Lindon

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Lindon
File:Lindon.jpg
General information
LocationWestern Eriador
People
LanguageSindarin
GalleryImages of Lindon

Lindon was a region of the Westlands. Initially populated by Laiquendi, in the following Ages it became an important Elvish realm, known for its harbors and Elven Ships that would sail for the West.

Geography

Lindon was a name of Ossiriand, a region west of the Blue Mountains, in Eastern Beleriand. After the deluge of Beleriand in the War of Wrath, Lindon became the westernmost land of the continent of Middle-earth. The Gulf of Lune broke into Lindon and the Blue Mountains and divided the realm into Forlindon (North Lindon) and Harlindon (South Lindon).

History

The First Age

Main article: Ossiriand

The name Lindon was first used by the exiled Noldor for the region of Ossiriand.[1]

Lindon was the only part of Beleriand that survived the War of Wrath, the rest of the land having been broken or submerged by the tumults.[2] However, Belegaer the Great Sea broke through the mountain chain, creating the Gulf of Lhûn.

The Second Age: Kingdom of Gil-galad

Elves of Lindon by Liz Danforth

Gil-galad founded the Kingdom of Lindon and the Havens (Mithlond, and also likely Harlond and Forlond) in S.A. 1.[3] Many of the surviving Elves of drowned Beleriand, especially the exiled Noldor, relocated to Lindon at the beginning of the Second Age, where they were ruled by Gil-galad.[2]

The Noldor mainly dwelt in Forlindon, and the Sindar (and surviving Green-elves[source?]) in Harlindon (a fief under the rule of Celeborn).[4][5] Together, they built Mithlond (the Grey Havens) on the Gulf, and many Elves left from there to Valinor. Lindon was one of the two Noldorin Kingdoms during the Second Age (the other being Eregion), until Gil-galad was killed by Sauron during the War of the Last Alliance.

In the tumult following the Downfall of Númenor, Lindon suffered great loss as "the sea rode in upon the land", and therefore had shrunk when the Third Age began.[6]

The Third Age: Rule of Círdan

After the War of the Last Alliance, most of the Ñoldor finally departed for Valinor, and Lindon became depopulated, now ruled by Gil-galad's lieutenant, the Sindarin elf Círdan the Shipwright,[source?] who kept building ships for the departing Elves.

Names and Etymology

In a post-LotR writing, J.R.R. Tolkien says that the name Lindon was coined by the Green-elves, derived from Nandorin(?) *Lindānā. The Sindar called the country Dor Lindon and the Noldor Lindóne (or Lindónë[7]) but both also adopted the name Lindon.[8]

The name Lindon contains the element lin- "sing, song" as also seen in Lindar.[9] Lindon (Q, pron. [ˈlindon]) means "land of music",[10]

The translation "Land of the singers", conceived to be a name in the Ossiriandic tongue, has been suggested by David Salo, Arden Smith, Patrick Wynne, et al. in their linguistic contribution to Arnor: The Land

Other Versions of the Legendarium

In early versions of the The Lord of the Rings Appendices, Gil-galad is said to have founded Lindon in S.A. 10.[11]

Portrayals in Adaptations

Middle-earth Role Playing:

A supplement on Lindon was never released by ICE, although there were such plans,[12] and Jeff J. Erwin and Oliver Schick were commissioned to write supplements on Lindon and Mithlond, respectively (both supplements were nearly finished at the time ICE lost their license from Tolkien Enterprises).[13] However, scattered information on Lindon and its prominent individuals can be found in several supplements.[14][15][16][17]

See also

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and its Realms"
  2. 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "II. The Appendix on Languages", p. 78
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age"
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Of Dwarves and Men", p. 328 (Note 65)
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", (Introduction & Note 2)
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VI. The Tale of Years of the Second Age", p. 183
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The History of Middle-earth Index
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: C. The Clan-names, with notes on other names for divisions of the Eldar", p. 385
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names"
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and its Realms"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VI. The Tale of Years of the Second Age", pp. 168, 173
  12. John Crowdis (1990), Rogues of the Borderlands (#8014), p. 15
  13. Oliver Schick, Mailing list message of 9 Oct 2007, at Yahoo groups Fan modules
  14. John Crowdis (1990), Rogues of the Borderlands (#8014), pp. 3-4, 10-11, 14-15
  15. Mark Rabuck (1992), Northwestern Middle-earth Gazetteer (#4002), pp. 16, 44-46
  16. Wesley J. Frank, et al. (1996), Arnor: The People (#2022), pp. 61, 148
  17. Wesley J. Frank, et al. (1997), Arnor: The Land (#2023), pp. 68-69
Remnants of Drowned Beleriand
 Isles:  Himring · Tol Fuin · Tol Morwen
Mainland:  Lindon

fa:لیندون