Lindon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lindon is also the name of a city in Utah, United States of America: Lindon, Utah.
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Lindon is the land beyond the Ered Luin (Blue Mountains) in the northwest of Middle-earth. It is the westernmost land of the continent. The Gulf of Lune divides it into Forlindon (North Lindon) and Harlindon (South Lindon).
Lindon as a name survived from the First Age, when it was a name given to Ossiriand after this land was settled by the Laiquendi or Green Elves. Lindon meant "Land of the singers", after the old name Lindar (singers) for the Teleri.
Lindon is the last mainland remnant of Beleriand left after the War of Wrath at the end of the First Age, the rest of the land having been broken or submerged by the tumults. While not exactly clear, there are indications that before the Downfall of Númenor Lindon was larger than it was during the Third Age.
Many of the Elves of Beleriand relocated to Lindon at the beginning of the Second Age, where they were ruled by Gil-galad. The Noldor mainly dwelt in Forlindon, and the Sindar (and surviving Laiquendi) in Harlindon. Together, they built Mithlond (the Grey Havens) on the Gulf, and many Elves left from there to Valinor. Lindon was one of the two Noldorin Kingdoms during the Second Age (the other being Eregion or Hollin), until Gil-galad was killed by Sauron during the War of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. After that, most of the Noldor finally departed for Valinor, and Lindon became depopulated, now ruled by Gil-galad's lieutenant, the Sindarin elf Círdan the Shipwright, who kept building ships for the departing Elves. By the end of the Third Age, the majority of Lindon's population resided in or around the harbor of the Grey Havens, while the rest settled along the shores of the Gulf of Lune. During the Fourth Age, it was one of the last Elven havens as the last Elves of Rivendell and Lothlorien left Middle-earth. In the beginning of the century, it experienced a population growth as migrants from the east came to Mithlond. Not all Elves left Middle-earth immediately, in fact the majority of the migrants made long-term temporary settlements. Some Tolkien documents indicate that, despite heavy population losses, the Elven population was around 900,000 at the beginning of the Fourth Age. Nonetheless, a mass exodus still ensued and a century later the population dropped to about 50,000. Círdan most likely stayed in Mithlond till around the beginning of the third century F.A, suggesting that the Elven community survived for quite a while.
In the literature, Lindon itself appears mostly as a place where reluctant Elves tarried before departing forever from Middle-earth.
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| Realms of Men: | Arnor • Gondor • Lond Daer • Númenor • Rohan • Umbar |
| Realms of the Elves: | Dorwinion • Edhellond • Eregion • Lindon • Lórinand • Greenwood the Great • Rivendell |
| Realms of the Dwarves: | Belegost • Khazad-dûm |
| Realms of the Ents: | Fangorn forest |
| Realms of the enemy: | Cirith Ungol • Mordor |
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| Realms of Men: | Arnor • Arthedain • Breeland • Cardolan • Corsairs of Umbar • Dale • Dol Amroth • Dunland • Éothéod • Esgaroth • Gondor • Harad • Khand • Rhovanion • Rhudaur • Rhûn • Rohan • Umbar |
| Realms of the Elves: | Lindon • Lothlórien • Northern Mirkwood • Rivendell |
| Realms of the Dwarves: | Belegost • Erebor • Grey Mountains • Iron Hills • Khazad-dûm |
| Realms of the Hobbits: | Breeland • Gladden Fields • The Shire |
| Realms of the Ents: | Fangorn forest |
| Uncertain population: | Dorwinion |
| Realms of the enemy: | Angmar • Barad-dûr • Dol Guldur • Isengard • Mordor |
