View source for Tol Eressëa

{{expansion}}
{{location infobox
| name=Tol Eressëa
| image=[[File:Billy Mosig - Parting from Eressea.jpg|250px]]
| caption="Parting from Eressea" by Billy Mosig
| pronun={{respell|tol}} {{respell|eh|res|seh-ah}}
| othernames=The Lonely Island
| location=[[Aman]] off the coast of [[Valinor]],  east of the [[Bay of Eldamar]]; surrounded by [[Enchanted Isles]]
| type=Island
| description=Arrowhead-shaped island, green and beautiful
| regions=
| towns=[[Avallónë]]</br>[[Tathrobel]]<ref>{{MR|P3II1}}, pp. 199-200</ref><ref>{{LR|Quenta}}, p. 203</ref></br>[[Cortirion]]<ref>{{LR|Quenta}}, "The Conclusion of the ''Quenta Silmarillion''", §33, p. 334</ref>
| inhabitants=[[Eldar]], mostly [[Teleri]]
| created={{YT|1151}}
| destroyed=
| events=
}}
'''Tol Eressëa''' was a large island off the coast of [[Eldamar]]. Its name translates from [[Quenya]] as the '''''Lonely Island''''', for it lay originally in the middle of the [[Belegaer]], far from any other landmasses.

==History==
[[Ulmo]] pushed it back and forth across [[Belegaer]] twice to transport the [[Elves]] to [[Aman]]. After that, it came to rest forever just off the eastern shore of that continent in the [[Bay of Eldamar]], and was inhabited by the [[Teleri]] of Aman, until they left for [[Alqualondë]].

With the end of the [[First Age]], many of the [[Eldar]] of [[Middle-earth]] (and the Teleri that never left it) went to Aman, and lived on the island of Tol Eressëa. Its principal location is the port city of [[Avallónë]] on the eastern shore.

==Flora==
Many beautiful trees grew on Eressëa, and their seedlings were gifted by the Eldar to [[Númenor]] to enrich the land.<ref>{{UT|Numenor}}</ref> Some of them were:
*[[Oiolairë]]
*[[Lairelossë]]
*[[Nessamelda]]
*[[Vardarianna]]
*[[Taniquelassë]]
*[[Yavannamírë]]
*[[Malinornë]]
*[[Lavaralda]]
*[[Elanor]]
*[[Lissuin]]

==Etymology==
Tol Eressëa is [[Quenya]], from ''[[tol]]'' "isle" and ''[[eressëa]]'' "lonely".{{fact}}

==Other versions of the legendarium==
In early versions of Tolkien's legendarium, the island was later visited by [[Ælfwine]] (or [[Eriol]]), an Anglo-Saxon from the early Middle Ages, which provided a framework for the tales that later became ''[[The Silmarillion]]''.

Most of ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part One]]'' occurs on Tol Eressëa. The island played a significant role in those early conflicting and revised versions, as the homeland of the Noldorin exiles. From those stories, [[Christopher Tolkien]] provided a comparative summary of its story: After the war between the [[Eldar]] and the [[Enemy]] in the [[Great Lands]] (i.e. Middle-earth), Eressea is the destination for the exiled [[Noldoli]] who were rescued from the Great Lands, as some were not allowed to return to Valinor. The exiles built many towns and villages, and places such as [[Tavrobel]], the central region of [[Alalminórë]] with the hill of [[Kôr]] where [[Ingil]] son of [[Ingwe|Inwe]] built [[Kortirion]]. The [[House of the Hundred Chimneys]] and the [[Cottage of Lost Play]] of Kortirion are also mentioned. These names do not exist in the later ''Silmarillion''.

The island was visited by [[Ottor Wǽfre]] who, after learning the ancient history of the [[Elder Days]] went to visit [[Gilfanon]] in Tavrobel, where he wrote it down. He married an Elf and had a son named [[Heorrenda]].

Tol Eressea was drawn again east and anchored off the coasts of the Great Lands (at the geographical position of England), where the Lost Elves rose against the servants of Melko. When Osse attempted to drag the island back to the West, the western half broke off, forming the Isle of [[Iverin]] (Ireland).

After the defeat of the Elves in the battle of [[Ros]], they hid in Tol Eressea, but were followed by evil men, [[Orcs]] and other creatures. The great [[Battle of the Heath of the Sky-roof]] between Men near Tavrobel causes the Elves to flee over the [[Gruir]] and the [[Afros]].

The Elves then faded, and most [[Men]] were now unable to see them. Eriol's sons, Hengest, Horsa, and Heorrenda, who were friendly to the Elves, conquered the island which became 'England'. From them the Angles have 'the true tradition of the fairies'. Hengest came to Kortirion (Warwick), Horsa to [[Taruithorn]] ([[Oxford]]) and Heorrenda to [[Tavrobel]] (Great Haywood).<ref>{{LT2|VI}}</ref>

A [[Gnomish]] name used for Tol Eressëa was '''''Dor Faidwen''''' ("Land of Release").<ref>{{LT1|I}}, pp. 13, 21</ref><ref>{{PE|11}}, pp. 5, 7</ref>

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[[Category:Aman]]
[[Category:Islands]]
[[Category:Qenya locations]]
[[Category:Quenya locations]]
[[Category:Tol Eressëa| ]]
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