Lothlórien

Lothlórien is an ancient forest and Elven realm and is the only place in Middle-earth where the famous mallorn gold trees can grow. It was described to be the heart of Elvendom as it is the most beautiful Elven realm in Middle-earth.

Geography

Lothlórien can be found between the great Anduin River and the southeast side of the Misty Mountains. The Celebrant River[1] flows through its woods. Across the Anduin River lies the forest of Mirkwood, where the Dol Guldur Fortress was built. In the earlier days, Lothlórien extended towards the Fangorn Forest, where the Ents were. The absence of an established border led to an agreement between the King of the Goldenwood and Treebeard that their people can walk freely across each other’s lands. By the Third Age, Fangorn was separated from Lothlórien. A triangular region that is between the rivers in the land was considered to be the central area of the kingdom and was named Naith, which meant spearhead in the Sindarin language. Caras Galadhon was the capital of Lothlórien, where the Galdhrim settled. Platforms can be seen atop the mallorn trees of the land, they could be guard posts and Elven dwellings. Ladders were laid down to reach them. It was bright and sunny during the day, and at night, the city lit up by many lamps that were colored in gold, silver, and green.

Etymology

In the Sindarin language, the name “Lothlórien” is derived from the Sindarin word “loth” for flower or blossom and the Ñoldorin word “lórien” for slumber or dream. Put together, it means Dream flower. The Elven kingdom in the forest was known initially by their Silvan names, Lórinand and Laurelindórinan, which meant Golden Valley and Land of the Valley of Singing Gold, respectively. It was later renamed to Lothlórien in remembrance of Lórien, which the Ñoldor created. However, the name was often shortened to Lórien, which translates to Land of Gold. The Rohirric name for the land was Dwimordene. This stemmed from the word “Dwimor,” meaning phantom. This was so because of the magic of the Elves. The Westrons also called the kingdom the Golden Wood. [2]

Early History

Lothlórien was founded long before the First Age, during the Great Journey of the Elves. The first inhabitants of the forest were a group of Nandor Elves, who did not want to cross the Hithaeglir. The Elves scattered around the woods at first. When the Longbeards of Moira started to have more power, they gathered together and decided to relocate. They moved to the east side of Anduin, located across the Nimrodel. They settle in the forest below Mirkwood and above Fangorn, east of the Hithaeglir. Their place was known later as Laurelindórenan or Lórinand.

Second Age

The Sindarin Elves have grown in number by the Second Age. They were led by Amdír, their Sindarin Lord. The Sindarin left without a leader when Amroth, the last Sindarin Lord of Lórien, got lost at sea. Amroth set out to Edhellond, in south Gondor near Dol Amroth). The Nandor never heard from them again. Leadership came when Galadriel and Celeborn arrived in Lórien. They traveled from Eregion and brought a gift from Gil-galad.

The gift was seeds of Mallorn trees which bore golden leaves and silver seeds. Gil-galad received the seeds from Tar-Aldarion, the seventh High King of Numenor. Since the seeds were unable to grow in his land, Gil-galad decided to give it to the couple Celeborn and Galadriel. Celeborn and Galadriel built the Caras Galadhon, which became the center of the woodland kingdom. There, Galadriel planted the seeds of the mallorn trees.

The trees grew in abundance in the land and filled the forest with life and light. It became more beautiful because of Nenya, the Elven Ring of Galadriel. The trees later grew to be their landmark, and Lothlórien was known to be the Golden Wood. Galadriel then gave birth to a daughter and named her Celebrían. Celebrían married Elrond, which makes Arwen their granddaughter. Arwen was considered to be the most beautiful Elven Lady at that time.

War of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring arrived in Lothlórien when they were escaping from their troubles in the Misty Mountains. The Elven guards at the border found them. Although Aragorn and Legolas were acknowledged friends of the lady, they had their reservations about letting the dwarf Gimli into the Elvish realm. The whole group was allowed to enter as long as they were blindfolded. When they reached Caras Galadhon, Galadriel ordered that their blindfolds be removed. The night the Fellowship of the Ring arrived in Lothlórien, a group of Orcs also crossed the Nimrodel.

A group of the Galadhrim was sent out to deal with them. When the Elves heard about Gandalf’s death, Galadriel had the feeling that the group brought something evil with them. She showed Nenya to Frodo and allowed him to look into her mirror. The Fellowship of the Ring stayed for about a month in Lothlórien to recover and heal their injuries. However, to them, it felt like a couple of days. When it was time to leave and continue their quest, the Elves gave supplies to the Fellowship of the Ring, and Celeborn and Galadriel even gave them gifts.

As the Fellowship of the Ring sailed down the Anduin, Gwaihir arrived in Lothlórien, bearing Gandalf, who survived and killed off Durin’s Bane. However, he was severely injured. The Elves healed him, and before he left for Fangorn, they gave Gandalf a new staff. Upon hearing that the One Ring reached Lothlórien, Sauron gave a command to attack the Golden Wood. The Orcs from Dol Guldur raided Lothlórien, but the skills of the Elves and the power of Nenya spared Gold Wood. A second wave happened, and another group also raided Mirkwood at the same time.

The third and last attack caused a lot of destruction in the outer area of the woods. Still, Lothlórien was kept safe as Galadriel placed a magical wall of protection around it. When the raids finished, Celeborn then led the Nandors and the armies of Lothlórien to Dol Guldur to retaliate. The Nazgûl in command of Dol Guldur were out leading another war in the south, so the Elves easily won the fight and took over the fortress. Upon hearing their success, Galadriel let down her walls and, with it, cleansed the rest of Mirkwood.

What Happened After the War of the Ring

About two years and six months after the War of the Ring, Galadriel decided to go to Valinor, leaving her husband, Lord Celeborn, to rule over the Elves in Lórien. After the assaults on Lothlórien, there were a thousand Silvan Elves that remained in the land. Celeborn was able to expand their kingdom to the southern parts of Mirkwood. The eastern border in the south of Eryn Lasgalen was known to be East Lórien. However, in the Fourth Age, the kingdom was said to be depopulated, and the Elves seemed to have left their timeless, golden realm. It was noted that Celeborn grew weary in the absence of Galadriel, and he left the Golden Wood for Rivendell. There were only a few Silvan Elves left in the wooded land of East Lórien after Celeborn left.

Lothlórien slowly lost its grandeur. It was said this happened because Galadriel took Nenya, her Elven Ring, and the two other Elven Rings and their bearers with her. The magic and beauty of Lórien also faded away as the Elven Rings moved further away. Even the Mallorn trees depopulated. Nenya, the Elven Ring of Galadriel, was said to be the reason why the land was alive and pure. During the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, Lothlórien was abandoned upon the death of Aragorn, now known as King Elessar. A year after Aragorn died, Arwen returned to Lothlórien. It was deserted, and the once majestic kingdom was all in ruins. She went to Cerin Amroth, where she gave up her life. It was not mentioned who buried her body there.

Adaptations

Movie

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Movies) - In the movies by Peter Jackson, Lothlórien was a sun-filled forest by day. But when the moon rises at night, the golden kingdom is revealed. It was as if the Elven realm was only alive under the moonlight, which was different from the bright and golden appearance that Tolkien described in the books. The scenery in the movies was based on an artwork of Alan Lee, the conceptual designer.

Video Game

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Enya

In her album, Shepherd Moons, Enya included an instrumental entitled “Lothlórien.” [4] She was inspired by Tolkien’s Elvish kingdom. It is the ninth track on the album.​