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#REDIRECT ] |
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{{Article for deletion/dated|page=Rhovanion|timestamp=20200107051902|year=2020|month=January|day=7|substed=yes|help=off}} |
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{{Redirect-distinguish|Wilderland|wilderness}} |
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{{in-universe|date=September 2012}} |
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{{Infobox fictional location |
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| name = Rhovanion |
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{{Rcat shell| |
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| source = ] ] |
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{{R to related topic}} |
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{{R with history}} |
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{{R ME to section}} |
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| alt_name = Wilderland; the Land Beyond |
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| type = large inland region |
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| blank_label = Location |
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| blank_data = north-west Middle-earth |
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| blank_label1 = Lifespan |
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| blank_label2 = Founder |
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| first = '']'',<br />'']'' |
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| locations = ], ], ], the ], ], the ], the ], ], the ], ], ] |
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{{Portal|Speculative fiction}} |
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In the fiction of ], '''Rhovanion''' or '''Wilderland''' was a large inland region of north-west ]. It is the scene of action for much of '']'' and some episodes of '']''. |
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==Names== |
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Tolkien generally uses the name 'Wilderland' rather than 'Rhovanion'. Wilderland was introduced in ''The Hobbit'', where Rhovanion does not appear at all. In ''The Lord of the Rings'' Rhovanion appears on ] and in the appendices, but nowhere in the main narrative body. In the main story, Wilderland is mentioned several times, including by wise characters such as ] and ]. |
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Tolkien stated that ''Wilderland'' is an "invention ... based on ''wilderness'' ... Supposed to be the CS ]​] name of ''Rhovanion'' (in the map, not in the text), the lands east of the ] (including ]) as far as the River Running."<ref>J. R. R. Tolkien (1967), '']'', published in ] & ] (2005), '']'', HarperCollins, p.779; {{ISBN|0 00 720308 X}}</ref> |
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==Middle-earth narrative== |
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===Geography=== |
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The large region of Rhovanion extended to the east as far as the inland Sea of Rhûn; north to the Grey Mountains and Iron Hills; west to the ]; and south to a meandering line marked by the Limlight river, Anduin, Emyn Muil, Dagorlad, and the Ered Lithui.<ref name="Cawthorne">{{cite book |title=A Brief Guide to J. R. R. Tolkien: A comprehensive introduction to the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings |first=Nigel |last=Cawthorne |authorlink=Nigel Cawthorne |chapter=Rhovanion |year=2012 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-78033-860-6}}</ref> |
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Important rivers in Rhovanion included the Anduin or Great River, the Celduin or River Running, and the Carnen or Redwater. The vast forest of ] (originally known as Greenwood the Great) dominated central Wilderland. Other notable geographic features of Wilderland included the Long Lake, the Lonely Mountain and the Brown Lands.<ref name="Cawthorne"/> |
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===General history=== |
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====First Age==== |
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In the ], during the Years of the Trees, the ] passed westwards through Rhovanion on their Great Journey.<ref>'']'', p. 54.</ref> However some Elves turned aside from the Journey and settled in Wilderland.<ref name="Cawthorne"/> |
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The race of ] awoke in Middle-earth after Elves. One Dwarf-clan, Durin's Folk, arose in Mount Gundabad (one of the Misty Mountains) on Wilderland's north-west corner, and thus appear to be the only truly native people of the region. From Gundabad they proceeded south along the ] (Wilderland's western border) to found the great city of ] (later known as Moria); they also founded settlements on Wilderland's northern margins (notably in the Grey Mountains and Iron Hills).<ref>J. R. R. Tolkien (1996), '']'', Houghton Mifflin, part 2 ch. X p. 302; {{ISBN|0-395-82760-4}}</ref> The Dwarves built the first roads of Middle-earth; one of these ran virtually right across Wilderland, beginning in the west at the High Pass of the Misty Mountains, and passing all the way through the vast forest of ] (at that time known as Greenwood the Great). |
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The Atanatári (Fathers of ]) awoke long after the Dwarves. However Men tended to follow the pattern of the Elves, with many migrating westwards through Wilderland, and with some turning aside in Wilderland to settle there. These Mannish settlers included the ancestors of the ]<ref>J. R. R. Tolkien (1996), '']'', Houghton Mifflin, part 2 ch. X pp. 302-303; {{ISBN|0-395-82760-4}}</ref> (the people of ], ], Dale, ], and the Third Age's Kingdom of Rhovanion). When and how the ancestors of the ] appeared in Wilderland is unstated by Tolkien; he gives us the conceit of them not being mentioned by the records until the Third Age. |
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====Second Age==== |
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In the Second Age the ]in (a group of Elves) lords ] and ] established two ] Elf kingdoms in Wilderland: one in Northern ], and the other in Lórinand (]).<ref>'']'', pp. 240, 258.</ref> |
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During the second half of the Second Age, much of Wilderland was subject to the Dark Years of ]. |
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], the great battlefield of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men against the host of Sauron at the end of the Second Age, lay in the south of Wilderland.<ref name="Cawthorne"/> |
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====Third Age==== |
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The Disaster of the Gladden Fields, a battle in western Wilderland in the second year of the ], saw the death of ] (the High King of ] and Arnor) and the loss of the ] in the Great River ]. |
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In the Third Age Rhovanion was well-populated by ], ], and ].<ref>''Unfinished Tales'', p. 259; many references in ''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendices A and B.</ref> The Elf-kingdoms in northern and western Wilderland were ruled by ] and ] respectively (they had succeeded their fathers ] and ], who had been killed in the war against ] at the end of the Second Age). ] from ] often invaded the region, starting from {{ME-date|TA|490}}. |
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Sauron entered the Greenwood around {{ME-date|TA|1000}} and built his fortress ] near the Anduin in the southern reaches of the great wood. From this time the Greenwood began its descent into blackness and evil, eventually becoming known as ]. ] who had lived along the Anduin began migrating west over the ] to escape the evils of Wilderland, though a group of Stoors remained near the ] for many years.<ref>''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendices A and B.</ref> |
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As the Third Age progressed, several tribes and princes of ] occupied areas of Rhovanion, living in the Vales of Anduin, around and in the great forest, and across the grassy plains. By {{ME-date|TA|1250}} one of these princes, Vidugavia, claimed the title "]", though his realm lay only between Mirkwood and the ]. Vidugavia allied himself with Gondor (which claimed much of the southern part of Rhovanion); his daughter Vidumavi married into Gondor's royal house, and his grandson Vinitharya became King ] in {{ME-date|TA|1432}}.<ref name="AppA_iv"/><ref name="Cawthorne"/> |
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The Great ] of {{ME-date|TA|1635}}-1636 began a long period of decline in Rhovanion. The Plague arrived from ] in the winter of late 1635, and was heavily felt in this land. By its end it had killed roughly half the people and half of their horses.<ref>J. R. R. Tolkien (1980), '']'', George Allen & Unwin, part 3 ch. 2(i) pp. 288-289; {{ISBN|0-04-823179-7}}</ref> When the ] came from the east and assailed the people of Rhovanion in {{ME-date|TA|1851}}, most of their kingdoms were destroyed and the remaining people enslaved. Gondor withdrew its north-eastern border to the Anduin. About this time the ] formed in the lower Vales of Anduin from people fleeing west from the Wainriders. A revolt against the Wainriders in {{ME-date|TA|1899}} was suppressed. When the Wainriders were finally defeated by Gondor and the Northmen in {{ME-date|TA|1944}}, eastern Rhovanion was so exhausted that it makes few appearances in the later history of the Third Age.<ref>These events from the history of Northmen in Rhovanion and the Éothéod are recounted in '']'', "Cirion and Eorl", pp. 288–290.</ref> |
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] was an evil realm located in and around the northernmost Misty Mountains. Although based outside of Wilderland, its control extended into Wilderland's north-west corner, where the sources of the Anduin were located. In {{ME-date|TA|1975}} Angmar was defeated, and two years later the Éothéod moved north into the part of Wilderland formerly controlled by Angmar.<ref name="AppB">'']'', Appendix B.</ref><ref name="AppA_II">''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendix A, II "The House of Eorl".</ref> |
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The emergence of the ] in ] ({{ME-date|TA|1980}}) triggered further developments in western Rhovanion. Dwarves fled from Moria and Elves from ];<ref>''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendix B, {{ME-date|TA|1981}}.</ref> with the disappearance of Amroth, ] and ] returned to take the rule of Lothlórien.<ref>'']'', "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", p. 245.</ref> Dwarves from Moria founded the Kingdom under the Mountain at ] in {{ME-date|TA|1999}} (later, in 2210, they left for a time for the ]).<ref name="AppB"/> The Mannish realm of ] grew up near Erebor. |
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Wilderland benefited directly from the ]. This was the period (T.A. 2063-2460) in which Sauron temporarily abandoned ] and left Wilderland altogether, and based himself in faraway ]. |
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Not long after Sauron's return to Dol Guldur, he was followed from Rhûn by his allies the ], a numerous and hostile people who subjugated much of southern Wilderland, and who began to destroy the last Northmen in that area.<ref>J. R. R. Tolkien (1980), '']'', George Allen & Unwin, part 3 ch. 2(ii) pp. 296-297; {{ISBN|0-04-823179-7}}</ref> The Balchoth then turned their attention further south: to Gondor. Gondor was only saved by the entry of the ] into the Battle of the Field of Celebrant ({{ME-date|TA|2510}}). Wilderland was now free of the Balchoth, however the Éothéod left Wilderland to establish ] in ], which Gondor ceded to the Éothéod.<ref name="AppA_II"/> |
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In T.A. 2590 the Dwarves returned to Erebor from the Grey Mountains. This period is remembered in '']'' as a time of prosperity. The Kingdom under the Mountain grew fabulously wealthy through extensive trade with Men and Elves throughout Rhovanion. By this time (possibly much earlier) ] had grown up on the Long Lake south of Erebor, and Men, notably the ]ings, still lived around the forest. |
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The Dwarves of Erebor and the Men of Dale were destroyed and scattered when the ] ] took Erebor in {{ME-date|TA|2770}}.<ref name="AppB"/> Even after the destruction, the Elves of Mirkwood and the Men of Lake-town traded down the ], with, among others, the land of ]. Dorwinion was the source of fine wine prized by the Elves of Mirkwood; it lay (according to ]'s version of the ], our only cartographic source for this) along the River Running just before it enters the ]. |
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Toward the end of the Third Age, the Kingdoms of Erebor and Dale were restored after the death of Smaug and the Battle of Five Armies, and, attacked by the ], Sauron withdrew from Mirkwood to ].<ref>''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendix B, {{ME-date|TA|2941}} and {{ME-date|TA|2944}}.</ref> During the ] the Elves and Men of Rhovanion held off an invasion by Sauron's forces, and after Sauron was defeated Mirkwood was cleansed again, and renamed ''Eryn Lasgalen'', or the "Wood of Greenleaves".<ref>''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendix B, Text following entries for {{ME-date|TA|3019}}.</ref> |
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=== Kingdom of Rhovanion === |
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{{Infobox fictional location |
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| name = |
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| alt_name = Rhovanion |
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| image = |
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| caption = |
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| image2 = |
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| caption2 = |
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| source = '']'' |
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| creator = ] |
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| genre = ] |
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| blank_label = Motto |
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| blank_data = |
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| blank_label1 = Anthem |
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| blank_data1 = |
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| locations = |
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| blank_label2 = Language(s) |
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| blank_data2 = northern tongue akin to Dalish and ] |
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| ethnic_groups = ] |
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| type = ] |
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| population = |
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| blank_label3 = Currency |
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}} |
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The Kingdom of Rhovanion, a realm of ], came to prominence in the mid-13th century of the ]. About this time '''Vidugavia''', "the most powerful of the northern princes",<ref name="AppA_iv">''The Lord of the Rings'', Appendix A, I (iv) "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion".</ref> called himself '''King of Rhovanion''', though he directly ruled only the part of Rhovanion that lay between ] and the ]. ] (Lake-town) was a significant settlement in this area, and possibly the capital of the kingdom. |
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Vidugavia and his kingdom attracted the attention of ], which lay far to the south. In {{ME-date|TA|1248}} ], the Regent of Gondor, led a great expedition into Rhovanion and utterly defeated an invasion of ], with substantial help from the Northmen, and from Vidugavia in particular. |
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Vidugavia became Gondor's strong ally, and in {{ME-date|TA|1250}} Minalcar sent his son ] as ambassador to Vidugavia. But Valacar, much taken with the culture of the North, "far exceeded his father's design"<ref name="AppA_iv"/> by marrying Vidugavia's daughter Vidumavi, and their son Vinitharya was raised among the Northmen. |
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When Minalcar acceded to the throne of Gondor as Rómendacil II, Valacar became the heir to the throne. The mixed ancestry of Valacar's son (known as ] in Gondor) became a matter of contention: many were not prepared to allow as king a man whose ] blood was mingled with that of a "lesser" race, and many feared that he would prove to be short-lived (as his mother's people were, compared with the ruling line of Gondor). This led to the Kin-strife in Gondor, a bloody civil war that decimated the ruling families.<ref name="AppA_iv"/> |
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Tolkien makes little further reference to the "Kingdom of Rhovanion". The area was devastated by the Great Plague of {{ME-date|TA|1635}}-1636. It is clear from his discussion of the early history of the ] in ''Unfinished Tales''<ref name="CirionAndEorl_i">''Unfinished Tales'', "Cirion and Eorl", (i) "The Northmen and the Wainriders", pp. 288 ff.</ref> that the Northmen in this area were conquered by the ], who invaded in T.A. 1851. The ] ({{ME-date|TA|1856}}) was fought by Gondor and the Northmen against the Wainriders; King ] of Gondor and the Northman Marhari (a descendant of Vidugavia)<ref>''Unfinished Tales'', "Cirion and Eorl", note 5, p. 311.</ref> were both killed in this battle. Tolkien does not, however, call Marhari "king", nor is there any direct evidence that the kingdom had survived to this point. |
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Refugees from this defeat were reorganized as the Éothéod on the other side of Mirkwood in the lower Vales of ], under the leadership of Marwhini, son of Marhari.<ref name="CirionAndEorl_i"/> Much later, the history of the House of Eorl recounted in Appendix A<ref name="AppA_II"/> states that "The forefathers of Eorl claimed descent from kings of Rhovanion, whose realm lay beyond Mirkwood before the invasions of the Wainriders, and thus they accounted themselves kinsmen of the kings of Gondor descended from Eldacar." Tolkien does not state that the kinship came through Marhwini and Marhari, though they are the only leaders of Northmen mentioned in this time. |
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==Concept and creation== |
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The men of Rhovanion who come to the aid of Gondor in the Third Age and their descendants throughout Tolkien's stories have been interpreted as partly representing "primeval, Garden of Eden types", reminding their Gondorian contemporaries of the early days of Mankind. The names of Rhovanion's royal family, Vidugavia, Vidumavi and Vinitharya are of ] origin and are attested in sixth-century chronicles by ], ] and ]. Vidugavia has been seen as an almost-certain synonym for ], king of the ] in Italy from 536 to 540.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jane |last=Chance |title=Tolkien and the Invention of Myth: A Reader |pages=107–108 |publisher=] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8131-2301-1}}</ref> |
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Rhovanion was created "to resemble what the ancient Romans called Germania: the great northern forest of Europe." Likewise, it has an eastern frontier resembling the Russian ] with various tribes of hostile invaders coming in waves like the ], ] or ] of the real world.<ref name="Heroes">{{cite book |title=The Heroes of Tolkien |first=David |last=Day |authorlink=David Day |chapter=The Northmen of Rhovanion |year=2017 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-75373-271-7}}</ref> |
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While Tolkien represents the Rohirrim, who developed out of the Éothéod, by ] culture and language, their ancestors are given Gothic attributes. This parallel can be found in the relationship of real-world Old English and the Gothic language.<ref>{{ME-ref|Solopova|p. 51}}</ref><ref name="Heroes"/> |
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The Men of Rhovanion are "Middle Men" or "Men of Twilight" as opposed to the enlightened, highly civilized ]ians and the men described as evil or wild by Tolkien. Notably these peoples are also the first Twilight Men to come into the stories concerning the ].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Mythology of Middle-earth |first=Ruth S. |last=Noel |page=81 |year=1977 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-39525-006-8}}</ref> |
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== References == |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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{{Arda Realms Age3}} |
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] |
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] |
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] |
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] |
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