Lindon

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Lindon
Matěj Čadil - Lindon.jpg
General information
LocationWest of the Blue Mountains
Major townsForlond, Grey Havens, Harlond
RegionsNorth and South
People
PopulationElves of Lindon
LanguageSindarin
GovernanceHigh-King of the Noldor
Lord of the Grey Havens
History
Preceded byOssiriand
EstablishedS.A. 1
GalleryImages of Lindon
"...the last whose realm was fair and free
between the Mountains and the Sea.
"
The Fall of Gil-galad

Lindon was a region of the Westlands. Initially populated by Laiquendi, in the following Ages it became an important Elvish realm, known for its harbors and Elven Ships that would sail for the West.

Geography

Lindon was a name of Ossiriand, a region west of the Blue Mountains, in Eastern Beleriand. After the deluge of Beleriand in the War of Wrath, Lindon became the westernmost land of the continent of Middle-earth. The Gulf of Lune broke into Lindon and the Blue Mountains and divided the realm into Forlindon (North Lindon) and Harlindon (South Lindon). The eastern border of Lindon was the River Lune, beyond which was Arnor.[1]

History

The First Age

Main article: Ossiriand

The name Lindon was first used by the exiled Noldor for the region of Ossiriand.[2]

Lindon was the only part of Beleriand that survived the War of Wrath, the rest of the land having been broken or submerged by the tumults.[3] However, Belegaer the Great Sea broke through the mountain chain, creating the Gulf of Lhûn.

Many of the surviving Elves of drowned Beleriand, especially the exiled Noldor, relocated to Lindon by the beginning of the Second Age, where they were ruled by Gil-galad.[3]

The Second Age: Kingdom of Gil-galad

Liz Danforth - Elves of Lindon

Gil-galad founded the Kingdom of Lindon in S.A. 1 ruling over the Noldor and Sindar and all the Elves of Lindon alike. They also built the Havens (Mithlond, and also likely Harlond and Forlond)[4] and many Elves left from there to Valinor.

The Noldor mainly dwelt in Forlindon, and the Sindar (and surviving Green-elves[source?]) in Harlindon (a fief under the rule of Celeborn).[5][6] Presumably the surviving Edain also stayed for some time alongside the Elves of Lindon, until they left for Elenna (S.A. 32). But there was some tension between the Elves; some of the Sindar did not wish to live under Gil-galad alongside the Noldor, and went to the Silvan Elves in the east, who were their Telerin kin.[7] Some Noldor also left to found Eregion (S.A. 700), the second of the two Noldorin realms.

In S.A. 600 Entulessë, a ship from Númenor arrived in Mithlond where Gil-galad welcomed the Númenóreans, before reestablishing contact with their Mannish kin, the Middle Men.[8][9]

During the War of the Elves and Sauron, Sauron had overrun Eriador. The Elves called that time Days of Flight as many fled to Lindon where Sauron could not enter, and thence over the Sea to the Uttermost West.[10] Eventually Tar-Minastir sent ships to Lindon, responding to Gil-galad's plea. The combined army of Elves and Númenóreans drove Sauron's forces out of Eriador.[4]

In the tumult following the Downfall of Númenor, Lindon suffered great loss as "the sea rode in upon the land", and therefore had shrunk when the Third Age began.[11]

The Third Age: Rule of Círdan

After the War of the Last Alliance, most of the Ñoldor finally departed for Valinor, and Lindon became depopulated, now ruled by Gil-galad's lieutenant, the Sindarin elf Círdan the Shipwright,[source?] who kept building ships for the departing Elves.

During the days of Kings, most of the High Elves that still lingered in Middle-earth were found in Lindon. Some Dwarves had dwelt in the eastern side of the Ered Luin, especially the part south of the Gulf, such as the Halls of Thorin. Men did not go to Lindon. In the Fourth Age, few Elves remained, if any at all.[1]

Names and Etymology

In a post-LotR writing, J.R.R. Tolkien says that the name Lindon was coined by the Green-elves, derived from Nandorin(?) *Lindānā. The Sindar called the country Dor Lindon and the Noldor Lindóne (or Lindónë[12]) but both also adopted the name Lindon.[13]

The name Lindon contains the element lin- "sing, song" as also seen in Lindar.[14] Lindon (Q, pron. [ˈlindon]) means "land of music",[15]

The translation "Land of the singers", conceived to be a name in the Ossiriandic tongue, has been suggested by David Salo, Arden Smith, Patrick Wynne, et al. in their linguistic contribution to Arnor: The Land

Other Versions of the Legendarium

In early versions of the The Lord of the Rings Appendices, Gil-galad is said to have founded Lindon in S.A. 10.[16]

Portrayals in Adaptations

Middle-earth Role Playing:

A supplement on Lindon was never released by ICE, although there were such plans,[17] and Jeff J. Erwin and Oliver Schick were commissioned to write supplements on Lindon and Mithlond, respectively (both supplements were nearly finished at the time ICE lost their license from Tolkien Enterprises).[18] However, scattered information on Lindon and its prominent individuals can be found in several supplements.[19][20][21][22]

See also

External links

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and its Realms"
  3. 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "II. The Appendix on Languages", p. 78
  4. 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age"
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "Of Dwarves and Men", p. 328 (Note 65)
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", (Introduction & Note 2)
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Appendix B: The Sindarin Princes of the Silvan Elves"
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", entry "600"
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "A Description of the Island of Númenor"
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VI. The Tale of Years of the Second Age", p. 183
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The History of Middle-earth Index
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar: C. The Clan-names, with notes on other names for divisions of the Eldar", p. 385
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names"
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beleriand and its Realms"
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "VI. The Tale of Years of the Second Age", pp. 168, 173
  17. John Crowdis (1990), Rogues of the Borderlands (#8014), p. 15
  18. Oliver Schick, Mailing list message of 9 Oct 2007, at Yahoo groups Fan modules
  19. John Crowdis (1990), Rogues of the Borderlands (#8014), pp. 3-4, 10-11, 14-15
  20. Mark Rabuck (1992), Northwestern Middle-earth Gazetteer (#4002), pp. 16, 44-46
  21. Wesley J. Frank, et al. (1996), Arnor: The People (#2022), pp. 61, 148
  22. Wesley J. Frank, et al. (1997), Arnor: The Land (#2023), pp. 68-69
Remnants of Drowned Beleriand
 Isles:  Himring · Tol Fuin · Tol Morwen
Mainland:  Lindon