Northern Waste: Difference between revisions

From Tolkien Gateway
No edit summary
m (Bot: changed capitalisation on legendarium)
(43 intermediate revisions by 14 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
The '''Northern Waste''' was a cold and icy region in the far north end of [[Middle-earth]], located above [[Mount Gundabad]] and the [[Ered Mithrin]].The two main areas of the Northern Waste are [[Forodwaith]] and [[Forochel]], both had the same cold weather. It was a vast region of mostly snow and ice; however it did have several great frozen lakes, and a few unfrozen lakes that had bitterly cold waters. The two main areas of the Northern Waste are [[Forodwaith]] and [[Forochel]], both had the same cold weather. However there was life in this freezing cold region.
{{disambig-two|the region of [[Middle-earth]]|[[Middle-earth Role Playing|MERP]] supplement|[[The Northern Waste]]}}
{{location infobox
| name=Northern Waste
| image=[[File:Rob Alexander - Forod.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Forod" by Rob Alexander
| pronun=
| othernames=
| location=North of [[Angmar]], [[Gundabad|Mount Gundabad]] and [[Grey Mountains|Ered Mithrin]]
| type=Region
| description=Icy isolated region with few inhabitants
| regions=
| towns=
| inhabitants=[[Forodwaith (people)|Forodwaith]], [[Orcs]], [[Cold-drakes]], [[Lossoth]]
| created=
| destroyed=
| events=
}}
The '''Northern Waste''' was a vast cold region of mostly ice and snow, in the far north end of [[Middle-earth]],<ref>{{UT|Map}}</ref> beyond the [[Mountains of Angmar]], [[Gundabad|Mount Gundabad]] and the [[Grey Mountains|Ered Mithrin]]. The main known area was [[Forochel]].


The [[Cold-drakes]] of the North, which drove the [[Dwarves]] out of the Grey Mountains, came from the Northern Waste. The Drakes killed Dain I and his son  Frór outside their Halls in the [[Grey Mountains]]. The Dwarves then fled to [[Erebor]] and the [[Iron Hills]] It is likely that the "[[Goblins]] and [[Hobgoblins]]" that later colonized the Ered Mithrin drove most of the Cold-drakes back into the Northern Waste.
The location was also named '''Forodwaith''' ([[Sindarin|S.]], "Northern lands, people") after the hardy [[Forodwaith (people)|Forodwaith]] folk, who inhabited it.


According to Frodo's poem "[[when evening in the shire was grey]]" it mentions that Gandalf had traveled up into the Northern Waste. What his business was up there is unknown. There were also men up in the wastes called the Lossoth. They were a hardy folk fit to survive in the cold snowy regions of the north. It is possible that some of them were in league with Angmer because the Witch King had recruited men into his service but that is only a speculation. The people lived mostly in tribes and they likely fought with eachother over land and resources as did all folk in the world. The Lossoth never involved themselves with the world outside their frozen lands and played no known significant role in the wars until King Arvedui who was the last king of Arnor came out of hiding from an abandoned Dwarf-mine near the tip of the Northern [[Ered Luin]] and asked for aid from the Lossoth of Forochel. He was able to convince them to aid him and gave them the ring of Barahir. Cirdan eventually sent ships for him. On his departure day, the Lossoth warned him that a storm was comming and urged him not to go but he payed little attention to it and he did indeed perish in the storm and sank to the bottom of the sea along with the palantir of the North. This indeed proves that the Lossoth had very keen senses.
==History==
The Waste had been made very cold earlier in [[Arda]]'s history because of the presence of [[Utumno]] and [[Morgoth|Melkor]]'s evil cold emanating from it. The region remained cold even after Utumno's destruction.
[[File:Angelo Montanini - Northern Waste.jpg|left|thumb|Angelo Montanini - ''Northern Waste'']]
The region was once inhabited by a hardy [[Men|Mannish]] folk, the [[Forodwaith (people)|Forodwaith]] who gave the region its name. However in later years (possibly suffering by the [[Witch-king]] of [[Angmar]]) their [[Lossoth|remnants]] retreated to the [[Cape of Forochel]].<ref>{{App|Eriador}}</ref>


[[Category:Realms]]
[[Dragons]] also dwelt in there<ref>{{H|Party}}</ref> and after many years they multiplied and became strong and made [[War of the Dwarves and Dragons|war]] against the [[Dwarves]]. [[Cold-drakes]] came from the Northern Waste and drove the [[Dwarves of the Grey Mountains]] out of their homes, and most of the Dwarves then moved to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]] and the [[Iron Hills]].<ref>{{App|Durin}}</ref>
 
According to [[Frodo Baggins]]'s [[When evening in the Shire was grey|poem for Gandalf]], [[Gandalf]] had travelled to the Northern Waste.<ref>{{FR|Mirror}}</ref>
 
==Other versions of the legendarium==
[[File:Waste vs forodwaith.png|thumb|The different definitions of "Forodwaith" between the earlier and the later map.]]
In the earliest [[General Map of Middle-earth]] by [[Christopher Tolkien]], the northern portion of the [[Westlands]] is featureless, labelled as "Northern Waste", with the name "Forodwaith", in smaller letters, above the [[Mountains of Angmar]]; this seemed to suggest that Forodwaith is a part of the wider Northern Waste, if not a smaller separate region. This nomenclature was carried over to [[Pauline Baynes]]'s ''[[A Map of Middle-earth]]''.
 
Later, Christopher Tolkien realized that the two names are synonymous. The misunderstanding was corrected in the later map known as [[The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age]], where only the name "Forodwaith" appears, labeling all the blank portion north of the [[Mountains of Angmar]] and the [[Grey Mountains]].<ref name=intro>{{UT|IMap}}</ref>
{{references}}
[[Category:Evil realms]]
[[Category:Mannish realms]]
[[Category:Middle-earth]]
[[Category:Regions]]
[[Category:Regions]]
[[de:Forodwaith]]
[[de:Forodwaith]]
[[fi:Pohjoinen Autio]]
[[fi:Pohjoinen Autio]]
[[fr:/encyclo/geographie/regions/forodwaith]]

Revision as of 21:29, 15 June 2020

This article is about the region of Middle-earth. For the MERP supplement, see The Northern Waste.
Northern Waste
Region
Rob Alexander - Forod.jpg
"Forod" by Rob Alexander
General Information
LocationNorth of Angmar, Mount Gundabad and Ered Mithrin
TypeRegion
DescriptionIcy isolated region with few inhabitants
InhabitantsForodwaith, Orcs, Cold-drakes, Lossoth

The Northern Waste was a vast cold region of mostly ice and snow, in the far north end of Middle-earth,[1] beyond the Mountains of Angmar, Mount Gundabad and the Ered Mithrin. The main known area was Forochel.

The location was also named Forodwaith (S., "Northern lands, people") after the hardy Forodwaith folk, who inhabited it.

History

The Waste had been made very cold earlier in Arda's history because of the presence of Utumno and Melkor's evil cold emanating from it. The region remained cold even after Utumno's destruction.

Angelo Montanini - Northern Waste

The region was once inhabited by a hardy Mannish folk, the Forodwaith who gave the region its name. However in later years (possibly suffering by the Witch-king of Angmar) their remnants retreated to the Cape of Forochel.[2]

Dragons also dwelt in there[3] and after many years they multiplied and became strong and made war against the Dwarves. Cold-drakes came from the Northern Waste and drove the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains out of their homes, and most of the Dwarves then moved to Erebor and the Iron Hills.[4]

According to Frodo Baggins's poem for Gandalf, Gandalf had travelled to the Northern Waste.[5]

Other versions of the legendarium

The different definitions of "Forodwaith" between the earlier and the later map.

In the earliest General Map of Middle-earth by Christopher Tolkien, the northern portion of the Westlands is featureless, labelled as "Northern Waste", with the name "Forodwaith", in smaller letters, above the Mountains of Angmar; this seemed to suggest that Forodwaith is a part of the wider Northern Waste, if not a smaller separate region. This nomenclature was carried over to Pauline Baynes's A Map of Middle-earth.

Later, Christopher Tolkien realized that the two names are synonymous. The misunderstanding was corrected in the later map known as The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age, where only the name "Forodwaith" appears, labeling all the blank portion north of the Mountains of Angmar and the Grey Mountains.[6]

References

  1. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
  2. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
  3. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
  4. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
  5. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Mirror of Galadriel"
  6. ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Introduction", "The Map of Middle-earth"
Retrieved from "https://tolkiengateway.net/w/index.php?title=Northern_Waste&oldid=315030"