The Icebay of Forochel was an immense body of water located north of Eriador and northwest of Forodwaith in the cold, northern regions of Middle-earth. A strip of land called the Cape of Forochel formed the western boundary of the bay, creating a narrow entrance to the south.
It was known to have frozen over during the winters, making travel by ship impossible.[1]
History 
Edit
As seen in The Lord of the Rings Online
As far back as the Elder Days, before the destruction of Beleriand at the conclusion of War of Wrath, primitive tribes of Men known as the Forodwaith had lived around the shores of the Icebay. Their descendants, known as the Snowmen, or Lossoth, were still living on the shores of the bay during the Third Age and beyond.[1]
It was here that Arvedui, last King of Arthedain, fled when his land was destroyed by Angmar. He was aided by the Lossoth until March of TA 1975[2] when, against their advice, he attempted to sail south on one of the ships of Círdan. The ship foundered in the heavy ices of the bay and he was drowned, also losing the Palantíri of the North in the process.[1]
Other versions of the legendarium Edit
Though the Icebay at one point appeared only to refer to the small bay visible on the original map included in The Lord of the Rings, Christopher Tolkien later clarified he had made an error. He corrected this on the updated map in the 1953 edition, adding an arrow to indicate that the Icebay consisted of the entire body of water.[3]
Etymology Edit
Forochel is a Sindarin word that meant 'Northern ice'.[4]
| Bays of Arda |
|---|
|
Bay of Andúnië | Bay of Balar | Bay of Belfalas | Bay of Eldamar | Bay of Eldanna | Bay of Rómenna | Cobas Haven | Firth of Drengist | Ice-Bay of Forochel |
References Edit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers, I: The Númenórean Kings, (iii): "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), "The Third Age"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales, Introduction, Part Four, "The Map of Middle-earth"
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Middle-earth
