Northern Waste
| Northern Waste | |
|---|---|
| Region | |
 | |
| "Forod" by Rob Alexander | |
| General Information | |
| Other names | Forodwaith (S.) |
| Location | North of Angmar, Mount Gundabad and Ered Mithrin |
| Type | Region |
| Description | The icy, isolated north of Middle-earth |
| Regions | Forochel, Cape of Forochel |
| Inhabitants | Primarily Men |
| Gallery | Images of the Northern Waste |
The Northern Waste was a vast cold region of mostly ice and snow, in the far north end of Middle-earth,[1] beyond the Mountains of Angmar, Mount Gundabad and the Ered Mithrin.
The location was also named Forodwaith (S., "Northern lands, people") after the hardy Forodwaith folk, who once inhabited it.
History
The Northern Waste had always been bitterly cold due to its proximity to Morgoth's realm and continued to remain cold into the later ages.[2]
The region was once inhabited by a hardy Mannish folk accustomed to the cold climate of the Northern Waste; the Forodwaith who gave the region its name. In later years, their remnants retreated to the Cape of Forochel.[2]
According to Frodo Baggins's poem for Gandalf, Gandalf had travelled to the Northern Waste.[3]
Dragons also dwelt there[note 1] and after many years, they multiplied and became strong and made war against the Dwarves.[4][5] Among these dragons were Cold-drakes that drove the Dwarves of the Grey Mountains out of their homes.[5]
Other versions of the legendarium
In the earliest General Map of Middle-earth by Christopher Tolkien, the northern portion of the Westlands is featureless, labelled as "Northern Waste", with the name "Forodwaith", in smaller letters, above the Mountains of Angmar; this seemed to suggest that Forodwaith is a part of the wider Northern Waste, if not a smaller separate region. This nomenclature was carried over to Pauline Baynes's A Map of Middle-earth.
Later, Christopher Tolkien realized that the two names are synonymous. The misunderstanding was corrected in the later map known as The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age, where only the name "Forodwaith" appears, labeling all the blank portion north of the Mountains of Angmar and the Grey Mountains.[6]
Portrayal in adaptations
Notes
- ↑ In Appendix A, it is mentioned that "there were dragons in the wastes beyond [the Grey Mountains]." According to the map known as The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age, these wastes to the north of the Grey Mountains are referred to as the "Forodwaith" and thus synonymous with the "Northern Waste."
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Mirror of Galadriel"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "An Unexpected Party"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "Durin's Folk"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Introduction", "The Map of Middle-earth"
