A Terra-média abriga várias prisões, com a maioria das fortalezas e cidades tendo uma.
Existe precedência significativa para a existência de prisões / lockholes / dungeons na Terra-média. Eles foram mencionados ao longo das obras com pessoas sendo presas por várias razões por pessoas de uma infinidade de relacionamentos. Abaixo está uma lista de prisões que foram mencionadas.
Reino da floresta
Uma das primeiras menções de prisões nas obras publicadas de Tolkien vem de O Hobbit, enquanto Thorin e sua companhia viajam por Mirkwood, eles são capturados pelos Elfos da Floresta e presos.
The king’s cave was his palace, and the strong place of his treasure, and the fortress of his people against their enemies. It was also the dungeon of his prisoners. So to the cave they dragged Thorin — not too gently, for they did not love dwarves, and thought he was an enemy.
The Hobbit - Chapter VIII: Flies and Spiders
“It is a crime to wander in my realm without leave. Do you forget that you were in my kingdom, using the road that my people made? Did you not three timespursue and trouble my people in the forest and rouse the spiders with your riot and clamour? After all the disturbance you have made I have a right to know what brings you here, and if you will not tell me now, I will keep you all in prison until you havelearned sense and manners!”
ibid. - Chapter 9: Barrels out of Bond
As masmorras do Rei Thranduil são novamente mencionadas no Senhor dos Anéis, quando Gandalf menciona a prisão de Gollum em dungeons.
The Wood-elves have him in prison, but they treat him with such kindness as they can find in their wise hearts.’
Fellowship of the Ring - Book 1, Chapter II: Shadow of the Past
O Rei dos Duendes
O Rei dos Duendes (e outros Goblins) era conhecido por manter prisioneiros e escravos para trabalhar para eles.
Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs, and also instruments of torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light.
The Hobbit - Chapter IV: Over Hill and Under Hill
Dol Guldur
O Necromante (Sauron) era conhecido por manter prisioneiros. Um famoso prisioneiro foi o pai de Thorin, Thrain. Quem foi capturado depois que ele foi dado o mapa para Erebor por seu pai, Thror.
“Your grandfather,” said the wizard slowly and grimly, “gave the map to his son for safety before he went to the mines of Moria. Your father went away to try his luck with the map after your grandfather was killed; and lots of adventures of a most unpleasant sort he had, but he never got near the Mountain. How he got there I don’t know, but I found him a prisoner in the dungeons of the Necromancer."
The Hobbit - Chapter I: An Unexpected Party
Rivendell
Pippin, ou do conhecimento da Última Casa Caseira Leste do Mar, ou do Condado, ameaçou Elrond perseguindo a companhia a menos que fosse aprisionada em Valfenda ou enviada para casa em um saco.
‘Then, Master Elrond, you will have to lock me in prison, or send me home tied in a sack,’ said Pippin.‘For otherwise I shall follow the Company.’
The Fellowship of the Ring - Book 2, Chapter III: The Ring goes South
Meduseld
O Salão Dourado de Theoden era conhecido por ter prisões, como Éomer foi enviado para lá depois de desobedecer ordens e ameaçar a vida de Gríma:
‘Much,’ said Gandalf. ‘But first send for Éomer. Do I not guess rightly that you hold him prisoner, by the counsel of Gríma, of him that all save you name the Wormtongue?’ ‘It is true,’ said Théoden. ‘He had rebelled against my commands, and threatened death to Gríma in my hall.’
Isengard
Diz-se em The Tow Towers, onde antes havia uma grande torre, Saruman a remodelara em mimetismo da Torre Negra, acrescentando, entre outras coisas, uma prisão.
But Saruman had slowly shaped it to his shifting purposes, and made it better, as he thought, being deceived –for all those arts and subtle devices, for which he forsook his former wisdom, and which fondly he imagined were his own, came but from Mordor; so that what he made was naught, only a little copy, a child’s model or a slave’s flattery, of that vast fortress, armoury, prison, furnace of great power, Barad-dûr, the Dark Tower, which suffered no rival, and laughed at flattery, biding its time, secure in its pride and its immeasurable strength.
Barad-dûr
Logo depois de escapar de Shelob, uma anotação é feita pelo narrador de que Sauron enviaria seus prisioneiros para ela, quando ele não os usaria mais.
If now and again Shelob caught them to stay her appetite, she was welcome: he could spare them. And sometimes as a man may cast a dainty to his cat (his cat he calls her, but she owns him not) Sauron would send her prisoners that he had no better uses for: he would have them driven to her hole, and report brought back to him of the play she made.
The Two Towers - Book 4, Chapter IX: Shelob's Lair
A brief vision he had of swirling cloud, and in the midst of it towers and battlements, tall as hills, founded upon a mighty mountain-throne above immeasurable pits; great courts and dungeons, eyeless prisons sheer as cliffs, and gaping gates of steel and adamant: and then all passed.
The Return of the King - Book 6, Chapter III: Mount Doom
Michael Delving (graças a Saruman)
Depois de retornar ao Condado, os quatro Hobbits acham que não é bem assim que eles o deixaram. Com Saruman tendo estabelecido uma prisão em Michael Delving para os hobbits desobedientes. Também sabemos que os Hobbits tinham Shirrifs, que agiam como policiais e prendiam pessoas.
And then there’s the Lockholes, as they call ’em: the old storage-tunnels at Michel Delving that they’ve made into prisons for those as stand up to them.
ibid. - Book 6, Chapter VIII: Scouring of the Shire.
Eu tenho trabalhado nisso por um bom tempo, então vou deixá-lo apenas com as informações do TH e do LotR por agora e adicionar mais tarde.