Lothlórien


 * To see other uses of 'Lothlórien see also: Lothlórien (disambiguation)

"That is the fairest of all the dwellings of my people. There are no trees like the trees of that land. For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers; and the floor of the wood is golden, and golden is the roof, and its pillars are of silver, for the bark of the trees is smooth and grey."

- Legolas

Lothlórien was a forest in Middle-earth proper, first settled by Nandorin elves, but later enriched by Ñoldor and Sindar under Celeborn and Galadriel.

Two places in Arda are known as Lórien, and both are exceptionally beautiful. The first is the gardens of the Vala Irmo in Valinor (Irmo is usually called Lórien as well).



Galadriel's magic, later revealed as the power of her Ring, enriched the land and made it a magic forest into which evil cannot enter. The only way that Lothlórien could have been conquered by the armies of Mordor is if Sauron had come there himself, for against his power the elves could not triumph.

It was located on the River Celebrant, southeast of Khazad-dûm. Lórien was the only place where the golden Mallorn tree grew in Middle-earth, brought there from Valinor by Lady Galadriel. (Later, a mallorn was planted in the Shire, a gift of Galadriel to Sam Gamgee.)

History
Lórien, like Thranduil's Kingdom of northern Mirkwood, was settled by Silvan Elves of Nandorin descent some time during the First Age. By the Second Age, Sindarin Elves had enriched its population, and they were ruled by a Sindarin lord, Amdír. The last Sindarin Lord of Lórien was Amroth, who went to Edhellond near Dol Amroth in south Gondor in search of Nimrodel, and was lost at sea. After his time the Silvan Elves of Lórien long had no lords, until Galadriel and her husband Celeborn travelled there from Eregion (Hollin).

The Golden Wood was actually relatively close to Mirkwood and Dol Guldur; as a result Dol Guldur sent forces to assault Lórien, occurring around the time when Sauron's forces were attacking Minas Tirith and when Gondor fought at the Battle of the Morannon. There were three assaults in total, but though the outer woods were ravaged the lands inhabited by the Elves were protected thanks to both Elven skill and Galadriel's power (Mordor could not destroy Lórien unless Sauron himself had arrived). After the three assaults failed, Lórien eventually sent its own forces to cast down Dol Guldur. This attack proved successful and Galadriel cast the walls down.

After Galadriel left for Valinor, the Elves of Lórien were ruled by their lord Celeborn alone, and the realm was expanded with a part of southern Mirkwood, but it appears to have slowly been depopulated during the Fourth Age until all Elves were gone. In "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen," the timeless Elven kingdom is depicted as being wholly abandoned by the time of King Elessar's passing; however, it is difficult to reconcile this with other references to the Fate of the Elves of Middle-earth scattered throughout Tolkien's published works. Even after the assaults on Lórien by Sauron's forces during the War of the Ring, there must have been several thousand Silvan Elves remaining in the land.

After the death of her husband Aragorn II Elessar in FO 120, Arwen retreated there to Cerin Amroth in FO 121 where she gave up her life and was buried there.

Etymology and Names
This forest, originally known by its Silvan names Laurelindórinan (Land of the Valley of Singing Gold) and Lórinand (Golden Valley), was renamed Lothlórien (Lórien of the Blossom) in memory of the Lórien the Ñoldor left behind; but the name was often shortened to Lórien ("Land of Gold", although it carried within it also the meaning of "dream"). Treebeard referred to the word Lothlorien as "Dreamflower". Other names given to the land include the Rohirric name Dwimordene (from dwimor "phantom", an allusion to the perceived magic of the Elves), and the Westron name The Golden Wood.

Portrayal in adaptations
In Peter Jackson's trilogy, Lorien is full of moonlight in contrast of the sun filled forest Tolkien describes.

Lothlórien is depicted in the video games The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, War of the Ring (video game), and The Lord of the Rings Online.

Fall of Lorien in The Battle for Middle-earth II
In the non-canonical evil campaign of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II, Lorien is the first Elven land to be ambushed in the Evil Campaign. The Mouth of Sauron and three of the Nazgûl rode to a Orc-base just on the outskirts of Lorien, where they recruited the Goblin builders to create structures from which to muster powerful Orc armies, as well as a few Trolls. After the armies are properly prepared, the four Captains of Mordor lead the Goblins and Trolls out to destroy the land of Lothlorien. Haldir and a few elves bravely attempt to stop them at the outer perimeter, but they are slain and the Elven Tree Houses there all demolished. While the Goblins and Captains of Mordor advance on Lorien, they release Mountain Giants guarded by the Elves to aid them in their Conquest.

When the dark army arrives in Lorien, many elves, as well as Galadriel and Celeborn, attempt to stop them. Galadriel escapes, but Celeborn is slain. The orc defeat every elf and burn every Lorien structure in sight, even the mighty Tree Fortress of Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel watches in horror from a distance as the orcs celebrate their victory on the ruins of Lorien. The Mouth of Sauron looks into the Mirror of Galadriel, seeing and preparing the next step into conquering northern Middle-earth for Sauron, which is the approach of Umbar's fleets onto Mithlond, the Grey Havens.

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Lothlórien Lothlórien Лотлориэн