Lindon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- See also: Lindon, Colorado and Lindon, Utah
| This Middle-earth-related article lacks information on the notability of the subject which may not satisfy the guideline on inclusion. If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand or rewrite it, adding references to reliable third-party sources that could help to establish its notability. Otherwise, the article is more likely to be considered for deletion, per Wikipedia:Guide to deletion. For more information, see WikiProject Standards. This article has been tagged since October 2007. |
 |
It has been suggested that Mithlond be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin (Blue Mountains) in the northwest of Middle-earth. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon (North Lindon) and Harlindon (South Lindon).
Lindon as a name survived from the First Age, when it was a name given to Ossiriand after this land was settled by the Green Elves or Laiquendi. Lindon meant "Land of the singers", after the old name Lindar (singers) for the Teleri.
Lindon is the last mainland remnant of Beleriand left after the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age, the rest of the land having been broken or submerged by the tumults. While not exactly clear, there are indications that before the Downfall of Númenor Lindon was larger than it was during the Third Age.
Many of the Elves of Beleriand relocated to Lindon at the beginning of the Second Age, where they were ruled by Gil-galad. The Noldor mainly dwelt in Forlindon, and the Sindar (and surviving Laiquendi) in Harlindon. Together, they built Mithlond (the Grey Havens) on the Gulf, and many Elves left from there to Valinor. Lindon was one of the two Noldorin Kingdoms during the Second Age (the other being Eregion or Hollin), until Gil-galad was killed by Sauron during the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. After that, most of the Noldor finally departed for Valinor, and Lindon became depopulated, now ruled by Gil-galad's lieutenant, the Sindarin elf Círdan the Shipwright, who kept building ships for the departing Elves. By the end of the Third Age, the majority of Lindon's population resided in or around the harbor of the Grey Havens, while the rest settled along the shores of the Gulf of Lune. It should be noted that Lindon was one of the few populated areas of northwestern Middle-earth that remained relatively untouched by the War of the Ring, never having been the target of a direct assault by Sauron, even though the realm was a strategically important location populated by his enemies. This may have been because of its distance from Mordor. During the Fourth Age, it was one of the last Elven havens as the last Elves of Rivendell and Lothlórien left Middle-earth. In the beginning of the century, it experienced a population growth as migrants from the east came to Mithlond. Not all Elves left Middle-earth immediately, in fact the majority of the migrants made long-term temporary settlements. Círdan most likely stayed in Mithlond for a while, suggesting that the Elven community survived for quite some time.
In the literature, Lindon itself appears mostly as a place where reluctant Elves tarried before departing forever from Middle-earth.
|
|||||||||||||||||
