Eriador

"I oughtn't to interrupt you, I know. [...] You are very busy, I'm sure." — Mr. Parish Mith - who would like to apologise for its current condition - is currently busy with major revisions to this article. Before editing, discuss your intentions on this article's talk page.

Eriador
Region
File:Middle-earth map (1 of 4).gif
General Information
Other names	Possibly the Lone-lands, almost synonymous with Arnor
Location	North-west Middle-earth
Type	Region
Description	Large, inhabited region scattered with hills and forests
Regions	Angmar Arnor Arthedain Eregion The Shire
People and History
Inhabitants	Dwarves Elves Hobbits Men
Events	Foundation of Arnor Forging of the Rings War of the Elves and Sauron Arrival of Hobbits The Great Plague The Fell Winter Battle of Bywater
Gallery	Images of Eriador

	Eriador2.mp3
	By Ardamir. (Help; more articles)

Eriador is the name given to the large region in the north-west of Middle-earth inhabited by all the Free peoples of Middle-earth. By the end of the Third Age its main inhabitants were Hobbits of The Shire and the surrounding lands.

Boundaries

First Age and Earlier

The events of the First Age mostly concerned the peoples of Beleriand; as such, we have no map drawn by Tolkien which shows Eriador in the First Age. We have, however, a map of Beleriand which shows the Blue Mountains in the First Age; also we know that Melkor reared the Misty Mountains to hinder Oromë before the arrival of the Elves. Therefore we can deduce that in the First Age the eastern and western borders of Eriador were the same as in latter ages.

The Silmarillion states that a mountain-range, created by Melkor, known as the Iron Mountains (Ered Engrin) stretched across the north of the world in a curve from east to west and which stood on the borders of the region of everlasting cold (compare with the Forodwaith). From this it can be suggested that the northern border of Eriador in the First Age would've been the Iron Mountains.

It is unclear what the borders of Eriador were to the south, we know that the Blue Mountains were more formidable and longer than in the latter Ages, so it is unlikely that Eriador would've had a coastline. We also cannot know, due to the different shape of the world, whether the Greyflood or Lune rivers existed in the First Age; in The Atlas of Middle-earth the Greyflood is shown following its same route through Eriador and continuing on the same course - passing the lower end of the Blue Mountains - before reaching the sea somewhere to the west of the western arm of the White Mountains. It should be noted that this is not necessarily canonical.

Second, Third and Fourth Ages

"Eriador was of old the name of all the lands between the Misty Mountains and the Blue; in the South it was bounded by the Greyflood and the Glanduin that flows into it above Tharbad."

― Appendix A, I: The Númenorean Kings, iii: Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur

In the Second, Third and Fourth ages, the boundaries of the region - listed clock-wise from due north - were as follows:

• to the north, the Icebay of Forochel;
• to the north-east and east, the Misty Mountains (Hithaeglir);
• to the south-east, the river Glanduin;
• to the south, the river Greyflood (Gwathló or Gwathir);
• to the south-west, the Great Sea (Belegaer);
• and to the west and north-west, the Blue Mountains (Ered Luin or Ered Lindon).

Region of Eriador
Blue Mountains	Icebay of Forochel, Forodwaith	Misty Mountains, Forodwaith
Blue Mountains, Gulf of Lhûn, Lindon		Misty Mountains, Rhovanion
Belegaer	Gwathló, Enedwaith	Glanduin, Dunland

Geography

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

History

Earlier History

See also: Great March

Before the First Age, the Three Kindreds of the Elves passed through Eriador on the Great Journey to Beleriand, to make the trip to Valinor. First came the Vanyar, following closely by the Noldor, but the Teleri tarried and were only urged forward at the behest of their lord, Elwë, who was keen to return to Valinor.

Not all of the Teleri continued on the march, however, as when the host reached the great river Anduin Lenwë led some of his people southwards away from the rest of his kin: these people became the Nandor. Some of these people eventually passed into Eriador, and dwelt there for a time, before Denethor, son of Lenwë, gathered as many of the Nandor as possible and removed to Ossiriand to become the Laiquendi.

First Age

In F.A. 310 the first Men of the House of Bëor entered Beleriand from Eriador, and were discovered by Finrod Felagund. These Men quickly made friendship with the Eldar and entered into their service, but Bereg, grandson of Bëor, was uncontent and led those of like mind with himself back over the mountains into Eriador.

Living in Eriador in the First Age were also men known as Easterlings, or Swarthy Men, and they were led by Bór and Ulfang. In F.A. 463 Bór and Ulfang led many Men with them from the east into Beleriand, as Men were often drawn westwards, and they met with the Eldar. Bór was faithful to the Eldar and his people followed Maedhros and Maglor, but Ulfang betrayed the Eldar and Edain in the Nírnaeth Arnoediad - even though he swore an oath of allegiance with Caranthir - successfully fulfilling the designs of Morgoth in the process.

Second Age

Elves and Númenóreans

Following the War of Wrath - and the destruction of Beleriand - many Elves left for Aman whilst the remnants of the Edain removed to live on the newly-formed isle of Númenor. The remaining Elves moved to Middle-earth, and in the year 750 of the Second Age the remnants of the Noldor established the realm of Eregion in the south-east of Eriador.

In S.A. 600 the first Númenórean ships began to visit Middle-earth and when news of this reached the Men of Eriador they were amazed and scared. On the Tower Hills the Númenóreans met with just twelve Men from Eriador and both sides recognised their ancient kinship: the Númenóreans discovered that these people lived in the hills east of the Baranduin and were likely the descendants of the people of Bëor and Hador who never crossed the Blue Mountains.

In S.A. 725 Aldarion first visits Lindon and Eriador and begins a long-lasting friendship with Gil-galad. He made many voyages to Middle-earth and established the haven of Vinyalondë (later known as Lond Daer) on the banks of the river Gwathir - a move which proved crucial in defeating Sauron later in the Second Age. As a mariner, Aldarion had a great desire to build ships and in order to this he began deforesting much of the Minhiriath and Enedwaith; this angered the native forest-dwelling Men who subsequently fled to the forest of Eryn Vorn.

War with Sauron

See also: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age

The Noldor of Eregion grew in unparalleled friendship with the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, to the benefit of both peoples, and there was much traffic between the Elven city of Ost-in-Edhil and the West-gate of Moria. In Eregion the Elven craftsmen became great in knowledge as they were led by Celebrimbor, grandson of Fëanor, the most skilled of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain (the People of the Jewel-smiths).

Sauron saw that the Elves of Eregion were vulnerable and he came to them in the guise of Annatar, "Lord of Gifts", and they welcomed him and he taught the smiths many things of lore and smith-craft. In S.A. 1500, when the knowledge and skill of the Elves reached its height, they began the forging of the Rings of Power, but, in S.A. 1600, Sauron secretly created the One Ring to rule over all the other Rings.

When Sauron put on the Ring the Elves realised they were betrayed so they hid all the other Rings from him; Sauron, however, demanded that all the Rings be given to him for they were created with his help. When the Elves refused to hand over the Rings Sauron was vengeful and in 1693 began the War of the Elves and Sauron with an invasion of Eriador in 1695. In 1697, with Celebrimbor's death and Eregion lain waste, Elrond founds the refuge of Imladris as a defence against Sauron; Sauron takes over all of Eriador by 1699 and besieges Imladris.

Gil-galad sent word to Tar-Minastir calling for aid, but when the ships finally arrived in S.A. 1700 (landing in Lindon and Vinyalondë) Sauron was already preparing his invasion of Lindon. The forces of Gil-galad, Elrond and Ciryatur caused heavy losses at Sarn Ford before Sauron's forces were utterly destroyed at the Battle of the Gwathló, with Sauron barely escaping with his life. However, Eriador lay in ruins as many of the native Men, Elves and Númenóreans had been killed by Sauron, and his forces had ravaged the lands and destroyed many of the remaining forests.

Last Alliance

See also: War of the Last Alliance

Throughout the Second Age the Númenóreans gradually increase their power in Middle-earth by creating coastal dominions until they confront Sauron and take him prisoner to Númenor. Whilst there, Sauron seduced the King and most of the people and persuades Ar-Pharazôn to break the Ban of the Valar which resulted in Ilúvatar changing the shape of the World and destroying Númenor in the process. The Faithful - those Númenóreans who remained true to the Valar and friendly with the Elves - were spared and in S.A. 3320 Elendil establishes the two Realms in Exile: Gondor in the south and Arnor in Eriador.

Sauron - who is now unable to take fair form - returns to Mordor and in S.A. 3429 attacks Minas Ithil and burns the White Tree. Isildur - son of Elendil - fled north to join his father in Arnor who took counsel with Gil-galad, for both foresaw the need to triumph over Sauron before his power grew unstoppable, and in S.A. 3430 they formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. In S.A. 3431 Elendil and Gil-galad marched east to Imladris and the host was the fairest and most splendid in arms ever seen in Middle-earth, and the greatest ever assembled since the Host of the Valar.

Third Age

Arnor and Division

See also: Arnor

Following Sauron's defeat during the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur took The Ring for himself as a weregild for his father, but, during the Battle of the Gladden Fields the Ring betrayed him to his death; the Ring was lost and was not found again for 2,500 years. The kingship of Arnor passed to Isildur's only surviving son, Valandil whose reign begins an uneventful 800 years in the North-kingdom.

The unity of Arnor was broken, however, when, in Third Age 861 following the death of the tenth king, Eärendur, there was dissension among his three sons which led to the division of Arnor into three kingdoms: Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur. There was often strife between the kingdoms, and this quickened the waning of the Dúnedain, especially over ownership of the Weather Hills and the chief Palantír of the North at Amon Sûl.

"Arthedain was in the North-west and included the land between Brandywine and Lune, and also the land north of the Great Road as far as the Weather Hills. Rhudaur was in the North-east and lay between the Ettenmoors, the Weather Hills, and the Misty Mountains, but included also the Angle between the Hoarwell and the Loudwater. Cardolan was in the South, its bounds being the Brandywine, the Greyflood, and the Great Road."

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "Appendix A", I: The Númenorean Kings, iii: Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur

The line of Isildur was maintained with the Kings of Arthedain all the way through to Aragorn II, but the line of kings in Cardolan and Rhudaur quickly dwindled and by 1349, with the rule of Argeleb I, the Kings of Arthedain were once again claiming lordship over all of Arnor and prefixed their names with ar- in recognition of this.

Angmar and the Destruction of Arnor

In the year {TA|1300}} evil begins to return to the world with the Witch-king founding the evil realm of Angmar beyond the Ettenmoors in the far north-east of Eriador, hoping to utterly destroy the Dúnedain of the North, seeing hope in the fragmentation of Arnor.

In league with Lindon and Cardolan, Arveleg I successfully fortified the Weather Hills against Angmar whilst Rivendell was besieged. However, in T.A. 1409 a great force came out of Angmar, surrounding Weathertop, defeating the Dúnedain, slaying Arveleg and the last prince of Cardolan whilst destroying Amon Sûl. The palantír was saved in retreat to Fornost, but Cardolan was ravaged and the Rhudaur was a vassal-state of Angmar; Círdan sent aid to repel Angmar from the North Downs and Fornost, and, for a time, Angmar was subdued as Elrond brought help from Lothlórien.

In T.A. 1636 the Great Plague came from the south with many in Cardolan and The Shire perishing; the Witch-king sent evil spirits to dwell in the Barrow-downs which were revered by the Dúnedain as the burial-mounds of their forefathers.

Foundation of the Shire

See also: History of the Shire

Much of it was encompassed in the early Third Age by the kingdom of Arnor, which later split into the rival kingdoms of Rhudaur, Arthedain and Cardolan. The Shire occupies part of the former kingdom of Arthedain, while Bree and its neighbouring villages lie on the border with the former Cardolan. The Barrow-wights dwell within ancient burial mounds constructed in the First Age by the Edain as they journeyed to Beleriand. Other important places in Eriador are Rivendell and the abandoned kingdoms of Eregion and Angmar. By the time of the War of the Ring, Eriador was largely deserted.

Lindon elves occasionally wander into Eriador.

Inhabitants

• Elves, who dwelled in Rivendell in the East; the Grey Havens in the West and during the Second Age, Eregion.
• Men, dwelled in Bree in central Eriador; and the Eryn Vorn to the Southwest.
• Dwarves, Lived in the Blue Mountains on Eastern side of both the Northern, and Southern ranges.
• Hobbits, lived in the Shire, and some in Bree, in central Eriador

Etymology

Eriador

Eriador

Tengwar, Sindarin mode

Eriador is Sindarin (derived from Noldorin) and whose derivation is quoted by Carl F. Hostetter from an unnamed note dated 1949-53. This explains that Eriador is derived from eryā, "isolated, lonely" and dor, "land", thereby translating Eriador as "wilderness".

Similarly, Christopher Gilson states that Eriador "= Lonely Land. *eryā (S eir, air)".

This second translation is noticeably similar to The Lone-lands mentioned in The Hobbit; it is unknown whether the two are the same or just similar.

In Other Version of the Legendarium

In the earlier sketches of the maps of Middle-earth, Eriador is originally called "Forodwaith" - the name which is now applied to the very cold region to the north of Middle-earth.