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- The Fellowship of the Ring Lothlorien was the home of Galadriel and Celeborn and their people, the Galadhrim. It was the only forest of mallorn-trees in Middle-earth, and thus it was known as the Golden Wood. Lothlorien was a place where time seemed to stand still, a waking dream of the ancient days of the Elves that would soon fade forever from Middle-earth. In ancient times, when the Elves made their Great Journey westward to the Undying Lands, some were reluctant to cross the Misty Mountains and decided to remain in the woods along the Anduin. These Elves were of the kindred called the Teleri, and they became known as Silvan Elves, or Wood-elves. Some of these Elves dwelled east of the river in Greenwood the Great, later known as Mirkwood. Others crossed the Anduin and settled in the woods that were called at various times Lindorinand, Lorinand, Laurelindorenan, and finally Lothlorien or simply Lorien. In the early part of the Second Age - after Morgoth's defeat and the destruction of Beleriand in western Middle-earth - some Sindarin Elves migrated eastward and came to dwell among the Wood-elves of Lothlorien. According to one story, a Sindarin Elf named Amdir became the leader of the people of Lothlorien. Amdir had a son named Amroth. At some time during the Second Age, Galadriel came into contact with the Elves of Lothlorien. She lived in the Elven realm of Eregion, just over the Misty Mountains from Lothlorien. Eregion was destroyed by Sauron in 1697 and some of the Noldor who lived there fled to Lothlorien. Galadriel and Celeborn may have come to live in Lothlorien for a time as well, but later departed. Lothlorien remained under the rule of Amdir for the duration of the Second Age. The Elves of Lothlorien had peace for many years, and few outsiders even knew of their existence. During the War of the Last Alliance at the end of the Second Age, Amdir led a force to fight Sauron. The Elves of Lothlorien were brave but they were poorly equipped for battle. They were cut off from their allies and were driven into the Dead Marshes. Amdir and over half his Elves were killed. Sauron was finally defeated by the Last Alliance in 3441. Amroth became King of Lothlorien after his father's death. He was a valiant and wise leader, and he was beloved by his people. Lothlorien was beautiful and prosperous during the first millennium of the Third Age. Around 1050, the fortress of Dol Guldur was built in Greenwood the Great across the Anduin from Lothlorien. Dol Guldur was inhabited by an evil presence called the Necromancer, which was in fact Sauron returned. A shadow fell over Greenwood and it became known as Mirkwood. Galadriel and Celeborn are said to have returned to Lothlorien in order to help strengthen its defenses and learn about the Necromancer. But the Elves of Lothlorien were happy with Amroth as their leader, and after a time Galadriel and Celeborn departed once again. The ground in Lothlorien was flat and there was no stone for building, so as a defensive measure the Elves of Lothlorien built platforms in the trees called flets. These were initially used as refuges or outlook posts. Many Elves worked to build a flet high in a tree on the hill that came to be called Cerin Amroth. Amroth used the flet to keep watch on Dol Guldur across the river. Later Amroth began to live on his flet, and other Elves used flets as homes as well. Because of this, the Elves of Lothlorien became known as the Galadhrim, or Tree-people. Amroth may have gotten the idea of flets from Nimrodel, an Elf-maiden who lived in a tree near the waterfall of the stream that came to bear her name. Amroth loved Nimrodel and wanted to marry her, but she refused even though she loved Amroth too. Nimrodel was a Silvan Elf, and she was unhappy with the influx of Sindarin and Noldorin Elves because she believed they exposed Lothlorien to the wars and strife of Middle-earth. She chose to live alone in an isolated part of the woods at the northwestern border near Khazad-dum. In 1980, a Balrog that had dwelled under the mountains since Morgoth's defeat awoke in Khazad-dum. The Dwarves fled in 1981, and Khazad-dum became a place of evil and was called Moria, the Black Pit. Many of the Silvan Elves of Lothlorien fled as well, including Nimrodel. Amroth followed Nimrodel and found her in the eaves of Fangorn Forest. Nimrodel told Amroth she would marry him if he could bring her to a land of peace. Although the people of Lothlorien needed him, Amroth promised to take Nimrodel to the Undying Lands. Amroth and Nimrodel headed south toward the Elf-haven of Edhellond on the Bay of Belfalas. Somehow they became separated in the White Mountains. Nimrodel chanced upon the River Gilrain, which reminded her of the stream where she had lived in Lothlorien. There she fell into a long, deep sleep. Amroth came to Edhellond and convinced the ship to wait, but in a strong storm the ship was swept out into the bay. Amroth jumped overboard trying to return to land to find Nimrodel, but he was drowned. The coastal city of Dol Amroth later bore his name. What became of Nimrodel is not known. It is said that one of her companions named Mithrellas - who had also become lost - married Imrazor, a Man of Numenor who lived in Belfalas. From them were descended the Princes of Dol Amroth, who thus had the blood of the Silvan Elves of Lothlorien in their veins. It is said that Mithrellas left her home and husband after bearing a son and daughter and was not seen again. Lothlorien was left without a leader in a time of growing danger, so Celeborn and Galadriel returned there and became the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien. Galadriel saw that Lothlorien was in a position of strategic importance to thwart an assault from the evil presence at Dol Guldur - which was feared to be Sauron. She used Nenya, her Ring of Power, to defend Lothlorien's borders. Galadriel also used her Ring to slow the inevitable decay of Lothlorien and maintain its beauty. She missed the Undying Lands, and in Lothlorien she tried to preserve the memory of ancient days which was fading from Middle-earth. It is said that Galadriel was the one who first planted the mallorn-trees in Lothlorien. Mallorn-trees originally grew on the island of Tol Eressea in the Undying Lands and were later brought to Numenor, but they did not grow naturally in Middle-earth. The trees flourished under Galadriel's care, and Lothlorien became known as the Golden Wood. Lothlorien was a haven of peace sheltered and isolated from the outside world. Many people in Middle-earth knew it only in legend, and some believed it to be a strange and even dangerous place where a sorceress dwelled. Even the Wood-elves of Mirkwood eventually lost contact with their kindred the Galadhrim. But Galadriel and Celeborn did keep in touch with the Elves of Rivendell, where their daughter Celebrian lived with her husband Elrond. In 2509, Celebrian was on her way to Lothlorien when she was captured by Orcs in the Redhorn Pass. She was tortured before her sons were able to rescue her, and she left Middle-earth the next year. In 2510, Eorl the Young led his Riders past Lothlorien on the way to the Battle of the Field of Celebrant. A white mist emanated from the forest to hide the Riders from the Shadow in Dol Guldur. Gandalf confirmed that the evil presence in Dol Guldur was Sauron in 2850. Gandalf feared that Sauron would soon gain enough strength to attack Lothlorien. But it was not until 2941 that the White Council - composed of the chief Elves and Wizards including Galadriel and Gandalf - launched an assault on the stronghold. Sauron fled and returned in secret to Mordor the next year. He maintained an outpost at Dol Guldur and sent the Nazgul named Khamul to command it in 2951. Celebrian's daughter Arwen continued to visit Lothlorien. In 2980, Aragorn came to Lothlorien and he spent a season there with Arwen. They became betrothed on Cerin Amroth on Midsummer's Eve. Arwen left Lothlorien in 3009 and returned to Rivendell at her father's request because of the increasing danger east of the Misty Mountains. Aragorn passed through the eaves of Lothlorien in the early part of 3018, bringing with him the creature called Gollum. Aragorn had captured Gollum near Mordor and was bringing him to Mirkwood to be imprisoned and questioned. The Galadhrim sent word of this to Gandalf. In December of 3018, Arwen's brothers Elladan and Elrohir arrived in Lothlorien with a message from their father Elrond. They told Galadriel and Celeborn that a Fellowship of nine would soon set out from Rivendell on a quest to destroy the One Ring of Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom. The Fellowship came to Lothlorien on January 15, 3019. Only eight of them remained, for Gandalf had been lost in Moria. They were discovered near the Nimrodel by three border guards named Haldir, Rumil, and Orophin. The guards allowed the Fellowship to spend the night on their flets. During the night, Orcs from Moria entered Lothlorien, crossing the Nimrodel and continuing down the road along the Silverlode. The guards led the Orcs away from the Fellowship and deeper into the forest. Orophin went to alert the other Elves. The Orcs were almost all killed, and the rest were pursued back to the Misty Mountains. Gollum also followed the Fellowship into Lothlorien but the Elves let him go since they did not know what he was. Gollum lurked in the woods near the Silverlode to await the Fellowship's departure. The next morning the Fellowship crossed the Silverlode on a rope bridge and entered the Naith. Haldir had been reluctant to allow Gimli to proceed, since Dwarves were not permitted in Lothlorien, but he agreed on the condition that Gimli be blindfolded. Aragorn said that they would all wear blindfolds, and the Fellowship was led through the Naith to Cerin Amroth. There a group of Elves brought word from Galadriel that all of the Fellowship could walk freely. Their blindfolds were removed, and Gimli became the first Dwarf to look upon the Naith for many long years. Frodo and Sam climbed to the flet on Cerin Amroth, and Aragorn remembered his betrothal to Arwen there. The Fellowship came to Caras Galadhon on January 17 and met with Galadriel and Celeborn. The spent a month in Lothlorien recuperating from their journey and their grief from the loss of Gandalf. On February 14, Galadriel gave Frodo and Sam the chance to look into her Mirror, which could show images of the past, present, and possible futures. Sam saw the destruction of the Shire in the Mirror, while the visions shown to Frodo culminated in the Eye of Sauron seeking him. Frodo then offered the One Ring to Galadriel, but she refused because she knew that although she might start to use it with good intentions she would become a tyrant in the end. Galadriel was also aware that if the One Ring were destroyed, the Three Rings of the Elves would lose their power and all that was made and sustained with them would fade - including the peace and beauty of Lothlorien. The Fellowship left Lothlorien on February 16. Before their departure, they met with Celeborn and Galadriel one last time on the green lawn called the Tongue at the juncture of the Silverlode and the Anduin. Galadriel gave the Fellowship gifts and Celeborn provided them with boats to travel down the Anduin. The next day on February 17, Gwaihir the Windlord brought Gandalf to Lothlorien. Gandalf had defeated the Balrog in the Battle of the Peak, but the Wizard had also died and had come back as Gandalf the White. Galadriel gave him white robes befitting his new status as head of the Order of Wizards and he soon departed Lothlorien. The War of the Ring came to Lothlorien in March. Forces from Dol Guldur attacked Lothlorien three times - on March 11, March 15, and March 22. The woods on the borders suffered much damage, but the enemy forces were repelled by the valor of the Galadhrim and the power of Galadriel. After the destruction of the One Ring and the fall of Sauron, Celeborn led a force of the Galadhrim in boats across the Anduin to attack Dol Guldur on March 28. The stronghold was captured and Galadriel threw down the walls. The shadow on Mirkwood lifted. On April 6, Celeborn met with Thranduil, the King of the Woodland Realm, in the middle of Mirkwood, which they renamed the Wood of Greenleaves. Together they decided that the northern part of the Wood of Greenleaves would be Thranduil's realm, while the middle portion would be inhabited by Woodmen and Beornings, and the southern part below the Narrows would be part of Lothlorien. This region, across the Anduin from Lothlorien, was called East Lorien. But although the realm of Lothlorien expanded, its people began to dwindle. Galadriel left Middle-earth for the Undying Lands on September 29, 3021. Celeborn remained in Lothlorien for a while, but soon he grew weary of his realm and in the early part of the Fourth Age he moved to Rivendell and eventually departed to the Undying Lands. Only a few of the Galadhrim remained in Lothlorien, and light and song faded from the Golden Wood. Arwen came to Lothlorien after the death of her husband Aragorn in the year 120 of the Fourth Age. She found the land silent and she dwelled there alone. Then in the winter of the year 121, she went to Cerin Amroth and she lay down to die. Lothlorien was located in the Vales of the Anduin, between the Great River and the Misty Mountains. In the mountains north of Lothlorien was the great Dwarf-realm of Khazad-dum which became a place of evil called Moria. South of Lothlorien was Fangorn Forest, where the Ents dwelled. Eastward across the Anduin was Dol Guldur, a stronghold of Sauron in the southern part of Mirkwood. Lothlorien was approximately 50 miles across from east to west and 30 miles from north to south. The forest originally stretched farther south, almost merging with Fangorn, but the trees receded over time. The open field south of the woods was called Parth Celebrant, and this area was originally considered part of the realm of Lothlorien, though no Elves dwelled there. A stream called the Nimrodel came down from the Misty Mountains and flowed into the northwestern corner of Lothlorien. There was a beautiful waterfall on the Nimrodel in which it was said one could hear the singing of the Elf-maiden for whom the stream was named. The Nimrodel was shallow enough to wade across just below the falls. There was once a bridge over the stream, but it was taken down for defensive reasons. The Nimrodel joined the Silverlode, or Celebrant - a swift, deep river of cold mountain waters that flowed southeastward through Lothlorien to the Anduin. The Elves used ropes tied between trees on either bank as temporary bridges to cross the Silverlode. There was a path along the southwestern bank of the river, and there were also straight, smooth paths on the northeastern side. The northeastern part of Lothlorien was known as the Naith, or the Gore, because it formed a wedge-shaped piece of land between the Silverlode and the Anduin. The area where the land came to a point was named Egladil, or the Angle. In the Naith at the heart of Lothlorien was Cerin Amroth. The hill stood in an open space among the trees. On its grassy slopes bloomed elanor and niphredil. At the top of Cerin Amroth were two rings of trees; the outer trees had white bark, and the inner trees were golden-leaved mallorn-trees. There was a tall tree at the center of the double ring that had a white flet high in its branches. From this flet one could look out over the Golden Wood. The Galadhrim of Lothlorien were known for living in trees on flets. Some flets were simple platforms, while others had houses built on them. Most of the dwellings in Lothlorien were in the Angle. The majority of the Elves lived in the throughout the woods of the Angle, but many also lived in Caras Galadhon, the City of the Trees. Caras Galadhon stood on a hill surrounded by a wall and a moat. The city gate was on the southwestern side. There were many tall mallorn-trees in the city with flets in their branches. In the largest tree was the dwelling of the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien, which consisted of several flets and a large hall built around the tree trunk. At the foot of the hill there was an enclosed garden where Galadriel kept her Mirror. About ten miles southeast of Caras Galadhon, at the very tip of the Angle, was a green lawn called the Tongue. Here the Silverlode merged with the Anduin. There was a small haven for boats called a hythe on the Silverlode side of the Tongue. The woods of Lothlorien appeared golden all year round. The leaves of the mallorn-trees turned gold in the fall and remained through the winter. In spring, the golden leaves fell and carpeted the ground, while new leaves of green and silver sprouted and golden blossoms bloomed on the trees. Mallorn-trees did not grow elsewhere in Middle-earth, except for one tree in the Shire that was a gift to Sam Gamgee from Galadriel. Lothlorien was a place of great beauty and peace. Through the power her Ring, Nenya, Galadriel protected Lothlorien not only from evil and danger, but also from the slow decay of time. Throughout the Second and Third Age, Lothlorien maintained a small but well-armed army, as well as Marchwardens to secure it's borders. The captain of Lothlorien's army during the War of the Ring was Haldir. They were armed with deadly Mallorn bows and arrows and were excellent archers as well as swordsmen. In Lothlorien they were clad in garments of grey and light-black, and wore virtually no armour - except for the Lorien Wardens, who wore the leather components of their battle-armour - for they relied on stealth, agility and accuracy to repulse any intruders brave enough to desecrate the Golden Wood. While on the battlefield they wore their sophisticated battle-armour into the fray. NOTE: In Peter Jackson's movie portrayal of The Two Towers, Haldir leads a battalion of Galadhrim 300 strong to Helm's Deep to help defend it against Saruman's uruk-hai army, where they fought and many (including Haldir) died. |
