Old Forest Road
| Old Forest Road | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Road of the Dwarves (translation), Men-i-Naugrim, Forest Road |
| Location | Running from the Misty Mountains through central Mirkwood to the Celduin |
| Inhabitants | Used by Dwarves |
The Old Forest Road or Men-i-Naugrim was the main route through the great forest originally known as Greenwood the Great and latterly as Mirkwood.
Route
The road ran from the east gate of Moria north along the eastern side of the Misty Mountains over the upper course of the river Gladden to the lowest point where a bridge over the Anduin could be built and then straight east across the value of the Anduin and through Mirkwood forest to a bridge across the River Running and then north-east to the iron mines[1] in the Iron Hills[2]. A road that descended from the High Pass of Imladris was also part of the Drawf Road.[3] The latitude of the eastern part of the road is halfway between the ancient Dwarven meeting-place at Mount Gundabad to the north, and Moria to the south.[4]
History
The stone-bridge over the Anduin and the first miles of the road through Greenwood were built by the Longbeard dwarves of Moria and the bridge over the River Running was built by their kin from the Iron Hills in the First Age. The road was completed during the Second Age when many dwarves emigrated from the Blue Mountains to Khazad-dûm and to the Iron Hills.[1]
The road enjoyed a large amount of traffic until the War of the Elves and Sauron.[1]
After a while the road fell into disrepair, and the Dwarves of the Iron Hills lost contact with the capital of Khazad-dûm.
Near the end of the Second Age the stone bridge across the Anduin was specially enlarged and strengthened to carry the armies of the Last Alliance.[5]
The original route planned for the Quest of Erebor was to cross Mirkwood using the Old Forest Road. However, the Dwarves had been dwelling in the Blue Mountains in the west for many decades and knew not that the stone bridge over the Anduin had been lost and the river was crossed at the Old Ford. When the company arrived at the house of Beorn, however, Beorn warned Thorin and Company that the old forest road was often used by Goblins and that inside the forest, the eastern portions of the road had fallen into such disrepair that the route was overgrown and impassible. At this time, the road followed a nearly straight course through the central parts of the forest, somewhat to the south of the Mountains of Mirkwood, leading to impassable marshes near the banks of the River Running where the paths had long been lost.[6]
Other Names
In the Unfinished Tales, the Old Forest Road is referred to as just simply Forest Road.
Etymology
Men-i-Naugrim is a Sindarin name.[7] It means "Way of the Dwarves" or "Dwarf Road".[8] It is a compound of men ("road, way"), i ("the") and Naugrim ("dwarves").[7]
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part Three. The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants: XX. Note on the Dwarf Road"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "X. Of Dwarves and Men", "Notes", note 30
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Roads (2) (v)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The Disaster of the Gladden Fields", "Notes", Note 14
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, "Queer Lodgings"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Paul Strack, "S. Men-i-Naugrim loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 9 March 2022)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Men-i-Naugrim
