ( 1981 ) Der Herr der Ringe ( 1992 ) Film Animated The Lord of the Rings ( 1978 ) The Return of the King ( 1980 ) Peter Jackson trilogy The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring ( 2001 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers ( 2002 ) The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King ( 2003 ) Fan - made The Hunt for Gollum ( 2009 ) Born of Hope ( 2009 ) Video games Journey to Rivendell Game One Game Two : Shadows of Mordor War in Middle Earth Vol. I ( 1990 ) Vol. I ( SNES ) Riders of Rohan Elendor Volume II Kingdom O ' Magic The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King War of the Ring The Third Age The Battle for Middle - earth Tactics The Battle for Middle - earth II The Rise of the Witch - king The Lord of the Rings Online Mines of Moria Siege of Mirkwood Rise of Isengard Riders of Rohan Helm 's Deep Conquest Aragorn 's Quest War in the North Lego The Lord of the Rings Guardians of Middle - earth Middle - earth : Shadow of Mordor Middle - earth : Shadow of War Tabletop role - playing games The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game Middle - earth Role Playing The One Ring Roleplaying Game Board games Middle Earth Lord of the Rings Risk : The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition War of the Ring Other games The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game The Lord of the Rings : The Card Game The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game Middle - earth Collectible Card Game Toys Middle - earth Lego sets Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Marshes&oldid=760370739 '' Categories : Middle - earth bodies of water Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Español Euskara Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Svenska Türkçe Edit links This page was last edited on 16 January 2017, at 15 : 48. 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Question: what did frodo see in the dead marshes
Answer: the candle-like lights that appear to float over the Marshes