Trollshaws

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Trollshaws
Forest
File:Robert Goldsmith - The Trollshaws.jpg
General Information
LocationEastern Eriador, west of Rivendell
TypeForest
DescriptionA wild forest on the north side of the East-West Road
RegionsArnor, Rhudaur
People and History
InhabitantsA few Trolls, if any
EventsThe Quest of Erebor

Trollshaws were the upland woods, consisting at least partly of beech trees, that lay to the west of Rivendell between the Rivers Hoarwell and Loudwater.[1] They were the haunt of Trolls, three of which famously waylaid Bilbo and his companions during the Quest of Erebor.[2] Years later, Frodo and his companions found them on the way to Rivendell,[3] but the Trolls, from the distractions of Gandalf, had been turned to stone by the sun.[2] On the hills of the Trollshaws were shallow caves, and on the top of some of the hills there were castles and towers that had been built by the Men of Rhudaur.[4]

It seems there were few if any Trolls that lived in the shaws by the late Third Age. They were probably driven back into the Ettenmoors (which was Troll country) to the north, by the Dúnedain Rangers and the Elves of Rivendell.

Portrayal in Adaptations

2001: Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring:

Trollshaws is where Arwen encounters Aragorn and the Hobbits - right near Old Bilbo's stone Trolls.

2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Trollshaws is one of main regions of the game, lasting from the Last Bridge to the valley of Rivendell. The river Bruinen plays a prominent role there, with both Bruinen Gorges and the hills of Tal Bruinen being important landmarks. This area is inhabited by dozens of non-playable characters, who are involved in hundreds of quests.

Etymology

Shaws is an archaic word meaning "thicket, wood".

The woods geographically belonged to where the ancient realm of Rhudaur used to be, and were perhaps named after it; Rhudaur means "troll-shaws" in Common Speech[5].

References