In
Middle Earth:
A passage through the highest peaks of the
mountains north of
Gondolin, winding narrowly between steep
cliffs on one side and an
abyss on the other. Also known as the
Eagle's
Cleft.
After the fall of
Gondolin,
Tuor and
Idril led the survivors of the city through a
secret passage to the
mountains to the north. Though it brought the party treacherously close to
Angband, it was judged safest since the raiding
lords would not expect them to flee in that direction.
Unfortunately for the escaping party,
Morgoth had set watchers in the mountains encircling Gondolin. The party was beset by
Orcs and a
Balrog in
Cirith Thoronath. The
heroic Glorfindel died defeating the
Balrog atop a high peak overlooking the pass, and both their bodies disappeared into the
precipice.
The party may still have been lost to the
Orcs had not
Thorondor,
King of Eagles, brought his people to their aid. The
Eagles successfully drove off the
Orcs, allowing
Tuor and
Idril and their people to complete their escape through the mountains.
Thorondor retrieved the body of
Glorfindel from the
abyss, and it was buried in stones beside
Cirith Thoronath, and flowers and grass sprouted there amidst the boulders.
Re-written and expanded from The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien