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Draft:Eriador

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Eriador
Middle-earth location
Hobbit hole
A hobbit hole in The Shire, the heart of Eriador
First appearanceThe Hobbit
Created byJ.R.R Tolkien
In-universe information
Other name(s)The Lone-Lands, Westlands, Lands to the West
TypeLarge region in northwest Middle-earth consisting of the lands of Arnor to the north and Rhudaur to the east
Race(s)Hobbits, Men, Elves
LocationNorthwestern Middle-earth
LocationsBree, Rivendell, The Shire

In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Eriador (pronounced [ɛriɑdɔr] from Sindarin Lone Lands) is a region in northwestern Middle-earth. It lies between Lindon and the Ered Luin to its west and the Misty Mountains to the east. It is a coastal region bordering the sea of Belegaer to its south. Eriador was largely occupied by the kingdom of Arnor, inhabited by much of the free peoples of Middle-earth, particularly the descendants of the Dúnedain of the Isle of Númenor. The kingdom would eventually collapse during the Third Age, leaving much of Eriador to became wild and largely uninhabited.[1]

The Shire, in the inland region of Eriador, is settled exclusively by Hobbits and encompasses much of the setting in the beginning and end of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is the homeland of several of the protagonists in Tolkien's works, including Aragorn, a Ranger of the North and heir of Isildur, an ancient King of Arnor, Bilbo Baggins at Bag End in the Shire, as well as his cousin, Frodo Baggins, heir to the One Ring. Tolkien crafted Eriador as wide lands that would expand the journey to the Wilderland in The Hobbit, east of the Misty Mountains, and as a remnant of Beleriand of the Silmarillion.[2]

Eriador contained vast forests, influenced by Tolkien's themes from England, and were harvested by the Númenóreans for shipbuilding by the seafaring Uinendili during their desire to explore the Great Sea of Arda.[3] The Elves of Eriador emerged after the destruction of Beleriand in the War of the Wrath and those who survived sailed to Middle-earth in the First Age. Settling to the east of Eriador below the Misty Mountains, the Elves constructed a single city in the newly founded region of Eregion near the Dwarf kingdom of Khazad-dûm.[4]

Literature

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Sketch map of part of Middle-earth, showing the region of Eriador in the upper left-hand corner

Etymology

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The name Eriador is intended to derive from the Sindarin term "Lonly land" or "Lone-lands".[5][6] The name roots from the Sindarin adjictive and prefix "Er-" or "eryā" meaning "lone" and noun "dor" or "dôr" meaning "land", "dwelling place", or "region", such as that used in Gondor or Mordor.[7] Tolkien intended "Eriador" to be used as an 'old name' to describe all the lands between the Misty and Blue mountains and "bounded by the Greyflood [River] and the Glanduin [River] that flows into it above Tharbad."[8]

Fictional geography

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Further information: Tolkien's maps and Geography of Middle-earth

Overview

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Eriador is described as a large, temperate region in the north-west of Middle-earth, experiencing warm summers and cool winters.[9] Eriador begins south of the Forodwaith, the "Northern Wastes", and extends southward to the northern border of Gondor in the White Mountains.[10] It is characterized by its sparsely inhabited lands and vast wilderness between the Hithaeglr (Misty Mountains) and Ered Luin (Blue Mountains).[11] Tolkien depicts the land of Eriador to be "almost completely barren of wild fauna." In The Fellowship of the Ring, as Strider guides the hobbits towards the Elven sanctuary of Rivendell, the group notes "they saw no sign and heard no sound of any other living thing all that day: neither two-footed, except birds; nor four-footed, except one fox and a few squirrels."[12] To the far north of Eriador are the lands of Angmar, south of the Mountains of Angmar, as well as the colder regions of Forochel, west of the Forodwaith.[13]

The trolls of Eriador largely settled in the remote region of the Ettenmoors (or the troll-fells), a barren valley of foothills (or moorlands), known as the Ettendales, situated south of the realm of Angmar and north of Rivendell within the far east of Eriador.[14][15] To heart of Eriador, the Weather Hills lay between the Bree-lands and the River Hoardwell, or the Mitheithel, traversing eastern Eriador.[16] It is a long range of hills that lays near the East Road containing the southernmost peak of Weathertop where the Tower of Amon Sûl stood during the Third Age.[17] It is encountered by Strider and the Hobbits during The Fellowship of the Ring where the Witch-king, sent by Sauron to recover the One Ring, stabs Frodo, the ring-bearer, with the Morgul-knife and removes a piece of the Hobbit's flesh.[18]

The Shire, seen here in Peter Jackson's movie set in Matamata, New Zealand
The Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland, an inspiration for Rivendell and the lands of Eastern Eriador

Between the rivers Baranduin and Gwathló, the region of Minhiriath lies to the south of Eriador, consisting of the border to the Belegaer sea.[19] Enedwaith, or the Central Wilderness, comprises the lands between river Gwathló and the river Isen and constituted a portion of the old country of Dunland.[20] The wooded cape of Eryn Vorn is located to the west of Minhiriath in southern Eriador.[19] The land was once part of the vast forests that covered Eriador and north-western Middle-earth before they were largely depleted during the Númenóreans harvest for ship-building timber.[19]

Arnor

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In its early history, Eriador was home to the descendants of the Edain, ancestors of the Númenóreans and the first Men who traversed Beleriand in the First Age and later occupied much of Eriador.[21] The Northern Kingdom of Arnor was founded by Elendil, father of Isildur and last lord of Andúnië on the island of Númenor, during the end of the Second Age.[22] The descendants of Elendil would be known as the Kings of Arnor, which included his eldest son Isildur who ruled alongside the Men of Gondor to the south.[23]The original capital of the realm was established in the city of Annúminas beside Nenuial (Lake Evendim).[10]Fornost Erain, below the North Downs, was later replaced as capital within the north of Eriador. Following the death of the realm's king, Eärendur, Arnor was divided into three separate kingdoms: Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur.[13]

Each throne was granted to the three sons of Eärendur.[24] The realms of Arnor would eventually collapse at the Battle of Fornost following a series of constant wars fought between the Witch-kingdom of Angmar to the north, and the remains of the Dúnedain of Arnor fled to Angle south of Rivendell. The realm of Arthedain existed in the core of Arnor, created from the fragmentation of the Northern Kingdom. It is located primarily between the Lhûn and the Brandywine rivers in northwestern Eriador.[8] The realm of Arthedain claimed the land north of the East Road from the Brandywine Bridge to the Weather Hills and includes The Shire west of the Baranduin river. Argeleb II, Arthedain's 10th king, allowed Fallohide brothers, Marcho and Blanco to cross the Brandywine Bridge with a group of other Hobbits where they established The Shire in the Third Age.[9] The realm of Rhudaur is located in the eastern most lands of Arnor and are characterized as the wildest and least fertile lands of the region.[25]

The Shire, Central Eriador

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Further information: The Shire

The Shire is located in central Eriador, particularly within the old realm of Arthedain in Arnor.[26] The land is estimated to be roughly 18,000 square miles in size[27], or 40 leagues (120 miles) from the Far Downs to the Brandywine Bridge measured from east to west.[9] It is measured to be 50 leagues (150 miles) from the north to the south, beginning from the northern moors to the marshes in the south. In Tolkien's writings, it is described a as "small but beautiful and fruitful land", beloved by its Hobbit inhabitants in a way Tolkien describes as a "a close friendship with the earth."[28][9] It was considered the most fertile and "well-tilled" part of Arnor during its early years and was used as hunting grounds by the Kings of Arnor.[29] During the waning years of the North Kingdom, The Shire was known as the "splinter-realm" of Arthedain and had been long deserted.[9] While the Shire had been within the dominion of the North Kingdom, the Hobbits of the Shire were tasked with keeping the repairs of the Brandywine Bridge (then called the Bridge of Stonebows), in which they crossed in the Third Age to settle in the lands of Eriador, and all other roads in Arthedain.[30]

During this time, the Hobbits acknowledged the rule of the Dúnedain of Arnor, yet were ruled by their own cheiftains and secluded themselves largely from the outside world of Eriador or Middle-earth.[30] The Hobbits were later granted full authority over The Shire with the fall of Arnor and restored the land to where Tolkien described as "had before been well-tilled, and there the king had once had many farms, cornlands, vineyards, and woods."[31] Much of the Shire's language, weather, and agriculture was inspired by Tolkien's youth in England, particularly his views on Deep England and the lands voluntary simplicity being taken from his witnessing of the extension of the Industrial Revolution.[32]The settlement of Hobbiton in the central regions of the Shire, features the residence of Bag End, home of the Hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and forms an end point in the story circle of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The region's chief town is Michel Delving, located on the White Downs within the Westfarthing and is unofficially considered to be the land's "capital" amongst Hobbits.[9]

Rivendell, Eastern Eriador

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Further information: Rivendell

The Elven settlement of Rivendell lies within the sheltered valley of the river Bruinen in Eastern Eriador, hidden by the region's extensive foothills below the Misty Mountains.[33] Tolkien's inspiration for Rivendell derived from the Lauterbrunnen valley in Switzerland, based on his time hiking there in 1911. It's physical geography is described as " bleak, mountainous, northerly terrain"[34], containing Pine trees that "changed to beech and oak "[35]. To the west of Rivendell, within the borders of Eastern Eriador, are the Trollshaws, where the trolls of Eriador dwell in narrow caves, such the Trolls' lair, encountered by Bilbo and the Dwarf company on their journey to Erebor. The name Wilderland, used by Hobbits to describe the wild lands of Rhovanion east of the Misty Mountains, included Eastern Eriador.[36]

People

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The dwarf Alviss seen here in a depiction in Norse mythology, wherein Tolkien found an inspitation for the Dwarves of Middle-earth.[37]

Eriador is the home of all the free-peoples of Middle-earth.[23] The Dwarves lived in the eastern region of the Blue Mountains to the west of Eriador, utilizing the mines of the Gulf of Lhûn.[38] The Elves of Eriador initially dwelled in the dense woods of Eriador in the First Age; the Noldor would eventually settle in the foothills of eastern Eriador in the lands of Eregion and Rivendell in the Second Age.[39] When the great woods spread through all of Eriador, the region was once traversed by Ents until the Second Age. The Hobbits entered Eriador in the Third Age around T.A. 1150 and settled in the Bree-lands around T.A. 1300; the Hobbits would eventually traverse the lands of The Shire and Buckland in the late Third Age.[39]

Eriador had contained the descendents of the Edain and the Easterlings until the Fourth Age, initially occupying the surrounding areas of Bree and Minhiriath in the First Age.[40] The Númenóreans remained settled in Vinyalondë and Tharbad from around S.A. 800; the Dúnedain began to settle around S.A. 3320 with the founding of Arnor.[41] The Barrow-wights inhabited Tyrn Gorthad in the Third Age, sent by the Witch-king of Angmar to the north of Eriador.[24] Orcs were occupied in Angmar, inhibiting passes into Eriador through the Misty Mountains. To the north-east of Eriador, the Trolls dwelled in the Ettenmoors and the Trollshaws along the East-West Road. Of an unknown race, Tom Bombadil and Goldberry lived in the Old Forest in the heart of Eriador.[42]

History

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First Age

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Little is recorded of Eriador's history prior to the Second Age, however, it is known that the Three Kindred, the Vanyar, the Noldor, and the Teleri, passed through Eriador on their journey to Beleriend to seek Valinor; following the Valar.[43] The Teleri, whom arrived last following the Noldor, remained in Eriador, eventually continuing to Beleriend by request of the Elven lord, Elu.[44] One group of the Teleri, known as the Nandor, stayed in Eriador, wandered through the region's vast wilderness, before continuing to eastern Beleriend.[45] The first Men to settle in Eriador were ancestors of tribes of the Edain in F.A. 310; numerous sub-tribes would continue to occupy Eriador while others led by Bëor and Marach sought to travel west to Beleriend in search of the Valar.[46] Among those who stayed in Eriador were the Easterlings, whom followed the Edain into Beleriend in F.A. 463, where they would meet with the Eldar in Aman.

Second Age

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Part of Eriador to the northeast showing a map of Hobbit origins based on J. R. R. Tolkien's Prologue 'Concerning Hobbits' at the start of The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbits "Long lived in the foothills of the mountains" and "moved westward early", roaming as far as Weathertop; the Stoors "lingered long by the banks of the Great River Anduin".[9]

In S.A. 750, ancestor tribes of the Noldor established the realm of Eregion west of Moria in the Misty Mountains.[24] Around this time, two Elves: Galadriel and Celeborn, the noblest of the Sindar, settled in Lake Nenuial in Eriador, ruling the Eldar.[19] The first Men of Númenór reached Middle-earth in S.A. 600, finding Eriador and the settlements of the Edain, coexisting with Elves, occupying the lands of the Weather Hills and the North Downs.[47] The Númenóreans mainly discovered the Men dwelling east of the Baranduin, recognizing them as forebears of the ancient Bëor. Aldarion first found Eriador, as well as Lindon, in S.A. 725, establishing the first Númenórean settlement in Middle-earth in Vinyalondë, later known as Lond Daer, in southern Eriador. [47] The Númenóreans, whom had became a race of skilled shipbuilders and mariners, utilized Eriador's extensive forest to harvest lumber and consequently deforesting the wilderness of Minhiriath and Enedwaith.[19] The Elven realm of Eregion grew during the corruption of Sauron and the creation of the Rings of Power; an invasion of Eriador occurred in S.A. 1693, after the Elves refused to give the Rings to Sauron, destroying Eregion in S.A. 1697.[48]

Third Age

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By the Third Age,

Legacy

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In the First Age, the lands of Eriador where populated by Men under the influence of Melkor, the primary antagonist of Arda and the source of evil on Middle-earth. His successor, Sauron, obtained rule of Eriador during the Second Age, before the coming of Dúnedain and the founding of the Kingdom of the North largely diminished his power. The Witch-Kingdom of Angmar to the north of Eriador appears during the Third Age with the rise of the Witch-king as The Lord of the Nazgûl and was ultimately responsible for the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Arnor to its south. Following their immigration to the northwest in the Third Age (known as the Shire-reckoning), Eriador became the homeland of almost all Hobbits found on Middle-earth.

References

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Citations

  1. ^ Foster 2022, p. 120.
  2. ^ Garth 2020, p. 57.
  3. ^ Garth 2020, p. 128.
  4. ^ Shippey 2001, pp. 198–199.
  5. ^ Ponty 2017, p. 92.
  6. ^ Salo 2004, p. 252.
  7. ^ Noel 1980, p. 132.
  8. ^ a b Tolkien 1955, p. 319, "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur".
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Tolkien 1954, p. , prologue "Concerning hobbits".
  10. ^ a b Harvey 2011, p. 22.
  11. ^ Salo 2004, p. 377.
  12. ^ Tolkien 1954, p. 71.
  13. ^ a b Fonstad 1981, p. 72, "Eriador".
  14. ^ Tyler 2004, p. 219.
  15. ^ Tolkien 1954, p. 200, "Flight to the Ford".
  16. ^ Rutledge 2004, p. 81.
  17. ^ Tolkien 1955, p. "Note on the Maps".
  18. ^ Tolkien 1954, p. ch. 11 "A Knife in the Dark".
  19. ^ a b c d e Tolkien 1980, p. "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix D: The Port of Lond Daer", discussion of the name Gwathló, first paragraph.
  20. ^ Tolkien 1996, p. "X. Of Dwarves and Men", "Notes", note 76.
  21. ^ Tolkien 1994, pp. 215, 226, "Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West (Chapter 14)".
  22. ^ Tolkien 1977, p. 127, Chapter 10 "Of the Sindar".
  23. ^ a b Tolkien 1954, p. Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "The Realms in Exile".
  24. ^ a b c Tolkien 1955, p. Appendix A, 1 "The Numenorean Kings".
  25. ^ Tyler 2004, p. 538, "Rhudaur".
  26. ^ Fonstad 1981, p. 69, "The Shire".
  27. ^ Smith 2012, p. 4, "Where is The Shire?".
  28. ^ Smith 2012, p. 5.
  29. ^ Tolkien 1996, p. 9, "I, The Prologue".
  30. ^ a b Tolkien 1954, p. 4, prologue "Concerning hobbits".
  31. ^ Tolkien 1954, p. 5, prologue "Concerning hobbits".
  32. ^ Stanton 2007, pp. 607–608.
  33. ^ Tolkien 1937, pp. 43–49, "A Short Rest".
  34. ^ Burns 2005, p. 54.
  35. ^ Tolkien 1937, p. 45, "A Short Rest".
  36. ^ Tolkien 2005, p. 14.
  37. ^ Evans, Jonathan (2013) [2007]. "Dwarves". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia. Abingdon, England: Routledge. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-0-415-86511-1.
  38. ^ Tolkien 1954, p. Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur".
  39. ^ a b Tolkien 1954, p. Appendix B, "The Second Age".
  40. ^ Tolkien 1980, p. "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix D: The Port of Lond Daer".
  41. ^ Tolkien 1980, p. 90-111 "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife".
  42. ^ Tolkien 1954, p. 41-44, "The Council of Elrond".
  43. ^ Tolkien 1977, pp. 21–23, " "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor".
  44. ^ Day 1992, p. 80.
  45. ^ Tolkien 1977, pp. 24–25, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Sindar".
  46. ^ Tolkien 1994, pp. Part Two. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Coming of Men into the West (Chapter 14)", pp. 215 and 226.
  47. ^ a b Tolkien 1980, p. 30-47, "Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner's Wife".
  48. ^ Tolkien 1977, p. 200-227, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age".

Bibliography

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