Eregion
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| Eregion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Other names | Hollin |
| Location | The far southeast of Eriador, directly to the west of Khazad-dûm |
| Capital | Ost-in-Edhil |
| People | |
| Population | Mostly Noldor (Gwaith-i-Mírdain) |
| Language | Sindarin |
| Governance | Galadriel and Celeborn Later Celebrimbor |
| History | |
| Foundation | S.A. 750 |
| Three Rings made | S.A. 1590 |
| Destroyed | S.A. 1697 |
| Followed by | Rivendell |
| Gallery | Images of Eregion |
 | Eregion.mp3 |
| By Ardamir. (Help; more articles) | |
| Hollin.mp3 |
| By Ardamir. (Help; more articles) | |
Eregion (S, pron. [eˈreɡjon]) or Hollin was a sub-realm of the Noldorin Elves in Eriador during the Second Age, located near the Walls of Moria under the shadow of the Misty Mountains. It was the only lasting Noldorin realm outside Lindon.[1]
History
Eregion was founded by the Noldor who left from Lindon early in the Second Age. It's capital was Ost-in-Edhil, which was founded in S.A. 750.[2]
The Elves of Eregion lived in harmony with a Dwarven civilization, trading freely with their kingdom of Khazad-dûm, or Hadhodrond in the Elven tongue. A high road ran from Ost-in-Edhil to Khazad-dûm, and an unprecedented friendship between the two races began in that time. Eregion's jewel smiths achieved the highest levels of craftsmanship since Fëanor.[3]
Eregion was populated by Noldor, and for a while ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn, until they left for Lothlórien on the other side of the Misty Mountains. It was then ruled by Celebrimbor, a descendant of Fëanor. Under his rule the Elves of Eregion became friends with Annatar, the "Lord of Gifts," and created the Rings of Power. When Annatar was revealed as the Dark Lord Sauron, the Elves of Eregion tried to keep the Rings from falling into Sauron's hands, but only managed to rescue Vilya, Narya, and Nenya (the Three Rings of the Elves).
Sauron returned to Hollin with a vengeance in 1697, and despite the assistance of the Dwarves, he utterly destroyed it. The survivors fled to Lindon, Lothlórien, and the refuge of Imladris (Rivendell). The doors of Moria were shut and sealed, and Celebrimbor was slain.
In the Third Age, Eregion was a pleasant but unpopulated land.
Etymology
The name Eregion is Sindarin for "Land of Holly"[4] (the word ereg means "holly").[5]
Hollin (from hollin-land) is an old form, still used locally, of "holly"; the region abounded in holly-trees.[6]
In Other Versions of the Legendarium
In the Unfinished Tales it is stated that "Celeborn and Galadriel therefore went eastwards, about the year 700 of the Second Age, and established the (primarily but by no means solely) Noldorin realm of Eregion."[7] This contradicts the information published in The Lord of the Rings which gives the founding of Eregion in the year 750.[8] It is possible to reconcile the texts if 700 is seen as the year of their moving eastwards with 750 as the year of the foundation of Eregion; the canonicity of this, however, is unknown.
See also
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", ereg
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 772
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Second Age", entry "750"
