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Celegorm

2006-04-10T15:33:45Z

71.246.242.6: Corrected link

'''Celegorm the Fair''' was the third son of [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], most closely associated with another brother, [[Curufin]].

"Celegorm" was the [[Sindarin]] rendering of his [[Quenya]] mother name, "Tyelcormo", or "Hasty-riser" to describe his quick temper. His father name in [[Quenya]] was "Turcafinwë", or "Strong Finwë", meaning "strong-willed". ("Finwë" was a common family name among his House, it being the name of his grandfather [[Finwë]], patriarch of the House and the High King of the [[Ñoldor]].)

Celegorm was a great huntsman, and was a friend of the [[Valar|Vala]] [[Oromë]]. From Oromë he learned great skill of birds and beasts, and could understand a number of their languages. He had brought with him from [[Valinor]] the great hound [[Huan]], a gift from Oromë.

As with the other [[Sons of Fëanor]], Celegorm was bound by an [[Oath of Fëanor|oath]] to recover his father's [[Silmarils]], which had been stolen by the Dark Lord [[Morgoth]]. His oath took him and his brothers to Middle-earth during the [[First Age]] where they established realms in exile, waged war against the armies of Morgoth, fought their own Elvish kind, and eventually brought ruin upon themselves.

While he and his brother Curufin lived in [[Nargothrond]] they almost took it over at the departure of [[Finrod Felagund]]. They both had great influence, for both were great orators. They captured [[Lúthien Tinúviel]], daughter of King [[Thingol]] of [[Doriath]]. Celegorm wished to marry her, thus forcing a bond of kinship with Thingol. Huan, however, broke with his master and helped Lúthien escape. He was expelled from Nargothrond at the order of [[Orodreth]].

Celegorm fell in the Second Kinslaying, when the [[Sons of Fëanor]] attacked Doriath to seize a Silmaril in the possession of the Elvish King [[Dior Eluchíl|Dior]] the Beautiful of Doriath. Dior and Celegorm slew each other in the halls of [[Menegroth]].

[[Category:High Elves]]

Celegorm

2006-04-10T15:33:12Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Celegorm the Fair''' was the third son of [[Fëanor]] and [[Nerdanel]], most closely associated with another brother, [[Curufin]].

"Celegorm" was the [[Sindarin]] rendering of his [[Quenya]] mother name, "Tyelcormo", or "Hasty-riser" to describe his quick temper. His father name in [[Quenya]] was "Turcafinwë", or "Strong Finwë", meaning "strong-willed". ("Finwë" was a common family name among his House, it being the name of his grandfather [[Finwë]], patriarch of the House and the High King of the [[Ñoldor]].)

Celegorm was a great huntsman, and was a friend of the [[Valar|Vala]] [[Oromë]]. From Oromë he learned great skill of birds and beasts, and could understand a number of their languages. He had brought with him from [[Valinor]] the great hound [[Huan]], a gift from Oromë.

As with the other [[Sons of Fëanor]], Celegorm was bound by an [[Oath of Fëanor|oath]] to recover his father's [[Silmarils]], which had been stolen by the Dark Lord [[Morgoth]]. His oath took him and his brothers to Middle-earth during the [[First Age]] where they established realms in exile, waged war against the armies of Morgoth, fought their own Elvish kind, and eventually brought ruin upon themselves.

While he and his brother Curufin lived in [[Nargothrond]] they almost took it over at the departure of [[Finrod]] Felagund. They both had great influence, for both were great orators. They captured [[Lúthien Tinúviel]], daughter of King [[Thingol]] of [[Doriath]]. Celegorm wished to marry her, thus forcing a bond of kinship with Thingol. Huan, however, broke with his master and helped Lúthien escape. He was expelled from Nargothrond at the order of [[Orodreth]].

Celegorm fell in the Second Kinslaying, when the [[Sons of Fëanor]] attacked Doriath to seize a Silmaril in the possession of the Elvish King [[Dior Eluchíl|Dior]] the Beautiful of Doriath. Dior and Celegorm slew each other in the halls of [[Menegroth]].

[[Category:High Elves]]

Orodreth

2006-04-10T15:28:04Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Orodreth''' was an [[Elves|Elf]] of the [[First Age]], the son of [[Angrod]] and nephew of [[Finrod Felagund]], and a ruler of [[Nargothrond]].

His name in [[Quenya]] was '''Artaresto'''. Orodreth was born in [[Valinor]] to Angrod and '''Eldalôtë''', a [[Ñoldor]]in lady whose name in Sindarin became '''Edhellos'''. Together with [[Turgon]]'s daughter [[Idril]] he was one of the two Ñoldor in the third generation to come into exile. His father held Dorthonion, but Gil-galad was sent to the more safe Nargothrond with his uncle Finrod.

Orodreth held the isle of [[Minas Tirith]] in the vale of [[Sirion]] until [[Sauron]] overran the isle and turned it into [[Tol-in-Gaurhoth]]. Orodreth then fled south to Nargothrond.

When [[Beren]] came to Nargothrond, Finrod went with him on his quest for the [[Silmarils|Silmaril]]. However [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]] the [[Sons of Fëanor]] were also at Nargothrond, and forced Finrod to lay down his crown. Orodreth took it, ruling as regent, but the Sons of [[Fëanor]] held the real power. Curufin called him "a dullard slow" in the [[Lay of Leithian]], and with his brother Celegorm plotted to take over Nargothrond if news came of Finrod's death.

When news came that Finrod had been killed and Sauron's isle destroyed, the Sons of Fëanor lost their power, for the people cried out that a maiden [[Luthien]] had done what the Sons of Fëanor had not (thrown down Sauron). Orodreth, who regained his power, spared their lives but expelled from Nargothrond, and became its leader.

When [[Túrin Turambar]] arrived in Nargothrond he gradually became its leader, and Orodreth held no actual rule, even if he was still lord in name.

Orodreth had two children: ''[[Gil-galad]]'' and ''[[Finduilas]]'', and later died fighting the hosts of [[Morgoth]] and [[Glaurung]] the [[Dragons|Dragon]] in the [[Battle of Tumhalad]].

==Earlier versions of the legendarium==

In earlier versions of ''[[the Silmarillion]]'' legendarium as detailed in [[the History of Middle-earth]] series, Orodreth was a more important character, and the original king of Nargothrond. However his importance diminished over time.

In the published ''Silmarillion'', Orodreth is a son of Finarfin, with Quenya name '''Artanáro'''. This was an editorial decision by [[Christopher Tolkien]], and an admitted mistake. Gil-galad, later High King of the Ñoldor, was his son, but in the published Silmarillion Gil-galad is made into [[Fingon]]'s son instead. An earlier idea was that Orodreth's son was named '''Hallas''', but Gil-galad replaced him.

In his last writings, Tolkien changed Orodreth's name to '''Artaher''' (Quenya) / '''Arothir''' (Sindarin), but it was never introduced in any narratives, so Christopher Tolkien left the name Orodreth unchanged. It is probable the Sindarin name Orodreth would have been retained nonetheless: Tolkien seldom changed names after they had long been used, even if only in unpublished writings.

[[Category:High Elves]]

Orodreth

2006-04-10T15:27:12Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Orodreth''' was an [[Elves|Elf]] of the [[First Age]], the son of [[Angrod]] and nephew of [[Finrod Felagund]], and a ruler of [[Nargothrond]].

His name in [[Quenya]] was '''Artaresto'''. Orodreth was born in [[Valinor]] to Angrod and '''Eldalôtë''', a [[Ñoldor]]in lady whose name in Sindarin became '''Edhellos'''. Together with [[Turgon]]'s daughter [[Idril]] he was one of the two Ñoldor in the third generation to come into exile. His father held Dorthonion, but Gil-galad was sent to the more safe Nargothrond with his uncle Finrod.

Orodreth held the isle of [[Minas Tirith]] in the vale of [[Sirion]] until [[Sauron]] overran the isle and turned it into [[Tol-in-Gaurhoth]]. Orodreth then fled south to Nargothrond.

When [[Beren]] came to Nargothrond, Finrod went with him on his quest for the [[Silmarils|Silmaril]]. However [[Celegorm]] and [[Curufin]] the [[Sons of Fëanor]] were also at Nargothrond, and forced Finrod to lay down his crown. Orodreth took it, ruling as regent, but the Sons of [[Fëanor]] held the real power. Curufin called him "a dullard slow" in the [[Lay of Leithian]], and with his brother Celegorm plotted to take over Nargothrond if news came of Finrod's death.

When news came that Finrod had been killed, the Sons of Fëanor lost their power, for the people cried out that a maiden [[Luthien]] had done what the Sons of Fëanor had not (thrown down Sauron). Orodreth, who regained his power, spared their lives but expelled from Nargothrond, and became its leader.

When [[Túrin Turambar]] arrived in Nargothrond he gradually became its leader, and Orodreth held no actual rule, even if he was still lord in name.

Orodreth had two children: ''[[Gil-galad]]'' and ''[[Finduilas]]'', and later died fighting the hosts of [[Morgoth]] and [[Glaurung]] the [[Dragons|Dragon]] in the [[Battle of Tumhalad]].

==Earlier versions of the legendarium==

In earlier versions of ''[[the Silmarillion]]'' legendarium as detailed in [[the History of Middle-earth]] series, Orodreth was a more important character, and the original king of Nargothrond. However his importance diminished over time.

In the published ''Silmarillion'', Orodreth is a son of Finarfin, with Quenya name '''Artanáro'''. This was an editorial decision by [[Christopher Tolkien]], and an admitted mistake. Gil-galad, later High King of the Ñoldor, was his son, but in the published Silmarillion Gil-galad is made into [[Fingon]]'s son instead. An earlier idea was that Orodreth's son was named '''Hallas''', but Gil-galad replaced him.

In his last writings, Tolkien changed Orodreth's name to '''Artaher''' (Quenya) / '''Arothir''' (Sindarin), but it was never introduced in any narratives, so Christopher Tolkien left the name Orodreth unchanged. It is probable the Sindarin name Orodreth would have been retained nonetheless: Tolkien seldom changed names after they had long been used, even if only in unpublished writings.

[[Category:High Elves]]

Beleriand

2006-04-10T15:14:33Z

71.246.242.6:

{{quote|Beleriand, Beleriand / borders of the faëry land.|[[Lay of Leithian]]}}

{{Pronounce|Beleriand.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Beleriand''' was the region of northwestern [[Middle-earth]] during the [[First Age]]. Originally, the name belonged only to the area around the [[Bay of Balar]], but in time the name was applied to the entire land. The element ''Beler''/''Balar'' is believed to refer to the [[Maiar|Maia]] [[Ossë]], who often dwelt at the shores of Balar.

To the west and south it had a long shore with the Great Sea [[Belegaer]], to the north were the highland regions of [[Hithlum]], [[Dorthonion]] and the hills of [[Himring]], to the east the [[Ered Luin]] (Blue Mountains) reached nearly to the sea. The land of [[Nevrast]] in the northwest was sometimes considered part of Beleriand.

The River [[Sirion]], the chief river of Beleriand, running north to south, divided it into West Beleriand and East Beleriand. Crossing it east to west was a series of hills and a sudden drop in elevation known as Andram, the Long Wall. (The river sank into the ground at the ''Fens of Sirion'', and reemerged below the Andram at the ''Gates of Sirion''.) To the east of the Long Wall, was the River [[Gelion]] and its six tributaries draining the Ered Luin, in an area known as [[Ossiriand]] or the Land of Seven Rivers. The River Brethin and the River Nenning were the two lesser rivers of the western land of [[Falas]].

In the year 583 of the First Age, Beleriand was mostly destroyed by the [[War of Wrath]] of the [[Valar]] against [[Morgoth]]. Only a small section of East Beleriand remained, and was known as [[Lindon]]. (There is however, some evidence that other parts of it still remained into the [[Second Age]] but were completely destroyed with the downfall of [[Númenor]].)

In addition, fulfilling a prophecy, the graves of [[Túrin Turambar]] and [[Morwen]] survived as the island Tol Morwen. Likewise part of [[Dorthonion]] became Tol Fuin, and the [[Hill of Himring]] became the island of Himling. All of these together were known as the Western Isles.

Regions and kingdoms of Beleriand:
* [[Arvernien]]
* [[Forest of Brethil]]
* [[Dimbar]]
* [[Doriath]]
* [[Estolad]]
* [[Falas]]
* [[Himlad]]
* [[Nan-tathren]] (Land of Willows)
* [[Talath Dirnen]] (Guarded Plain)
* [[Taur-en-Faroth]] (Forest of the Hunters)
* [[Taur-im-Duinath]]
* [[Thargelion]]
* [[Ossiriand]] or [[Lindon]]

Cities of Beleriand:
* [[Belegost]]
* [[Brithombar]]
* [[Eglarest]]
* [[Gondolin]]
* [[Himring]]
* [[Menegroth]]
* [[Nargothrond]]
* [[Nogrod]]
* [[Vinyamar]]

----

Beleriand had many different names in Tolkien's early writings (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''): '''[[Broceliand]]''', '''[[Broseliand]]''', '''[[Golodhinand]]''', '''[[Noldórinan]]''', '''[[Geleriand]]''', '''[[Bladorinand]]''', '''[[Belaurien]]''', '''[[Arsiriand]]''', '''[[Lassiriand]]''', '''[[Ossiriand]]''' (the latter was later used as a name for another realm).

[[Category:Realms]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Beleriand

2006-04-10T15:13:42Z

71.246.242.6:

{{quote|Beleriand, Beleriand / borders of the faëry land.|[[Gildor]], [[Three is Company]], [[The Fellowship of the Ring]]}}

{{Pronounce|Beleriand.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Beleriand''' was the region of northwestern [[Middle-earth]] during the [[First Age]]. Originally, the name belonged only to the area around the [[Bay of Balar]], but in time the name was applied to the entire land. The element ''Beler''/''Balar'' is believed to refer to the [[Maiar|Maia]] [[Ossë]], who often dwelt at the shores of Balar.

To the west and south it had a long shore with the Great Sea [[Belegaer]], to the north were the highland regions of [[Hithlum]], [[Dorthonion]] and the hills of [[Himring]], to the east the [[Ered Luin]] (Blue Mountains) reached nearly to the sea. The land of [[Nevrast]] in the northwest was sometimes considered part of Beleriand.

The River [[Sirion]], the chief river of Beleriand, running north to south, divided it into West Beleriand and East Beleriand. Crossing it east to west was a series of hills and a sudden drop in elevation known as Andram, the Long Wall. (The river sank into the ground at the ''Fens of Sirion'', and reemerged below the Andram at the ''Gates of Sirion''.) To the east of the Long Wall, was the River [[Gelion]] and its six tributaries draining the Ered Luin, in an area known as [[Ossiriand]] or the Land of Seven Rivers. The River Brethin and the River Nenning were the two lesser rivers of the western land of [[Falas]].

In the year 583 of the First Age, Beleriand was mostly destroyed by the [[War of Wrath]] of the [[Valar]] against [[Morgoth]]. Only a small section of East Beleriand remained, and was known as [[Lindon]]. (There is however, some evidence that other parts of it still remained into the [[Second Age]] but were completely destroyed with the downfall of [[Númenor]].)

In addition, fulfilling a prophecy, the graves of [[Túrin Turambar]] and [[Morwen]] survived as the island Tol Morwen. Likewise part of [[Dorthonion]] became Tol Fuin, and the [[Hill of Himring]] became the island of Himling. All of these together were known as the Western Isles.

Regions and kingdoms of Beleriand:
* [[Arvernien]]
* [[Forest of Brethil]]
* [[Dimbar]]
* [[Doriath]]
* [[Estolad]]
* [[Falas]]
* [[Himlad]]
* [[Nan-tathren]] (Land of Willows)
* [[Talath Dirnen]] (Guarded Plain)
* [[Taur-en-Faroth]] (Forest of the Hunters)
* [[Taur-im-Duinath]]
* [[Thargelion]]
* [[Ossiriand]] or [[Lindon]]

Cities of Beleriand:
* [[Belegost]]
* [[Brithombar]]
* [[Eglarest]]
* [[Gondolin]]
* [[Himring]]
* [[Menegroth]]
* [[Nargothrond]]
* [[Nogrod]]
* [[Vinyamar]]

----

Beleriand had many different names in Tolkien's early writings (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''): '''[[Broceliand]]''', '''[[Broseliand]]''', '''[[Golodhinand]]''', '''[[Noldórinan]]''', '''[[Geleriand]]''', '''[[Bladorinand]]''', '''[[Belaurien]]''', '''[[Arsiriand]]''', '''[[Lassiriand]]''', '''[[Ossiriand]]''' (the latter was later used as a name for another realm).

[[Category:Realms]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Haradrim

2006-04-06T15:46:51Z

71.246.242.6:

The proud and warlike people of the [[Harad]], in the south of [[Middle-earth]]. The ancient enemies of [[Gondor]], they allied with [[Sauron]] during the [[War of the Ring]]. Tolkien provides a description of one of the dead in [[the Lord of the Rings]]:

'':...a man fell, crashing through the slender trees, nearly on top of them [[[Frodo]] and [[Sam]]]. He came to rest in the fern a few feet away, face downward, green arrow-feathers sticking from his neck below a golden collar. His scarlet robes were tattered, his corslet of overlapping brazen plates was rent and hewn, his black plaits of hair braided with gold were drenched with blood. His brown had still clutched the hilt of a broken sword...''

Imrahil

2006-04-06T15:36:48Z

71.246.242.6: Added Quote

{{Pronounce|Imrahil.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Imrahil''' was the twenty-second Prince of [[Dol Amroth]]. He had two older sisters, [[Ivriniel]] and [[Finduilas of Dol Amroth|Finduilas]].

During the [[War of the Ring]], on March 9, 3019, Prince Imrahil led a company of [[Swan Knight]]s and 700 men at arms to [[Minas Tirith]] to help defend the City. Prince Imrahil led the sortie that rode to the aid of [[Faramir]] and the rear-guard who were retreating from [[Osgiliath]] when the forces of [[Sauron]] overran the [[Pelennor Fields]] on March 13. [[Gandalf]] rode with them, and the Winged [[Nazgûl]] fled before him. The [[Knights of Dol Amroth]] rescued [[Faramir]] from the [[Southrons]]. Faramir was poisoned, and Imrahil carried his nephew back to the City on his horse. Gandalf then took command of the besieged city and Prince Imrahil assisted him, because Denethor in his madness retreated to the White Tower with his dying son, and forgot about the city.

While paying his respect to the procession bearing the body of King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]] at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]] on March 15, Imrahil noticed that the [[Rohirrim]] also bore the body of [[Éowyn]]. He perceived that she was still alive and he sent a man to the City for help.

[[Éomer]] and his Riders were outnumbered, but Imrahil then rode into battle, and he came to their aid. Shortly after, [[Aragorn]] arrived in the black ships of the Corsairs, and the tide of the battle was turned. After the Pelennor fields had been cleared, Aragorn, Éomer and Imrahil rode to the Gate of Minas Tirith.

Imrahil recognized that Aragorn was the rightful King, but he agreed that it was wise for Aragorn to wait to enter the city, because Imrahil knew his brother-in-law [[Denethor]] was strong-willed and proud. When Imrahil learned that Denethor was dead and Faramir dying, he suggested that Aragorn be summoned, remembering that the Kings of old were great healers. Aragorn came at Gandalf's request to heal the wounded Faramir, Éowyn and [[Meriadoc Brandybuck|Merry]], but he declared that Prince Imrahil should rule the City until Faramir awoke, in effect granting Imrahil the position of Steward.

During the debate of the Captains of the West, Gandalf proposed that they march to the [[Black Gate]] to distract Sauron's attention from [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] the Ring-bearer. Imrahil said that he would follow his liege Aragorn, but since Minas Tirith was under his command the Prince advised that some should remain to defend the City. In the end it was decided that an army of 7,000 would ride forth. Imrahil laughed and said:
<blockquote>''"Surely this is the greatest jest in all the history of Gondor: that we should ride with seven thousands, scarce as many as the vanguard of its army in the days of its power, to assail the mountains and the impenetrable gate of the Black Land! So might a child threaten a mail-clad knight with a bow of string and green willow!"'' ([[The Return of the King]]: "The Last Debate")</blockquote>

The Host of the West left Minas Tirith on March 18. Bypassing [[Minas Morgul]] and marching north, the heralds announced the coming of King Elessar at Imrahil's advice. When Sauron's forces emerged from the Black Gate on March 25, Imrahil stood on the front line with his men. They fought the [[Battle of the Morannon]] (Black Gate) until the [[One Ring]] was destroyed.

Prince Imrahil was present at the celebrations of the field of Cormallen, and the coronation of Aragorn as King Elessar, and rode with the funeral procession of King Théoden to Rohan, remaining in [[Edoras]] after the King's burial on August 10. Imrahil and Éomer became great friends, and in [[Third Age|T.A.]] 3021 Éomer wed Imrahil's daughter [[Lothíriel]].

After the War of the Ring, Prince Imrahil and his nephew Prince Faramir were King Elessar's chief commanders. Imrahil was also part of the Great Council of Gondor, and remained an advisor of the King.

Following is one little-known quote at the Last Debate that Tolkien did not put in the final version of Lord of the Rings:

:“…Than what is the use of this Ring?” said Imrahil
:“Victory,” said Hurin. “At least we should have won the war, and not this foul lord of Mordor.”
:“So might many a brave knight of the Mark or the Realm speak,” said Imrahil. “But surely more wisdom is required of lords in council. Victory is in itself worthless. Unless Gondor stands for some good, then let it not stand at all; and if Mordor doth not stand for some evil that we will not brook in Mordor or out of it, then let it triumph.”

Prince Imrahil died in the year 34 of the [[Fourth Age]], and was succeed by his eldest son Elphir, who continued the line of Princes.

[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Éomer

2006-04-06T15:33:22Z

71.246.242.6:

Son of [[Éomund]], nephew of King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]]. He became [[Lord of the Mark]] after Théoden fell at the [[Battle of Pelennor Fields]]. He was a great friend of the [[Aragorn II|King Elessar]], and a primary player in the [[War of the Ring]].

[[Category:Rohan]][[Category:Men]]

Éomer

2006-04-06T15:32:39Z

71.246.242.6:

Théoden

2006-04-06T14:24:21Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Théoden''' was the seventeenth [[King of Rohan]], and last of the Second Line.

Théoden was the oldest son of [[Thengel]], and became king after the death of his father in [[Third Age|T.A.]] 2980. Théoden spoke [[Sindarin]] and [[Westron]] rather than [[Rohirric]], and in his youth spent time in [[Gondor]].

His sister [[Théodwyn]] lived with him in [[Edoras]], and after she and her husband both died he adopted her children [[Éomer]] and [[Éowyn]] as his own. He had a son, [[Théodred]], whose mother [[Elfhild]] died in childbirth. In one of Tolkien's early drafts, Théoden also had a daughter by the name of Idis, but she was eventually removed when her character was eclipsed by that of Éowyn.

By the time of the [[War of the Ring]], Théoden had been king for nearly 30 years, and was getting old and tired. He was increasingly misled by his chief advisor [[Gríma Wormtongue|Gríma]] (or ''Wormtongue'' as most others in the [[Mark]] called him), who was secretly in the employ of [[Saruman|Saruman the White]]; Gríma may even have been poisoning his lord. He also had a minstrel called [[Gleowine]].

In the last years before the War of the Ring, Théoden let his rule slip out of his hands, and Gríma became increasingly powerful. Rohan was troubled again by [[Orcs]] and [[Dunlendings]], who operated under the will of Saruman, ruling from [[Isengard]].

When Théodred was mortally wounded at a [[Battles of the Fords of Isen|battle at the Fords of Isen]] with the Orcs of Saruman, his nephew Éomer became his heir. Éomer was out of favour with Wormtongue, however, and was eventually arrested.

When [[Gandalf the White]] and [[Aragorn]] appeared before him, Théoden initially rebuffed Gandalf's advice to ride out against Saruman, but after being healed by the [[Wizards|wizard]], he restored his nephew, took up his [[Herugrim|sword]], and led the [[Rohirrim|Riders of Rohan]] into [[Battle of the Hornburg|battle at Helm's Deep]]. After this he became known as '''Théoden Ednew''', the Renewed, because he had thrown off the yoke of Saruman.

He led the Rohirrim to the aid of Gondor at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]. In that battle he challenged the [[Black Serpent]] of the [[Haradrim]], and slew him and his standard-bearer. The [[Witch-king of Angmar|Witch-King]] of the Nine [[Nazgûl|Ringwraiths]] attacked him, and was mortally wounded when his horse [[Snowmane]] fell upon him after being frightened by the Ringwraith's [[Fell beasts|Fell beast]]. He was immediately avenged by Éowyn and the [[Hobbit]] [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], both of whom had ridden to war in secret. He claimed to Merry at his death on the field that he was satisfied, for he had felled the Black Serpent.

In Tolkien's fictional etymology, the name ''Théoden'' is a translation of the original Rohirric '''''Tûrac''''', an old word for King, showing influence from the [[Elvish]] stem ''tur-'' ("power/mastery"), also present in [[Turgon]] and related names. The name is probably taken from the Anglo-Saxon word "þeoden", meaning "lord". It is related to the Old Norse word ''þjóðann'', meaning "leader of the people" (i.e. "King"). Théoden's sword was called ''Herugrim''.

==Portrayal in adaptations==
In [[Ralph Bakshi]]'s 1978 animated version of ''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of the Rings]]'', the voice of Théoden was provided by Philip Stone. Théoden also appears in [[Rankin/Bass]]'s attempt to complete the story left unfinished by Bakshi in their television adaptation of ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'', but does not speak; his death is narrated by [[John Huston]] as Gandalf.

In the 1981 BBC Radio 4 [[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)|version of ''The Lord of the Rings'']] , Théoden's death is described in song rather than dramatised conventionally, which tends to lessen its impact. In this adaption he is voiced by [[Jack May]] of ''The Archers'' fame.

[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers]] (2002) film deviates from Tolkien's story by having Théoden (played by [[Bernard Hill]]) actually possessed by Saruman rather than simply deceived by Gríma. He then goes to [[Helm's Deep]] to take his people to safety rather than to make a stand against the enemy. In [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]] (2003), Théoden is aware of Éowyn's presence at his death, whereas in the book he says his farewells to Merry and does not know that Éowyn is also there.

[[Category:Rohirrim]]
[[Category:Men]]

Menegroth

2006-04-05T20:55:42Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Menegroth''', the 'Thousand Caves', was the city in the land of [[Doriath]] which was home to king [[Thingol]] and queen [[Melian]] of the [[Sindar]]in people. It was there that [[Thingol]] was slain by the Dwarven craftsmen of [[Nogrod]]. It was later sacked by the [[sons of Fëanor]] in pursuit of the one of the [[Silmarils]] to have left [[Morgoth]]'s iron crown prior to the [[War of Wrath]]. This description can be found in the [[Lay of Leithian]]:

:…through corridors of carven dread
:whose turns were lit by lanterns hunt
:or flames from torches that were flung
:on dragons hewn in the cold stone
:with jewelled eyes and teeth of bone.
:Then sudden, deep beneath the earth
:the silences with silver mirth
:were shaken and the rocks were ringing,
:the birds of Melian were singing;
:and wide the ways of shadow spread
:as into arched halls she led
:[[Beren]] in wonder. There a light
:like day immortal and like night
:of stars unclouded, shone and gleamed.
:A vault of topless trees it seemed,
:whose trunks of carven stone there stood
:like towers of an enchanted wood
:in magic fast for ever bound,
:bearing a roof whose branches wound
:in endless tracery of green
:lit by some leaf-imprisoned sheen
:of moon and sun, and wrought of gems,
:and each leaf hung on golden stems.
: Lo! there amid immortal flowers
:the nightingales in shining bowers
:sang o’er the head of Melian,
:while water for ever dripped and ran
:from fountains in the rocky floor.
:There Thingol sat. His crown he wore
:of green and silver, and round his chair
:a host in gleaming armor fair…

::excerpt, ''Lay of Leithian''

Tol Sirion

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71.246.242.6:

The island on the upper reaches of the River [[Sirion]] where [[Finrod Felagund]] built the tower of [[Minas Tirith]], renamed [[Tol-in-Gaurhoth]] (Isle of the Werewolves) after its capture by [[Sauron]]. It was called Wizard's Isle in the [[Lay of Leithian]].

Eärendil the Mariner

2006-04-05T20:30:05Z

71.246.242.6:

{{Pronounce|Earendil.mp3|Ardamir}}

:Eärendil was a mariner
:that tarried in [[Arvernien]]
:he built a boat of timber felled
:in [[Nimbrethil]] to journey in...
:...In panoply of ancient kings
:in chained rings they armored him
:his shining shield was scored with runes
:to ward all wounds and harm from him
:his bow was made of dragon-horn
:his arrows shorn of ebony
:of silver was his habergeon
:his scabbard of chalcedony
:his sword of steel was valiant
:of adamant his helmet tall
:an eagle-plume upon his crest
:upon his breast an emerald

::''Eärendil, by Bilbo Baggins''

'''Eärendil''' the Mariner is one of the most important figures in the mythology, a great seafarer who carries a star across the sky. His story is found in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', and there are several references to him throughout ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

== Etymology ==
''Eärendil'' is a [[Quenya]] name, meaning 'Lover of the Sea'. However, Tolkien created the name based on Old English literature. Tolkien's himself states (''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|Letters]], 297'') that the name is derived from [[Anglo-Saxon]] ''éarendel''. He says that he was struck by the "great beauty" of the name as early as 1913, which he perceived as

:''entirely coherent with the normal style of A-S, but euphonic to a peculiar degree in that pleasing but not 'delectable' language.''

There is a poem by Tolkien dated to 1914 entitled ''The Voyage of Eärendel the Evening Star'' (published in [[The Book of Lost Tales Part 2|HoME 2]] 267–269). Tolkien was also aware of the name's Germanic cognates ([[Old Norse]] ''Aurvandill'', Lombardic ''Auriwandalo''), and the question why the Anglo-Saxon one rather than the Lombardic or Proto-Germanic form should be taken up in the mythology is alluded to in ''[[The Notion Club Papers]]''. The Old Norse together with the Anglo-Saxon evidence point to an astronomical myth, the name referring to a star, or a group of stars, and the Anglo-Saxon in particular points to the [[Morning Star]] as the herald of the rising Sun (in ''Crist'' christianized to refer to John the Baptist).

Tolkien was particularly inspired by the lines in ''Crist'',
:''éala éarendel engla beorhtast / ofer middangeard monnum sended''
:"Hail Earendel, brightest of angels, sent over Middle-earth to men."
which can be taken as the inspiration not only for the role of Earendil in Tolkien's work, but also for the term [[Middle-earth]] (translating ''Middangeard'') for the inhabitable lands (c.f. [[Midgard]]).

The first line is paralleled by [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]]'s exclamation in [[Cirith Ungol]], ''Aiya Eärendil Elenion Ancalima!'' which in [[Quenya]], and translates to "Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars." Frodo's exclamation was in reference to the 'Star-glass' he carried, which contained the light of Eärendil's star, the [[Silmarils|Silmaril]].

== Biography ==
The son of [[Tuor]] and [[Idril]] daughter of [[Turgon]], Eärendil was raised as a child in [[Gondolin]]. When Eärendil was seven years old, he escaped the sack of Gondolin with his parents, living afterwards in [[Arvernien]] by the mouth of [[Sirion]]. Eärendil later became the leader of the people who lived there, and married [[Elwing]], daughter of [[Dior Eluchíl|Dior]] the son of [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]] and [[Lúthien Tinúviel|Lúthien]]. They had two sons, [[Elrond]] and [[Elros]].

With the aid of [[Círdan]] the Shipwright, Eärendil built a ship, ''[[Vingilótë]]'' (or ''Vingilot''), which is [[Quenya]] for ''foam-flower''. He sailed this often around the seas west of Middle-earth, leaving his wife behind in Arvernien. At this time Elwing had in her possession the Silmaril that Beren had wrested from [[Morgoth]]. News of this came to the sons of [[Fëanor]] that were still living, and they attacked the people living in Arvernien, and slew most of them. But Elwing, rather than be captured, threw herself with the Silmaril into the sea. The Silmaril was not lost, however. According to ''The Silmarillion'':

<blockquote>For [[Ulmo]] bore up Elwing out of the waves, and he gave her the likeness of a great white bird, and upon her breast there shone as a star the Silmaril, as she flew over the water to seek Eärendil her beloved. On a time of night Eärendil at the helm of his ship saw her come towards him, as a white cloud exceeding swift beneath the moon, as a star over the sea moving in strange courses, a pale flame on wings of storm. And it is sung that she fell from the air upon the timbers of Vingilot, in a swoon, nigh unto death for the urgency of her speed, and Eärendil took her to his bosom; but in the morning with marvelling eyes he beheld his wife in her own form beside him with her hair upon his face, and she slept.</blockquote>

Hearing of the tragedy that had befallen in Arvernien, Eärendil then sought after [[Valinor]], and he and Elwing found their way there at last. Eärendil thus became the first of all mortals to set foot in Valinor. Eärendil then went before the [[Valar]], and asked them for aid for Men and Elves in Middle-earth, to fight against Morgoth; and the Valar accepted his plea.

Because Eärendil had undertaken this errand on behalf of Men and Elves, and not for his own sake, [[Manwë]] forbore to deal out the punishment of death that was due; and because both Eärendil and Elwing were descended from a union of Elves and Men, Manwë granted to them and their sons the gift to choose to which race they would be joined (a gift that was further passed to the children of Elrond, who became known as the [[Half-elven]]). Elwing chose to be one of the Elves. Eärendil would have rather been one of the Men; however, for the sake of his wife, he chose to be one of the Elves.
''The Silmarilion'' says this:

<blockquote>Now when first Vingilot was set to sail in the seas of heaven, it rose unlooked for, glittering and bright; and the people of Middle-earth beheld it from afar and wondered, and they took it for a sign, and called it Gil-Estel, the Star of High Hope.</blockquote>

The Valar, having listened to Eärendil's plea, went with a mighty host to Middle-earth, and overthrew Morgoth,
and bound him. Eärendil took part in the battle, riding on Vingilot beside [[Thorondor]] and the Eagles. It was his blow that slew the great dragon [[Ancalagon]] and cast it down onto [[Thangorodrim]], the event which, along with the sheer devastation caused by the [[War of Wrath]], led to the Ruin of [[Beleriand]].

[[Category:Half-elven]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Eärendil the Mariner

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Uncommon words

2006-04-05T20:21:30Z

71.246.242.6: added "tors"

Many uncommon, archaic, and obsolete words are found in [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s works. At present the definition of these can be confusing and leads to misunderstanding the statement presented by Tolkien. The solution is to list any words that might not be recognized by readers:

:(''Page numbers refer to The History of Middle-earth Volume I: The Book of Lost Tales, Part I'')

: '''abide''' - put up with, tolerate; await;
: '''abjure''' - renounce, turn away from
: '''abroad''' - in the open, at large
: '''adamant''' - diamond, or (more generally) any very hard substance
: '''afield''' - away, especially from home
: '''aforetime''' - in earlier times
: '''aghast''' - terrified, amazed
: '''agin''' - a dialect word meaning 'against', 'next to'
: '''amiss''' - not as things should be
: '''an''' - if, 63, 155, 165, 171, 183, 201, 204, 211, 221, 235
: '''anon''' - soon; ever and anon often
: '''apace''' - quickly
: '''argent''' - silver
: '''arrassed''' - covered with arras (rich figured tapestry), 6
: '''assuage''' - soften, lessen, soothe
: '''astonied''' - stunned, astonished, 124, 207
: '''aught''' - anything
: '''bade''' - old past tense of 'bid', pronounced 'bad'
: '''baldric''' - a shoulder-belt for carrying horns, swords, etc
: '''bannock''' - flat bread-cake
: '''barrel''' - the long, cylindrical part of a key
: '''baseborn''' - ignoble, illegitimate
: '''bason''' formerly a common spelling of basin, 182 etc.
: '''bay''' - (of a dog) bark or howl
: '''bebother''' - bring trouble upon
: '''befall''' - happen, occur
: '''belie''' - give a false impression
: '''benighted''' - in, or overtaken by, darkness
: '''bent''' - open place covered with grass, 27
: '''beset''' - attacked, assaulted by enemies
: '''besom''' - a stiff broom made out of sticks and twigs
: '''besotted''' - made drunk
: '''besotted'''2 - obsessed, entranced
: '''besought''' - old past tense of beseech
: '''bier''' - platform for carrying a coffin or body
: '''billow''' - (large) wave
: '''bivouac''' - temporary camp, without tents
: '''blazoned''' - painted or inscribed (an heraldic term)
: '''bond''' - storage of wine, etc, until duty has been paid; out of bond released from this
: '''booby''' - stupid person
: '''boon''' - favour, gift
: '''brakes''' thickets, 113
: '''brazen''' - made of brass
: '''brood''' - children
: '''brood'''2 - related creatures
: '''brook''' - tolerate, accept
: '''buckler''' - a small round shield, held in one hand
: '''bulwark''' - a defensive structure
: '''burg''' - a fortress, or a fortified town
: '''burgeon''' - come forth, bud, begin to grow quickly
: '''burnished''' - polished
: '''cairn''' - a mound of stones or rocks, used as a marker, memorial or tomb
: '''carcanet''' - jewelled necklace
: '''carouse''' - drink heavily
: '''carven''' - old form of 'carved'
: '''cataract''' - waterfall
: '''cesspool''' - a pool of waste-water or sewage
: '''chalcedony''' - a precious form of quartz: onyx, agate and cornelian are all types of chalcedony
: '''champ''' - (of a horse) munch on the bit, showing eagerness
: '''charger''' large dish, 214
: '''chime''' - agree with, be in harmony with
: '''circlet''' - a thin band of precious metal, worn on the head
: '''clamant''' - clamorous, noisy, 37
: '''clave''' - old past tense of cleave, in the sense 'stick, adhere'
: '''clomb''' - old past tense of climb, 132
: '''cloven''' - split into two
: '''coëval''' - born at the same time
: '''cob''' - spider (the name survives in the term 'cobweb')
: '''coffer''' - strongbox, especially for holding valuables
: '''comely''' - pleasant-looking
: '''commons''' - shared food; short commons insufficient food
: '''compass''' - accomplish, achieve
: '''conclave''' - a meeting, or the place where a meeting is held
: '''concourse''' - large group of people; crowd
: '''confines''' - borders; borderlands
: '''confusticate''' - a nonsense word, probably not intended to have a meaning (though its Latin roots can be interpreted 'beat with a cudgel')
: '''constellate''' formed into a constellation, 218
: '''cools''' - coolnesses, 75
: '''cony''' - rabbit
: '''coomb''' - short valley in the side of a hill or mountain
: '''coop''' - cage, imprison
: '''corbel''' basket, 208
: '''corslet''' - a piece of armour covering the body, but not the arms or legs
: '''cot''' - a small shelter; the origin of the word 'cottage'
: '''counsels''' - words of advice
: '''covet''' - be jealous of, desire
: '''covetice''' - (inordinate) desire, 126; covetousness, 161-2
: '''cozen''' - lie to, cheat, deceive
: '''craven''' - coward
: '''crocks''' - items of crockery: plates, dishes, etc.
: '''culvert''' - a channel carrying water beneath a thoroughfare
: '''cumbrous''' - awkward, inconvenient
: '''cunning-handed''' - deft, artful, dexterous
: '''curdle''' - turn sour
: '''dainty''' - morsel, delicacy
: '''damask''' - steel and iron specially welded to make a serpentine pattern
: '''darkling''' - dark (poetical)
: '''daunt''' - intimidate
: '''declaim''' - speak or recite passionately
: '''deem''' - consider, conclude
: '''defile''' - ruin, corrupt
: '''defray''' - pay for
: '''dell''' - small valley
: '''descry''' - catch sight of, especially something difficult to see
: '''devices''' - things, especially situations, devised or engineered
: '''dingle''' - deep hollow, usually shaded with trees
: '''dissemble''' - hide one's true intentions
: '''divers''' - numerous and various
: '''dolven''' - delved, dug out
: '''doom''' - fate (as opposed to modern usage, doom in this sense is not necessarily bad)
: '''dotard''' - a person who has lost their wits, especially through old age
: '''doughty''' - strong, powerful
: '''draught''' - drawing or pulling force
: '''draught'''2 - a drink drawn from a barrel or storage jar
: '''drear''' - dismal, gloomy
: '''dregs''' - sediment found at the bottom of wine, tea, etc. To 'drink to the dregs' is to completely drain a cup or (metaphorically) fully involve oneself
: '''dry''' - (of bricks or stone) laid without mortar
: '''durstn't''' - dare not
: '''dwimmer-crafty''' - skilled in the arts of magic
: '''eaves''' - the fringe of a forest (from the resemblance of the overhanging forest canopy to the eaves of a house)
: '''eld''' - old age, 57, 247, 258
: '''ell''' - a measure of length, usually equivalent to 45 inches or 114 cm
: '''embattled''' - of a fortress, having battlements
: '''embattled'''2 - of an army, fortified against attack (this is the dictionary definition, but in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien's usage seems to mean simply 'in battle')
: '''embrasure''' - bevelled door or window frame cut into a wall
: '''encompass''' - surround
: '''ere''' - before
: '''errantry''' - journeying in search of adventure
: '''espy''' - catch sight of
: '''essay''' - attempt
: '''esteem''' - consider to be of worth; esteem too lightly underestimate
: '''et''' - a variation of 'ate', common in British rural dialects
: '''etten''' - eaten - see 'et'
: '''ewer''' - large, wide-mouthed water jug
: '''eyot''' - a small island, especially found in a river
: '''faggot''' - bundle of sticks used as firewood
: '''fain''' gladly, 41, 166; disposed, desirous, 218; fain of well-pleased with, 126, 235
: '''falter''' - waver, lose courage
: '''fane''' temple, 33, 37
: '''fare''' - travel, go on a journey
: '''fastness''' - secure fortress
: '''fawn''' - cringe, grovel
: '''fealty''' - allegiance and service to a lord
: '''feign''' - pretend
: '''fell''' - merciless, terrifying
: '''fell'''2 - animal's hide
: '''fell'''3 - moorland hill
: '''fender''' - a metal frame placed around a fireplace
: '''fetter''' - chain, shackle
: '''fey''' - 31. The old senses were ‘fated, approaching death; presaging death’. It seems very unlikely that the later sense ‘possessing or displaying magical, fairylike, or unearthly qualities’ (O.E.D. Supplement) was intended.
: '''figured''' - marked with drawings or writing
: '''firth''' - An inlet of the sea at a wide river estuary
: '''flagon''' - large jug or mug, usually used to hold wine or beer
: '''flammifer''' - in Latin, flammifer means 'fiery', but Tolkien's usage is likely meant to suggest 'flame-bearer', as a reference to the blazing Silmaril borne by Eärendil.
: '''flank''' - the exposed side of an attacking or marching army
: '''flittermice''' - bats, 34
: '''flotsam''' - floating wreckage; flotsam and jetsam items washed up by the sea, or a flood (also used figuratively)
: '''flummoxed''' - bewildered, disconcerted
: '''footpad''' - a thief (historically, a 'footpad' was a highwayman who had no horse)
: '''forbear''' - hold back from
: '''forebode''' - foresee (especially something that is evil)
: '''forespeak''' - foretell, predict
: '''foreswear''' - swear not to do something
: '''forgo''' - let go, do without
: '''forlorn''' - abandoned, desolate
: '''forsake''' - desert, turn away from (the past tense is forsook)
: '''forsooth''' - in truth, actually
: '''fortnight''' - a period of two weeks
: '''fosse''' - a defensive trench or ditch
: '''founder''' - sink, after taking on water
: '''fraught''' - full (of)
: '''freshet''' - a stream, or (strictly) a flood of fresh water
: '''furlong''' - one eighth of a mile (220 yards), or about one fifth of a kilometre
: '''gaffer''' - a word meaning both 'old man' and 'foreman': its use as the nickname of Hamfast Gamgee is probably mean to combine both meanings.
: '''gainsay''' - contradict
: '''gallop''' - boil and bubble
: '''game''' - crippled
: '''gammer''' - old woman
: '''garth''' - an enclosed garden or yard
: '''ghyll''' - deep ravine
: '''gibbet''' - A gallows built to display the body of an executed criminal
: '''gimlet''' - A sharp boring tool, similar in general design to a corkscrew; see like gimlets see sharply
: '''girdle''' - belt or cord used especially to confine clothing
: '''girdle'''2 - something which surrounds or encircles; girdle of Arda the central regions of Arda, equidistant from the far north and south
: '''girt''' - bound or attached with a belt
: '''glede''' - burning coal or cinder
: '''gloaming''' - the twilight of evening
: '''glower''' - scowl, frown
: ''go'' - move, in the phrase all the creatures that go 247
: '''goggle''' - stare with round eyes
: '''graven''' - engraved, carved
: '''greened''' - made green from the mosses and lichens on a tree's trunk
: '''grot''' - old form of 'grotto'; an ornamental or picturesque cavern
: '''guileful''' - treacherous, deceitful
: '''gunwale''' - the top edge of a boat's side, pronounced (and sometimes spelt) 'gunnel'
: '''habergeon''' - a mail-coat without sleeves
: '''hale''' - robust, strong of body
: '''hame''' - hide, pelt
: '''hang''' - to leave food, especially game, in the open until it becomes 'high' or tender
: '''harbour''' - succour, assistance
: '''hardly''' - with great difficulty
: '''hardly'''2 - only just
: '''harry''' - ravage
: '''haste''' - hurry, rush
: '''hauberk''' - mail-coat
: '''headstall''' - a covering for a horse's head, used as an alternative to bridle and bit
: '''hearken''' - listen, pay attention
: '''heed''' - thought, consideration
: '''heedless''' - careless of danger
: '''hence''' - from here
: '''hew''' - chop, slice
: '''hither''' - to here, to this place; hither and thither in various directions
: '''hither'''2 - nearer, closer
: '''hoar''' - grey- or white-haired
: '''hobble''' - limp, walk with difficulty
: '''hock''' - the middle joint of a horse's or pony's leg
: '''houseleek''' - a fleshy plant that grows on the walls and roofs of houses, 101
: '''hue''' - form or shape
: '''hummock''' - a small hill or knoll (in The Lord of the Rings, 'hummock' is used metaphorically to describe the shape made by the palantír beneath Gandalf's cloak)
: '''hunter's moon''' - the full moon of mid- to late October
: '''hythe''' - a small harbour or haven, especially on a river
: '''ill''' - evil, wrong
: '''inaureoled''' surrounded with a halo, 230 (the word is only recorded in the O.E.D. in a poem by Francis Thompson, 1897).
: '''jacinth''' - blue, 27
: '''jetsam''' - items thrown overboard from a ship, and later washed ashore
: '''keen''' - sharp
: '''kerb''' - a raised edge to a road or path
: '''kindle''' - set fire to, begin to burn
: '''lampads''' - 29. The word is only recorded in the O.E.D. (first used by Coleridge) of the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God in the Book of Revelation, iv.5.
: '''lave''' - wash, bathe
: '''lay''' - a poem that is meant to be sung
: '''league''' - a measure of distance, usually considered to be equivalent to three miles
: '''leaguer''' - an encampment or encampments, especially for defensive purposes
: '''leave''' - permission
: '''lee''' - shelter, especially from wind and weather
: '''leech''' - healer
: '''leechcraft''' - an old name for the practice of medicine, from the ancient belief that blood-sucking leeches had a healing effect
: '''lets upon''' gives on to, opens on to, 237
: '''lief''' gladly, willingly, 181; '''liever''' more gladly, more willingly, rather, 112, 181
: '''lissom''' - lithe, supple
: '''loath''' - reluctant
: '''lob''' - spider (seen, for example, in the name Shelob)
: '''loth''' - reluctant [a variation on loath above]
: '''louver''' - a domed structure built on a roof with side-openings to allow smoke to escape
: '''lustihead''' vigour, 105
: '''malefactor''' - one who commits an evil act
: '''mantle''' - cloak, cover
: '''mar''' - spoil or damage beyond repair
: '''march''' - share borders
: '''marchwarden''' - border guard
: '''mark''' - notice, detect
: '''marshal''' - place in proper order
: '''mattock''' - a primitive weapon, originally a farming tool, perhaps best described as a double-headed battle-hoe
: '''maw''' - jaws and throat, especially of a ferocious animal
: '''mayhap''' - perhaps
: '''mead''' - an alcoholic drink made from honey
: '''mead'''2 - meadow
: '''meed''' - requital, 112
: '''mere''' - lake or pond
: '''mew''' - a type of gull
: '''midge''' - tiny airborne biting insect; not unlike a mosquito, but much smaller
: '''minished''' reduced, diminished, 165, 235
: '''mischance''' - accident
: '''misgive''' - fill with doubt or suspicion
: '''moonshine''' - fantastic ideas
: '''muster''' - collect, assemble
: '''nethermost''' - lowest, deepest
: '''nicety''' - precision, exactness; weigh to a nicety measure exactly
: '''nigh''' - near; well nigh, wellnigh almost, very nearly
: '''nightshade''' - probably simply 'darkness' (the literal use of this word appears to be unique to Tolkien - in : historical English, it is only used figuratively as the name of a poisonous plant)
: '''noisome''' - foul-smelling, poisonous
: '''nook''' - corner, recess
: '''obeisance''' - bowing or kneeling in submission
: '''oft''' - often
: '''or ... or''' either ... or, 137, 241
: '''or yet''' apparently means ‘already’, 185
: '''ostler''' - stable-keeper
: '''ousel''' blackbird, 43 (now spelt ouzel, in Ring-ouzel and other bird-names).
: '''oust''' - take possession of another's lands, property, title, etc.
: '''outworn''' - exhausted
: '''overbear''' - defeat by weight of numbers
: '''pallid''' - pale
: '''panoply''' - full suit of armour
: '''parapet''' - defensive wall built to protect troops
: '''parley''' - discuss terms of peace or cease-fire
: '''passward''' - something granting passage of a guard
: '''pate''' - head, mind
: '''pent''' - restricted, confined
: '''penthouse''' - the area beneath a sloping roof, especially as a later extension to an existing building
: '''perforce''' - having no choice, being forced
: '''pinion''' - a bird's wing, and especially the tip
: '''plash''' - splash
: '''pleasance''' - ‘A pleasure-ground, usually attached to a mansion; sometimes a secluded part of a garden, but more often a separate enclosure laid out with shady walks, trees and shrubs...’ (O.E.D.) This sense is present in pleasa(u)nces 75, 125, but in rest and pleasance 69 the sense is ‘enjoyment, pleasure’; in nor did he have lack of pleasance 64 either meaning may be intended, but I think probably the former.
: '''portage''' - transporting a boat overland
: '''pled''' old past tense of plead, 186
: '''plenilune''' - the time of full moon, 231 (see Letters p. 310).
: '''portent''' - omen, sign
: '''postern''' - a back- or side-entrance
: '''pricks''' - (spurs his horse), rides fast, 122. Oromë pricks over the plain echoes the first line of The Faerie Queene, A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plaine.
: '''profound''' - deep
: '''prosy''' - dull, contented with the commonplace
: '''provender''' - food
: '''puissant''' - powerful, influential
: '''purloin''' - steal
: '''quaff''' - drink deeply
: '''quail''' - give way to, be intimidated by
: '''raiment''' - clothing
: '''rearguard''' - that part of an army set to cover its rear ranks, especially in retreat
: '''recked''' - troubled, cared, 200
: '''rede''' - counsel, advice, 156, 203, 245; plan, 201; redes counsels, 126
: '''redound''' - contribute to, advance
: '''redress''' - setting right
: '''reft''' - past tense of the old word reave, to take by force
: '''rent''' - past tense of rend, to tear or split
: '''repair''' - go often
: '''respite''' - relief, calm interval
: '''revelry''' - merrymaking
: '''rick''' - a stack, especially of hay
: '''rill''' - a small stream
: '''rondured''' - (in '''golden-rondured''') 28. Rondure ‘circle, rounded form’; rondured is not recorded.
: '''rude''' - simple, primitive
: '''rue''' - regret, repent of
: '''rumour''' - sound
: '''ruth''' - matter of sorrow, calamity, 207; distress, grief, 214; remorse, 217; in the greatest ruth was that to [the Valar] thereafter 235 the sense is unclear: ‘matter of sorrow or regret’, or possibly ‘harm, ill’.
: '''sable''' - heraldic term for black
: '''sallow''' - having yellow or pale brown skin
: '''saps''' - deep diggings, 111
: '''sate''' - old past tense of sit, 56, 112, 169, 203, 213, 217
: '''save''' - except
: '''seamews''' - seagulls, 133
: '''selenites''' - inhabitants of the Moon, 231
: '''semblance''' - appearance
: '''shade''' - ghost or phantasm
: '''shallop''' - 215. This word had precise applications to particular kinds of boat, but here apparently means ‘open boat propelled by oars and sail’.
: '''shank''' - leg; especially that part between the knee and ankle
: '''share''' - 27, 32. share=ploughshare, but used here of the blade of a scythe.
: '''sheaf''' - bundle or cluster of stalks
: '''shoal''' - a particularly shallow part of a river- or sea-bed
: '''shore''' - slice, tear (an old past tense of 'shear')
: '''shun''' - refuse
: '''sister-son''' - nephew
: '''sledge-blows''' blows as of a sledge, a large heavy hammer, 79
: '''slot''' - track followed by a hunter
: '''slowcoach''' - someone who moves slowly, or is often late
: '''sluggard''' - slow or lazy person
: '''smite''' - strike, attack (the past tense is smote)
: '''snuff''' - sniff deeply
: '''sojourn''' - temporary stay
: '''sooth''' - true, truthful
: '''sortie''' - an attack launched by a besieged force
: '''spinney''' - group of trees, or small wood
: '''sprent''' past participle of the lost verb sprenge ‘sprinkle, scatter’, 215
: '''sprite(s)''' spirit(s), 75, 100, 124, 213
: '''stead''' - place, position
: '''stem''' - block, hold back
: '''stock''' - the trunk or stump of a tree; stock and stone inanimate things
: '''stoop''' - in falconry, to swoop on prey
: '''straightway''' - immmediately, directly
: '''strait''' - narrowly confining
: '''straitly''' - narrowly, tightly
: '''strand''' - shore, shoreline, especially a beach
: '''stricken''' - struck; (as an adjective) damaged, broken
: '''suaded''' - persuaded, 69, 181
: '''succour''' - give aid
: '''sunder''' - divide, separate
: '''surname''' - an additional name indicating some quality or ability (as distinct from modern usage, surname in this context has no connection with family)
: '''sward''' - region of short grass, lawn
: '''swart''' - dark-skinned
: '''swarthy''' - dark-skinned
: '''swath''' - a strip of grass that has been flattened or mown
: '''swoon''' - faint
: '''tarn''' - mountain lake
: '''tarry''' - pause, wait
: '''thenceforward''' - from that time on
: '''thither''' - to or in that place
: '''thraldom''' - slavery
: '''thrall''' - slave
: '''thrawn''' - twisted, misshapen
: '''thrawn'''2 - obstinate, stubborn
: '''throe''' - violent agony
: '''throve''' - old past tense of 'thrive'
: '''thwart''' - foil, stop
: '''tidings''' - news
: '''tipsy''' - slightly drunk
: '''tithe''' - one tenth
: '''toils''' - trap, snare
: '''toothsome''' - pleasantly appetising
: '''tors''' - rocky hill-tops
: '''toss-pot''' - drunkard
: '''tracery''' - complex interlinked ornamentation
: '''traffic''' - trade
: '''trammels''' - nets, traps
: '''traverse''' - travel through or across
: '''trillups''' - 115, '''trillaping''' 117. This word is not recorded in any dictionary available to me.
: '''trove''' - found treasure
: '''truncheon''' - a wooden shaft used as a weapon, or part of a weapon
: '''tryst''' - an arranged meeting; break tryst fail to attend a tryst
: '''tumult''' - noisy disturbance
: '''tunic''' - a loose, short-sleeved garment
: '''tuppence''' - two pence, a very small amount of money; not care tuppence have no interest
: '''turnkey''' - jailor
: '''tussock''' - clump of grass
: '''twine''' - twist strands together into a rope
: '''umbel''' - long flower, as in hemlock or parsley
: '''unblazoned''' - an heraldic term: plain, undecorated
: '''umbraged''' - (in '''wide-umbraged''') 27, 32. Umbraged ‘shaded, shadowed’, but here in the sense ‘shadowing’, ‘casting a shade’.
: '''ungentle''' - rough, coarse
: '''unquiet''' - anxious, concerned
: '''unsated''' - unsatisfied
: '''unsullied''' - pure, uncorrupted
: '''upbraid''' - criticise
: '''upheave''' - push or force upwards
: '''vale''' - the valley of a river
: '''varmint''' - pest, bothersome person or animal
: '''vassal''' - servant, bondsman
: '''vie''' - struggle with, be rival to
: '''vigil''' - watchfulness; hold vigil make devotion
: '''viol''' - an old instrument, usually with six strings, similar to a violin but held in a vertical position like a 'cello
: '''waif''' - homeless person
: '''wain''' - wagon; The Wain the constellation of the Plough or Big Dipper
: '''wan''' - pale
: '''wards''' - the 'teeth' of a key
: '''ware''' - old form of aware
: '''waver''' - shimmer, flicker
: '''waver'''2 - show indecision
: '''wax''' - grow stronger; increase
: '''waylay''' - intercept, prevent from going forward
: '''wayward''' - uncontrollable, unpredictable
: '''web(s)''' - woven fabric, 56, 74, 101 (also used in senses ‘webbed feet’ 137, ‘cobwebs’ 78, etc.)
: '''wellnigh''' - almost, very nearly
: '''weregild''' - a payment in compensation for a death (literally 'man-gold')
: '''wheedle''' - coax, persuade
: '''whelm''' - engulf, cover
: '''whence''' - from where
: '''whereat''' - for which reason
: '''wherefore''' - for what (or which) reason
: '''whet''' - sharpen
: '''whickering''' - 231 (whickering sparks). The verb whicker meant to laugh or titter, or of a horse to whinny, but the O.E.D. cites a line from Masefield ''the wall-top grasses whickered in the breeze'', and the 1920 Supplement to the Dictionary gives a meaning ‘to make a hurtling sound’, with a single citation where the word is used of a thunderbolt 'whickering through the sky'. In the 1962 version of The Man in the Moon the word flickering occurs in this verse.
: '''whitethorn''' - hawthorn, 77
: '''whither''' - to which place
: '''wildered''' - perplexed, bewildered, 181, 183, 199, 262
: '''wile''' - trick, deceit
: '''wizened''' - of shrivelled appearance
: '''wold''' - an upland region of moorland
: '''wont''' - customarily, regularly; wont to err thus regularly make mistakes of this kind
: '''worrit''' - worry
: '''worst''' - defeat
: '''wrack''' - devastation, ruin, 198 (cf. (w)rack and ruin).
: '''wrack'''2 - clouds being driven by a strong wind?
: '''wraith''' - ghost, apparition
: '''wreathe''' - engulf, surround (especially of vapour or fire)
: '''wrest''' - take by force
: '''writhen''' - writhing, twisting
: '''wroth''' - angry
: '''yammer''' - wail, weep
: '''yoke''' - wooden harness for oxen; under the yoke under complete control
: '''yonder''' - over there
: '''yore''' - long ago
: '''zenith''' - highest point

Second Hall

2006-04-05T18:52:56Z

71.246.242.6:

The '''Second Hall'''. Reffering to one of the many Halls of [[Moria]]. It was the largest that [[Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship]] discovered on their "[[Journey in the Dark]]" through Moria.

Second Hall

2006-04-05T18:52:31Z

71.246.242.6:

The '''Second Hall'''. Reffering to one of the many Halls of [[Moria]]. It was the largest that [[Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship]] discovered on their "[[Journey in the Dark]]" through [[Moria]].

Second Hall

2006-04-05T18:51:34Z

71.246.242.6:

The '''Second Hall'''. Reffering to one of the many [[Halls of Moria]]. It was the largest that [[Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship]] discovered on their "[[Journey in the Dark]]" through [[Moria]].

Black Breath

2006-04-05T17:27:30Z

71.246.242.6:

The Nazgûl were surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all living creatures; their breath (called the Black Breath) was poisonous, and their cries caused terror and despair in all who heard them. The three primary victims mentioned in the Lord of the Rings were [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], and [[Eowyn]]. It was dispelled from them by [[Aragorn II|Elessar Telcontar]] at his return with [[Athelas]], proving him to be the heir of the throne of Gondor.

No mention was made of the Black Breath in Peter Jackson's film version.

Black Breath

2006-04-05T17:26:48Z

71.246.242.6:

The Nazgûl were surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all living creatures; their breath (called the Black Breath) was poisonous, and their cries caused terror and despair in all who heard them. The three primary victims mentioned in the Lord of the Rings were [[Faramir]], [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]], and [[Eowyn]]. It was dispelled from them by [[Aragorn II|Elessar Telcontar]] at his return with [[Athelas]], proving him to be the heir of the throne of Gondor.

No mention was made of the Black Breath in Peter Jackson's film version.

Black Breath

2006-04-05T17:26:23Z

71.246.242.6:

The Nazgûl were surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all living creatures; their breath (called the Black Breath) was poisonous, and their cries caused terror and despair in all who heard them. The three primary victims mentioned in the Lord of the Rings were [[Faramir]], [[Merriadoc Brandybuck]], and [[Eowyn]]. It was dispelled from them by [[Aragorn II|Elessar Telcontar]] at his return with [[Athelas]], proving him to be the heir of the throne of Gondor.

No mention was made of the Black Breath in Peter Jackson's film version.

Battle of the Pelennor Fields

2006-04-05T17:23:22Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Battle of Pelennor Fields''' was the greatest battle of the [[War of the Ring]], and indeed the largest of the entire [[Third Age]].

After the fall of [[Osgiliath]] there was no longer a barrier against the forces of [[Mordor]], which moved on the [[Pelennor Fields]] before the city on March 15, 3019 of the [[Third Age]] as the [[Great Darkness]] blotted out the sun.

Mordor's troops consisted of more than 30,000 [[Easterlings]] and [[Haradrim]], numerous [[mûmakil|oliphaunts]], and thousands of [[Orcs]]; The defenders' numbers were considerably less despite the addition of about 8,000 men from southern [[Gondor]] in the days before the battle.

The attackers used catapults not only to attack the city, through bombardment and flames, but also to fire the heads of slain men from Osgiliath and other places Mordor's armies had passed through into it. Later on, the great battering ram [[Grond (battering-ram)|Grond]] (named after [[Morgoth]]'s weapon from the First Age) was put into action.

Before dawn Grond was used to break the city's main gate, and the [[Witch-king of Angmar|Witch-king]] rode into the city unchallenged, save by [[Gandalf]]. Before Gandalf's strength was put to the test, however, the cock crowed and the horns of [[Rohan]] were heard as around 6,000 of their riders joined the battle. Mordor's strategy for keeping Rohan out of the battle had failed twice, both through the defeat at Helm's Deep and the blockade in Anorien. So the Witch-king was forced to ride out and attack them instead of fighting Gandalf and destroying the city.

King Théoden's charge drove the Mordor forces from the northern half of the field, and charging the Haradrim cavalry he slew the Southron chieftain, the [[Black Serpent]], and cut down his standardbearer.

When the Witch-king's fell beast attacked King [[Théoden]] of Rohan, the king's horse [[Snowmane]] lost control, and was hit by an arrow. Snowmane fell with the king atop him, and the horse landed on him, which proved fatal. The warrior [[Dernhelm]], defending the king's body, slew the fell beast and challenged its rider. The Witch-king mocked him, telling him that no living man might slay him, but the [[hobbits|Hobbit]] [[Meriadoc Brandybuck]] (Merry) wounded him with a sword that had been forged centuries before during the war between [[Arnor]] and [[Angmar]] and which contained spells against the Witch-king. The spells finally found their target, for the Witch-king was distracted and possibly seriously weakened. He was then slain by Dernhelm, now revealed as Théoden's niece [[Éowyn]] and thus no ''man'' at all. The [[Black Breath]] caused both Merry and Éowyn to become gravely ill, and they were sent to the [[Houses of Healing]] in the city. Command of the Rohirrim then passed to Théoden's nephew and heir, Third Marshall Éomer.

At the same time, [[Faramir son of Denethor II|Faramir]], son of [[Denethor II|Denethor]], Steward of Gondor, was also gravely wounded. Despairing at the visions of defeat that [[Sauron]] had sent him via his ''[[palantíri|palantír]]'', and believing Faramir to be beyond aid, Denethor prepared to burn himself and his son upon a funeral pyre. Only the intervention of [[Peregrin Took]] and Gandalf saved Faramir, but Denethor immolated himself before they could prevent him.

Meanwhile, the battle turned against the Rohirrim. The Southrons charged with their Mûmakil (Oliphaunts) and wherever they went horses went wild with fear or were trampled underfoot, and the forces of Mordor rallied around them like islands of defense that the Rohirrim cavalry could not overtake. Éomer, grim after the death of Théoden but shocked by the unexpected (seeming) death of his sister Éowyn, the last living member of his family, flew into a berserker rage and charged his cavalry headlong into the larger enemy forces. So great was the wrath of the outnumbered Rohirrim at the death of their King that they broke through the superior Mordor forces, hammering deep wedges into the Mordor legions' front lines. However, this soon turned against Éomer: his cavalry had pierced the Enemy front lines so quickly that his company was now cut off from the other two, and surrounded between Mordor's front lines and their reserves. Fighting their way to the docks near the Harlond south of the city, Éomer desperately circled up his men on a hill and prepared to fight to the death, when he saw enemy reinforcements sailing up the River [[Anduin]], and let out a defiant cry at his approaching end.

One of the visions that Denethor had seen was of a fleet of enemy ships with black sails arriving at the landings to the south of the Pelennor in the Rammas, but what he had not seen was that they were actually manned by [[Aragorn II|Aragorn]] and other [[Rangers of the North]], [[Gimli]], [[Legolas]], [[Elladan]], [[Elrohir]] and many reinforcements from southern fiefdoms of Gondor. As Aragorn's army drove north a great part of Mordor's forces were pinned between Aragorn and Eomer's cavalry, and were "caught between the hammer and the anvil". Aragorn's army then linked with Eomer's, and with their aid the tide of battle was finally turned, and a brief respite was won until the [[Last Battle]] before the [[Morannon|Black Gate]].

There is no clearly stated final death toll for the Battle of Pelennor Fields. There is a definite figure for the cavalry of the Rohirrim that came to Gondor's defence; it consisted of 6,000 riders, and a full 2,000 were killed in the battle, including Théoden. Of the 5 to 6 thousand Gondorian defenders of Minas Tirith, and the large relief force of Gondor's southern provinces led by Aragorn, no definite figure remains. Two days after the battle, Aragorn led an army out to attack the Black Gate that consisted of 7,000 men (When he reached the Black Gate he had less than 6,000); 2,000 Rohirrim and 5,000 Gondorians. The size of Aragorn's relief force may have been over 10,000 or as little as 1,000, it is never stated. However, even a conservative estimate would place total Gondorian losses at 3,000, and more probably 5,000.

As for enemy losses, again, the size of Sauron's great army is not definitely known. There were at the very least 60,000, and this is almost surely an overconservative estimation. In [[Peter Jackson]]'s movie adaptation, the enemy numbered over 200,000, and this may be accurate with the number present in the text. It is known that there were some 18,000 [[Haradrim]]. (The Rohirrim, consisting of 6,000 riders, were "thrice outnumbered by the Haradrim alone".) The Enemy's army was utterly destroyed on the field: all War [[Mûmakil]] were killed, the Lord of the Nazgûl was slain, numerous Trolls, and perhaps all of the Orcs (which composed the majority of the army) were killed, those that retreated drowning in the River Anduin. Many Easterlings and Haradrim proudly fought to the death when the tide turned, even as the Orcs were cowardly running away, with few escaping to send news of the power and wrath of Gondor to lands east and south.

== The Battle in the movie ==
The battle is the major centrepiece of [[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King]], although many of the events described above are simplified or altered for cinematic purposes. Importance is given to the charge of the Mûmakil, the death of Théoden and the Witch-king.

The battle begins with Sauron's forces marching on city and firing a volley of severed heads over the walls (just as in the book). At first both Sauron's army and the defenders of Minas Tirith exchange fire by way of catapults and trebuchet (though real trebuchets can't actually fire that way). The flying Ringwraiths spread fear throughout the city with the Black Breath and destroy many catapults. Seeing the large army, Denethor goes mad and despairs: Gandalf assumes command of the defenders. He helps them hold out until Théoden and at over six thousand Rohirrim arrive and decimate the invading orcs. However, Sauron's reserves then arrive with several Oliphaunts who turn the tide against the Rohirrim. Grond is used to break down the great doors of [[Minas Tirith in Gondor|Minas Tirith]]. Fortunately the day is saved when Aragorn arrives with the massive Army of the Dead (see [[Paths of the Dead]]) who crush Sauron's forces (this is a condensation: in the books the Dead depart after they defeat the Corsairs and liberate Pelargir, after which Gondor's Southern Army is now free to rally to Aragorn).

[[Category:Battles|Pelennor Fields]]

The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

2006-04-05T17:21:30Z

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'''The Battle of the Pelennor Fields''' is the sixth chapter of the fifth book in [[The Return of the King]].

===Summary===
Suddenly, a massive black beast swoops down upon [[Théoden]], hitting his horse with a poisoned dart. The steed rears up, and the king falls beneath his horse, crushed. The [[Lord of the Nazgûl]] looms above on the back of his flying steed. Terrified, Théoden’s guards flee in panic—all but [[Dernhelm]]. Thrown from his horse but unharmed, Dernhelm challenges the [[Black Captain]]. [[Merry]], crawling on all fours in a daze, hears Dernhelm speak, and he recognizes the warrior’s voice. Dernhelm throws back his hood and reveals to the [[Nazgûl]] that he is in fact [[Éowyn]], the [[Lady of Rohan]], in disguise.

The winged steed strikes at Éowyn, but she deals it a fatal wound. The Black Captain leaps off his dead mount and shatters Éowyn’s shield with a blow from his club, breaking her arm. He raises his spiked club again, but just before he strikes, Merry sneaks up behind him and stabs the Nazgûl through the leg. Bowed over, the creature lets out a terrible shriek. Éowyn, with her final strength, slashes at his face with her sword, the blade shattering upon impact. The Black Captain’s armor falls shapeless at Éowyn’s feet, and his crown rolls away. Éowyn collapses on top of the Nazgûl’s remains.

The dying King Théoden appoints [[Éomer]] as his heir. Éomer, seeing his sister Éowyn’s fallen body, leads the Rohirrim in a furious attack. The men of Minas Tirith, led by Imrahil, [[Prince of Dol Amroth]], emerge from the city and drive the enemy from the gate. Théoden’s body is taken to the city, along with Éowyn, but [[Imrahil]] alerts her rescuers that she is not dead.

The allies of [[Mordor]] reassemble as new soldiers of [[Sauron]] arrive from [[Osgiliath]]. The men of Rohan and [[Gondor]] dwindle. As the tide turns against Gondor again, a fleet of black ships appears on the [[Anduin]] River. The defenders of Gondor turn for the city at the sight of the enemy ships. Éomer, though he realizes he is defeated, continues to fight bravely, laughing in a mix of hope and despair.

Suddenly, the frontmost black ship unfurls a banner (the [[Standard of Elendil]]) bearing the white tree of Gondor and the seven stars and crown of [[Elendil]]—the symbols of the ancient kingdom of Gondor. [[Aragorn]] has arrived in the black ships, along with the [[Rangers of the North]], [[Legolas]], [[Gimli]], and reinforcements from the southern kingdoms. Wielding the legendary sword Andúril, reforged and burning like a star, Aragorn leads a fierce battle to save Gondor. The armies of Mordor are defeated, and Aragorn, Éomer, and Imrahil return to the city.

The Return of the King/Quotations

2006-04-05T17:19:47Z

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"'We will come', said Imrahil; and they parted with courteous words.

'That is a fair lord and a great captain of men,' said Legolas. 'If Gondor has such men still in these days of fading, great must have been its glory in the days of its rising.'

'And doubtless the good stone-work is the older and was wrought in the first building,' said Gimli. 'It is ever so with the things that Men begin: there is a frost in Spring, or a blight in Summer, and they fail of their promise.'

'Yet seldom do they fail of their seed,' said Legolas. 'And that will lie in the dust and rot to spring up again in times and places unlooked-for. The deeds of Men will outlast us, Gimli.'

'And yet come to naught in the end but might-have-beens, I guess,' said the Dwarf.

'To that the Elves know not the answer,' said Legolas." 

::The Return of the King, The Last Debate 

"'Sleep again, and do not be afraid!' said Gandalf. 'For you are not going like Frodo to Mordor, but to Minas Tirith, and there you will be as safe as you can be anywhere in these days. If Gondor falls, or the Ring is taken, then the Shire will be no refuge.'" 

::The Return of the King, Minas Tirith

Standard of Elendil

2006-04-05T17:16:16Z

71.246.242.6:

A standard that [[Aragorn II|Aragorn Elessar]] bore on the Paths of the Dead, made by [[Arwen]]. It had a black field, with seven stars wrought of gems, a white tree for Gondor, and a crown wrought of mithril and gold. These were the signs of the house of [[Elendil]], which Aragorn unfurled at the Battle of the Pelennor.

Black serpent

2006-04-05T17:07:56Z

71.246.242.6:

A standard of the [[Haradrim]], and especially the token of a mighty warrior and leader of [[Men]] who fought at the [[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]], and was slain by King [[Théoden]] of [[Rohan]]. It was described as a black serpent upon a [[field (heraldry)|field]] of blood red.

Black serpent

2006-04-05T17:07:28Z

71.246.242.6: Added description

Wizards

2006-04-05T15:50:06Z

71.246.242.6: Added "Controversy" - still rough

==Introduction==

The '''Wizards''' of [[Middle-earth]] are a small group of beings outwardly resembling [[Men]] but possessing much greater physical and mental power. They are also called the '''Istari''' ("Wise Ones") by the [[Elves]]. The [[Sindarin]] word is ''Ithryn'' (sing. ''Ithron'').

They were of the [[Maiar]], spirits of the same order of the [[Valar]], but lesser in power ([[Sauron]] himself was one of the most powerful of the Maiar), sent by the Valar to help and assist the peoples against Sauron. Their [[Quenya]] names were Curumo, meaning ''skilled one''; Olórin, meaning ''rememberer'', ''dreamer'', or ''thinker''; Aiwendil, meaning ''bird-friend''; Pallando and Alatar.

They came to Middle-earth roughly around the year 1000 of the [[Third Age]]. It seems that each was assigned with a colour for his clothes, white being indicative of the chief. Two of them were blue. It is not known if the colour had a special meaning concerning their rank, abilities or nature.

The wizards already appeared old when they entered Middle-earth. They were deliberately "clothed" in the bodies of old Men, as the Valar wished them to help the inhabitants of Middle-earth by persuasion and encouragement, not by force or fear. However, they aged very slowly and were in fact immortal. Thus, they were, physically speaking, "real" Men, and felt all the urges, pleasures and fears of flesh and blood. While in this form, although immortals by age, their physical form could be by violence—thus, Gandalf truly dies in the fight with the [[Balrogs|Balrog]], but is "reborn" as his mission is not yet complete.

Very few of Middle-earth's inhabitants knew who the Wizards really were; the Wizards did not share this information. Most thought they were Elves or wise Men (''Gandalf'' represents this interpretation, meaning ''Wand-elf'', because the Men who gave him the nickname believed he was an Elf). They attracted few questions due to their gentle nature and dislike of direct interference with other people's affairs. In spite of their specific and unambiguous goal, the Wizards are nevertheless capable of human feelings; thus [[Gandalf]] feels great affection for the [[Hobbits]]. On the flip side, they could feel negative human emotions like greed, jealousy, and lust for power. It is hinted in the essay in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' that the Blue Wizards (see below) may have fallen prey to these temptations.

Two of these, the [[Blue Wizards]], went into the East and do not come into the stories of Middle-earth. Their [[Quenya]] names were Morinehtar, ''Darkness-slayer'' and Romestamo, ''East-helper'', respectively (in ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'' their names were [[Alatar]] and [[Pallando]]). The other three were called [[Saruman]], also known as Curunír; [[Gandalf]], or [[Mithrandir]]; and [[Radagast]].

Saruman originally had the greatest power of the five Istari and was the head of the White Council. In the year 2759 of the Third Age, he was invited by the rulers of Gondor and Rohan to settle in [[Isengard]]. Saruman was learned in the lore of the [[Rings of Power]], gradually becoming corrupted by the desire for the Rings and by Sauron's direct influence on him through the ''[[Palantíri|palantír]]'' of [[Orthanc]]. Eventually he became ensnared in Sauron's power, and assisted him in the War of the Ring until he was defeated by the [[Ents]] and Gandalf, who broke his staff and cast him out of the White Council. Saruman's death came at the hands of his servant [[Wormtongue]] in [[The Shire]], after the destruction of the [[One Ring]].

During the [[War of the Ring]], it was Gandalf who led the Free Peoples to victory over Sauron. He also defeated Saruman. After the destruction of Sauron, Gandalf left Middle-earth and went over the Sea, along with the [[Ring-bearer]]s and many of the Elves.

In the course of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', it is never made clear what exactly Gandalf and Saruman are (though Treebeard informs Merry and Pippin that they landed in the Grey Havens from across the Great Sea 2,000 years ago, little else is revealed in the narrative). In a certain point, Pippin seems to wonder what his friend Gandalf really was, and notices that it was the first time in his life he did so. The essay given in ''Unfinished Tales'' was originally begun in order to be included in the appendices of ''The Lord of the Rings'', but was not completed in time.

==Controversy==

Some have objected to LOTR because it features ''wizards'', which originally meant a caster of spells. This is countered by the fact that the Istari are not wizards in the original sense of the word, but rather more like Christian angels. Tolkien just used the word wizard, as it was closest to his reader's knowledge.

[[Category:Maiar]]

Imrazôr

2006-04-05T15:39:09Z

71.246.242.6:

A nobleman who lived in the region of [[Belfalas]] in southeastern [[Gondor]] at the end of the second millennium of the [[Third Age]]. He was said to have wedded an [[Elves|Elf-maid]] named [[Mithrellas]], a wandering companion of [[Nimrodel]]. Though it isn't known for sure whether this tradition is true, it is certain that his son [[Galador]] went on to found [[Dol Amroth]].

Telcontar

2006-04-05T14:51:34Z

71.246.242.6:

The name of the royal house established in the [[Reunited Kingdom]] by [[Aragorn II|Aragorn Elessar]] after the [[War of the Ring]]. The name Telcontar is a translation into [[Elvish]] of Aragorn's common nickname in the north; '[[Strider]]'.

Crown of Gondor

2006-04-05T14:50:40Z

71.246.242.6:

The tall jewelled and winged helm that served the Kings of [[Gondor]] as a Crown. Tolkien described it in his letters as similar to the crown of the Pharoahs of Egypt. After the loss of the last King, [[Eärnur]], it was held in the [[Houses of the Dead]] for nearly a thousand years, until a rightful heir ([[Elessar]] Telcontar) came forward at the end of the [[Third Age]].

Crown of Gondor

2006-04-05T14:49:52Z

71.246.242.6:

The tall jewelled and winged helm that served the Kings of [[Gondor]] as a Crown. Tolkien described it in his letters as similar to the crown of the Pharoahs of Egypt. After the loss of the last King, [[Eärnur]], it was held in the [[Houses of the Dead]] for nearly a thousand years, until a rightful heir ([[Elessar]] Telecontar) came forward at the end of the [[Third Age]].

Isildur

2006-04-05T14:38:32Z

71.246.242.6:

{{Pronounce|Isildur.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Isildur''' is a [[Dúnedain|Dúnadan]] of [[Númenor]], elder son of [[Elendil]]. He is (briefly) the second king of [[Gondor]] and [[Arnor]]. His name probably means "devoted to the [[Moon]]".

Isildur is born in the year 3220 of the [[Second Age]] in Númenor as first son of Elendil son of [[Amandil]], the last Lord of [[Andúnië]]. He has a younger brother [[Anárion]]. Isildur has four sons: [[Elendur]], Aratan, Ciryon, and [[Valandil]].

In his youth, Isildur steals a fruit of [[Nimloth]] before it is cut down, preserving the line of the [[White Tree]], and later plants a seedling in the city of [[Minas Anor]].

Isildur together with his father and brother are saved from the Downfall of Númenor when they flee for Middle-earth. Isildur and Anárion land in the south and establish the realm of [[Gondor]], and their father lands in the north, founding the realm of [[Arnor]].

Isildur lives on the east bank of the [[Anduin]] and establishes the city of [[Minas Ithil]] (which would later be named ''Minas Morgul''), as well as the province of [[Ithilien]]. However, in 3428 [[Sauron]] takes Minas Ithil, and Isildur flees down the Anduin, then northwest to Gil-gilad in Lindon and his father in Arnor, leaving Anárion to rule over Gondor.

He returned with his father and the [[Elves|Elven]] High King Gil-galad in the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] in 3434. His father and Gil-galad threw down Sauron, winning the battle, though both were slain. Isildur took the hilt shard of his father's sword [[Narsil]], which had broken beneath Elendil in the combat with Sauron, and cut the [[One Ring]] from Sauron's finger.

Despite the advice of [[Elrond]] and [[Círdan]], lieutenant of Gil-galad, he does not destroy the Ring, instead claiming it as an heirloom for his House.

After the fall of Sauron, Isildur leaves [[Meneldil]], son of his brother [[Anárion]], in charge of Gondor, and returns north to [[Arnor]] with his three sons. His fourth son [[Valandil]] had stayed behind in [[Rivendell]]. At the [[Gladden Fields]], Isildur is ambushed by roaming [[Orcs]], and due to the Ring's treachery he is killed, losing the Ring in the [[Anduin]].

He is the last king to rule both Gondor and Arnor until [[Aragorn|King Elessar]] reunites the Kingdom in the [[Fourth Age]].

In the riddling rhyme "Seek for the Sword that was Broken" the Ring is referred to cryptically as ''Isildur's [[Bane]]''.

===Film version===
In [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] films, Isildur briefly appears in the first scenes of [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|the first film]], and in an extended flashback scene in [[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|the second]]. In the movie, Isildur apparently is the last king of Gondor; Anárion and heirs do not appear at all, and Arnor does not feature at all: furthermore the time between the Fall of Sauron and the [[War of the Ring]] is much shorter. However, in the Extended Editions both Arnor and the House of Anárion are mentioned, and at times it is clear that Isildur was not the last King (though he was the last High King), so this might be dialogue error. The story of Isildur's succumbing to the temptation of the Ring bothers Aragorn who fears that he could have the same weakness (a fear that is not evident in the books). As well, in the movie Isildur is the one that destroys Sauron's physical form rather than his father and Gil-galad.

[[Category:Dúnedain]]
[[Category:Rulers of Gondor]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Isildur

2006-04-05T14:37:42Z

71.246.242.6: Corrected error

{{Pronounce|Isildur.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Isildur''' is a [[Dúnedain|Dúnadan]] of [[Númenor]], elder son of [[Elendil]]. He is (briefly) the second king of [[Gondor]] and [[Arnor]]. His name probably means "devoted to the [[Moon]]".

Isildur is born in the year 3220 of the [[Second Age]] in Númenor as first son of Elendil son of [[Amandil]], the last Lord of [[Andúnië]]. He has a younger brother [[Anárion]]. Isildur has four sons: [[Elendur]], Aratan, Ciryon, and [[Valandil]].

In his youth, Isildur steals a fruit of [[Nimloth]] before it is cut down, preserving the line of the [[White Tree]], and later plants a seedling in the city of [[Minas Anor]].

Isildur together with his father and brother are saved from the Downfall of Númenor when they flee for Middle-earth. Isildur and Anárion land in the south and establish the realm of [[Gondor]], and their father lands in the north, founding the realm of [[Arnor]].

Isildur lives on the east bank of the [[Anduin]] and establishes the city of [[Minas Ithil]] (which would later be named ''Minas Morgul''), as well as the province of [[Ithilien]]. However, in 3428 [[Sauron]] takes Minas Ithil, and Isildur flees down the Anduin, then northwest to Gil-gilad in Lindon and his father in Arnor, leaving Anárion to rule over Gondor.

He returned with his father and the [[Elves (Middle-earth)|Elven]] High King Gil-galad in the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men]] in 3434. His father and Gil-galad threw down Sauron, winning the battle, though both were slain. Isildur took the hilt shard of his father's sword [[Narsil]], which had broken beneath Elendil in the combat with Sauron, and cut the [[One Ring]] from Sauron's finger.

Despite the advice of [[Elrond]] and [[Círdan]], lieutenant of Gil-galad, he does not destroy the Ring, instead claiming it as an heirloom for his House.

After the fall of Sauron, Isildur leaves [[Meneldil]], son of his brother [[Anárion]], in charge of Gondor, and returns north to [[Arnor]] with his three sons. His fourth son [[Valandil]] had stayed behind in [[Rivendell]]. At the [[Gladden Fields]], Isildur is ambushed by roaming [[Orcs]], and due to the Ring's treachery he is killed, losing the Ring in the [[Anduin]].

He is the last king to rule both Gondor and Arnor until [[Aragorn|King Elessar]] reunites the Kingdom in the [[Fourth Age]].

In the riddling rhyme "Seek for the Sword that was Broken" the Ring is referred to cryptically as ''Isildur's [[Bane]]''.

===Film version===
In [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] films, Isildur briefly appears in the first scenes of [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|the first film]], and in an extended flashback scene in [[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|the second]]. In the movie, Isildur apparently is the last king of Gondor; Anárion and heirs do not appear at all, and Arnor does not feature at all: furthermore the time between the Fall of Sauron and the [[War of the Ring]] is much shorter. However, in the Extended Editions both Arnor and the House of Anárion are mentioned, and at times it is clear that Isildur was not the last King (though he was the last High King), so this might be dialogue error. The story of Isildur's succumbing to the temptation of the Ring bothers Aragorn who fears that he could have the same weakness (a fear that is not evident in the books). As well, in the movie Isildur is the one that destroys Sauron's physical form rather than his father and Gil-galad.

[[Category:Dúnedain]]
[[Category:Rulers of Gondor]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

The Silmarillion

2006-04-05T13:26:50Z

71.246.242.6:

…The Silmarillion'' is the history of the War of the Exiled Elves against the Enemy, which all takes place in the North-west of the world (Middle-earth). Several tales of victory and tragedy are caught up in it; but it ends with catastrophe, and the passing of the Ancient World…

::JRR Tolkien

'''''The Silmarillion''''' is a collection of [[J.R.R. Tolkien|J.R.R. Tolkien's]] works, edited and published posthumously by his son [[Christopher Tolkien|Christopher R. Tolkien]], with assistance from fantasy fiction writer [[Guy Gavriel Kay]].

==Overview==
''The Silmarillion'' comprises five parts:
# ''The [[Ainulindalë]]'' - the creation of Eä, Tolkien's universe.
# ''The [[Valaquenta]]'' - a brief description of the [[Valar]] and [[Maiar]], the supernatural beings
# ''The [[Quenta Silmarillion]]'' - the history of the events before and during the First Age, which forms the bulk of the collection.
# ''The [[Akallabêth]]'' - the history of the Second Age
# ''[[Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age]]''

This five-part work is also informally associated by some readers with Bilbo's three-volume ''Translations from the Elvish'', mentioned in ''The Lord of the Rings''.

These five parts were initially separate works, but it was the elder Tolkien's express wish that they be published together. Because J.R.R. Tolkien died before he could complete a full rewrite of the various legends, Christopher scavenged material from his father's older drafts to fill out the book. In a few cases, he completely devised new material.

''The Silmarillion'', along with other collections of Tolkien's works, such as ''[[Unfinished Tales]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]'', and ''[[The Road Goes Ever On]]'', form a comprehensive, yet incomplete narrative that describes the universe within which ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' take place. ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'' is a twelve-volume examination of the processes which led to the publication of ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Silmarillion''.

''The Silmarillion'' is a complex work that explores a wide array of themes inspired by many ancient, medieval, and modern sources, including the Finnish ''[[Kalevala]]'', the Hebrew Bible, Norse sagas, Greek mythology, Celtic mythology, and [[World War I]]. For instance, the name of the supreme being, [[Ilúvatar]] (Father of All) is clearly borrowed from Norse mythology. The archaic style and ''gravitas'' of the ''Ainulindalë'' resembles that of the Old Testament. The island civilization of [[Númenor]] is reminiscent of Atlantis—one of the names Tolkien gave that land was Atalantë, although he gave it an [[Elvish]] etymology.

Among the notable chapters in the book are:
*"Of [[Beren]] and [[Lúthien]]"
*"Turin Turambar (closely associated with [[Narn i Hîn Húrin|Narn i Hîn Húrin: The Tale of the Children of Húrin]] in ''Unfinished Tales'')" 
*"Of Tuor and The Fall of [[Gondolin]]"

==Development of the text==
The earliest drafts of ''The Silmarillion'' date back to as early as 1925, when Tolkien wrote a 'Sketch of the Mythology'. However, the concepts for characters, themes, and specific stories were developed starting in 1917 when Tolkien, then a British officer stationed in France during [[World War I]] was laid up in a military field hospital with trench fever. At the time, he called his collection of nascent stories [[The Book of Lost Tales]]. These stories comprised an English mythology intended to explain the origins of English history and culture (as Greek mythology explains the origins of Greek history and culture).

Many years after the war, encouraged by the success of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', Tolkien submitted an incomplete but more fully developed version of [[The Silmarillion]] to his publisher, but they rejected the work as being obscure and "too Celtic". The publisher, George Allen & Unwin, instead asked Tolkien to write a sequel to ''The Hobbit'', which became his significant novel ''The Lord of the Rings''.

But Tolkien never fully abandoned ''The Silmarillion''. In fact, he regarded it as the most important of his works, seeing in its tales the genesis of [[Middle-earth]] and later events as told in ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. He renewed work on [[The Silmarillion]] after completing ''The Lord of the Rings'', when he greatly desired to publish the two works together. But when it became clear that would not be possible, Tolkien turned his full attention back to preparing ''The Lord of the Rings'' for publication.

In the late 1950s he again began work on ''The Silmarillion'', but much of his writing from this time is concerned not as much with the narratives themselves as with the theological and philosophical underpinnings of the work. During this time he wrote extensively on such topics as the nature of evil in Arda, the origin of Orcs, the customs of the Elves, the nature and means of Elvish rebirth, and the "flat" world and the myth of the Sun. Serious doubts had entered about some of the fundamental aspects of the work that had gone back to the earliest versions of the stories, and it seems that he felt the need to solve these problems before he could produce the "final" version of ''The Silmarillion''. In any event, with one or two exceptions, he never did much work on the narratives in the remaining years of his life.

==After Tolkien's death==
For several years after his father's death, Christopher Tolkien compiled a ''Silmarillion'' narrative. Christopher's intentions seem to have been mostly to use the latest writings of his father's that he could, and to keep as much internal consistency (and consistency with ''The Lord of the Rings'') as possible. As explained in ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]'', Christopher drew upon numerous sources for his narrative, relying on post-LoTR works where possible, but ultmately reaching back as far as the 1917 ''Book of Lost Tales'' to fill in portions of the narrative which his father had planned to write but never addressed. In one later chapter of the "Quenta Silmarillion" which had not been touched since the early 1930s he had to construct a narrative practically from scratch. The final result, which included genealogies, maps, an index and the first-ever released Elvish word list was published in 1977.

Due to Christopher's extensive explanations (in [[The History of Middle-earth]]) of how he compiled the published work, much of ''The Silmarillion'' has been debated by the hardcore fans. Christopher's task is generally accepted as very difficult given the state of his father's texts at the time of his death: some critical texts were no longer in the Tolkien family's possession, and Christopher's task compelled him to rush through much of the material. Christopher reveals in later volumes of [[The History of Middle-earth]] many divergent ideas which do not agree with the published version. Christopher Tolkien has suggested that, had he taken more time and had access to all the texts, he might have produced a substantially different work. But he was compelled by considerable pressure and demand from his father's readers and publishers to produce something publishable as quickly as possible. One must remember this version is more a product of the son than of the father.

In October 1996, Christopher Tolkien commissioned illustrator [[Ted Nasmith]] to create full-page full-colour artwork for the first illustrated edition of ''The Silmarillion''. It was published in 1998, and followed in 2004 by a second edition (ISBN 0618391118) featuring corrections and additional artwork by Nasmith.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Christopher Tolkien published most of his father's Middle-Earth-related writings as the 12-volume ''History of Middle-earth'' series.

In addition to the source material and earlier drafts of several portions of ''The Lord of the Rings'', these books greatly expand on the original material published in ''The Silmarillion'', and in many cases diverge from it. There is much that Tolkien intended to revise but only sketched out in notes, and some new texts surfaced after the publication of ''The Silmarillion''.

==External links==
===Reviews===
* [http://www.nytimes.com/1977/10/23/books/tolkien-silmarillion.html NY Times Review]

Noldor

2006-04-05T12:42:54Z

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'''Noldor''' (meaning ''those with knowledge'') are the second clan of the [[Elves]], also called [[Gnome|Gnomes]] in the earlier writings. According to legend, the clan was founded by [[Tata]], the second Elf to awake at [[Cuiviénen]], his spouse Tatanyë and their 54 companions, but it was [[Finwë]], the first '''Ñoldo''' to come to Valinor with [[Oromë]], who became their king, and led most of them to [[Valinor]]. They speak [[Quenya]].

They are also known as ''Deep Elves'', ''Tatyar'', ''Gnomes'', ''Golodhrim'' and ''Golug''. The singular form of the noun is ''Ñoldo'' and the adjective is ''Noldorin''. They are the Second Clan of the Elves in both order and size, the other clans being the [[Vanyar]] and the [[Teleri]]. They typically had dark hair (except for those who had Vanyarin blood, most prominently the members of the House of [[Finarfin]]).

The Noldor are accounted the greatest of the Elves in lore and smithcraft. [[Fëanor]] (son of Finwë by [[Míriel]]) was the greatest of their craftsmen, and their second and briefest-reigning High King. When [[Melkor]] killed Finwë and stole the [[Silmarils]], Fëanor renamed Melkor: ''Morgoth'' ("Black Enemy"), and persuaded the Noldor to pursue him to [[Middle-earth]] and wage war against him.

The Noldor led by Fëanor went north and demanded that the [[Teleri]] let them use their ships. When the Teleri refused, the Noldor led by Fëanor destroyed the port of [[Alqualondë]], which had been built by the Teleri, committing the [[Kinslaying]]. The Noldor led by Fëanor then took possession of the ships. A messenger from the Valar came and delivered the [[Prophecy of the North]], pronouncing doom on the Noldor for the Kinslaying and warning that if they continued they would not recover the Silmarils and moreover that there would be great grief in the tragedy that would befall them. At this, some of the Noldor who had no hand in the Kinslaying, including [[Finarfin]] son of Finwë by [[Indis]], returned to [[Valinor]], and the Valar forgave them. Other Noldor led by [[Fingolfin]] son of Finwë by Indis (some of whom were blameless in the Kinslaying) remained determined to leave Valinor for Middle-earth. Prominent among these others was Finarfin's daughter, [[Galadriel]].

The Noldor led by Fëanor crossed the sea to Middle-earth leaving those led by Fingolfin, his half-brother, behind. Upon his arrival in Middle-earth, Fëanor had the ships burned. When the Noldor led by Fingolfin discovered their betrayal, they went farther north and crossed the sea by means of the [[Helcaraxë|Grinding Ice]]. Many of them died while crossing the ice. The departure of the Noldor out of the [[Undying Lands]] marked the beginning of the [[First Age]], and the years of the Sun.

Fëanor's company was soon attacked by Morgoth. When Fëanor rode too far from his bodyguard during the [[Dagor-nuin-Giliath|Battle under Stars]] (year 1 of the First Age) he was slain by [[Balrogs]].

Because Fëanor had taken the ships and left the Noldor led by his half-brother on the west side of the sea, the royal houses of the Noldor were feuding, but [[Fingon]] son of Fingolfin, whom Fëanor had left behind, saved [[Maedhros]], son of Fëanor, from Morgoth's evil and the feud was settled. Maedhros was due to succeed Fëanor, but he regretted his part of the Kinslaying and left the High Kingship of the Noldor to his uncle Fingolfin, who became the third High King of the Noldor. His brothers did not agree to this, and began to refer to themselves as the Displaced, because the High Kingship had passed them by.

Fingolfin reigned long in the land of [[Hithlum]], and his younger son [[Turgon]] built the hidden kingdom [[Gondolin]]. Fingolfin's reign was marked by warfare against Morgoth and in the year 75 of the First Age the Noldor started the [[siege of Angband]], the great fortress of Morgoth. But in the year 455 the siege was broken by Morgoth (in the [[Dagor Bragollach]]), and Fingolfin rode to Angband and challenged Morgoth to single combat with him. He dealt Morgoth seven wounds but perished, and he was succeeded by his eldest son Fingon, who became the fourth High King of the Noldor.

In the year 471, Maedhros organized an all-out attack on Morgoth and this led to the [[Nirnaeth Arnoediad]], the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. The battle was a great disaster for the Noldor, and Fingon the Valiant was slain. He was succeeded by his brother Turgon.

Turgon had withdrawn to Gondolin and tried to keep the kingdom hidden from Morgoth. He was so successful that even most of the Noldor didn't know where it was located, and he was High King in name alone. In 510, Gondolin was betrayed by [[Maeglin]] and sacked. During the attack Turgon was killed; however many of his people escaped and found their way south. Turgon had had no sons, so [[Gil-galad]], last surviving male descendant of a prince of the Noldor, became the sixth and last High King of the Noldor.

Finally the [[Valar]] came down to Middle-earth and in the year 583 the [[War of Wrath]] was fought and Morgoth was cast into the Void. But [[Beleriand]] sank into the sea, except for a part of [[Ossiriand]] (Lindon), and a few isles. The defeat of Morgoth marked the start of the [[Second Age]].

Gil-galad founded a new kingdom at Lindon, and ruled throughout the [[Second Age]], longer than any of the High Kings except for Finwë. He was also accepted as High King by the Noldor of [[Eregion]]. But at the end of the Second Age his allies in [[Númenor]] lost their island and [[Elendil]], [[Isildur]] and [[Anárion]] came to Middle-earth and they founded the kingdoms of [[Arnor]] and [[Gondor]].

[[Sauron]] by this time had replaced his master Morgoth as the Dark Lord. He had deceived the Númenóreans and managed to return from Númenor to his refuge of [[Mordor]]. He hated the Númenóreans and Noldor, and attacked [[Eregion]], destroying it, and tried to do the same to Gondor before it could take root. But he didn't count on the growing power of Gil-galad. Both Elendil and Gil-galad set out for Mordor and defeated Sauron in the [[Battle of Dagorlad]] and finally in the Siege of [[Barad-dûr]]. There Gil-galad perished, and so ended the High Kingship of the Noldor. No new High King was elected, as no one claimed the throne. For this reason the High Kingship of the Noldor was said to have passed overseas, to the Noldor of Valinor, ruled by Finarfin, the third son of Finwë who had never left. Because [[Tuor]] had been adopted by Turgon as a son, and had married his daughter [[Idril]], Tuor's mortal descendants claimed the title High King: therefore [[Elros]] became first High King of Númenor, signifying this with the prefix Tar- (and later in [[Adûnaic]] Ar-). After the [[Akallabêth|Downfall of Númenor]], Elendil and his heirs of the older, northern line named themselves High Kings of [[Arnor]], later signifying this with the royal prefix Ar(a)- in their names. Tuor's heirs did not however have a valid claim to the High Kingship of the Noldor, although his heir [[Elrond]], who chose Elvish immortality, later was reckoned as a leader of the Noldor.

In the [[Third Age]], the Noldor dwindled, and by the end of the [[Third Age]] the only Noldor remaining in Middle-earth were in [[Rivendell]], with the exception of Galadriel in [[Lothlórien]].

==High Kings==
# [[Finwë]], first High King
# [[Fëanor]], first son of Finwë
# [[Maedhros]], first son of Fëanor,(''de jure'' only) Shortly after Fëanor's death Maedhros gave up his rights to Fingolfin, ending Fëanor's line.
# [[Fingolfin]], second son of Finwë.
# [[Fingon]], first son of Fingolfin.
# [[Turgon]], second son of Fingolfin. Turgon was Fingolfin's last male descendant.
# [[Gil-galad]], last male descendant of Finwë in Middle-earth.

At Gil-galad's death, the High Kingship in Middle-earth under the [[Noldor]] came to an end. The [[Mannish]] descendants of [[Elros]] (the [[Kings of Arnor]]) now claimed the title High King, alhough there is no indication that this referred anything other than a High Kingship over the [[Dúnedain]]. It is unclear whether Elros and his brother [[Elrond]] were considered eligible, but Elrond never claimed Kingship, implying that they were not. But another possibility is that Elrond and Elros's father [[Eärendil]], who is the grandson of Turgon through his daughter [[Idril]] could have claimed the High Kingship of the Noldor. But at the time of his grandfather's death he was still just [[half-elven]] and the High Kingship passed to Gil-Galad his full blooded elven cousin from a far. But when Eärendil chose to be of elven kin when in [[Valinor]] and after Gil-Galad's death in the [[Last Alliance of Elves and Men|Last Alliance]] he could have claimed the Kingship through his grandfather Turgon. But this is purely speculation. Tolkien never mentioned nor did he hint to Eärendil making such a claim in any of his writings.

As Finwë was never allowed to take bodily form again within [[Arda]] (as per the rules of the Statute of Finwë and [[Míriel]]), exactly who — if anyone — succeeded him as High King of the Noldor in [[Aman]] is in doubt. One possibility is that Finarfin, who had ruled over the Noldor of Tirion ever since the majority of the Noldor under Fëanor had left, now held the title. It is not known if Fingolfin or one of his sons were ever allowed to leave the [[Mandos|Halls of Mandos]] after their death. However, even if they had been allowed to return to life it is not likely that they regained the title. Another possibility is that in Aman there was no High King other than [[Ingwë]].

==The House of Finwë and the Noldorin descent of Aragorn and Arwen==
(Version deviates from the published ''Silmarillion'' — see note at end. High Kings are numbered.)

<code>
(1) [[Míriel]] = [[Finwë]]1 = [[Indis]] (2)
| |
| --------------------------------------------------
| | | | |
[[Nerdanel]] = [[Fëanor]]2 [[Findis]] [[Anairë]] = [[Fingolfin]]3 [[Irimë]] [[Finarfin]] = [[Eärwen]]
| | |
| --------------------------- ---------------------------
| | | | | | | | |
[[Sons of Fëanor|Seven Sons of Fëanor]] [[Fingon]]4 [[Turgon]]5 = [[Elenwë]] | [[Argon]] [[Finrod Felagund|Finrod]] [[Angrod]] [[Aegnor]] |
: | | | |
[[Celebrimbor]] | [[Aredhel]] = [[Eöl]] [[Orodreth]] [[Celeborn, Lord of Lórien|Celeborn]] = [[Galadriel]]
| | | |
[[Tuor]] = [[Idril]] [[Maeglin]] ------------- |
| | | |
[[Eärendil]] = [[Elwing]] [[Gil-galad]]6 [[Finduilas]] |
| |
----------------------------------------- |
| | |
[[Elros]] [[Elrond]] = [[Celebrían]]
: |
: ------------------------
: | |
[[Aragorn]] = [[Arwen]] [[Elladan and Elrohir]]
|
----------------------
| |
[[Eldarion]] Numerous daughters
:
Kings of [[Reunited Kingdom]]

</code>

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In the early versions of Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium (see: ''[[The History of Middle-earth]]''), the '''Noldor''' were most often called '''Noldoli''' (not Ñoldoli) or '''[[Gnomes]]'''. They were still called Gnomes in early editions of ''[[The Hobbit]]''. They were also the ones who spoke the language that later became [[Sindarin]] (then called Gnomish).

The spelling ''Noldor'' rather than ''Noldor'' is used in later writings, but even in earlier versions the name ''Ñoldo'' came from a [[Primitive Quendian]] stem *NGolodō, which led to ''NGoldo'' (Ñoldo) in [[Quenya]] and ''''''Golodh'''''' in [[Sindarin]].

The family tree given above is correct in the placement of [[Orodreth]] and [[Gil-galad]]: Orodreth was [[Angrod]]'s son, and [[Gil-galad]] was Orodreth's son, thus the grandson of [[Angrod]] and great-grandson of [[Finarfin]], and brother to [[Finduilas]]. These are wrongly placed in the published ''Silmarillion''. (See Orodreth and Gil-galad articles for details). [[Argon]], the third son of [[Fingolfin]], does not appear in the published ''Silmarillion'' at all.

Fingolfin

2006-04-05T01:33:44Z

71.246.242.6: Lay of Leithian excerpt

[[Image:Felix Sotomayor - Fingolfin.jpg|thumb|200px|Image of ''Fingolfin'' by [[Felix Sotomayor]].]]
'''Fingolfin''' was a High King of the [[Noldor]] in [[Beleriand]], eldest son of [[Finwë]] and [[Indis]], younger brother of [[Findis]], older brother of [[Irimë]] and [[Finarfin]], and the younger half-brother of [[Fëanor]]. His wife was [[Anairë]] and his children were [[Fingon]], [[Turgon]], [[Aredhel]], and [[Argon]]{{ref|Argon}}.

The name ''Fingolfin'' is a [[Sindarin]] form of his name: in [[Valinor]] he was called by his [[Quenya]] name ''Ñoldofinwë'', or "wise Finwë".

Fingolfin led the largest host of the Ñoldor when they fled [[Aman]] for [[Middle-earth]], even though he thought this unwise; he did not want to abandon his people to Fëanor. He was the one who took them across the ice of the [[Helcaraxë]], and soon after, at the rising of the Sun, he came to the gates of [[Angband]] and smote upon them, but [[Morgoth]] stayed hidden inside. Fingolfin and the Noldor then came to the northern shores of [[Lake Mithrim]], from which the Fëanorian part of the host had withdrawn.

His son [[Fingon]] rescued [[Maedhros]], son of [[Fëanor]], who consequently waived his claim ship : thus, Fingolfin became High-King of the [[Noldor]]. He then ruled from [[Hithlum]], by the northern shores of [[Lake Mithrim]].

After defeating the [[Orcs]] in the [[Dagor Aglareb]], Fingolfin maintained the [[Siege of Angband]] for nearly four hundred years. But the Siege was ended by the sudden assaults of Morgoth in the [[Dagor Bragollach]], and many peoples of Beleriand fled. In the end Fingolfin rode to Angband alone to challenge Morgoth to single combat, and there died after a mighty duel, wounding Morgoth seven times with his sword [[Ringil]]. [[Thorondor]] the King of Eagles then brought Fingolfin's body to a mountaintop overlooking [[Gondolin]], and [[Turgon]] built a cairn over the remains of his father.

[[Fingon]] then became High King of the [[Noldor]].

:In that vast shadow once of yore
:Fingolfin stood: his shield he bore
:with field of heaven’s blue and star
:of crystal shining pale afar.
:In overmastering wrath and hate
:desperate he smote upon that gate,
:the [[Gnome|Gnomish]] king, there standing lone,
:while endless fortresses of stone
:engulfed the thin clear ringing keen
:of silver horn and [[baldric]] green.

::[[Lay of Leithian]]

----
# {{note|Argon}}Argon only appears in very late writings by Tolkien as published in [[The History of Middle-earth]], and is left out of the published ''[[the Silmarillion]]''.

{{Pronounce|Fingolfin.mp3|Ardamir}}

[[Category:High Elves]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

The Lord of the Rings

2006-04-04T18:19:49Z

71.246.242.6:

'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' is an epic fantasy story by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]], a sequel to his earlier work, ''[[The Hobbit]]''. It was published in three volumes in 1954 and 1955. Three movie productions have been made, the first, by animator [[Ralph Bakshi]] was released in 1978 (as part one of what was originally to be a two-part adaptation of the story), the second being a 1980 television special, and the third being director [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]] released in 2001, 2002, and 2003.

The story's titular character is the Dark Lord [[Sauron]] of [[Mordor]]. The primary villain of the work, he created the One Ring to control nineteen other Rings of Power, and is thus the "Lord of the Rings." Sauron, in turn, was the servant of an earlier Dark Lord, [[Morgoth]] (Melkor), who is prominent in Tolkien's ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', the history of Middle-earth.

==Books and volumes==

===Writing===

Tolkien did not originally intend to write a sequel to ''[[The Hobbit]]'', and instead wrote several other children's tales, including ''[[Roverandom]]'' and ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham]]''. As his main work, Tolkien began to outline the history of [[Arda]], telling tales of the [[Silmarils]], and many other stories of how the races and situations that we read about in the Lord of the Rings trilogy came to be. Tolkien died before he could complete and put together ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', but his son [[Christopher Tolkien]] edited his father's work, filled in gaps and published in 1977.

Tolkien had a deep desire to write a mythology for England, especially after his horrific experiences during the First World War. He was also influenced by the effects of continued industralisation, where he saw much of the England he loved passing away and became aware of the immense evil in the world. Thus to understand his writings we must be aware of how Tolkien the scholar influences Tolkien the author. His writing of this mythology emerges as an Oxford philologist well acquainted with Northern European Medieval Literature including the great mythic works such as the [[Hervarar saga]], the [[Völsunga saga]], the influential [[Beowulf]] as well as other Old Norse, Old and Middle English Texts. He was also inspired by non-Germanic works such as the Finnish epic [[Kalevala]]. A man who had created his first language by the age of seven, he was driven by a desire to write a mythology for England influenced by his exposure and expertise of these ancient traditions. The need for such a myth was often a topic of conversation in his meetings with the [[Inklings]], fellow Oxford scholars who have been described as Christian Romantics, meeting weekly and discussing Icelandic myths and their own unpublished compositions. Tolkien agreed with one of the other members of the group, [[C.S. Lewis]], that if there were no adequate myths for England then they would have to write their own. Tolkien's work has been commonly interpreted in this light.

Persuaded by his publishers, he started 'a new hobbit' in December 1937. After several false starts, the story of the One Ring soon emerged, and the book mutated from being a sequel to the Hobbit, to being, in theme, more a sequel to the unpublished ''[[The Silmarillion|Silmarillion]]''. The idea of the first chapter (''A Long-Expected Party'') arrived fully-formed, although the reasons behind Bilbo's disappearance, and the significance of the Ring did not arrive, along with the title ''The Lord of the Rings'' until spring 1938. Originally he was going to write another story in which Bilbo had used up all his treasure and was looking for another adventure to gain more; however he remembered the ring and the powers it had and decided to write about that instead. He started to write it with Bilbo as the main character but decided that the story was too serious to use the fun loving Hobbit so Tolkien looked to use a member of Bilbo's family. He thought about using Bilbo's son but this generated some difficult questions — Where was his wife? How could Bilbo let his son go into that kind of danger? — so he looked for an alternate character to carry the ring. In Greek legend, it was a hero's nephew that gained the item of power, and so into existence came the Hobbit Frodo.

Writing was slow due to Tolkien's perfectionism, and was frequently interrupted by his obligations as an examiner, and other academic duties. In fact, the first sentence of ''[[The Hobbit]]'' was written on a blank page a student had left on an exam paper that Tolkien was grading — "In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit". He seems to have abandoned the book during most of 1943 and only re-started it in April 1944. This effort was written as a serial for [[Christopher Tolkien]] and [[C.S. Lewis]] — the former would be sent copies of chapters as they were written while he was serving in [[Africa]] in the [[Royal Air Force]]. He made another push in 1946, and showed a copy of the manuscript to his publishers in 1947. The story was effectively finished the next year, but Tolkien did not finish revising earlier parts of the work until 1949.

A dispute with his publishers, [[Allen & Unwin]], led to the book being offered to [[Collins]] in 1950. He intended ''the Silmarillion'' (itself largely unrevised at this point) to be published along with ''The Lord of the Rings'', but A&U were unwilling to do this. After his contact at Collins, Milton Waldman, expressed the belief that ''The Lord of the Rings'' itself 'urgently needed cutting', he eventually demanded that they publish the book in 1952. They did not do so, and so Tolkien wrote to Allen and Unwin, saying "I would gladly consider the publication of any part of the stuff".

===Publication===

For publication, due largely to post-war paper shortages, but also to keep the price of the first volume down, the book was divided into three volumes (''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'': Books I and II; ''[[The Two Towers]]'': Books III and IV; and ''[[The Return of the King]]'': Books V and VI, 6 appendices). Delays in producing appendices and maps led to these being published later than originally hoped — on the 29 July and 11 November 1954 and 20 October 1955 in the United Kingdom, slightly later in the United States. ''The Return of the King'' was especially delayed. He did not, however, much like the title ''The Return of the King'', believing it gave away too much of the storyline. He had originally suggested ''[[The War of the Ring]]'' which was dismissed by his publishers.

The books were published under a 'profit-sharing' arrangement, where Tolkien would not receive an advance or royalties until the books had broken even, but after then take a large share of the profits.

An index to the entire 3-volume set at the end of third volume was promised in the first volume. However, this proved impractical to compile in a reasonable timescale. Later, in 1966, four indices which were not compiled by Tolkien were added to ''The Return of the King''.

Because the three-volume binding was so widely distributed, the work is usually referred to as the ''Lord of the Rings'' "trilogy". Tolkien himself made use of the term "trilogy" for the work, though he did at other times consider this incorrect, as it was written and conceived as a single novel.

A 1999 (Millennium Edition) British (ISBN 0-261-10387-3) 7-volume box set followed the six-book division authored by Tolkien, but with the Appendices from the end of Book VI bound as a separate volume. The letters of ''Tolkien'' appear on the spines of the boxed set which includes a CD.
The individual names for books in this series were decided posthumously, based on a combination of suggestions Tolkien had made during his lifetime, title of the volumes, and whole cloth — viz:

* T Book I: ''The Ring Sets Out''
* O Book II: ''The Ring Goes South''
* L Book III: ''The Treason of Isengard''
* K Book IV: ''The Ring Goes East''
* I Book V: ''The War of the Ring''
* E Book VI: ''The End of the Third Age''
* N Appendices

The name of the complete work is often abbreviated to ''''LotR'''', ''''LOTR'''', or simply ''''LR'''', and the three volumes as FR, FOTR, or FotR (The '''F'''ellowship '''o'''f '''t'''he '''R'''ing), TT or TTT ('''T'''he '''T'''wo '''T'''owers), and RK, ROTK, or RotK (The '''R'''eturn '''o'''f '''t'''he '''K'''ing).

Note that the three titles ''The Return of the Shadow'', ''The Treason of Isengard'' and ''The War of the Ring'' were used by [[Christopher Tolkien]] in [[The History of The Lord of the Rings]].

Some locations and characters were inspired by Tolkien's childhood in [[Sarehole]], then a [[Warwickshire]] village, now part of [[Birmingham]], and in Birmingham itself.

== Publication history ==

The three parts were first published by [[Allen & Unwin]] in 1954–1955 several months apart. They were later reissued many times by multiple publishers, as one, three, six or seven volumes. Two current printings are ISBN 0-618-34399-7 (one-volume) and ISBN 0-618-34624-4 (three volume set).

In the early 1960s, Donald A. Wollheim, science fiction editor of the paperback publisher [[Ace Books]], realized that ''The Lord of the Rings'' was not protected in the United States under American copyright law because the US hardcover edition had been bound from pages printed in the UK for the British edition. Ace Books proceeded to publish an edition, unauthorized by Tolkien and without compensation to him. Tolkien made this plain to US fans who wrote to him. Grass-roots pressure became so great that Ace books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication. However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from [[Ballantine Books]] to tremendous commercial success. By the mid-1960s the books, due to their wide exposure on the American public stage, had become a true cultural phenomenon. The Second Edition of the Lord of the Rings dates from this time — Tolkien undertook various textual revisions to produce a version of the book that would have a valid U.S. copyright.

The books have been translated, with various degrees of success, into dozens of other languages.
Tolkien, an expert in philology, examined many of these translations, and had comments on each that illuminate both the translation process and his work.

The enormous popular success of Tolkien's epic saga greatly expanded the demand for fantasy fiction. Largely thanks to ''The Lord of the Rings'', the genre flowered throughout the 1960s. Many well-written books of this genre were published (comparable works include the ''Earthsea'' books of Ursula K. Le Guin, the ''Thomas Covenant'' novels of Stephen R. Donaldson, and in the case of the ''Gormenghast'' books by Mervyn Peake, and ''The Worm Ourobouros'' by E. R. Eddison, rediscovered. It also strongly influenced the role playing game industry that achieved popularity in the 1970s with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' which featured many creatures that could be found in Tolkien's books.

As in all artistic fields, a great many lesser derivatives of the more prominent works appeared. The term "Tolkienesque" is used in the genre to refer to the oft-used and abused storyline of ''The Lord of the Rings'': a group of adventurers embarking on a quest to save a magical fantasy world from the armies of an evil "[[Dark Lord|dark lord]]", and is a testament to how much the popularity of these books has increased, since many critics initially decried Lord of the Rings as being "[[Richard Wagner| Wagner]] for children" (a reference to the [[Ring Cycle]]) — a specially interesting commentary in light of a possible interpretation of The Lord of The Rings as a Christian response to Wagner, for exemple following [http://atimes.com./atimes/others/spengler.html ATimes' pseudo-Oswald Spengler].

== The books ==

''The Lord of the Rings'' began as a personal exploration by Tolkien of his interests in philology, religion (particularly Roman Catholicism); fairy tales, and Norse and Celtic mythology.
Tolkien detailed his creation to an astounding extent; he created a complete mythology for his realm of Middle-earth, including genealogies of characters, languages, [[runes]], calendars and histories.
Some of this supplementary material is detailed in the appendices to ''The Lord of the Rings'', and the mythological history was woven into a large, biblically-styled volume entitled ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

J. R. R. Tolkien once described ''The Lord of the Rings'' as "''a fundamentally religious and Catholic work''" he wrote to his friend, the English Jesuit Father Robert Murray, "''unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.''"(''[[The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien]]'', 142). There are many theological themes underlying the narrative, the battle of good versus evil, the triumph of humility over pride, the activity of grace, Death and Immortality, Resurrection, Salvation, Repentance, Self-Sacrifice, Free Will, Humility, Justice, Fellowship, Authority and Healing.
In it the great virtues of Mercy and Pity (shown by Bilbo and Frodo towards Gollum) win the day and the message from the Lord's Prayer "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" was very much on Tolkien's mind as Frodo struggled against the power of the One Ring (''Letters'', 181 and 191).

Religious motifs other than Christian can be discerned as strong influences in Tolkien's Middle Earth. The pantheon of the Valar and Maiar (greater and lesser gods/angels) responsible for the creation and maintenance of everything from skies (Manwe) and seas (Ulmo), to dreams (Lorien) and dooms (Mandos) suggest a pre-Christian mythology in style, albeit that these Valar and Maiar are themselves creations of a monotheistic entity — Illuvatar or Eru, "The One".

Other pre-Christian mythological references can be seen in the representations of: a "Green Man" — Tom Bombadil, wise-men — the Istari (commonly referred to as the Wizards, perhaps more of angels), shapechangers — Beorn, undead spirits — Barrow Wights, Oathbreakers, sentient nonhumans — Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and, of course, Ents. Magic is utilised freely in Middle Earth, and may be found not only in the incantations of Wizards, but in the weapons and tools of warriors and craftspeople, in the perceptions and abilities of heroes, and in the natural world itself.

Tolkien did repeatedly insist that his works were not an allegory of any kind, and even though his thoughts on the matter are mentioned in the introduction of the book, there has been heavy speculation about the Ruling Ring being an allegory for the atom bomb. However, Tolkien had already completed most of the book, and planned the ending in entirety, before the first atom bombs were made public to the world during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. However there is a strong theme of despair in front of new mechanized warfare that Tolkien himself had experienced in the trenches of World War One. The development of a specially bred orc army, and the destruction of the environment to aid this have modern resonances. Nevertheless, the author's own opinion on the matter of allegories was that he disliked them, and it would be irresponsible to dismiss such direct statements on these matters lightly.

The plot of ''The Lord of the Rings'' builds from his earlier book ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and more obliquely from the history in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'', which contains events to which the characters of ''The Lord of the Rings'' look back upon in the book.
The [[hobbit]]s become embroiled in great events that threaten their entire world, as [[Sauron]], an evil spirit, attempts to regain the lost [[One Ring]] which will restore him to full potency.

=== The Verse of the One Ring ===
:''Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,''
:''   Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,''
:''Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,''
:''   One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne''
:''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.''
:''   One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,''
:''   One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them''
:''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.''

The lines :
:''   One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,''
:''   One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them''
are inscribed in the language of Sauron and Mordor (the Black Speech) on the One Ring itself. Phonetically it would be:
:''Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul''

=== The storyline ===
See the articles on ''[[The Fellowship of the Ring]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', and ''[[The Return of the King]]'' for plot summaries.

=== Criticism ===
The book was characterized as "juvenile balderdash" by American critic [[Edmund Wilson]] in his essay "[http://www.jrrvf.com/sda/critiques/The_Nation.html Oo, those awful Orcs]", and in 1961 [[Philip Toynbee]] wrote, somewhat prematurely, that it had "passed into a merciful oblivion" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/1695926.stm]. Although she had never read ''The Lord of the Rings'', [[Germaine Greer]] wrote "it has been my nightmare that Tolkien would turn out to be the most influential writer of the twentieth century. The bad dream has materialized."

[[W.H. Auden]] also criticized the book in a 1968 ''Critical Quarterly'' article, "Good and evil in ''The Lord of the Rings''," objecting to Tolkien's conception of sentient species that are intrinsically evil without possibility of redemption. (This is a criticism often directed at [[Dungeons and Dragons]]-like fantasy worlds as well as at fantasy literature in general, and a criticism that Tolkien himself increasingly struggled with during his last years.) On the other hand, in a 1956 ''New York Times'' book review, "At the end of the Quest, Victory," Auden also called the book "a masterpiece of its genre" that "succeeded where [[John Milton|Milton]] failed" in depicting an epic battle between good and evil, and wrote that it "never violated" the "reader's sense of the credible."

Science-fiction author [[David Brin]] has criticized the books for unquestioning devotion to a traditional elitist social structure, their positive depiction of the slaughter of the opposing forces, and their romantic backward-looking worldview [http://www.davidbrin.com/tolkienarticle1.html].

Another notable SF writer Michael Moorcock wrote a long and piercing critique of the book under the title Epic Pooh advancing the thesis that it was simply a child's tale written in the language of epic myth.

China Mieville, a modern fantasy writer, criticised Tolkien's works as "reactionary." Mieville is also a detractor of later fantasy which draws heavily upon Tolkien's work, based on the idea that such work is cliche.

===Praise===
"The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read ''The Lord of the Rings'' and ''The Hobbit'' and those who are going to read them." — ''Sunday Times''

"Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century." — ''Sunday Telegraph''

"Here are the beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron." — C.S. Lewis

"J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy remains the ultimate quest, the ultimate battle between good and evil, the ultimate chronicle of stewardship of the earth. Endlessly imitated, it never has been surpassed." — ''Kansas City Star''

"A story magnificently told, with every kind of colour and movement and greatness." — ''New Statesman''

Peter Jackson said, "…it is as if Tolkien found some secret scroll about the real history of earth…".

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on film ==
===Early efforts===
There were plans for [[the Beatles]] to do a version of ''The Lord of the Rings'' but they came to nothing. It was even said that Stanley Kubrick had looked into the possibility of filming the story, but he abandoned the idea as too "immense" to be made into a movie. In the mid-1970s, renowned film director [[John Boorman]] collaborated with film rights holder and producer [[Saul Zaentz]] to do a live action picture, but the project proved too expensive to finance at that time.

In 1978, [[Rankin/Bass]] studios produced the first real film adaptation of any ''Lord of the Rings'' related material with an animated television version of ''[[The Hobbit]]'', which was a precursor to ''The Lord of the Rings''.

Shortly after, Saul Zaentz picked up where Rankin-Bass left off by producing an animated adaptation of ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' and part of ''The Two Towers'' in 1978.

''[[Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings|The Lord of the Rings]]'', originally released by [[United Artists]] was directed by [[Ralph Bakshi]] and used an animation technique called rotoscoping in which footage of live actors was filmed and then traced over.

The film was part one of what was originally to be a two-part adaptation of Tolkien's story, Part I ending after the battle of Helm's Deep, but before Sam, Frodo and Gollum traverse the [[Dead Marshes]], and Part II picking up from where the first film left off. Made for a minimal budget of $8 million dollars, the film earned $30 million dollars at the box office.

United Artists viewed the film as a flop, and refused to fund a Part II (covering the rest of the story), leaving the door open for Rankin-Bass to do the work for him with the 1980 animated television version of ''[[Rankin/Bass' The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]''.

However, the Rankin-Bass film picked up from where the book began, and not from where Bakshi's film left off. Additionally, the change in style and character design was quite noticeable.

Since this film was targeted to a younger audience, adult enthusiasts have complained that much of the depth and darkness of the book was discarded.

===The New Line Cinema films===

''Main article [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]]''

[[Miramax]] Films developed a full-fledged live-action adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'', with [[Peter Jackson]] as director. Eventually, with Miramax becoming increasingly uneasy with the sheer scope of the proposed project, [[Peter Jackson]] was given the opportunity to find another studio to take over. In 1998, [[New Line Cinema]] assumed production responsibility (while Miramax executives [[Bob Weinstein]] and [[Harvey Weinstein]] retained on-screen credits as executive producers on the films).

The three live action films (supplemented with extensive computer-generated imagery, for example in the major battle scenes, using the "[[Massive]]" software) were filmed simultaneously. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' was released on December 19, 2001. ''[[Peter Jackson's The Two Towers|The Two Towers]]'' was released on December 18, 2002 and ''[[Peter Jackson's The Return of the King|The Return of the King]]'' was released worldwide on December 17, 2003. All three films won the Hugo Award for Best (Long-form) Dramatic Presentation in their respective years.

Although some have criticized these films because they have altered the story somewhat and, arguably, have a noticeably different tone from Tolkien's original vision, others have hailed them as remarkable achievements.

[[Peter Jackson]]'s film adaptations garnered seventeen Oscars (four for ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', two for ''The Two Towers'', and eleven for ''The Return of the King''); these cover many of the awards categories (in fact, ''The Return of the King'' won all of the eleven awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture). With 30 total nominations, the trilogy also became the most-nominated in the Academy's history, surpassing the ''Godfather'' series (28).

''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Oscar sweep is widely seen as a proxy award for the entire trilogy. ''The Return of the King''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 11 Oscars at the 2004 Academy Awards tied it for most awards won for one film with ''Titanic'' six years earlier and the 1959 version of ''Ben-Hur''. It also broke the previous "sweep" record, beating ''Gigi'' and ''The Last Emperor'' (which had gone 9 for 9).

The visual-effects work has been groundbreaking, particularly the creation of the emotionally versatile digital character [[Gollum]].
The scale of the production alone — three films shot and edited back to back over a period of little more than three years — is unprecedented.

The films have also proven to be substantial box office successes. The premiere of ''The Return of the King'' took place in [[Wellington]], [[New Zealand]], on December 1, 2003 and was surrounded by fan celebrations and official promotions (the production of the films having contributed significantly to the New Zealand economy). It has made movie history as the largest Wednesday opening ever. ''The Return of the King'' was also the second movie in history (after ''Titanic'') to earn over 1 billion $US (worldwide). Note, however, that these numbers are all unadjusted for inflation, making their significance questionable. Adjusted for inflation, as of 24 March 2005, the three films rank (in order of release) as the 71st, 56th, and 48th highest-grossing films in the United States [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm].

Fanatics of the films have also flocked to the locations where the trilogy was filmed in New Zealand, with many tour companies being totally devoted to taking fans to and from the filming locations that Director Peter Jackson chose for the adaption of Tolkien's epic trilogy.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_Of_The_Ring]

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on radio ==

The BBC produced a 13-part radio adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 1956, and a 6-part version of ''The Hobbit'' in 1966.
It is uncertain whether Tolkien ever heard either series. No recording of the 1956 series is known to exist, but ''The Hobbit'' has survived.
It is a very faithful adaptation, incorporating some passing references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' and the [[Silmarillion]].

A 1979 dramatization was broadcast in the USA and subsequently issued on tape and CD. No cast or credits appear on the audio packaging.
Each of the actors was apparently recorded separately and then the various parts were edited together.
Thus, unlike a BBC recording session where the actors are recorded together, none of the cast are actually interacting with each other and the performances suffer badly as a result.

In 1981 the BBC broadcast a new, ambitious dramatization of ''The Lord of the Rings'' in 26 half-hour instalments. See: ''[[The Lord of the Rings (1981 radio series)]]''.

== ''The Lord of the Rings'' on stage ==

[[Ed Mirvish|Mirvish Productions]] has started rehearsals for a three-hour stage musical adaptation of ''The Lord of the Rings'' that will have a cast of over 65 actors and cost C$27 million (£11.5 million). The show will be written by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus with music by [[A. R. Rahman]] and [[Värttinä]], collaborating with [[Christopher Nightingale]] and will be directed by [[Matthew Warchus]]. It will open on March 23 2006 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, with preview performances from February 2 until March 22. It is planned to premiere in London in autumn 2006 and New York City within two years.

The director explained his vision of the play’s format by saying, "We have not attempted to pull the novel towards the standard conventions of musical theatre, but rather to expand those conventions so that they will accommodate Tolkien's material. As a result, we will be presenting a hybrid of text, physical theatre, music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale. To read the novel is to experience the events of Middle-earth in the mind’s eye; to watch the films is to view Middle-earth as though through a giant window. Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us. We participate. We are in Middle-earth."

== Pop culture references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' ==
*In an episode of the sitcom ''Friends'', Ross and Chandler speak about a university friend, called 'Gandalf (-the Party Wizard)'. When Joey asks why they call him Gandalf they reply 'Didn't you read the Lord of the Rings in high-school?' to which they get 'No, I had sex in high-school'.
*In addition to spoofing elements of LOTR "South Park" has a nurse with a conjoined twin fetus on her head called Nurse Gollum
* The music CD "Journey of the Ring" features an hour of music inspired by Tolkien's novel. The music follows the story chapter by chapter. Called "the unofficial sound track to the books" by fans! http://www.musicforthesoul.net/JourneyOfTheRing.html also http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jpeters3
* [[Leonard Nimoy]]'s music: "[[The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins]]" (1968) is based around this series (in particular ''[[The Hobbit]]'').
* [[Led Zeppelin]]'s music: "Ramble On" (1969) refers to [[Gollum]] and [[Mordor]], "[[Misty Mountain Hop]]" (1971) is named after Tolkien's [[Misty Mountains]], and "[[The Battle of Evermore]]" (1971) is an actual allegory from the "[[Battle of the Pelennor Fields]]" from ''The Return of the King''.
* Swedish musician [[Bo Hansson]] has made an entire concept album titled ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1972).
* Genesis' song "Stagnation" (from ''Trespass'', 1970) was about Gollum. The most direct references being "''And I will wait for ever, beside the silent mirror. And fish for bitter minnows amongst the weeds and slimy water.''" and "''To take all the dust and the dirt from my throat,To wash out the filth that is deep in my guts.''"
* Rush has a song called "Rivendell" (1975) on their ''Fly by Night'' album.
* Styx has a song called "Lords of the Ring" on their ''Pieces of Eight'' album (1978).
* The Austrian musician Gandalf (Heinz Stobl) chose his name with reference to the hobbits' wizard friend. He has composed several pieces of music which deal with themes and characters originating from ''The Lord of the Rings'', some of which can be found on his second album, ''Visions'' (1981).
*Terry Pratchett's novel Witches Abroad features an encounter with a Gollum-like creature, which jumps on to the main character's boat and proclaims "It'ssss my birthday." Granny Weatherwax then hits the creature with an oar.
* There are various references to ''The Lord of the Rings'', e.g. to the Ents, in ''The Talisman'' (1984), a novel by Stephen King and Peter Straub. There are also references to ''The Lord of the Rings'' in several of Stephen King's other novels.
* The Wargames Research Group set of fantasy miniatures rules, ''[[Hordes of the Things]]'' (HotT), was first published in 1991.
* The German power metal band [[Blind Guardian]] has a song called "Lord of the Rings" on the album ''[[Tales from the Twilight World]]'' (1991). On their ''[[Somewhere far beyond]]'' (1992) there is a song called ''In the Forest - Hobbit''. They also released an album based on ''The Silmarillon'' called ''[[Nightfall in Middle-Earth]]'' (1998), including songs like ''The Curse of Féanor'', and ''Into The Storm'', retelling the struggle [[Middle earth]] endured when the [[Two Trees]] were destroyed. Some of their other works also contain references to Tolkien's creations.
* [[Enya]] recorded the song "Lothlórien" in 1991 and also performed the songs "May It Be" and "Aníron" for the soundtrack of [[Peter Jackson]]'s movie ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''.
* Some songs by the celtic metal band Cruachan, such as "The Fall of Gondolin" (1992), have been inspired by ''The Lord of the Rings''.
* The progressive rock group [[Glass Hammer]] has numerous Tolkien-influenced songs, including "Nimrodel", and a CD entitled ''Journey of the Dúnadan'' (1993) which is a loose interpretation of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, and a CD entitled ''The Middle-earth Album'' (2001) which contains several songs recorded "live at the Prancing Pony in Bree".
* The TV show ''Babylon 5'' (1993-1998) includes occasional homages to ''The Lord of the Rings'', as well as epic themes drawn from similar mythological roots. ''See [[Babylon 5 influences]] for a more detailed exploration''.
* The TV show Gilmore Girls often has references to The Lord of the Rings in various episodes.
* The Finnish musicians [[Nightwish]] have a song called "Elvenpath" on their album ''Angels Fall First'' (1997) which features a Lord of the Rings sample.
* The [[Tolkien Ensemble]] has created ''An Evening in Rivendell'' (1997), ''A Night in Rivendell'' (2000) and ''At Dawn in Rivendell'' (2003), composing original music to practically all the songs and poems in ''The Lord of the Rings''. A fourth CD is planned.
* The modern-era hero in Neal Stephenson's ''Cryptonomicon'' (1999) views himself as a dwarf, his grandfather the cryptanalyst as an elf, an ex-Navy Seal as one of the race of Men, and refers to his nemesis (a psychotic lawyer) as ''[[Gollum]]''. He recognizes [[Enoch Root|Enoch the Red]] as a wizard and, true to form, Enoch appears in the [[Baroque Cycle]] as well.
* The group [[Nickel Creek]] has a song called "The House of Tom Bombadil" (''Nickel Creek'', 2000).
* The [[Brobdingnagian Bards]] have named one of their tracks "Tolkien" (2001), and the remix "The Lord of the Rings".
* The band [[Lorien]] is named after the forest Lothlórien in the novel.
* The Spanish metal band [[Lorien]] released an album in 2002 entitled ''Secrets of the Eldar'' with such songs as "The Voice of Saruman".
* [[Alan Horvath]] started writing the songs for ''The 'Rings Project'' (2004) in 1972.
* Australian band Soundestiny released the album 'Shadow Rising' in 2004; this was inspired by The Lord of The Rings, but made no actual mentions of Tolkien character-names or place-names. The CD is Part One of a projected Two-album 'RingLord' concept, the second album being 'Winds of Change' intended for release in 2006.
* There are various metal bands owing their names to Tolkien's fictional languages, such as Aglarond (Mexico), Akallabêth (Sweden), Amon Amarth (Sweden), Almáriel (Russia), Amon Din (Serbia), Anarion (Australia), Arda (Austria), Avatar (Belgium), Azaghal (Finland), Azrael (Spain), Burzum (Norway), Cirith Gorgor (Netherlands), Cirith Ungol (US), Dol Amroth (Greece), Izengard (India), Fangorn (Germany) and many more.
* Robert Jordan has an inn called "The Nine Rings" in The Great Hunt, and when Rand reads the sign in front of the inn, the book states, 'Rand swung down with a smile and tied Red to one of the hitching posts out front. "The Nine Rings" had been one of his favorite adventure stories when he was a boy; he supposed it still was.'
* The Swedish New Frontier band Machinae Supremacy uses a blend of two samples, one from ''[[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' that features Australian actor [[Hugo Weaving]], the other from ''The Matrix'' (which has the same actor in it), as the introduction to their song 'Hybrid' (the same song also features sounds from a SidStation, a synthesizer that re-creates original C64 sounds).
* The symphonic rock band Marillion was named after the Silmarillion

The ''Lord of the Rings'' books were one of the main original inspirations for the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' role-playing game, and hence continue to be a major influence on the entire field of role-playing and computer games having fantasy epic themes. Several games have been based directly on ''The Lord of the Rings'' and related works, including, amongst many, [[SPI]]'s ''War of the Ring'' (1977), [[Iron Crown Enterprises]]' (ICE's) [[Middle-earth Role Playing]] game (MERP, 1982-1999) and [[Middle-earth Collectible Card Game]] (MECCG, 1995-1999), the ''Lord of the Rings'' series of board games by [[Reiner Knizia]] (2000 onward), a variant of Risk (2002) as well as [[The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game]] (2001) made by [[Decipher, Inc.|Decipher]].

=== Satire and parody based on ''The Lord of the Rings'' ===
*An independent film company in South Carolina released [http://west2productions.com/LOTRparody.htm this treatment] as a college humor project.
* A soft core porn comedy entitled "Lord of the G-Strings".
* The Harvard Lampoon satire ''[[Bored of the Rings]]'', and its prequel ''[[The Soddit]]''.
* A little-known BBC Radio series, ''Hordes of the Things'' (1980) attempted to parody heroic fantasy in the style of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''.
* A German resynchronization of the ''Fellowship'''s first twenty minutes, called ''[http://www.bpk-entertainment.de Lord of the Weed - Sinnlos in Mittelerde]'', portrays the characters as highly drug addicted.
* Quickbeam and Bombadil, ''[http://www.lordsoftherhymes.com/ the Lords of the Rhymes]'', mix Tolkien's fantasy world with hip-hop.
* Two New York City based authors, Jessica and Chris, parody Tolkien's work in combination with [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]] in ''[http://omwh.com/ Once More With Hobbits]''.
* Several former members of Mystery Science Theater 3000 created ''[http://www.scifi.com/edwardtheless/ Edward the Less]'' which parodies the trilogy.
* The episode of South Park entitled "The Return of the Lord of the Rings to the Two Towers" spoofs Peter Jackson's version of the trilogy. A few elements from Jackson's ''The Return of the King'' appear in the episode "Best Friends Forever".
* The first chapter of ''The Woad To Wuin'' by Peter David is entitled "Lord of the Thing".
* ''[http://flyingmoose.org/tolksarc/book/book.htm The Lord Of The... whatever]'', a "transcribed electronic text version", written by the Tolkien fans of the rec.arts.books.tolkien newsgroup as a reply to those who ask where can they download an electronic copy of the book. It has lots of fan in-jokes, like whether Balrogs have wings or not, a long-standing debate in the Tolkien fandom.
* [[Flight of the Conchords]] claim that their parody ''Frodo'' was rejected as a theme song for Peter Jackson's movies. Incidentally, Bret McKenzie (one half of the band) played an elf in the ''Fellowship'', and his character (now known as [[Figwit]]) has become an unusual web celebrity, attracting [http://www.figwitlives.net/ fan sites] and even a [http://www.geocities.com/figwit_is_evil/Evil_figwit.html hate site].
* [[The Ring Thing]] - a Swiss parody of [[Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings]], however it has received mixed reviews.
* MADtv spoofed the series with ''The Lords of the Bling'', with various actors/actresses portraying characters as Gandalf, Frodo, Legolas, etc.
* ''[http://www.lysator.liu.se/~ekman/en/article1.html Kingdom O' Magic]'', by Fergus McNeill. He became famous during the eighties for games such as ''Bored of the Rings'' (influenced by, but not adapted from, the Harvard Lampoon book) and ''The Boggit''.
* ''[http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/5023564.htm Why can't they just lose the ring in the sink?]'', humour columnist Dave Barry's satire.
* ''Dead Ringers'', BBC Radio/TV satirical comedy show regularly features Lord of the Rings-themed sketches, usually with the characters of Gandalf, Saruman and Frodo.
* Bobo, a very popular Serbian voice-over video on scene from the first film, which features Boromir and Frodo as gay lovers. It spawned many other voice-overs.
* British Comedy duo [[French & Saunders]] have also satired and spoofed in detail Peter Jackson's ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' in a BBC 2002 Easter Special entitled "The Egg".
* A parody entitled ''teh l0rd of teh Ringz0r'' has done the rounds of bulletin boards systems. Based on the Counter-Strike indebted '1337 speak' it retells scenes, primarily from the Peter Jackson films, in the style of a '1337 hax0r' or online gamer.
* A Spanish voice-over video of Gollum debating about which is the best football (soccer) video game.
* ''[http://www.onemanstarwars.com/lotr.html One Man Lord of the Rings]'' A one man show by [[Charles Ross]], reciting and parodying the three films in an hour.
*In an episode of The Simpsons, The Simpsons go on a picnic with someone named Cookie. When they have finished, Marge asks Cookie what to do with their garbage. Cookie says to leave it for 'Cleany'. On hearing his name, Cleany comes out and wraps up their garbage in their picnic rug, saying Gollum's tagline 'My Precious'. Cleany was voiced by Andy Serkis (the voice of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings).
* ''[http://www.recstudios.net/Videos/LOTR/FOTR.wmv REC Studios' Fellowship of the Ring]'' A parody starring four people portraying multiple characters each and condensing the first third of the story to under a quarter of an hour.
*In another episode of The Simpsons, Principal Skinner announced to Springfield Elementary School that they are going to have school medieval festival. Class bully Nelson excitedly asks, "You mean like The Lord of the Rings?!", and Skinner replies, "No! Nothing like The Lord of the Rings!"
* MTV produced the [[Lord of the Piercing]], a parody with Sarah Michelle Gellar about the [[Council of Elrond]], in which [[Frodo]] uses the [[One Ring]] in a piercing. The 4 minute episode comes as a hidden extra in the first DVD of the 4-disc set of [[Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring|The Fellowship of the Ring]].
* [[Fellowship!]] - A musical parody of The Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Rings

2006-04-04T18:15:37Z

71.246.242.6:

''See also [[The Lord of the Rings]]''

Curiously, given that this title gives its name to [[The Lord of the Rings]], it is in fact very rare, and only appears twice in the entire book. Because of this, we can only speculate on exactly which rings it refers to. [[Gandalf]]'s use of the phrase 'the [[Nine Servants]] of the [[Lord of the Rings]]' suggests that he intends specifically the [[Nine Rings]] of the [[Nazgûl]]. The title may not have been meant to include the [[Three Rings]] of the [[Elves]], in whose making [[Sauron]] was said to have had no part (although they too fell under his control when he wore the [[One Ring]]).

Angband

2006-04-04T17:09:45Z

71.246.242.6:

{{Pronounce|Angband.mp3|Ardamir}}
Angband was a mighty fortified citadel originally constructed by [[Melkor]] in the earliest days of the world as an outlying fortress to his northern stronghold of [[Utumno]]. [[Utumno]] was destroyed by the [[Valar]], and [[Melkor]] imprisoned in [[Valinor]] for three ages, but on his return to [[Middle-earth]], he took Angband as the seat of his power, and raised the towers of [[Thangorodrim]] above its gates.

Angband was beseiged by the [[Noldor]] during the early part of the [[First Age]], but the Siege of Angband was broken at the [[Dagor Bragollach]]. It was finally destroyed by the forces of the [[Valar]] at the end of the [[First Age]], in the [[War of Wrath]].

==Origins and History==
[[Melkor]] built Angband during the [[Years of the Trees]], originally as an outlying fortress and armoury to his great northern citadel at [[Utumno]]. It was commanded from its first construction by Sauron, the chief of [[Melkor]]'s servants. Angband was built near the northwestern shores of the [[Great Sea]] in the range of the [[Iron Mountains]], as a first defence against any attack on Melkor's realm from the Valar in Aman.
When the [[Valar]] captured [[Melkor]] and took him in chains back to [[Valinor]], Angband was largely destroyed and lay in ruins for many thousands of years, although beneath the ruins lay many hidden chambers in which some of Melkor's servants escaped the Valar's assault. Sauron was one of these, and the Balrogs lay hid with him in Angband's deepest vaults.

Angband re-entered history when [[Melkor]] escaped [[Valinor]] with the stolen [[Silmarils]]: he chose the ruined fortress as his new capital, and rebuilt the [[Hells of Iron]] as a base for the dark reign he intended for the lands of [[Middle-earth]].

Soon after the Return of the [[Noldor]] to [[Beleriand]], [[Morgoth]] took [[Maedhros]] [[Fëanor]]'s son by deceit and trickery, and hung him by the wrist from the towers of [[Thangorodrim]] above Angband. He was rescued by [[Fingon]] and [[Thorondor]], but lost his right hand.

The third of the great battles in the [[Wars of Beleriand]], the [[Dagor Aglareb]], had profound consequences for Angband. Until that time (about the year 75 of the [[First Age]]) [[Morgoth]] sent out hosts of [[Orcs]] in the hope of taking the [[Noldor]] by surprise. The [[Noldor]], though, chased these [[Orcs]] back to the very gates of Angband, and slew them to the last creature. From then until the [[Dagor Bragollach]] in I 455, a period of almost 400 years, Angband was surrounded by the [[Noldor]]; this is the time known as the Siege of Angband.

==Appearance and Construction==
Angband was primarily an underground fortress, at least after its initial destruction by the [[Valar]] in the [[Years of the Trees]]. Like its prototype, [[Utumno]], it had many hidden underground chambers and vaults far beneath the earth. Its main features above ground were the three peaks of the [[Thangorodrim]], mighty towers of ash and slag raised above Angband's gates.
The peaks of [[Thangorodrim]] were hollow, and from them channels and chimneys ran down to the deepest pits of Angband. So, [[Morgoth]] could produce poisonous clouds and vapours, as indeed he sent against the [[Noldor]] in [[Mithrim]] during the first days after their Return.

:Ever the sheer cliffs rose beside,
:where birds of carrion sat and cried;
:and chasms black and smoking yawned,
:whence writhing serpent-shapes were spawned;
:until at last in that huge gloom.
:heavy as overhanging doom,
:that weighs on Thangorodrim’s foot
:like thunder at the mountain’s root,
:they came, as to a sombre court
:walled with great towers, fort on fort
:of cliffs embattled. to that last plain
:that opens, abysmal and inane,
:before the final topless wall
:of [[Bauglir]]’s immeasurable hall,
:whereunder looming awful waits
:the gigantic shadow of his gates.
::[[Lay of Leithian]]

[[Category:Citadels]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Rivil's Well

2006-04-04T16:58:48Z

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'''Rivil's Well''' is the spring of the river [[Rivil]], flowing from [[Dorthonion]]. It was here [[Beren]] recaptured the [[Ring of Barahir|Ring of Felagund]] from [[Orcs]].

Rivil's Well

2006-04-04T16:57:31Z

71.246.242.6:

'''Rivil's Well''' is the spring of the river [[Rivil]], flowing from [[Dorthonion]]. It was here [[Beren]] recaptured the [[Ring of Felagund|Ring of Barahir]] from [[Orcs]].

Barahir son of Bregor

2006-04-03T22:10:44Z

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{{Pronounce|Barahir.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Barahir''' was a [[Men|Man]] of [[Middle-earth]], heir to the [[House of Bëor]] in the [[First Age]] and most famous as the father of [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]].

Barahir lived with 12 companions on the highland of [[Dorthonion]]. They were betrayed to [[Sauron]] by [[Gorlim]] the Unhappy, a lovesick member of their company. The rest of Barahir's companions were [[Gildor]], [[Belegund]], [[Baragund]], [[Urthel]], [[Dagnir]], [[Ragnor]], [[Radhruin]], [[Dairuin]], [[Arthad]] and [[Hathaldir]]. Barahir's son Beren escaped the slaughter and lived to a great destiny.

Earlier, Barahir had fought at the [[Dagor Bragollach]], saving [[Finrod Felagund]]'s life. For this, he received the "[[Ring of Barahir]]", which was then handed down the family line.

But still there lived in hiding cold

undaunted, Barahir the bold

of land bereaved, of lordship shorn

who once a prince of Men was born

and now an outlaw lurked and lay

in the hard heath and woodland gray

and with him clung his faithful men

but Beren his son and other ten.

Yet small as was their hunted band

still fell and fearless was each hand

and strong deed they wrought yet oft

and loved the woods, whose ways more soft

them seemed than thralls of that black throne

to live and languish in halls of stone.

Lay of Leithian

[[Category:Edain]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Barahir son of Bregor

2006-04-03T22:10:29Z

71.246.242.6:

Barahir son of Bregor

2006-04-03T22:06:20Z

71.246.242.6:

{{Pronounce|Barahir.mp3|Ardamir}}
'''Barahir''' was a [[Men|Man]] of [[Middle-earth]], heir to the [[House of Bëor]] in the [[First Age]] and most famous as the father of [[Beren Erchamion|Beren]].

Barahir lived with 12 companions on the highland of [[Dorthonion]]. They were betrayed to [[Sauron]] by [[Gorlim]] the Unhappy, a lovesick member of their company. The rest of Barahir's companions were [[Gildor]], [[Belegund]], [[Baragund]], [[Urthel]], [[Dagnir]], [[Ragnor]], [[Radhruin]], [[Dairuin]], [[Arthad]] and [[Hathaldir]]. Barahir's son Beren escaped the slaughter and lived to a great destiny.

Earlier, Barahir had fought at the [[Dagor Bragollach]], saving [[Finrod Felagund]]'s life. For this, he received the "[[Ring of Barahir]]", which was then handed down the family line.

But still there lived in hiding cold
undaunted, Barahir the bold
of land bereaved, of lordship shorn
who once a prince of Men was born
and now an outlaw lurked and lay
in the hard heath and woodland gray
and with him clung his faithful men
but Beren his son and other ten.
Yet small as was their hunted band
still fell and fearless was each hand
and strong deed they wrought yet oft
and loved the woods, whose ways more soft
them seemed than thralls of that black throne
to live and languish in halls of stone.

- Lay of Leithian

[[Category:Edain]]
[[Category:Pronounced articles]]

Barahir son of Bregor

2006-04-03T22:02:42Z

71.246.242.6:

Rivil's Well

2006-04-03T21:57:22Z

71.246.242.6:

Rivil's Well is the spring of the river [[Rivil]], flowing from [[Dorthonion]]. It was here [[Beren]] recaptured the Ring of Felagund from orcs.

Rivil's Well

2006-04-03T21:55:49Z

71.246.242.6:

Rivil's Well is the spring of the river [[Rivil]], flowing from [[Dorthanion]]. It was here [[Beren]] recaptured the Ring of Felagund from orcs.

Rivil

2006-04-03T21:54:28Z

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A lesser tributary of the River [[Sirion]], that rose in the heights of [[Dorthonion]] at [[Rivil's Well]] and flowed westward to meet the Sirion at the [[Fen of Serech]].