 | |
| Harbour | |
| Edhellond | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Amroth's Haven[1] |
| Location | Southern Gondor, confluence of the Ringló and Morthond rivers |
| Type | Harbour |
| Description | A far southern haven of the Elves |
| People and History | |
| Inhabitants | Founded by Sindar, later joined by many Silvan Elves |
| Created | Late First Age[2] |
| Events | Loss of Amroth |
| Gallery | Images of Edhellond |
Edhellond was an ancient harbour in southern Gondor. It had been established south-west of where the Ringló entered the Morthond,[3] near where the combined waters flowed into Cobas Haven.[4]
History
Edhellond was founded in the late First Age by seafaring Sindar[note 1] from the west havens of Beleriand who fled in three small ships when the power of Morgoth overwhelmed the Eldar and the Edain; but it was later increased by adventurers of the Silvan Elves seeking for the sea who came down Anduin.[2]
During his sea voyage of S.A. 735-9 to the coasts of Middle-earth, Aldarion, the grandson of King Tar-Elendil of Númenor, looked at the "country of Amroth where the Nandor Elves still dwell"[5] which included Edhellond.
From Edhellond, Elves began sailing westward from the time of the fall of Eregion in S.A. 1697.[6][7]
Around T.A. 1980, with the freeing of the Balrog in Moria, many of the Galadhrim fled south to Edhellond and sailed over the Sea to Valinor. Amroth, King of Lórien, was lost at sea near Edhellond in 1981 when he attempted to swim to shore to seek his beloved Nimrodel. The ship from which he jumped overboard was the last ship of Elves to leave from Edhellond. The haven was deserted from then on,[2] although it was remembered, as were other ancient Elvish dwellings, in the traditions of the Gondorians in Anfalas and Dol Amroth.[7]
Etymology
Edhellond means "Elf Haven" in Sindarin, from edhel ("Elf") + lond ("harbour, haven").[8]
Other versions of the legendarium
Another account, in an unfinished note on the origin of the name Belfalas, states that the haven was established in the early Second Age by Elves from Lindon. They were a remnant of the people of Doriath who still harboured a grudge against the Noldor.[2] They learned the craft of shipbuilding at the Grey Havens and then settled at the mouth of the Morthond; the fisherfolk of the primitive harbour fled in fear to the White Mountains upon the arrival of the Sindar.[2]
In Aldarion and Erendis, Tolkien described Aldarion's sea voyage of S.A. 735-9 as passing through the "country of Amroth where the Nandor Elves still dwell".[5] Christopher Tolkien stated that this can be interpreted to imply that the tale of Aldarion and Erendis was recorded in Gondor before the last departure of Elves from Edhellond in T.A. 1981.[9]
Portrayal in adaptations
2014: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- Although Edhellond itself is abandoned, a small group of Elves, the "Avorrim" still live in nearby caves in secret, known only to the ruling line of Dol Amroth. They maintain a watch over Edhellond as, should the unthinkable happen and the access to the Grey Havens be lost, it would remain the only place in Middle-Earth from which the Elves could sail into the West. During the War of the Ring the Corsairs of Umbar who blockade Dol Amroth dock many of their ships in Edhellond, which becomes one of their staging areas.
Notes
- ↑ They escaped from Brithombar or Eglarest (the Havens of the Falas on the west coast of Beleriand) when they were destroyed in the years after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, but that whereas Círdan and Gil-galad made a refuge on the Isle of Balar, these three ships' companies sailed far further south down the coasts, to Belfalas.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Amroth and Nimrodel"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Ring, "Part Three: Minas Tirith", "XIV. The Second Map", West, p. 434
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, "Preface"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entries edhel, londë
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife", note 6