Middle-earth locations
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
This article is about the fictional locations, landscapes, mountains, rivers etc. from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe.
|
[change] Middle-earth
[change] Middle-earth regions
[change] Beleriand
Beleriand was a large region in northwestern Middle-earth until the end of the First Age. Beleriand lies between the sea in the west and south, and the Blue Mountains in the east. At the end of the First Age, Beleriand is destroyed and covered by the sea.
[change] Eriador
Eriador is a large region in Middle-earth. Is lies between the Blue Mountains in the west, the Misty Mountains in the east, the Ice-bay of Forochel in the north, and the rivers Glanduin and Greyflood in the south.
In the earlier part of the Third Age much of Eriador was part of the kingdom of Arnor. Apart from Arnor, other settlements in Eriador of the Third Age were Rivendell, Breeland and the Shire.
[change] Rhovanion
Rhovanion or Wilderland is a large region in Middle-earth. It lies east of the Misty Mountains and south of the Grey Mountains and the Iron Hills. The river Anduin flows through it from the Grey Mountains to the Emyn Muil. A big part of Rhovanion is covered by the forest of Mirkwood.
[change] Rhûn
Rhûn is a large region in Middle-earth. It is the lands east of Rhovanion, and around the Sea of Rhûn.
[change] Harad
Harad or Haradwaith is the name for the lands south of Gondor and Mordor. The coasts of Harad were settled by the Black Númenóreans. The peoples living in Harad were often influenced by Sauron and made war with the western realms. In the Fourth Age the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor made peace with Harad. In Harad also lived the elephant-like mûmakil (or oliphaunts).
[change] Middle-earth mountains
[change] Ered Luin
The Ered Luin (Sindarin: Blue Mountains), also known as Ered Lindon, are a mountain range in the far west of Eriador. Until the end of the First Age, the Ered Luin separated Beleriand and Eriador. In the middle of the mountain range is a gap, creating the Gulf of Lhûn/Lune, where the Grey Havens lie.
[change] Ered Mithrin
The Ered Mithrin (Sindarin: Grey Mountains) is mountain range to the north of Rhovanion. At the western end of the Grey Mountains is Mount Gundabad of the Misty Mountains, east of it lie the Iron Hills.
[change] Misty Mountains
The Misty Mountains (or Sindarin Hithaeglir) are a great mountain range, between Eriador in the west and Rhovanion in the east. At the southern end of the Misty Mountains lies Isengard, at the northern end Mount Gundabad. Under the Misty Mountains lies the old dwarven city Khazad-dûm.
[change] Orodruin
Mount Doom (Sindarin: Amon Amarth) or Orodruin (Sindarin: "fiery mountain") is a volcano in northeastern Mordor. Inside the volcano are the Sammath Naur (or Cracks of Doom) where Sauron made the One Ring, and which is the only place where the Ring can be destroyed.
[change] Middle-earth rivers
[change] Anduin
The Anduin is the largest river in Middle-earth. It comes out of the Grey Mountains and flows through Rhovanion and the Emyn Muil. There it goes through the rapids of Sarn Gebir and over the Falls of Rauros. After that it flows between the White Mountains and the Mountains of Shadow. It flows into the sea in a broad river delta.
[change] Bruinen
Bruinen or Loudwater was a river in Eriador. It began in the Misty Mountains, and flowed south, through the valley of Rivendell, and into the river Mitheithel.
[change] Baranduin
The Baranduin or Brandywine River is a river in Eriador. It begins out of Lake Evendim in northern Eriador, and flows south. It flows through the Shire, and at last into the sea.
[change] Other Middle-earth locations
[change] Arnor
Arnor was a human realm in Eriador. It was founded by Elendil and his people, who survived the Fall of Númenor towards the end of the Second Age. The peoples living in Arnor were the descendants of the Númenorean survivors, and the indigenous human peoples who had lived there before. The capital of Arnor was the city Annúminas on the shores of Lake Evendim in northern Eriador. Elendil became the first King of Arnor; after his death, his older son Isildur became King.
After the death of the tenth king, Eärendur, in T.A. 861, his three sons split Arnor into three new lands, one for each of them: Arthedain in the west, Cardolan in the south, and Rhudaur in the north. With time, all three countries were destroyed in wars against the northern land Angmar. After the War of the Ring, the land again became part of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor, ruled by King Elessar Telcontar and his descentants.
[change] Bree
Bree or Breeland is a small region in Eriador, which lies around the Breehill. It has four villages: Bree (the biggest), Archet, Combe and Staddle. The peoples living in the villages of Bree are Men and hobbits; it is the only place where both people live together. The only other place inhabited by hobbits is the Shire. Bree lies at the meeting point of two large roads, the Great East Road and the North-South Road, which made it an important centre of trade and travel.
[change] Esgaroth
Esgaroth or Lake-town or is a town in the northeast of Rhovanion. It is built at the Long Lake, south of the Lonely Mountain and east of Mirkwood. It was destroyed by the dragon Smaug, but was rebuilt.
[change] Erebor
The Lonely Mountain or Sindarin Erebor is a mountain in the northeast of Rhovanion. When the dwarves had to leave their ancient home Khazad-dûm, it became the new home of Durin's folk. They were led by Thráin I, who became King under the Mountain. Later Erebor was attacked by the dragon Smaug, and the dwarves had to flee again. In the story told in The Hobbit, the dragon Smaug is killed and the dwarves again return to the Lonely Mountain. Dáin II Ironfoot becomes new King under the Mountain.
[change] Gondor
Gondor was a human realm in southeastern Middle-earth. It was founded by the brothers Isildur and Anárion and their people, who had survived the Fall of Númenor towards the end of the Second Age. The city Osgiliath, built over the river Anduin, became the capital of Gondor. Isildur also founded the city Minas Ithil east of the Anduin, and his brother Anárion founded the city Minas Anor west of the Anduin.
After the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men against Sauron, Isildur left to rule the northern kingdom Arnor, while the son of Anárion stayed to rule Gondor. In the 15th century there was a great civil war, the city Osgiliath was destroyed, and Minas Anor became the new capital. During the time of the rule of King Eärnur, the Ringwraiths captured Minas Ithil, and it was renamed Minas Morgul. Minas Anor was renamed Minas Tirith ("Tower of Guard"). The last King, Eärnur, disappeared in 2050 of the Third Age. After this Gondor was ruled by the Stewards of Gondor until the end of the Third Age.
After the War of the Ring, the land became part of the Reunited Kingdom of Arnor and Gondor, ruled by King Elessar Telcontar and his descentants.
[change] Great East Road
The Great East Road is an ancient Dwarven road, which ran from western Beleriand, over the Ered Luin, through the Shire, to the Misty Mountains, and to the dwarven lands in the east.
[change] Isengard
Isengard is a fortress at the southern end of the Misty Mountains. It is a small valley inside a ring-shaped wall, the Ring of Isengard, and in its middle is a tall black tower, Orthanc. It belonged to Gondor, but in the 28th century it was given to Saruman. In the War of the Ring the Ents destroyed the ring-wall. After the War, the tower Orthanc was given back to King Elessar and the Reunited Kingdom.
[change] Khazad-dûm
Khazad-dûm was the ancient home of the Dwarves under the Misty Mountains. It was a great underground city and mines. It was the only place in Middle-earth where the precious metal mithril could be found, which made the dwarves very rich. Khazad-dûm was founded by Durin the Deathless a long time before the First Age. In the Third Age the dwarves woke a Balrog deep in the mines of Khazad-dûm, so the surviving Dwarves had to flee and left for other places. Khazad-dûm got a new name, Moria, which is Sindarin for "dark pit".
[change] Lothlórien
Lothlórien was an elven realm, between the Misty Mountains and the Anduin. It lay on the land between the rivers Anduin and Silverlode, close to the dwarven realm Khazad-dûm. Lothlórien was founded in the Second Age, and Amdír became the first King. The elves of Lothlórien fought in the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men against Sauron. In the war Amdír was killed, and his son Amroth became king after him, but Amroth later left Lothlórien. Since then until the end of the Third Age it was ruled by Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.
[change] Mordor
Mordor (Sindarin: "Black Land" and Quenya: "Land of Shadow") is a land in the southeastern part of Middle-earth, east of the Anduin. It is the land of Sauron in the Second and Third Age. Mordor is surrounded by mountain ranges: the Ered Lithui (Sindarin: "Mountains of Ash") in the north, the Ephel Dúath (Sindarin: Mountains of Shadow) in the west and another mountain range in the south. At the foothills of the Ered Lithui in northwestern Mordor was Sauron's main fortress Barad-dûr. Southwest of Barad-dûr lay the volcano Mount Doom. Great parts of Mordor are a wasteland. The southern part of Mordor, around the Sea of Núrnen was more fertile and used as farmland, to produce food for Sauron's armies.
[change] North-South Road
The North-South Road is a long road runnig from the realm of Arnor in the north to Gondor in the south. The road began in the city Fornost Erain, the capital of Arthedain, crossed the Great East Road at Bree, and ran further to the southern end of the Misty Mountains. There the road turned east, towards the cities Minas Tirith, to Osgiliath, and endend at Minas Ithil. A part of the road south of Bree is also known as the Greenway.
[change] Rivendell
Rivendell (Sindarin: Imladris) was an elven city in eastern Eriador. It was founded in the Second Age by Elrond, who ruled it until the end of the Third Age.
[change] Rohan
Rohan or the Riddermark (or short The Mark) was a human realm in southeastern Middle-earth, north of Gondor. Rohan lay north of the White Mountains, southwest of Isengard and southwest of the Emyn Muil. Originally it was a part of Gondor, and named Calenardhon.
But because of the plague in 1636 T.A. and the later wars, Calenardhon was mostly empty and very few people lived there. In 2509 T.A. the Rohirrim came south from the north, to help Gondor fight against a combined invasion of Men from the north-east and Orcs from Mordor. The Rohirrim helped Gondor win the Battle of the Field of Celebrant and the war. As a reward, Steward Cirion of Gondor gave the land Calenardhon to the Rohirrim. The King of the Rohirrim, Eorl the Young, swore the Oath of Eorl: that Rohan would come and help Gondor, if it needed help in its wars. Afterwards, the people of the Rohirrim moved into their new land, which they named the Riddermark or just The Mark. Gondor called the land Rohan (Sindarin: "Land of the Horse-lords").
[change] The Shire
The Shire is a land in Eriador. It is settled by Hobbits. Its name in Westron was Sûza "Shire" or Sûzat "The Shire". Its name in Sindarin was i Drann. The Shire was settled by the Hobbits in the 24th century of the Third Age. It is divided into four Farthings: the North-, West-, South- and Eastfarthing. The leaders of the Shire were the Mayor of Michel Delving, the Thain from Tuckborough and the Master of Buckland.
[change] Númenor
Númenor was a huge star-shaped island west of Middle-earth in the Second Age. At the beginning of the Age it was given to the human peoples who had helped the elves in the wars against Morgoth. In the middle of the island was the mountain Meneltarma, which was a holy place for the Númenoreans. Númenor was divided into six regions, one in each "star-arm" and one in the middle. In Mittalmar, the central region of Númenor, was the capital city Armenelos.
Their first king was Elros Tar-Minyatur, brother of Elrond. Númenor became the most powerful nation of Men. But later many Númenoreans, including their kings, became power-hungry and became enemies of the elves. Towards the end of the Second Age, when it was ruled by King Ar-Pharazôn the Golden, Númenor was destroyed and sank in the sea, similar to the legendary Atlantis. Only a group of Númenoreans, the Elendili or Elf-friends, could escape the destruction of Númenor and came to Middle-earth, where they founded the realms Arnor and Gondor. The Akallabêth is the story of Númenor's history and downfall.
Some of the many names of Númenor were Westernesse, Númenórë (Quenya, the long form of Númenor) and Anadûnê (Adûnaic), both meaning "West-land"; Andor (Quenya) and Yôzâyan (Adûnaic), which both mean "the Land of the Gift". Later it was also called Atalantë (Quenya) and Akallabêth (Adûnaic), both meaning "the Downfallen".
[change] See also
| J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
| Books | The Hobbit • The Lord of the Rings |
| (Posthumous) | The Silmarillion • Unfinished Tales • The History of Middle-earth • The Children of Húrin • The History of The Hobbit |
| Other | Middle-earth characters • Middle-earth locations • Middle-earth languages • Tengwar |
