Eriador

Eriador
J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium location
Type Region including the Grey Havens, the Shire, Arnor, Rivendell and Hollin
Location Lands between the Misty Mountains and the Blue

Eriador is a large region in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. The Shire, a land which became famous in the Third Age and again in modern times, was located in the central west of this region. The region was also called the Lone-lands, a translation of Eriador.[1]

Middle-earth narrative

Overview

Originally Eriador was largely forested, but in the Second Age Dúnedain felled most of the forests to build ships.[2] In the late Second Age and early Third Age, much of Eriador was encompassed by the kingdom of Arnor, which later split into the rival kingdoms of Rhudaur, Arthedain and Cardolan. The Shire occupied part of the former kingdom of Arthedain, while Bree and its neighbouring villages lie on the border with the former Cardolan. The Barrow-wights dwelt within ancient burial mounds which had been constructed in the First Age by the Edain as they journeyed to Beleriand.[3] Other important places in Eriador were Rivendell, the Grey Havens and the abandoned kingdoms of Eregion and Angmar.

Population and settlements

For much of Middle-earth's history, Eriador was sparsely populated, and indeed this is the meaning of its name: the Lone-lands. By the time of the War of the Ring, the main settlements were the Shire, Bree-land, Rivendell and the Grey Havens. Communities of Dwarves still mined the Ered Lindon, and a small population of native Men maintained a hunter-gatherer culture in the remaining woods of Minhiriath.[4] Eriador was protected by the Rangers of the North, who were the surviving Men of the lost kingdom of Arnor.

Geography

The boundaries of Eriador were:[5]

Eriador extended for some 600 miles north-south and 700 miles west-east. It was traversed by two main routes:-

Important rivers were the Lune (Elvish Lhûn), the Brandywine (Elvish Baranduin) and the Greyflood (Elvish Gwathló).

Depictions in adaptations

Eriador was the initial setting of the Lord of the Rings Online video game. Notably, both Gandalf, who narrates, and characters in-game refer to various dangers as "The Doom of Eriador" or "A Threat to all of Eriador" instead of Middle-earth as a whole. The game was later expanded to include other regions of Middle-earth, including Rhovanion (in which lie Moria, Lothlorien and Mirkwood), Gondor and Rohan.

See also

References

Inline citations

  1. Anderson, Douglas A. (editor), The Annotated Hobbit, revised & expanded edition (2002), Houghton Mifflin, ch.2 p.66 note 7, ISBN 0-618-13470-0
  2. Tolkien, J. R. R., Unfinished Tales, George Allen & Unwin (1980), part 2 ch.IV appendix D p.262-263; ISBN 0-04-823179-7.
  3. Tolkien, J. R. R., The Return of the King, 2nd edition (1966), George Allen & Unwin, Appendix A:I(iii) 'The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain', p.321; ISBN 0 04 823047 2.
  4. Tolkien, J. R. R., Unfinished Tales, George Allen & Unwin (1980), part 2 ch.IV appendix D p.262, ISBN 0-04-823179-7
  5. Tolkien, J. R. R., The Return of the King, 2nd edition (1966), George Allen & Unwin, Appendix A:I(iii) p.319, ISBN 0 04 823047 2.

General references

External links

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