 | |
| River | |
| Limlight | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Limlich, Limliht, Limlaith and Limhîr |
| Location | East of Fangorn Forest between the Field of Celebrant and The Wold |
| Type | River |
| Description | East-flowing tributary of the Anduin |
| People and History | |
| Events | Battle of the Field of Celebrant |
The Limlight was a river at the north of Rohan that ran through northern Fangorn and emptied into the Anduin.[1]
It formed the southern boundary of the Field of Celebrant, and was claimed by Celeborn and Galadriel of Lothlórien as the southern boundary of their realm.[2] It was also the historic northern border of Gondor,[3] and later of Rohan.[4]
History
In T.A. 2510[5] the Northern Army of Gondor had been driven by the Balchoth and Orcs across the Limlight. The men of Gondor were facing destruction when Eorl the Young, leading the Éothéod, fell upon the rear of the enemy and drove them southward with heavy losses over the Limlight into the Wold.[6]
Aragorn, at the behest of Gandalf, hunted and captured Gollum in 3017;[5] on his journey north to Thranduil they crossed the Limlight since Aragorn was taking a route west of the Great River.[7]
In February 3019[8] the Fellowship of the Ring floated past the mouth of the Limlight as they headed south upon the Anduin.[4]
Etymology
Limlight is a modernized form of the word Limliht from Rohanese.[9]
The first element of the name is from an alien Elvish or Pre-Númenórean form which was obscure in Westron. The second element refers to the clarity of its bright waters.[10]
Tolkien provided different explanations of the exact meaning and even languages used in the name, including Limlich, Limliht, Limlaith[11] and Limhîr.[12]
Portrayal in adaptations
2012: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- The Limlight River forms the southern border of "The Great River" region. It gives name to the "Limlight Gorge" on the northern bank, "Limlight Glade" on the Fangorn side, and the "Limlight Falls" through which is plummets below. The river then flows past "Stangard", a Rohirrim military town outside the borders of Rohan proper. It eventually joins the Anduin at the "Rushgore" marsh.
External links
- Musings on Limlight, a linguistic analysis of the river-name by Helios De Rosario Martínez and Javier Lorenzo Merino.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix C: The Boundaries of Lórien"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", (iii) Cirion and Eorl
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Third Age"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", (ii) The Ride of Eorl
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Hunt for the Ring"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part Three. The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants: I. Dark and Light", pp. 284–5, 379, 392
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 773
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", note 46
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, p. 337