Girdle of Melian

The Girdle of Melian (also known as Veil of Melian or simply the Veil) was an enchanted barrier surrounding the realm of Doriath throughout much of its existence, created by its namesake, the Maia and Queen Melian.

The Girdle enclosed the three forests of Neldoreth, Region, Nivrim and part of the land of Aelin-uial. All those who attempted to pass through it became enmeshed and wandered aimlessly as if lost in an impossible maze of trees, placing them in a situation where their food would eventually run out and they would die. The Girdle also protected Doriath from the dark influence and prying eyes of Morgoth, similar to the way Galadriel used Nenya to protect Lothlórien from Sauron.

Only those permitted by Thingol or Melian, or with greater power than them, could successfully navigate through it. The only two known to have passed through against her will were Beren and Carcharoth.

History

The Girdle of Melian was raised by Melian shortly after the First Battle of Beleriand to ensure that Doriath remain untouched by the forces of the enemy.

When the Ñoldor returned to Middle-earth from the West, Thingol sought to bar them from settlement in the lands of the Sindar and would only permit guests into Doriath through the barrier. After learning of the Kinslaying of Alqualondë, Thingol forbade all Ñoldor, save for those of the House of Finarfin his kin from entering the realm through the barrier.

The Girdle's long history of barring unwanted intruders came to an end in the fourth century of the First Age. Beren passed through unrestrained and later during the Quest for the Silmaril; the crazed Carcharoth breached the barrier for he could not be stopped.

In around FA 470 Túrin, sent to Doriath by his mother to seek service there became lost in the barrier along with his companions and almost perished, had it not been for Beleg.

Due to Mim/Glaurung's cursed treasure hoard corrupting many of Thingol's elves, some of the treacherous elves allowed other treacherous Dwarves from Belegost and Nogrod past the veil, who then ambushed Thingol in the woods while he was on a hunt, killing him.

The Girdle was lifted by Melian, who after the death of Thingol soon left Middle-earth and returned to Aman. Doriath lay unprotected from then on.

Behind the scenes

In The History of Middle-earth, Christopher Tolkien wrote;

'Apart from a few matters of detail in texts and notes that have not been published, all that my father ever wrote on the subject of the ruin of Doriath has now been set out (...) If these materials are compared with the story told in The Silmarillion it is seen at once that this latter is fundamentally changed, to a form for which in certain essential features there is no authority whatever in my father's own writings.

There were very evident problems with the old story. Had he ever turned to it again, my father would undoubtedly have found some solution other than that in the Quenta to the question: How was the treasure of Nargothrond brought to Doriath? There, the curse that Mîm laid upon the gold at his death 'came upon the possessors in this wise. Each one of Húrin's company died or was slain in quarrels upon the road; but Húrin went unto Thingol and sought his aid, and the folk of Thingol bore the treasure to the Thousand Caves.'

As I said in IV.188, 'it ruins the gesture, if Húrin must get the king himself to send for the gold with which he is then to be humiliated'. It seems to me most likely (but this is mere speculation) that my father would have reintroduced the outlaws from the old Tales (11.113-15,222-3) as the bearers of the treasure (though not the fierce battle between them and the Elves of the Thousand Caves): in the scrappy writings at the end of The Wanderings of Húrin Asgon and his companions reappear after the disaster in Brethil and go with Húrin to Nargothrond (pp. 306-7).

In Beren and Lúthien, Christopher Tolkien went back to his father's original writings and not Guy Gavriel Kay's invented chapter in The Silmarillion, "Of the Ruin of Doriath", instead he uses at least some of his father's explanations (although somewhat simplified), that had been used in the Quenta Noldorinwa. As well as one of the explanations he thought unlikely when he was writing The Silmarillion in which he requested Thingol go out bring the treasure back to Doriath.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Afrikaans	Gordel van Melian
Albanian	Brez i Melian
Amharic	መሊኣን ይታጠቅ
Arabic	حزام ميليان
Armenian	Գօտին Մելիան
Basque	Melian gerrikoa
Belarusian Cyrillic	Рэмень Меліан
Bengali	মেলিঅন এর বেল্ট
Bosnian	Pojas od Melijana
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Пояс на Мелиан
Catalan	Cinturó de na Mèlian
Cebuano	Bakus sa Melian
Croatian	Melian pojas
Czech	Pás Melian
Danish	Melians Bælte
Dutch	Gordel van Melian
Estonian	Meliani vöö
Filipino	Pamigkis ng Melian
Finnish	Melianin vyö
French	Anneau de Melian
Georgian	მელიანის სარტყელი
German	Gürtel Melians
Greek	Ζωνάρι της Μελιαν
Gujarati	મેલિઅનનો કમરપટો
Hausa	Abin ɗamara na Melian
Hawaiian	Kaei o Melian
Hebrew	מחגורת מליאן
Hindi	मेलिअन का करधनी
Hungarian	Melian övje
Icelandic	Belti af Melían
Igbo	Ọkiké nke Melian
Italian	Cintura di Melian
Japanese	メリアンの魔法帯
Javanese	Sabuk saka Melian
Korean	멜리안 벨트
Kurdish	Kembereke ji Melian (Kurmanji)
Kyrgyz Cyrillic	Мэлиан бел
Latvian	Melian Josta
Lithuanian	Meliano Diržas
Luxembourgish	Belt vun Melian
Malagasy	Fehikibo Melian
Maltese	Ċinturin ta Melian
Maori	Tātua o Melian
Nepalese	मेलिअन को बेल्ट
Norwegian	Melians belte
Persian	کمربند ملیان
Polish	Obręcz Meliany
Portuguese	Cinta de Melian
Punjabi	ਮੇਲੀਅਨ ਦਾ ਕਮਰ
Romanian	Brâu Melian
Russian	Пояс Мелиан
Serbian	Појас од Мелиан (Cyrillic) Pojas od Melian (Latin)
Slovak	Melian Pás
Slovenian	Melian Pas
Spanish	Faja de Melian
Swahili	Mshipi wa Melian
Swedish	Melians bälte
Thai	เข็มขัดของเมลิอัน
Turkish	Melian'in kuşağı
Ukrainian Cyrillic	ремінь Меліан
Uzbek	Мелиан камарини (Cyrillic) Melian kamarini (Latin)
Xhosa	Ibhande likaMelian
Yiddish	גארטל פון מעליאַן