Dead Marshes

The Dead Marshes was an area of swampland east of the Emyn Muil and bordered on the east by the Dagorlad plain, site of the ancient Battle of Dagorlad during the War of the Last Alliance.
== History ==
The marshes predated the battle, but were not named until after. The Dead Marshes were part of the ancient battlefield of the Battle of Dagorlad between the Last Alliance and the forces of Mordor, where many of the fallen were laid to rest. Over time, the battlefield became marshes, which swallowed up the dead, though their bodies could still be seen floating in the water (although, according to Gollum, they are not physically there, and only appear as visions).
During Gondor's war with the Wainriders, King Ondoher's army was caught by surprise and some of his defeated army attempted to escape into the marshes, only to drown. The general Eärnil then defeated the Wainriders at the Battle of the Camp in TA 1944, they were driven into the marshes where most perished.
The Dead Marshes were located north-west of the Morannon, and southeast of the Emyn Muil. Aragorn captured Gollum here, on February 1, 3017 and took him to Mirkwood.
=== The War of the Ring ===
During the quest to destroy the One Ring, Gollum led Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee through the marshes. They entered the Dead Marshes at Dawn on the 1st of March. The Passage was marked by lights that danced about and candles which Gollum called "candles of corpses"; it is likely that those who become entranced by these lights and attempt to touch the bodies drown in the water and go down to join the dead. It seems that the bodies only appear in the water when the lights are lit. At the Mere of Dead Faces, Frodo became entranced by these lights and tried to reach out and touch the faces of the dead at the bottom of the marshes, though Sam broke him out of his trance. Gollum told them that the dead could not be touched, suggesting that he had once tried to eat them. While passing through the marshes, a Black Rider on a Fell beast passed overhead, terrifying Gollum enough that he started to slip back into his old speech-habits, which he had somewhat given up after swearing to "serve the master of the Precious." They exited the Marshes on the morning of March 2, 3019.