Rivendell

For many years, the quintessential narrative of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy has been heavily regarded for being an awesome literary classic. These books, which features matters of faith and aspiration, have endeared fans from all ages the world over. Middle Earth indeed includes a lot of places that are intriguing and interesting. One of these places was Rivendell, the mystical home of the Elves [1]. Imladris, or famously known as Rivendell, was an Elven town of the house of Elrond that can be found on Middle Earth. To quickly describe it, it was “The Last Homely House East of the Sea.” [2]. This refers to Valinor [3], located west of Aman’s Great Sea [4]. Rivendell was a tranquil and secured town. It can be found at the brink of a small valley of the Bruinen river [5]. The central passageway towards Rivendell is through the Ford of Bruinen, which is close to it. Moreover, Bruinen was mostly concealed in the Misty Mountain’s foothills and moorlands.

The History of Rivendell

A detailed history was created by J.R.R. Tolkien for this mythical place in Middle Earth. Unlike Mordor and other rather obscure places within this realm, Rivendell is frequently depicted and described as a safe haven.

War of the Elves and Sauron in the Second Age

In the Middle Earth’s Second Age, Elrond established Rivendell. This was during the year SA 1697. During the war between Sauron and the Elves, Eregion was devastated by the forces of Sauron. They were in a quest to find the rings of power of the Elves. With a legion of Elves, Elrond was dispatched from Ered Lindon. They came to Eregion to help in defeating Sauron. Unfortunately, the Elves of Eregion, together with Elrond, we’re compelled to retreat and pull back into a valley in the Rhudaur area. They made this valley their stronghold while battling Sauron’s forces for more than three years. They were then supported by Men from Númenor as well as Elves from Lindon. This was the start of Rivendell. Sauron tried to seize the valley. However, he failed to lay siege to it. After this, the survivors coming from Eregion went to Rivendell and became its first inhabitants. During the Second Age, the legions of Eregion, as well as Gil-galad marched onto Rivendell. This was following the formation of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. They camped in Rivendell in preparation for their armies. They then moved southeast towards Dagorlad.

Rivendell During the Third Age

Angmar, or the Witch-king of Angmar, was known as the Nazgûl’s leader in the Lord of the Rings. He was also included in Sauron’s primary captains, who were tasked to lead the way whenever there was a battle. The Angmar War was ultimately a tough time between the Angmar people and the kingdom of Northern Dúnedain. The Witch-king of Angmar initiated the strike on Rivendell. When Angmar vanquished Arthedain and rose to power, Glorfindel, together with a legion of elves were sent by Elrond to defeat Angmar. They went along with the Cirdan and Earnil armies, which honored the Alliance of Elves and Men. With Angmar defeated, Isildur’s successors went to Rivendell for fostering. One of the successors sent to Rivendell was Aragorn, Isildur’s heir.

When he was a young boy, Arathorn, his father, was slain during a battle with Orcs. After this, he traveled to Rivendell, and Lord Elrond looked after him. Afraid that the boy would grow up like his father, Aragorn’s mother pleaded that his true lineage should be kept secret for him. Because of that, Aragorn was then called Estel. He remained unaware of his real identity for a long time.

Rivendell and the Quest for Erebor

Bilbo, together with Thorin’s Company, stopped over and lodged at Rivendell during their Quest for Erebor. The place, as described by Bilbo, is an impeccable house—it didn’t matter whether you desired just to sit and think, tell stories, eat good food, sing, or a mix of these all. After completing the Quest for Erebor, Gandalf and Bilbo went back to Rivendell and were again welcomed by Elrond and the Elves.

Rivendell During the War of the Ring

Years after the Quest of Erebor, Frodo Baggins, together with the Hobbits accompanying him, traveled to Rivendell. There, they reunited with Bilbo. Bilbo retired to Rivendell right after his 111th birthday. Men, Dwarves, and other Elves turned up at Rivendell as well, all of them with different missions. After meeting at the Council of Elrond, it was then that they discovered that the reasons they all came to Rivendell were all affiliated with the One Ring’s fate.

They must choose what to do regarding it. In conclusion, the council, primarily influenced by the Hobbits, made a decision. They met in a massive hall that had many tables, and a dais meant for feasts. The Hall of Fire [6], one of the halls in Rivendell, had a fire lit in it all year round. It had pillars that were carved on each corner of the fireplace or hearth. This hall was used primarily for storytelling and singing during big days. Other than this purpose, the Hall of Fire was always empty. This is the reason why people would visit this hall to ponder and think. On the east side of the house stood a porch.

This was where Frodo reunited with his friends when he regained consciousness from the injury afflicted on him during their encounter with the Nazgúl. This porch was also where the Council of Elrond took place. When Elrond left after the War of the Ring, Elrohir, and Elladan, his sons stayed in Rivendell. Celeborn, their grandfather, stayed with them for a long time. This was before he finally journeyed to the West.

Rivendell: A Hidden Place

Rivendell or Imladris is shielded from onslaught primarily because of Elven magic, Elrond, as well as the River Bruinen. However, Lord Elrond himself mentioned that Rivendell was not a bastion of battles, but an area for knowledge and tranquility. Unlike Gondor’s capital, Minas Tirith, Rivendell is kind of separated and concealed from all of Middle Earth’s other places. Rivendell, looking at the map of Middle Earth, is situated close by the Ford of Bruinen. However, it seems that where its precise location is tricky to find out since it is located within the Misty Mountains. Also, unlike the other locations situated on the Misty Mountains’ east, Rivendell had a climate that was cool and cozy. Moreover, this mystical refuge for the Elves is famously known for its pleasant weather.

The Origin of Rivendell’s Name

Starting with its Westron and more popular term of Rivendell, it is derived from Riven, meaning to split or tear apart, and den, meaning valley. Furthermore, Imladris is derived from a Sindarin word, which is means “deep valley of the cleft” overall. This term came from imlad, meaning deep valley or glen, and riss, meaning ravine, or rist, meaning cleft. According to other characters from the novel, Rivendell is “The last homely house East of the sea.” J.R.R. Tolkien, who was well known for his great love for the languages, crafted elaborate mythology about the Middle Earth. In The Lord of the Rings, he dedicated his linguistics knowledge to craft Sindarin, a form of the Elvish language that is one of the best known. The Elvish language, Sindarin, was derived from Old Norse as well as Old English. In The Lord of the Rings, this was primarily spoken by the Elves.

Rivendell’s Real-World Counterpart

The Imladris valley, where the Rivendell town is located, was indeed based and inspired following Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland’s scenery. It was said that J.R.R. Tolkien went on a journey in this area. In actuality, a landscape of Rivendell that he painted originally, considerably bears the likeness of Lauterbrunnen.

Rivendell’s Depiction in Adaptations

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

It was demonstrated that Thorin and his company got into Rivendell [7] by going through a hidden passage after they were assailed by the Warg riders of Azog. At that time, Thorin was against the idea of going to Rivendell because of his long-time hatred against Elves. During their stay at Rivendell, Elrond uncovers the Moon Runes to Balin and Thorin. Later, Gandalf participates in a White Council meeting. There, he warned them about the growing power of the Necromancer. When it comes to the film’s extended version, Rivendell’s arrangement was substantially expanded. This was done to portray the description in the book, wherein the company stayed there for 14 days up until the eve of mid-summer. The first setting that was special to the film’s extended version showed Lindir, who was then complaining to Elrond about the seemingly voracious appetite of the Dwarves, only to find out that some of the dwarves were bathing in a rather unique fountain. The second sequence was Bilbo finding out about Narsil while having a look around Rivendell. He then met Elrond. During their talk, Bilbo entertained the Elf by using clever riddles as a means for answering his questions. This was when Elrond lets him know that he would be more than welcome to stay at Rivendell after he’s done with the quest. Some other prolonged sequences include Gandalf and Elrond talking about matters of importance while Bilbo and Thorin were watching, as well as the dwarves poking fun during dinner as Bofur sang.

The Lord of the Rings

As for the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings, Rivendell appears in all the three movies. It is portrayed as Arwen’s home and the house of Lord Elrond. Only a few details were modified from the description in the books. Although, when it came to the storyline of Arwen being baffled if she’d instead leave Middle Earth to be with Aragorn, it was substantially elaborated. Later, the surviving members of the Fellowship reunited in Rivendell to recover. This was after Sauron was defeated. In the Lord of the Rings Online [8] game, Rivendell shows up as a location that can be played, which was situated in the region of Trollshaws. Rivendell’s appearance in this game is somewhat identical to the Rivendell depicted in Peter Jackson’s movies.​