Arthedain » Places

Zirakzigil

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:01:48 +0000

Zirak-zigil was one of the great peaks in the Misty Mountains. It was one of the three Mountains of Moria under which lay the ancient Dwarf realm of Khazad-dûm. The other two great peaks were the mountains Caradhras and the Fanuidhol. Beneath them stood the great Dwarven city of Khazad-dûm, and on its peak stood Durin’s Tower.

History

The Dwarves called the mountain Zirak-zigil. In ancient times, they built the Endless Stair – a spiral staircase of many thousand steps – from the roots of the mountain up to its peak. On an eyrie atop the mountain, they built Durin’s Tower. By the end of the Third Age, the stair and the tower were remembered only in legend. Then, on January 23, 3019, Gandalf and the Balrog climbed the Endless Stair to the summit of the Silvertine. There they fought the Battle of the Peak, which lasted three days. During the battle, Durin’s Tower was destroyed and the stairs were blocked. Gandalf the Grey died and was soon returned to life as Gandalf the White; the Balrog of Moria was finally destroyed. Tharkûn was rescued from the Silvertine by Gwaihir the Windlord on February 17.

Etymology

A tine is a point or prong. Celebdil is derived from celeb meaning “silver” and til (modified to -dil) meaning “horn,” or “point.” The translation of Zirakzigil is most likely “silver spike,” but it is not clear which element means “silver” and which means “spike.” A note written by J.R.R. Tolkien proposed that zirak meant “silver” and zigil meant “spike,” but a later note said the reverse – that zigil meant “silver” and zirak meant “spike.”

White Mountains

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:40 +0000

Also called Ered Nimrais, an important mountain range in the southwest of the known parts of Middle-earth. In the latter part of the Third Age, they formed the border between Gondor in the south and Rohan in the north.

White Downs

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:34 +0000

A range of chalk downs in the western regions of the Shire; Michel Delving, the chief town of the Shire, was built (and burrowed) there.

Westfarthing of the Shire

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:18 +0000

The western farthing of the Shire encompassed the land between the Far Downs and the Three-Farthing Stone. Much of the landscape of the Westfarthing consisted of a hilly country of chalk, especially its central White Downs, on which the town of Michel Delving was built. Towards its northern and eastern borders the land became lower, and the valley of the small river known as the Water ran along the northeastern edge of the farthing.

Politically, the Westfarthing seems to have been the most important of the Shire’s four farthings. It not only contained Michel Delving, the chief town of the Shire, but also the seat of the Thains at Great Smials in the Tookland, and the important town of Hobbiton, home of the Baggins family.

Westernesse

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:16 +0000

A name in the Common Speech for the Isle of Númenor.

See full entry for Númenor.

West Beleriand

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:12 +0000

The West Beleriand was the region of the Beleriand that was divided from East Beleriand by the River Sirion.

The major places, regions, and realms in the West Beleriand were the Arvernien, Dor-Cúarthol, Forest of Brethil, Havens of the Falas, Talath Dirnen (Guarded Plain), and Taur-en-Faroth. They were lands consisting mostly of hills, lowlands, and plains and bottomlands. There were some dense forests, as with the Forest of Brethil but much of it was scattered woodlands. There was also a moorland called the Moors of the Nibin-Noeg near the Forest of Brethil. The climate was mostly humid with mild winters and mild summers with some influence from the cold of the north around the gap between the Ered Wethrin and the Echoriath.

The region was populated and controlled by both the Sindar and the Ñoldor. Vast territory between the River Sirion, the northern mountains and the sea belonged to Finrod with the blessing of Thingol, Lord of Beleriand. Círdan was the Lord of the Havens of the Falas, the lands around the two rivers Brithon and Nenning next to the sea. The Forest of Brethil was settled in by the Men of the Haladin, who guarded it and Doriath from all enemies. The gap between the Ered Wethrin and the Echoriath was looked after by Orodreth, a relative of Finrod at the Fortress of Tol Sirion until it was conquered by Sauron. The land of Arvernien around the Mouths of Sirion was populated with both Sindar and Ñoldor, especially after the conquest of the realms of the north and the Beleriand by Morgoth in the mid and late centuries of the First Age.

The dominant language of the West Beleriand was Sindarin except in Nargothrond and the realm around Tol Sirion where Quenya was spoken. The Mannish language was used in Brethil by the men who lived there. Both Sindarin and Quenyan were probably used in Arvernien in the Havens of Sirion, as it was populated with many elves that were able to escape from the fallen realms of the Beleriand and the north.

All of the West Beleriand was destroyed after the War of Wrath and fell beneath the waves of the sea.

West

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:11 +0000

Throughout the earlier ages of Arda, the Undying Lands had been present in the World. Though they were protected by Shadowy Seas and Enchanted Isles, they could be reached by a hardy traveller passing west across the Great Sea. In the closing years of the Second Age, Ar-Pharazôn of Númenor formed an immense fleet and attempted an invasion of the land of the Valar. The results were utterly cataclysmic: Aman, the Undying Realm, was taken out of the World.

Even after this, a westward way remained, so that the Elves could pass along a Straight Road to reach the Blessed Realm. For most Mortals, though, this road was lost: if they sailed westward they would pass around the Bent World and eventually return to their starting-place. So the realm of the immortals come to be known in Middle-earth as the Uttermost West, or West-over-Sea, or most often simply as ‘The West’.

The term ‘West’was sometimes also used to refer to the lost island of Númenor, which also lay far out in the western Sea, within sight of the coasts of Aman, before it was destroyed. For example, the name Dúnadan, ‘Man of the West’, makes use of ‘West’in this sense.

Weathertop

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:59:06 +0000

Weathertop (Sindarin Amon Sûl, “Hill of Wind”) was a significant hill in the Eriador region of Middle-earth, the southernmost and highest summit of the Weather Hills.

Weathertop overlooks the Great East Road east of Bree, about midway between the Shire and Rivendell. The hill rises a thousand feet above the relatively level lands round about a commanding view. Amon Sûl, a watchtower set on the hill that came to be known as Weathertop, was built and provided with a Palantír. The tower was crucial to the north kingdom of Arnor because it sat at the junction of three of its realms Arthedain, Cardolan, and Rhudaur. With one of the palantiri housed here, they could be watched over by the small garrison that the tower would have had, and any intelligence could be communicated across many leagues back to the King in Annuminas.

The watchtower and fortifications were burned and destroyed in TA 1409 by the Witch-king, though a ring of stones remains where it once stood. A path leads from the top northward, connecting to the other fortresses of the Weather Hills.

Weathertop is not mentioned in The Hobbit, but is a scene of action in The Lord of the Rings. After fleeing from Bree, Strider and the hobbits avoid the main road and approach Weathertop from the north. At the top they discover a cairn with a message from Gandalf, and see the Ringwraiths approaching in the distance along the road. That night, the Ringwraiths attack their camp in a dell below the summit, stabbing Frodo with a Morgul blade, but then being driven off by the others.

Valinor

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:58:07 +0000

Valinor (IPA: [ˈvalinor]; also Valinórë; [valiˈnoːre]; meaning Land of the Valar) was the realm of the Valar in Aman, the place to which they moved after being driven from Almaren by Melkor. Its major city was Valmar, where the Vanyar and the Valar reside. Two other cities were Alqualondë and Tirion, the respective homes of the Teleri and the Noldor. It also had an island, Tol Eressëa, just off its east coast. It was also known as the Undying Lands as only immortal souls were allowed to reside there, with some exceptions when it came to the bearers of the One Ring, and it is said, Gimli also accompanied his friend Legolas to these lands.

Valinor as explained was the home of the Valar, the Powers of Middle-earth. The sea to the west of the island was called Ekkaia, or the Encircling Sea; it surrounded both Valinor and Middle-earth.

Each of the Valar had their own region of the land where they resided and altered things to their desire. Yavanna, the Valier of nature, growth, and harvest, resided in the Pastures of Yavanna in the south of the island. Orome, the Vala of the hunt, lived in the Woods of Orome to the north-east of the pastures. The forest was home to many creatures which Orome could track and hunt. Nienna, the lonely Valier of sorrow and endurance lived cut off in the far west of the island in the Halls of Nienna where she spent her days crying, looking out to sea. Just south of the Halls of Nienna and to the north of the pastures there were the Halls of Mandos. Mandos, the brother of Nienna, was the Vala of the afterlife. All inhabitants of Middle-earth went to the Halls of Mandos should they happen to die, mortals and immortals alike (immortals could be killed although they did not die of old age) although it was said that in death as in life, they were separated. Also living in the Halls of Mandos was his spouse Vairë the weaver, who wove the threads of time.

To the east of the Halls of Mandos was the Isle of Estë, which was situated in the middle of the lake of Lorellin which in turn was situated to the north of the Gardens of Lórien (not to be confused with Lothlórien in Middle-earth which was created by the same Valar, Lórien also known as Irmo, the Vala of dreams). Este and Lórien being husband and wife lived close together. To the north of this were the Mansions of Aule the smith Valar who was spouse to Yavanna. In the north-east lay the Mansions of Manwe and Varda, the two most powerful Valar, also married. To the west of them stood the Trees of Valinor, Telperion and Laurelin. The entire great island of Valinor was surrounded on three sides (excluding the north which was instead protected by ices flows) by a huge mountain range called the Pelóri mountains.

In the extreme north-east, past the mountain range was the pass of Helcaraxë, a vast ice sheet which in the beginning, before Valinor was risen after the fall of Númenor in to the sky to prevent people from travelling there, joined the two continents of Valinor and Middle-earth. In the beginning, the Noldor, tricked by the evil Vala Melkor passed along this pass to go back to Middle-Earth, among those was Galadriel who featured in the War of the Ring. Those who took this pass were not allowed back to Valinor for many years, but in the end pity was taken on them when Middle-earth began to fade and pass into the age of men and they were allowed to pass back to the Undying Lands of their own accord when they felt ready to do so.

Also, for a time before the ruin of Númenor, a long chain of small islands called the Enchanted Isles ran the full length of the east coast to the continent. These were erected to prevent anyone, mortal or immortal from reaching the land by sea (by the Belegaer or the Great Sea which separated Middle-earth and Valinor, also the isle of Númenor once stood in the middle of this sea).

After the destruction of Númenor, the Undying Lands were removed from Arda so that Men could not reach them and only the Elves could go there by the Straight Road and in ships capable of passing out of the Spheres of the earth. By special permission of the Valar, the Hobbits Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins, and Samwise Gamgee were also permitted to go to Valinor, and Legolas the elf brought with him Gimli the Dwarf.

Vales of Anduin

Kjell Arne Brudvik — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:58:02 +0000

The long valley of the River Anduin, running north-to-south through Middle-earth from the cold north to the wide Bay of Belfalas in the south. From the beginning of Anduin at the confluence of the Langwell and Greylin rivers, to its wide Mouths at Ethir Anduin, the Vale of the Great River ran for some thousand miles. This great length is divided into upper and lower stretches.

The upper Vales ran between the Misty Mountains and the vast forest known as Greenwood the Great. This was a populous region in earlier times, and many of the Men who lived here were descended from the Edain of the First Age, or their relatives who had never crossed the Blue Mountains to the west. The earliest records of the Hobbits also place their ancestors in this part of Anduin’s Vales.

As time passed, these upper Vales became more and more crowded, and a shadow settled on the Forest, turning it from Greenwood the Great to Mirkwood. At this time, some of the peoples of the Vales were forced to move: the Hobbits travelled westward for the most part, while the horse-loving race of Men known as the Éothéod passed northward to the region around Anduin’s source. As the Third Age passed, this part of the valley became more and more dangerous, and eventually raids of Balchoth through the Forest left the region south of the Gladden’s inflow all but deserted.

South of Mirkwood, the river ran on through two great loops known as the Undeeps, and on southwards into the hills of the Emyn Muil. It’s unclear whether this flat stretch belonged to the Vales proper, but once Anduin had flowed through the Gates of Argonath, and poured over the Falls of Rauros, it entered the region known as the lower Vales of Anduin.

The lower Vales were much warmer than the upper, and settled by Men who gave allegiance to Gondor, at least in the earlier part of the Third Age. The horses from this region were much prized, even in the days before the Rohirrim settled in the lands along Anduin’s western bank. At Osgiliath, the Great River flowed through the largest city anywhere in its vales, and then ran on, widening as it went, to form a vast delta at the Mouths of Anduin before it flowed on into the Great Sea.