The Encyclopedia of Arda - The Wilderness (original) (raw)
The untamed lands of western Middle-earth
The Wilderness of eastern Eriador (somewhat conjectural)1
The Wilderness of eastern Eriador (somewhat conjectural)1
"It was thought that you might turn far aside to avoid pursuit, and become lost in the Wilderness."
Words of Glorfindel
from The Fellowship of the Ring I 12
Flight to the Ford
At the end of the Third Age, the lands between the Bree-land and the Misty Mountains had become wild and pathless. The old East Road still ran through these lands, a remnant of more civilised times, but away from the road a traveller could easily become lost in the untamed wilds. Thus, when Elrond heard from the Rangers that Frodo and his companions had set out from Bag End, and that they were pursued by Black Riders, he sent out his allies into the Wilderness to search for them and give them aid. Aragorn was among these, and travelling along the East Road he found the Hobbits and gave them his help in the rest of their dangerous journey to Rivendell.
It is difficult to be sure whether the 'Wilderness' between Bree and Rivendell was a named area in its own right. In most cases, it's simply referred to as an (uncapitalised) 'wilderness'. On one occasion, however, Glorfindel speaks of the (capitalised) 'Wilderness' as if it is the name of the region, perhaps roughly equivalent to the 'Lone-lands', rather than just a description. In either case, the 'Wilderness' west of the Misty Mountains is not to be confused with the 'Wilderland' of Rhovanion, which lay beyond the Mountains to the east.
Notes
| 1 | Glorfindel's use of the name 'Wilderness' was rather vague, and this makes it difficult to be certain exactly which lands he had in mind when he used the term. He seems to be referring to the wild lands between the relatively civilised Shire and Bree-land, to the west, and the Last Homely House of Rivendell, to the east. This would place the Wilderness in the eastern part of Eriador, the Lone-lands, in a region that largely overlapped the old kingdom of Rhudaur. This is the region shown in the map here, but other interpretations of Aragorn's words are possible. |
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- Updated 19 October 2024
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