History Main / SecretPath

* In TheLordOfTheRings, Gollum leads Sam and Frodo through the Dead Marshes, using a path that the orcs don't know.
** This is actually something of a subversion; in the book Tolkien makes it clear that they're actually close to solid ground, and Gollum is leading them astray so he can keep an eye on his "precious".
*** ''LordOfTheRings'' also has the path the Rohirrim take to get to Minas Tirith, led by Ghân-buri-Ghân.
**** And of course, there's the hidden West-Gate into Moria, effectively a secret passage to everyone but the Dwarves ... and their friends, of course.
***** [[MeanwhileBackAtThe Meanwhile, back in the Shire,]] young hobbits would occasionally search for hidden passages in Bag End, convinced that Bilbo had concealed his legendary wealth there.

* In ''HarryPotter'', Much of Hogwarts castle is built with several secret passages that the students use to get around school quickly. The castle has so much and some are so well hidden few people know the exxact locations of each one.

* Sewers are good for this: that's how the Gaang gets back into Omashu in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''.

Common types of secret paths include back doors, [[BookcasePassage Bookcase Passages]], [[AirVentEscape ventilation shafts]], and [[SecretUndergroundPassage underground routes such as passages]] through [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer Absurdly Spacious Sewers]]. See also RightUnderTheirNoses, HiddenInPlainSight. If you [[ThereWasADoor make your own]] secret path, it's called DungeonBypass.

*** One leading to the cellar of Honeydukes candy store
*** [[spoiler: Underneath The Whomping WIllow into the shrieking shack]]
*** [[spoiler: The portrait of Ariana Dumbledore in Aberfroth's home leading to the Room of Requirements]]

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

**** And of course, there's the hidden West-Gate into Moria, effectively a secret passage to everyone but the Dwarves ... and their friends, of course.
***** [[MeanwhileBackAtThe Meanwhile, back in the Shire,]] young hobbits would occasionally search for hidden passages in Bag End, convinced that Bilbo had concealed his legendary wealth there.
* ''TheHobbit'' has a Dwarven door in the Lonely Mountain that foreshadows the later book's Moria gate -- a secret passage into the very heart of the Lonely Mountain whose keyhole only appears on the rarely-occurring Durin's Day and whose key was lost for years.
* In ''HarryPotter'', Much of Hogwarts castle is built with several secret passages that the students use to get around school quickly. The castle has so much and some are so well hidden few people know the exxact locations of each one.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* A ''DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign module included a secret path intended to be the faster exit for the party, which spirals along the main path. The book suggests to prevent finding the outside path, to ensure that the player goes through the hazardous portion.

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Roguelike ''{{Omega}}'' included secret mountain passes, which cut down on travel time in the wilderness.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

* When naval minefields became a common tactic in modern war, the defenders would have pilots (small-craft captains) who could guide friendly shipping through a safe path. Assuming, of course, that none of the mines had come loose and drifted into the path you were using.
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*** [[spoiler : Underneath The Whomping WIllow into the shrieking shack]]
*** [[spoiler : The portrait of Ariana Dumbledore in Aberfroth's home leading to the Room of Requirements

* In ''HarryPotter'', there is a secret passage out of Hogwarts Castle that Harry uses in ''HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' to get to Hogsmeade village.

* ''{{Clue}}'' had one, as did the board game it was based on.

* In ''SkiesOfArcadia'', there is a passage through Valua's sewer system that leads to the arena in the Coliseum. The sewer system can also be used to travel from Lower City to Upper City, even though free travel from Lower City to Upper City is supposed to be forbidden.

* According to historians like Herodotus, Xerxes gained an advantage in the Battle of Thermopylae when a Greek named Ephialtes told him of a mountain pass around Thermopylae, at which point Xerxes secretly sent 20,000 Immortals under the command of Hydarnes through so that the Persians could have the Greeks surrounded.

* Involved in one ItWastHereISwear gags in ''AbbottAndCostelloMeetFrankenstein''.

* Involved in one ItWastHereISwearIt gags in ''AbbottAndCostelloMeetFrankenstein''.

* TheHobbit has a Dwarven door in the Lonely Mountain that foreshadows the later book's Moria gate -- a secret passage into the very heart of the Lonely Mountain whose keyhole only appears on the rarely-occurring Durin's Day and whose key was lost for years.
* In HarryPotter, there is a secret passage out of Hogwarts Castle that Harry uses in HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban to get to Hogsmeade village.

* In SkiesOfArcadia, there is a passage through Valua's sewer system that leads to the arena in the Coliseum. The sewer system can also be used to travel from Lower City to Upper City, even though free travel from Lower City to Upper City is supposed to be forbidden.

[[AC:Film]]
* Clue had one, as did the board game it was based on.

***** Meanwhile, back in the Shire, young hobbits would occasionally search for hidden passages in Bag End, convinced that Bilbo had concealed his legendary wealth there.

-- Gollum, '''LordOfTheRings: The Two Towers''' (film version)

What you need is a Secret Path. This is a passageway that not everyone knows about that can be used to get somewhere that is difficult to reach or to go somewhere without being noticed. Sometimes a local guide will be knowledgeable about paths that outsiders are unfamiliar with.

Although these Secret Passages are sometimes lauded as "shortcuts," they can sometimes [[ShortCutsMakeLongDelays take longer]] than more obvious paths, and can be [[DurableDeathTrap laden with]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou treacherous hazards]] that make them even more dangerous than the danger they allow travelers to avoid. Expect any secret path through a swamp to be unpleasant, since SwampsAreEvil.

Although these Secret Passages are sometimes lauded as "shortcuts," they can sometimes take longer than more obvious paths, and can be laden with treacherous hazards that make them even more dangerous than the danger they allow travelers to avoid. Expect any secret path through a swamp to be unpleasant, since SwampsAreEvil.

Although these secret paths are sometimes lauded as "shortcuts," they can sometimes take longer than more obvious paths, and can be laden with treacherous hazards that make them even more dangerous than the danger they allow travelers to avoid. Expect any secret path through a swamp to be unpleasant, since SwampsAreEvil.

Common types of secret paths include back doors, [[BookcasePassage Bookcase Passages]], [[AirVentEscape ventilation shafts]], and underground routes such as passages through [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer Absurdly Spacious Sewers]]. See also RightUnderTheirNoses, HiddenInPlainSight. If you [[ThereWasADoor make your own]] secret path, it's called DungeonBypass.

->''"We will take you on safe paths, through the mist. Come Hobbits come! We move quickly. I found it, I did. A way through the marshes. Orcs don't use it. Orcs don't know it. They go round for miles and miles."''
-->--Gollum, '''LordOfTheRings: The Two Towers''' (film version)
->''"I know a secret path through these mountains."''
-->--The 300 Spartans (1962 film)

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:Real Life]]
* According to historians like Herodotus, Xerxes gained an advantage in the Battle of Thermopylae when a Greek named Ephialtes told him of a mountain pass around Thermopylae, at which point Xerxes secretly sent 20,000 Immortals under the command of Hydarnes through so that the Persians could have the Greeks surrounded.

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]
* Sewers are good for this: that's how the Gaang gets back into Omashu in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender''.

Common types of secret paths include back doors, [[BookcasePassage Bookcase Passages]], [[AirVentEscape ventilation shafts]], and underground routes such as passages through [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer Absurdly Spacious Sewers]]. See also RightUnderTheirNoses. If you [[ThereWasADoor make your own]] secret path, it's called DungeonBypass.

Common types of secret paths include back doors, [[BookcasePassage Bookcase Passages]], [[AirVentEscape ventilation shafts]], and underground routes such as passages through [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer Absurdly Spacious Sewers]]. See also RightUnderTheirNoses. If you make your own secret path, it's called DungeonBypass.

Suppose there's somewhere you need to go, but getting there could be difficult or dangerous. Maybe you have to get into a walled city, castle, or SupervillainLair, but the entrance is guarded by armed soldiers or a ''{{Golem}}''. Maybe you have to cross a minefield or an uncharted [[BubblegloopSwamp deadly swamp]] where one wrong step could [[BottomlessPit drop you into a pit]] from which you would never return. Maybe you've [[TheInfiltration gotten into the enemy base]] and need to go to the control room, but you suspect that the main hallway with signs saying "control room this way" has more [[InsecuritySystem security cameras]] than all the other hallways combined. Maybe there's a range of mountains [[WalkIntoMordor you need to cross]], but your map doesn't show any pass nearby. Maybe you just need to go from one town to another, but you're a widely recognizable fugitive and don't want to be seen by other travelers on the road between them. Whatever the reason, there's somewhere you have to go, and obvious ways to get there either don't exist, would take too long, or would be near-suicide to use. If only there were some special route that's not widely known, one that could get you where you need to go while bypassing many of the obstacles in the way...

Suppose there's somewhere you need to go, but getting there could be difficult or dangerous. Maybe you have to get into a walled city, castle, or SupervillainLair, but the entrance is guarded by armed soldiers or a ''Golem''. Maybe you have to cross a minefield or an uncharted [[BubblegloopSwamp deadly swamp]] where one wrong step could drop you into a pit from which you would never return. Maybe you've gotten into the enemy base and need to go to the control room, but you suspect that the main hallway with signs saying "control room this way" has more security cameras than all the other hallways combined. Maybe there's a range of mountains you need to cross, but your map doesn't show any pass nearby. Maybe you just need to go from one town to another, but you're a widely recognizable fugitive and don't want to be seen by other travelers on the road between them. Whatever the reason, there's somewhere you have to go, and obvious ways to get there either don't exist, would take too long, or would be near-suicide to use. If only there were some special route that's not widely known, one that could get you where you need to go while bypassing many of the obstacles in the way...

Common types of secret paths include back doors, [[BookcasePassage Bookcase Passages]], [[AirVentEscape ventilation shafts]], and underground routes such as passages through [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer Absurdly Spacious Sewers]]. If you make your own secret path, it's called DungeonBypass.