Eriador is the large region in the north-west of Middle-earth, defined between Lindon and the Blue Mountains to the west and Rhovanion and the Misty Mountains to the East.
Eriador is a large, inhabited temperate region in the north-west of Middle-earth. At its widest extent, it stretches for around 675 miles from east-to-west, around 690 miles from north-to-south, 740 miles from northeast-to-southwest and 750 miles from northwest-to-southeast.
The most important rivers in the region are: the Lune (Sindarin Lhûn) which flows through the Blue Mountains to form the Gulf of Lune; the Brandywine (Sindarin Baranduin) which flows out of Lake Evendim (Nenuial) to form the eastern-boundary of the Shire; and the Greyflood (Gwathló) which forms the southern-border of Eriador. Other rivers include: the Glanduin, which flows out of Hollin (Eregion) and into the Greyflood above Tharbad, forming the Swanfleet (Nîn-in-Eilph) marsh; the Loudwater (Bruinen), passing Rivendell (Imladris) in the Ford of Bruinen; the Hoarwell (Mitheithel) which flows out of the Ettenmoors and over which the Last Bridge passes; the Withywindle of the Old Forest; and The Water, Stock-brook, Shirebourn and Thistle Brook which all flow into the Brandywine from in the Shire.
Central Eriador is scattered with many groups of hills including the Tower Hills (Emyn Beraid), the Hills of Evendim (Emyn Uial), the Weather Hills, as well as the Far Downs, White Downs, South Downs, North Downs, and Barrow-downs (Tyrn Gorthad Despite large deforestation by the Númenóreans during the Second Age, some wooded areas remain, such as the Old Forest, Woody End, Bindbole Wood (sometimes seen as "Bindbale"), Chetwood around Bree-hill, the Trollshaws, and, largest of all, Eryn Vorn; Hollin was so named due to the large numbers of holly trees which grow there. Other geographic features include the Midgewater Marshes, Rushock Bog, and Overbourn Marshes.
The East-West Road crosses Eriador from Rivendell in the east to the Grey Havens in the west whilst the Greenway runs south from Fornost, linking Arnor and Gondor; the Greenway and the East-West Road meet at Bree. Key Elvish settlements include the Grey Havens, Ost-in-Edhil and Rivendell; for the Dúnedain there were Weathertop, Annúminas, and Fornost Erain, as well as the Númenórean ports of Tharbad and Lond Daer (earlier known as Vinyalondë).
The First Age
The Three Kindreds of the Elves passed through Eriador on their way to Beleriand, to make the trip to Valinor. First came the Vanyar, followed closely by the Noldor, but the third kindred, the Teleri, tarried and were only urged forward at the behest of their lord, Elwë, who was keen to return to Valinor. Later, some of the Nandor who remained behind eventually passed into Eriador, and dwelt there for a time, before Denethor gathered as many of the Nandor as possible and they removed to Ossiriand to become the Laiquendi.
In F.A. 310, the first Men, tribes of the Edain (ancestors of the House of Bëor and House of Hador) traversed Eriador. Many sub-tribes of both peoples stayed behind, and when the shrinking teams (now led by Bëor and Marach) reached Beleriand, those who stayed behind occupied many parts of Eriador.
The Bëorians were discovered by Finrod Felagund. These Men quickly made friendship with the Eldar and entered into their service, but Bereg, great-grandson of Bëor, was discontent and led those of like mind with himself back over the mountains into Eriador.
Men were still drawn westwards; also living in Eriador during the First Age were men known as Swarthy Men, who they were led by Bór and Ulfang into Beleriand (F.A. 463), and they met with the Eldar.
The Second Age
Elves and Númenóreans
Following the War of Wrath and the destruction of Beleriand, many Elves left for Aman whilst the remnants of the Edain removed to live on the newly-formed isle of Númenor. The remaining Elves moved to Lindon, and in S.A. 750 the remnants of the Noldor established the realm of Eregion in the south-east of Eriador.
In the early Second Age, Galadriel and Celeborn crossed into Eriador with many Noldor in their following, together with Sindar and Green-elves; and for a while they dwelt in the country about Lake Nenuial ruling the Eldar in Eriador, including the wandering companies of the native Nandor. Descendants of the Edain also dwelt there, side by side to those Elves. These Men also occupied the Weather Hills and the North Downs.
In S.A. 600, the first Númenórean ships began to visit Middle-earth and when news of this reached the Men of Eriador they were amazed and scared. On the Tower Hills the Númenóreans met with just twelve Men from Eriador and both sides recognised their ancient kinship: the Númenóreans discovered that these people lived in the hills east of the Baranduin and were likely the descendants of the people of Bëor and Hador who never crossed the Blue Mountains.
In S.A. 725 Aldarion first visited Lindon and Eriador and began a long-lasting friendship with Gil-galad. He made many voyages to Middle-earth and established the haven of Vinyalondë (later known as Lond Daer) on the banks of the river Gwathir, a move which proved crucial in defeating Sauron later in the Second Age. As a mariner, Aldarion had a great desire to build ships and to do this he began deforesting much of the Minhiriath and Enedwaith; this angered the native forest-dwelling Men who subsequently fled to the forest of Eryn Vorn.
War with Sauron
The Noldor of Eregion grew in unparalleled friendship with the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, to the benefit of both peoples, and there was much traffic between the Elven city of Ost-in-Edhil and the West-gate of Moria. In his attempt to corrupt them, Sauron taught them how to create the Rings of Power.
The Elves realised they had been tricked and they hid their Rings from him; Sauron, however, demanded that all the Rings be given to him as they were created with his help. When the Elves refused Sauron was vengeful and in S.A. 1693 began the War of the Elves and Sauron with an invasion of Eriador in 1695. Elrond was sent by Gil-galad with a force to aid Celebrimbor, but all Elrond could do was to retreat with some survivors northwards.
In 1697, with Eregion lain waste, Elrond founded the refuge of Imladris as a defence against Sauron, and was joined by Men and Elves, swelling his forces; Sauron had taken over all of Eriador by S.A. 1699, once he drove the Dwarves back into Khazad-dûm and the gates were shut. While Sauron sent most of his army west to attack Lindon he had to leave a strong detachment behind to contain Elrond and besieged Imladris.
Gil-galad sent word to King Tar-Minastir of Númenor calling for aid, but when the ships finally arrived in S.A. 1700 (landing in Lindon and Vinyalondë) Sauron was already preparing his invasion of Lindon. The forces of Gil-galad, Elrond and Ciryatur caused heavy losses at Sarn Ford before Sauron's forces were utterly destroyed at the Battle of the Gwathló, where Sauron barely escaped with his life. However, Eriador lay in ruins as many of the native Men, Elves and Númenóreans had been killed by Sauron and his forces had ravaged the lands and destroyed many of the remaining forests.
The Elven lords decided in a Council that Imladris should become the new Elvish stronghold in eastern Eriador after the destruction of Eregion; Gil-galad also bestowed the ring Vilya upon Elrond and made him his vice-regent.
Last Alliance
Throughout the Second Age the Númenóreans gradually increased their power in Middle-earth by creating coastal dominions; they eventually had the strength to confront Sauron and take him prisoner to Númenor. Whilst there, Sauron seduced the King and most of the people, and persuaded Ar-Pharazôn to break the Ban of the Valar, causing Ilúvatar to change the shape of the World, destroying Númenor in the process. The Faithful, those Númenóreans who remained true to the Valar and friendly with the Elves, were spared, and in S.A. 3320 Elendil established the two Realms in Exile: Gondor in the south and Arnor in Eriador.
Sauron, now unable to take fair form, returned to Mordor and in S.A. 3429 attacked Minas Ithil, burning the White Tree. Isildur son of Elendil fled north to join his father in Arnor, who took counsel with Gil-galad, for both foresaw the need to triumph over Sauron before his power grew unstoppable: in S.A. 3430 they formed the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. In S.A. 3431 Elendil and Gil-galad marched east to Imladris; the host was the fairest and most splendid in arms ever seen in Middle-earth and the greatest ever assembled since the Host of the Valar.
The Third Age
Arnor and Division
Following Sauron's defeat during the War of the Last Alliance, Isildur took the One Ring for himself as a weregild for his father, but, during the Disaster of the Gladden Fields the Ring betrayed him to his death; the Ring was lost and not found again for 2,500 years. The kingship of Arnor passed to Isildur's only surviving son, Valandil, whose reign began an uneventful 800 years in the North-kingdom.
The unity of Arnor was broken, however, when in T.A. 861, following the death of the tenth king, Eärendur, the dissension amongst his three sons led to the division of Arnor into three kingdoms: Arthedain, Cardolan and Rhudaur. There was often strife between the kingdoms, especially over ownership of the Weather Hills and the chief Palantír of the North at Amon Sûl, and this quickened the waning of the Dúnedain.
The line of Isildur was maintained through the Kings of Arthedain all the way to Aragorn II, but the line of kings in Cardolan and Rhudaur quickly dwindled. By 1349, with the rule of Argeleb I, the Kings of Arthedain were once again claiming lordship over all of Arnor and prefixed their names with ar- in recognition of this.
Rise of Angmar
In the year T.A. 1300 evil things begin to return to the world with the Witch-king founding the evil realm of Angmar beyond the Ettenmoors in the far north-east of Eriador, hoping to utterly destroy the Dúnedain of the North, seeing hope in the fragmentation of Arnor.
In league with Lindon and Cardolan, King Arveleg I of Arthedain successfully fortified the Weather Hills against Angmar whilst Rivendell was being besieged. However, in T.A. 1409, a great force came out of Angmar, surrounding Weathertop, defeating the Dúnedain, slaying Arveleg and the last prince of Cardolan whilst destroying the tower of Amon Sûl. The palantír was saved in retreat to Fornost but Cardolan was ravaged and Rhudaur became a vassal-state of Angmar. In response, Elrond brought Elves from Lothlórien and Círdan sent aid from Lindon to repel Angmar from the North Downs and Fornost - for a time, Angmar was subdued.
During the Angmar War, the weather and climate in Eriador became unfriendly, and all these circumstances forced the Stoors to leave the Angle of Eriador. In T.A. 1636 the Great Plague came up from the south-east with many in Cardolan (especially in Minhiriath) and the Shire perishing; as Cardolan was deserted, the Witch-king sent evil spirits to dwell in the revered Barrow-downs. The Plague marked the beginning of the desolation of Eriador, that continued being depopulated from Men for the rest of the Age.
Destruction of Arnor
After many years of silence, King Araphant of Arthedain and King Ondoher of Gondor renewed communications between the two realms, as they perceived that there was a single power directing the enemies of both Arnor and Gondor, as such in T.A. 1940 Araphant's son Arvedui married Ondoher's daughter Fíriel. Despite the marriage, neither kingdom was able to send aid to the other as Angmar continued to attack Arthedain while the Wainriders attacked Gondor; in the Battle of the Camp of T.A. 1944 Ondoher was killed.
On the death of Ondoher and his sons, Arvedui of the North-kingdom claimed the crown of Gondor, as the direct descendent of Isildur, and as the husband of Fíriel, only surviving child of Ondoher. The claim was rejected. In this Pelendur, the Steward of King Ondoher, played the chief part.
Instead, a distant relative, Eärnil, was chosen as King. Arvedui did not press his claim, but nor did the Dúnedain of the North forget it, for their kingdom diminished as foretold by Malbeth the Seer: in T.A. 1974 Angmar returned with renewed vigour, attacking the Dúnedain, capturing Fornost and destroying Arnor. After holding out for a while on the North Downs, Arvedui was forced to flee to the mountains where he stayed in old dwarf mines; out of hunger, he and his men travelled north and spent the winter with the Lossoth on the Icebay of Forochel. Arvedui perished and two palantíri were lost.
Eärnil had told Arvedui, "I do not forget the royalty of Arnor, nor deny our kinship, nor wish that the realms of Elendil be estranged. I will send to your aid when you have need, so long as I am able." In T.A. 1973 he received a request for aid and sent his son, Eärnur, north with a great host: they arrived at the Grey Havens too late. However, in T.A. 1975 Círdan and Eärnur amassed a great army and met the forces of Angmar on the plain by Lake Nenuial in the Battle of Fornost: the force was too strong for the Witch-king and his army fled but his retreat was cut off by Gondor's cavalry and a host of Elves led by Glorfindel who had come north from Rivendell.
Despite the utter destruction of Angmar, Arthedain was also ended. Arvedui's son, Aranarth, took the title "Chieftain of the Dúnedain", and the heirlooms of Arnor were given into the keeping of Elrond. The Dúnedain continued as a secretive and wandering people, fighting alongside the sons of Elrond to protect their former lands: they mostly lived out their full lives (save for Aragorn I who was slain by wolves) until the days of Arassuil when evil things began to multiply again.
Foundation of the Shire
Hobbits (or Periannath in Sindarin) first entered Eriador in T.A. 1050 when Harfoots came over the Misty Mountains from the Vales of Anduin in order to move away from the shadow which had fallen over Greenwood the Great. In around T.A. 1150 they were joined by the Fallohides, whilst the Stoors came over the Redhorn Pass and moved to Dunland and the Angle. With the rise of Angmar some Hobbits migrated westward and settle in Bree; in T.A. 1356 the Stoors left the Angle, some of whom returned to Rhovanion to become a people of fisher-folk.
In T.A. 1601, led by Marcho and Blanco, Hobbits obtained permission from King Argeleb II to settle in the region beyond the Brandywine River on the proviso that they maintain the Bridge of Stonebows and other bridges and roads, whilst acknowledging Argeleb's lordship. With the foundation of the Shire, the year Third Age 1601 became the year 1 in Shire-reckoning.
For the next thousand years Hobbits were little-affected by the dangers of the world around them as they grew large in both number and wealth. Despite the end of the Watchful Peace in T.A. 2460, with the passes across the Misty Mountains being barred by Sauron's creatures, Eriador was not attacked by Orcs until 2740. Seven years later Bandobras Took led a group of hobbits in successfully defending the Shire against marauding orcs from Mount Gram led by Golfimbul in the Battle of Greenfields. Hobbits faced further hardship in T.A. 2758 in the Long Winter, which killed thousands of hobbits and resulted in a dreadful famine. In T.A. 2911 the Fell Winter began, freezing the rivers and bringing white wolves from the north. In the floods which followed the city of Tharbad was destroyed.
On 14 March T.A. 2941, a chance encounter between the wizard Gandalf and King Thorin Oakenshield in Bree set in motion a series of events which led to the downfall of Sauron and the establishment of the Reunited Kingdom. Thorin was seeking assistance in regaining his father's kingdom and wealth. Gandalf, worried about the threat of the dragon Smaug, agreed to assist, and forcibly enlisted the help of Bilbo Baggins. As the Company of fifteen (thirteen dwarves with Gandalf and Bilbo) travelled towards Rivendell they encountered three trolls. Thanks to Gandalf they avoided death whilst managing to gain the two Elvish swords Glamdring and Orcrist, and the dagger Sting. Later on this quest Bilbo obtained Gollum's magic ring.
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