Greenway

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Matěj Čadil - Greenway

The North Road,[1][2] also called the North-South-Road[3], the Old South Road,[4] or later the Greenway by the Bree-folk,[1] was the part of the Great Road[5][6] from Fornost Erain to the western shore of the Fords of Isen.[7]

Course[edit | edit source]

The North Road ran from Fornost in the south of the North Downs southeast until it crossed the East Road just west of the village of Bree and then continued south through Andrath between the Barrow-downs and the South Downs, met a a road in Minhiriath that ran from the White Downs over Sarn Ford, then turned south-east and traversed the fens in the plains of Minhiriath on a long causewway until it crossed the river Gwathló at Tharbad,[8] continued on a long[8] raised[9] causeway across the fens in the plains[8] and then ascended to higher land in the centre and south-east of Enedwaith[9] until it turned west close to the southern end of the Misty Mountains and ran west to the western shore of the Fords of Isen.[10]

The part of the Great Road that ran from the eastern shore of the Fords of Isen[6] to the north gate of the Rammas Echor[11][12] was called the Great West Road,[13] the West Road[14] or the horse-road[15].

History[edit | edit source]

In the later Third Age after the division of Arnor into three realms it became lesser used. Use of the road virtually ended after the Great Plague and the Long Winter when Tharbad was abandoned and its bridge ruined, and the Old South Road to Dunland was mostly lost. The patch of the road around Bree-land became overgrown with grass because of disuse and so was called Greenway.[16][17][18]

Boromir took this road, crossing Tharbad but losing his horse, on his way to Rivendell. It is possible that the road was restored after the end of the War of the Ring.

See also[edit | edit source]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony", p. 150
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Ring Goes South", p. 274
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map], label "North-South-Road" left of the road in Enedwaith
  4. Christopher Tolkien, General Map of Middle-earth, label "Old South Road" right of the road in Enedwaith
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "(iii) Cirion and Eorl"
  6. 6.0 6.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Roads (2) (i)
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Greenway, "originally running from Isengard to Fornost", p. 31
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix D: The Port of Lond Daer", discussion of the name Glanduin
  9. 9.0 9.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen", "Appendix (ii)"
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry North-way, p. 635
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry north gate, p. 559
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor", label "Great West Road" above the road in the Eastfold
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate", p. 882
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Battles of the Fords of Isen", tenth paragraph
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "At the Sign of the Prancing Pony"
  17. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Ring Goes South"
  18. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index