Nan Dungortheb

Nan Dungortheb or the No Land was the name of the wilderness south of Ered Gorgoroth and Dorthonion, east of Dimbar and the river Mindeb, west of Dor Dínen and the Esgalduin, and north of Neldoreth and Doriath.
== History ==
Before Ungoliant, Nan Dungortheb was probably just another peaceful land of Beleriand. The land's name was inspired by Ungoliant, who resided there after escaping the Balrogs of Morgoth in Lammoth. It was also named for its proximity to the Ered Gorgoroth, where Ungoliant's spider-like children, along with their many lesser fathers from the Mountains of Terror, haunted the deep vales of the mountains and its closeness to the shadowy webs of the Girdle of Melian.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter VIII: "Of the Darkening of Valinor"
The region was a perilous land of fear to travel through, as the waters were polluted by the darkness produced from the webs of Ungoliant's children, and because of the chaos caused by the conflicting powers of Ungoliant's demonic offspring, Sauron's malevolent sorcery, and the maze-like defenses of the Girdle of Melian. All who were foolish enough to drink from its waters were filled with madness and thoughts of despair. 
No one would travel through there unless they had no choice or were lost and the Eldar, Edain, and even Morgoth's own armies largely bypassed this region as much as possible during the Elder Days.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XIV: "Of Beleriand and its Realms"
When Aredhel sought the Sons of Fëanor, she and her party being turned away from Doriath, tried to pass through this land and were separated from her. She managed to escape to Himlad but her companions were driven out by the brood of Ungoliant and afterwards they believed her lost in its darkness. This was then reported to Turgon who despaired at the thought that she was lost.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XVI: "Of Maeglin" 
As the forces of Morgoth sought to destroy Barahir and his XII Bëorings, Beren, the last surviving member was so hard-pressed and desperate to live that he was forced to enter this land, and barely survived. Afterwards, Beren would not speak of it for fear that the memory of such a horrible experience would return to his mind.The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XIX: "Of Beren and Lúthien" Nan Dungortheb suffered the same fate as Beleriand and sank below the sea,The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Chapter XXIV: "Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath" but the spider creatures that bred there survived in Middle-earth in dark places during later ages.The Hobbit, Chapter VIII: "Flies and Spiders"The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, Book Four, Chapter IX: "Shelob's Lair"
== Etymology ==
Nan Dungortheb was a Sindarin word that meant 'Valley of Dreadful Death'.The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin names
== In other versions ==
In earlier versions of the legendarium, Nan Dungorthin was described as being a dark, unholy place where 'nameless gods have shrouded shrines' were worshiped; and the gods themselves were even older than Morgoth and the Valar.The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, Ch. I, The Tale of Tinúviel Túrin and Flinding (Gwindor) came to this land, which is described in The Lay of the Children of Húrin:
:There the twain elfolded phantom twilight
:and dim mazes dark, unholy,
:in Nan Dungorthin where the nameless gods
:have shrouded shrines in shadows secret
:more old than Morgoth or the ancient lords
:the golden Gods of the guarded West.
:But the ghostly dwellers of that grey valley
:hindered nor hurt them, and they held their course
:with creeping flesh and quaking limb.
:Yet laughter at whiles with lingering echo
:as distant mockery of demon voices
:there harsh and hollow in the hushed twilight
:Flinding fancied, fell, unwholesome
==Translations==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Amharic 	ናን ዹንጎርትሀብ ?
Arabic 	نان دونغوثوثب
Armenian 	Նան Դւնգորտհեբ
Belarusian Cyrillic	Нан Дунгортhеб
Bengali 	নান দুনগর্থেৱ
Bulgarian Cyrillic 	Нан Дунгортеб
Georgian 	ნან დუნგორთები
Greek 	Ναν Δύνγορθεβ
Gujarati 	નેન દુન્ગર્થાહેબ
Hebrew 	נאן דונגורטב
Hindi 	णन डुंगोर्टहेब
Japanese 	ナン・ドゥンゴルセブ
Kannada 	ನಾನ್ ದುಂಗೋರ್ಥೆಬ್
Kazakh 	Нан Дұнгортһеб (Cyrillic) Nan Dungortheb (Latin)
Korean 	난 던 고르 테브
Kyrgyz Cyrillic 	Нан Дунгортhэб
Macedonian Cyrillic	Нан Дунгортхеб
Marathi 	नेन दुंगोर्हेब
Mongolian Cyrillic 	Нан Дунгахэб
Nepalese 	नान डुंगरीब्याब
Pashto 	نان ضونګورتهېب ?
Persian 	نان ضونگورتههب
Punjabi 	ਨੇਨ ਦੁਗੋਰਥੈਬ
Russian 	Нан-Дунгортеб
Serbian 	Нан Дунгортхеб (Cyrillic) Nan Dungortheb (Latin)
Sinhalese 	නන් ඩන්ගර්ටෙබ්
Tamil 	நன் டுஙொர்த்ஹெப்
Telugu 	నాన్ దుంగార్ట్హెబ్
Thai 	นะนดุงโรตหเบ
Ukrainian Cyrillic 	Нан Дунґортгеб
Urdu 	نان ڈونگورٹیب
Yiddish 	נאַן דונגאָרטהעב
== References ==
de:Nan Dungortheb
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pl:Nan Dungortheb
ru:Нан-Дунгортеб
Category:Sindarin names & words
Category:Valleys
Category:Beleriand