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In J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional Arda (ancient Earth), Lothlórien was a forest in the continent of Middle-earth, centred at the juncture or 'naith' of the Rivers Celebrant and Anduin.

Origins

Like those of Northern Mirkwood, the people of Lothlórien were mostly Silvan Elves of Nandorin descent, who were originally of all the Eldar those who most closely resembled the lost Avari of the east. As such, their earlier settlements lay scattered throughout the wide forests on both sides of the upper Anduin, having originally lingered there upon refusing the crossing of the Hithaeglir in very ancient times. The Elvish name for Lothlórien was Laurelindórenan but it was made shorter perhaps because the forest was fading and not growing. Meanwhile, the origin of the name 'Lórien' is derived from 'Lothlórien', which makes it a further derivation of 'Laurelindórenan'.

First Crossing of Anduin

Before the end of the First Age the Silvan Elves had relocated east of the Anduin, to escape the growing power and influence of the dwarves of Khazad-dûm, but their culture and knowledge was considerably enriched by the arrival of Sindarin Elves from west of the mountains early in the Second Age: even the Silvan language was gradually replaced by Sindarin. Amongst these arrivals was Amdír, who became their first lord, as well as Galadriel and Celeborn, who also crossed the mountains and the Anduin to join these southern Nandor after the destruction of Eregion during the War of the Elves and Sauron. Ultimately, Amdír led an army out of the forest as part of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, just as Oropher, another Sindarin lord, led the Silvan Elves of the north in the same victory over Sauron, so it can be assumed that both northern and southern woodland realms had been founded by then.

Second Crossing

With the gradual return of Sauron's malign influence to the forest east of Anduin, the northern Silvan Elves led by Thranduil son of Oropher moved even further north to escape it, and those of the south returned west across the Anduin, although without their last Sindarin lord Amroth son of Amdír, who departed to Edhellond after his lover Nimrodel had fled there.

The southern Silvan Elves then took Galadriel and Celeborn as their new Lord and Lady: the forest west of the river had been originally known by its Silvan names Laurelindórinan (Land of the Valley of Singing Gold) and Lórinand (Golden Valley), but was renamed Lothlórien (Lórien of the Blossom) in memory of the Lórien the exiled Galadriel had left behind long before in Aman.

The name was often shortened to Lórien. (The latter can be translated "Land of Gold", although it carried within it also the meaning of "dream". Treebeard referred to it as "The Dreamflower".) Other, later names given to the land included the much later Rohirric name Dwimordene (from dwimor "phantom", an allusion to the perceived magic of the Elves), and the Westron name The Golden Wood.

This 'magic' was later revealed as being that of Galadriel's Ring, the presence of which enriched the land by preserving its flora from death and decay, and in wielding it she created a powerful ward against all creatures of evil intent: in fact the only way that Galadriel's Lothlórien could have been conquered by Mordor is if Sauron himself, the master of all the Rings of Power, had come there.

Lothlórien was famous for having the largest trees in Middle-earth, and after the downfall of Númenor was the only place in Middle-earth where the Golden mallorn tree grew, given as a gift by Tar-Aldarion during the Second Age. (Later, a mallorn was planted in the Shire, a gift of Galadriel to Sam Gamgee.)

Third Crossing

Following the departure of Galadriel for Valinor at the beginning of the Fourth Age, the Elves of Lothlórien were ruled by Celeborn alone, who led them across the Anduin to found a new, larger realm, East Lórien, centred around Amon Lanc. By the time of the death of Queen Arwen, Celeborn and Galadriel's granddaughter, Lothlórien itself was deserted.

Works cited

• Stanton, Michael N. (2006). "Lothlórien". In Drout, Michael D. C. (ed.). J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Routledge. pp. 394–395. ISBN 0-415-96942-5.

External links

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