The Sea of Rhûn was a large sea or an internal lake located in northern Middle Earth.
History
During the time of the Great Journey, the practice of ship making got a great push when they made efforts to cross the Sea of Rhûn while going westwards. At the peak of its power, the realm of Gondor expanded towards the East as far into the Sea of Rhûn. By the time King Hyarmendacil I came into power, the Sea of Rhûn was already established as one of the boundaries of Gondor. However, as Gondor’s power diminished, Easterlings crept around the Sea of Rhûn and attacked Gondor. In the early Third Age (around 1248), Romedacil fought against an army of Easterlings between the Sea of Rhûn and the kingdom of Rhovanion and demolished their habitat. In 1944 - the Third Age, an army from one of the Easterlings tribes known as the Wainriders assembled at the southern lakeside of the Sea of Rhûn. They launched an attack on Gondor which killed the 31st king of Gondor, Ondoher. During the War of the Rings, enemies from Sauron’s army crept into the regions beyond the Sea of Rhûn. Once Sauron was destroyed, Aragorn and Eomer traveled to those regions and wiped out whatever was left of the enemy forces. Not much is known about the areas beyond the Sea of Rhûn. Even Gandalf never explored those areas. Even though Aragorn had been there once, his adventures aren’t accounted for. [1]
Geography
The sea of Rhûn was situated within the realms of Rhûn. Rhûn was the name used for the land located on the north of Mordor and the east of Mirkwood. [2] Flowing from the Lonely Mountains, the river Celduin flowed into the Sea of Rhûn from one side. Another side was taken over by the river Redwater which flowed from the Iron Hills. On the north-western edge of the sea stood a forest while hills and mountains could be found on the south-western shore. A tiny, wooded island rested on the south-eastern end of the sea.
Etymology
In the Sindarin language, Rhûn simply means “East”.
References
Categories:
Far Eastern Lands
Lakes
Seas and oceans
