The Pass of Aglond, or Aglond, was a narrow mountain pass connected to Lothlann and Himlad in East Beleriand during the First Age.
Geography
The Pass of Aglond was located between high walls: Dorthonion to the west and Himring to the east. The pass must have been very cold since "a bitter wind blew ever through it from the north", causing the pass to funnel them.
History
The Pass of Aglond originally served as "a gate unto Doriath", but in the years following the return of the Ñoldor to Middle-earth, the pass was fortified by Celegorm and Curufin who "held it with great strength" from Himlad, making it one of their dwelling places. It was of strategic importance since it joined Himlad and Lothlann, being an eastern passage from Angband to East Beleriand.
In the summer of FA 400, Maeglin bade the servants of Eöl's house that he and his mother Aredhel would visit their kin in the Pass of Aglond. Two days after Aredhel and Maeglin left Nan Elmoth, Eöl rode after them but was captured by the riders of Himlad and taken to Curufin.
Two years later, in FA 402, a force of Orcs launched an attack on the Pass of Aglond, but were pushed back with the aid of the House of Bëor.
During the Dagor Bragollach in FA 455, the fortifications in the Pass of Aglond were breached despite the "great cost to the hosts of Morgoth", but nonetheless caused the brothers to flee to Nargothrond.
Sometime around FA 469, Maedhros retook the Pass of Aglond, but a few years later in FA 472, Maedhros fled after the Nírnaeth Arnoediad. After which, Morgoth sent Orcs to garrison the fortifications there.
As with all of Beleriand, the Pass of Aglond was destroyed during the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age.
Etymology
Aglond was a name in Sindarin meaning "Narrow Path", containing the roots agor ("narrow, confined") and lond ("land-locked haven").
Other versions
The Pass of Aglond was originally called the Pass of Aglon. This form continued to be used in Tolkien's drafts in the 1930s. During this time, Aglon was an early Ñoldorin word meaning "defile, pass between high walls", containing the roots agor ("narrow, confined") and lhonn ("narrow path, strait, pass"). The pass was occasionally referred to as the Gorge of Aglon.
Christopher Tolkien initially thought that the "d" in the name was an earlier form, and thus used the name "Pass of Aglon" in The Silmarillion. He later admitted that it was an oversight and that "Pass of Aglond" was indeed the intended form.