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Captains of the West
Leaders of the final hopeless march to Mordor
The journey of the Captains of the West and their followers from Minas Tirith to the Gates of Mordor. (Note that some of the locations shown are necessarily approximate.) (1) At the Cross-roads they restore the broken statue there and divert briefly to break the bridge of Minas Morgul. When they depart, they leave a guard of Men behind to watch for enemies from the south. (2) At a cutting in North Ithilien they detect and avoid an ambush, slaying or driving off a small force of Orcs and Easterlings. From this point in the journey, they are watched from the skies by the Nazgûl. (3) At the edge of the Desolation of the Morannon, Aragorn sends away those overcome by fear to instead recapture and guard the island of Cair Andros. (4) The Captains of the West reach the Morannon after a journey of seven days.
The journey of the Captains of the West and their followers from Minas Tirith to the Gates of Mordor. (Note that some of the locations shown are necessarily approximate.) (1) At the Cross-roads they restore the broken statue there and divert briefly to break the bridge of Minas Morgul. When they depart, they leave a guard of Men behind to watch for enemies from the south. (2) At a cutting in North Ithilien they detect and avoid an ambush, slaying or driving off a small force of Orcs and Easterlings. From this point in the journey, they are watched from the skies by the Nazgûl. (3) At the edge of the Desolation of the Morannon, Aragorn sends away those overcome by fear to instead recapture and guard the island of Cair Andros. (4) The Captains of the West reach the Morannon after a journey of seven days.
Gandalf, Aragorn, Éomer, Imrahil and the other lords of the allied force that rode against the gates of Mordor in the last stages of the War of the Ring.
Notes
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It should be said that it is not completely clear which of the members of the Host of the West constituted its Captains. There is no doubt, however, over the inclusion of Aragorn, the Captain of the Host of the West, nor over Éomer or Imrahil, who each led forces of their own. Gandalf did not formally command any Men, but nonetheless his obvious authority and wisdom must surely have placed him among the Captains too.
The situation is less clear-cut for Legolas and Gimli, who represented their peoples and were high in the counsels of the Captains, and so likely qualified for inclusion, though they led no forces of their own. Peregrin Took was also the sole representative of his people within the Host, and indeed was known as the Prince of the Halflings among the Gondorians, but played no direct part in the leadership of the army.
There were other members of the Host whose roles were even less clear: Elladan and Elrohir of Rivendell accompanied the force, for example, and doubtless other lords of Gondor led their own Men as part of the army. Whether any of these would be individually considered among the Captains of the West is an open question.
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See also...
Aragorn Elessar, Ash Mountains, Base Master of Treachery, Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Dervorin, Desolation of the Morannon, Evil Eye, Fallen King, Fell Riders, Fire of Doom, Flame of the West, Golasgil, Great Tower, Horsemen of Rohan, Lord of the Black Land, [See the full list...]Meneldor, Messenger of Mordor, Mouth of Sauron, Olog-hai, Orcs of the Red Eye, River Anduin, Silver Swan, Slag-hills, Swan-knights, The East, The Ship and the Silver Swan, Udûn, Uruk-hai, Watch-towers of the Morannon
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About this entry:
- Updated 21 March 2026
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