Eriador

Eriador is a large region in northwestern Middle-earth.

Description and Climate
Eriador was about six-hundred miles (approximately 965.5 kilometers) from east to west. It was mostly lowlands. Hill areas were mainly in around the realms of Arnor, the Shire in the center of the region and in the far eastern parts near the Misty Mountains. Plains and bottomlands were in the south and southwestern parts. A plateau area existed in the area were Rivendell and the Trollshaws were located. Eriador was largely made up of scattered woodlands with scrublands in the north and northeastern parts. The rest were short grasslands mainly in the center of the region.

The climate was mainly humid with relatively mild to cold winters with a constantly warm and moist prevailing wind blowing over the Blue Mountains. In the northern part, cold and dry prevailing winds blow down from the polar north influencing the climate as well.

Most of the population was concentrated in the center area around Arnor and the Shire and the dominate language was Westron at least by the Third Age.

History
In the Second Age, and possibly much earlier, it was largely forested, but Men cleared the land for farming and the massive old forests never recovered. Much of it was encompassed in the early Third Age by the kingdom of Arnor, which later split into the rival kingdoms of Rhudaur, Arthedain and Cardolan. The Shire occupies part of the former Kingdom of Arthedain, while Bree and its neighbouring villages lie on the border with the former Cardolan. The Barrow-wights dwell within ancient burial mounds constructed in the First Age by the Edain as they journeyed to Beleriand. Other important places in Eriador are Rivendell and the abandoned kingdoms of Eregion and Angmar.

At the beginning of the Second Age, large populations of both regular Men and Dúnedain inhabited the region. There was also a group of Noldorin exiles living in Eregion (Hollin), near Moria and another sizable High Elven settlement at the Grey Havens. However, Sauron's assault on the Elves of Eregion laid waste to that land, and many of the Elves of the Grey Havens were slain in the Last Alliance of Elves and Men's final battle with the Dark Lord.

Even after his fall, Sauron's evil spirit acted through his agents, such as the Witch-king of Angmar, and he also concocted virulent plagues which swept over the land. Between warfare against the surviving Dúnedain kingdoms, the plagues, and the general lawlessness sweeping over the land, the population dropped considerably. By the time of the War of the Ring, Eriador was largely deserted.

Etymology
Eriador is a Sindarin word that meant 'Lonely land' or 'Lone-lands'.

Its boundaries were:
 * To the east, the Misty Mountains.
 * To the north, the Ice-Bay of Forochel, which flooded part of the lands of Morgoth after the War of Wrath.
 * To the west, the mountains of Ered Lindon.
 * To the south, the river Greyflood and the land of Enedwaith. After the War of Wrath, part of the southwestern border lies along the shores of Belegaer.

Important rivers were the Lune (Elvish Lhûn), the Brandywine or Baranduin in Elvish and the Greyflood.

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Eriador Eriador Эриадор