by David Day
Phantoms of the Dead Marshes
Between the vast falls of the Great River Anduin and the dark mountains of Mordor there was an immense dreary fenland called the Dead Marshes. These Marshes were terrible and perilous, and in the Third Age of the Sun they were an evil and haunted place. For it is told that at the end of the Second Age there was a mighty war before the Black Gate on the plain of Dagorlad. Innumerable warriors among the Last Alliance of Elves and Men died on that plain, and countless Orcs fell also. And so Elves, Men and Orcs and many other servants of Sauron were all buried on Dagorlad.
But in the Third Age the Marshlands spread eastwards and the graveyards of the warriors were swallowed by the fens. Great black pools appeared and they were crawling with evil beings. There were serpents and creeping life in these marshes, but no bird would visit the foul waters. From the evil stench and slime of these pools, where so many warriors rotted, haunting lights were seen. And these lights were said to be like candles lit, and in this light could be seen the faces of the dead: faces fair and evil; faces grim and decayed with death; evil Orkish faces and those of strong Men and bright Elves. Whether they were spirits or mirages of the dead is not known. These Phantoms of the Dead Marshes appeared in the pools but could not be reached. Their light beckoned travellers like a distant dream, and if any fell under their spell they would come to the dark water and disappear into the hideous pools. Such was the fate of those who journeyed that way to the east. Such was the fate of those Easterlings called Wainriders, who in the twentieth century of that Age were driven far into the Dead Marshes after the Battle of the Camp.
Pipe-weed
Before the days of the War of the Ring the Hobbits were a quiet folk who could claim little influence of the World beyond the Shire. But of one thing, however, they did boast to be the makers and masters, and that was the smoking of the herb nicotiana, which was named Galenas in Elvish. When originally brought from the land of Númenor by Men, it was prized only for the scent of its flower.
It was the Hobbits of Bree who grew it specially for the purpose of smoking it in long-stemmed pipes. Knowing not the Elvish name for the plant, or caring little if they did, they renamed it Pipe-weed after its most common use. They derived great enjoyment from this pastime, and in the way of Hobbits towards things of pleasure, smoking Pipe-weed was rated as a high art.
The Hobbits were also connoisseurs of fine Pipe-weeds, rating those of Bree and Southfarthing highest; then Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, Southern Star and Southlinch. So from the centre of Bree this most famous Hobbit habit spread over Middle-earth and was widely practised by Men and Dwarves.
Ponies
On Middle-earth Ponies proved excellent servants of Hobbits and Dwarves, who, owing to their stature, could not ride on the backs of Horses. As beasts of burden, the Ponies also hauled the ore and trade ware of Dwarves and the field crops of Hobbits and Men.
In the annals of the Hobbits mention is given to those Ponies that aided the nine who went on the Quest of the Ring. By Tom Bombadil these were named: Sharp-ears, Swish-tail, Wise-nose, White-socks and Bumpkin. Bombadil’s own Pony was called Fatty Lumpkin. The faithful beast that Samwise Gamgee befriended was just plain Bill.
Púkel-Men
On the great citadel of Dunharrow was set an ancient maze of walls and entrances that would break the advance of any army before it reached the Hold of Dunharrow. At each gate in the road huge stone guardians stood. These guardians were called Púkel-men by the Rohirrim who came to Dunharrow centuries after the race that built this maze had vanished.
The Púkel-men statues were of crouched, pot-bellied Man-like beings with almost comic, grimacing faces. They have been compared to the Wild Men called the Woses of Druadan. Indeed, it is likely that the Púkel-men were ancestors of that pygmy race, the Woses, but of their relationship with the builders of Dunharrow no tale tells.
The builders of the vast fortifications were themselves only known as the Men of the White Mountains. They were thought to be the ancestors of the Dunlendings and in the early years of the Second Age of the Sun they thrived for a time in the White Mountains.
Quendi
As the “Ainulindalë” tells, all things that came forth in the World were formed in the grand themes of the Music of the Ainur. And it was Ilúvatar alone who conceived of the themes that brought forth the race of Elves. So when the Elves came to the World, awakening to the sight of Stars and the sound of water, it was as if the Music of the Spheres had been born within them. Of all beings in the World they were the first to speak. The voices of the Elves were beautiful and subtle as water, and they were curious of all things and went about the World naming all that they saw. They were teachers to all the races and creatures on Earth who would learn the arts of speech and song.
So it was that the Elves came to name themselves the Quendi, which means the “speakers”, after their greatest art, and they then named their language Quenya, which means simply the “speech”. All the tongues of the World came from this one source, which is the root of them and which is most fair to the ears of all who love beauty in its various forms. The giant Ents were the first race to learn speech from the Quendi, but soon the skill spread until even Men and evil Orcs and Trolls learned of its use. And though Quenya was the first tongue of the Quendi, it was not their only tongue. For the Avari and the Silvan Elves spoke dialects that changed through the Ages of Stars and the Sun as the lands of Middle-earth changed. Because of the Teleri’s long exile upon Tol Eressëa the tongue of this Third Kindred who inhabited Alqualondë was also a dialect of the ancient speech. Only among the Vanyar and the Noldor in the Undying Lands did Quenya remain close to the language spoken at the time of the Awakening.
Because the Sindar Elves for many Ages ruled the western lands and because they were more numerous than the Noldor exiles, all the Eldar in Middle-earth commonly used the Sindarin tongue. Indeed, by the Third Age of the Sun, only the Eldar, the Ents and the Dúnedain lords still knew Quenya, and even to these it was the language not of daily use but that of high ceremony, ancient songs and romantic tales and High Elvish histories.
Quickbeam
Ent of the Fangorn Forest. Quickbeam was a protector of Rowan trees, and in the manner of Ents resembled those trees. During the War of the Ring, Quickbeam entertained the Hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. His Elvish name was Bregalad or “swift-tree”. By the standards of his race, he was a very “hasty” Ent. He was also one of the youngest. He had grey-green hair, red lips and a high, resonant voice. He took a prominent part in the destruction of Isengard.
Rr
Radagast
Istari, Wizard of Middle-earth. Radagast the Brown was originally a Maia spirit of Yavanna the Fruitful called Aiwendil, meaning “lover of birds”. Chosen as one of the Istari, the order of Wizards, he came to Middle-earth in the year 1000 of the Third Age of the Sun. He seemed little concerned with the affairs of Elves and Men, but was extremely knowledgeable about herbs, plants, birds and beasts.
Radgbug
Orc of Cirith Ungol. During the War of the Ring, Radgbug gained brief note when he refused to carry out an order given by his Uruk-hai captain, Shagrat, after a fight between the Orcs of the Tower of the Spider’s Pass and the Orcs of Minas Morgul. His mutiny was short-lived because Shagrat threw him to the ground and squeezed out his eyes.
Rangers of Ithilien
At the end of the twenty-ninth century of the Third Age of the Sun, Túrin II, the Ruling Steward of Gondor, decreed that a brotherhood of knights be formed in North Ithilien, for Gondor’s power in that land was threatened by enemies from Mordor and Morgul. So the band called the Rangers of Ithilien was formed. These knights were dressed in foresters’ green, and they fought with bows, spears and swords. In the years before the War of the Ring, their captain was Faramir, second son of Denethor, Gondor’s Ruling Steward. Greatest of their dwellings was that refuge of caves and tunnels behind a great waterfall that looked far over the Vales of Anduin. This place w
as called Henneth Annûn, the “window of the sunset”.
Rangers of the North
Through many centuries of the Third Age of the Sun, in the lands of Eriador, there roamed grim-faced men clothed in cloaks of forest-green or grey, with clasps like silver Stars on their left shoulders. They were grey-eyed, armed with sword and spear, and they wore long leather boots. By the common folk of Eriador they were called Rangers, and they were thought to be a strange, unfriendly people. For though they wandered over all the lands of Eriador on foot or on strange shaggy Horses, they did so silently. Indeed, few knew who these tough weather-worn Rangers were, or from where they had come. But as the “Red Book of Westmarch” reveals, the Rangers were in fact the last nobles and knights of that once great Dúnedain realm of Arnor and their chieftain was the High Dúnedain king. In the years before and after the War of the Ring this was Aragorn, son of Arathorn, who as a Ranger was called Strider. At that time one named Halbarad, who was slain on Pelennor Fields, was Aragorn’s chief lieutenant among the Rangers, while the famous sons of Elrond Half-elven, Elladan and Elrohir, also rode in that company.
At the War’s end Aragorn was crowned King Elessar, lord of the twin Dúnedain realms of Arnor and Gondor, and the Rangers were honoured among the greatest Men of that Reunited Kingdom.
Rauros Falls
The most spectacular waterfalls on Middle-earth in the Third Age were the Rauros Falls on the Anduin River on the northern border of Gondor. The name Rauros means “roaring foam”, and accurately describes it as it fell in a shimmering golden haze from the long lake of Nen Hithoel on the heights of Emyn Muil to the marshlands below. The falls were unnavigable, but a portage route called the North Stair had been cut in the cliffs as a means of bypassing them. During the Quest of the Ring, the funeral boat of Boromir of Gondor was sent over the Rauros Falls to its final rest.
Ravenhill
Within Erebor, the Lonely Mountain, that stands just east of the forest of Mirkwood, was the Dwarf Kingdom under the Mountain. The Dwarves of Erebor built a fortified hill on the mountain’s southern spur. This was called Ravenhill because the hill and its guardhouse rooftop was home to many Ravens who were always friends and allies of the Dwarves. It was here that the Raven called Roäc brought news to Thorin Oakenshield that Smaug the Golden Dragon had been slain. During the Battle of Five Armies, it was on Ravenhill that the Elves (with Gandalf the Wizard and Bilbo Baggins) made their stand.
Ravens
Many races of birds lived on Middle-earth. Among those named in the tales were the Eagles, which were noblest of all birds, and the Ravens, which were strong and long-living.
Part of the tale of the slaying of Smaug, the Dragon of Erebor, tells of the Ravens of Erebor, which in the Third Age of the Sun served the Dwarves of Durin’s Line. These Ravens were wise counsellors and swift messengers of the Dwarves, and they were skilled in many tongues. At that time Roäc, son of Carc, was lord of the Ravens. He was ancient, his life having spanned more than one hundred and fifty years. By his will and wisdom he ruled the Ravens. And in the common tongue of Westron, Roäc spoke to his Dwarvish friends and brought them news and aid.
Region
Among the trees of Middle-earth was one that Elves called Region, and Men called Holly. Part of the realm of Sindar was named after that tree. This was the dense forest area of East Beleriand, which lay within the guarded realm of Doriath.
Region was widespread in Middle-earth, but in few places did it grow luxuriantly. One of the areas where it was most widely known was Eregion, which means “land of the Holly”. The Elven-smiths lived there in the Second Age of the Sun, and it was there that the mighty Rings of Power were forged.
Rhovanion
The wide lands between the Misty Mountains and the Sea of Rhûn were called Rhovanion or “wilder-land” and encompassed all lands south of the Grey Mountains and north of Gondor and Mordor. This included Mirkwood, Erebor, Lothlórien, Fangorn, the Brown Lands and all the northern vales of the Great River Anduin.
Rhûn
To the north-east of Mordor and west of Rhovanion lay the vast lands of Rhûn. Here was the inland Sea of Rhûn which was fed by the Redwater and Running Rivers. Out of the wide lands of Rhûn came many a barbarian people to make war on the Dúnedain through the Second and Third Ages of the Sun. Rhûn was the land of the Easterlings who were ever under the influence of Sauron, the Ring Lord. Many of his greatest servants were recruited among the kings of Rhûn. By the Fourth Age, King Elessar of the Reunited Kingdom had broken the power of most of the kingdoms of Rhûn and forced them to make a lasting peace with the westlands.
Ringwraiths
Nine was the number of the mighty wraiths that Sauron released in Middle-earth after the forging of the Rings of Power. In Black Speech they were named the Nazgûl, which in the common tongue is “Ringwraiths”, and they were the chief servants and generals of Sauron.
The tale of the evil deeds of the Ringwraiths is long, and the phantom shadows of these Black Riders brought terror to the hearts of even the bravest peoples of Middle-earth.
Rivendell
In the year 1697 of the Second Age, in the wake of the War of Sauron and the Elves, Master Elrond Half-elven fled Eregion with a remnant of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain. While most of the kingdom of the Elven-smiths of Eriador was destroyed, the surviving High Elves built the refuge of Rivendell in the steep, hidden valley of Imladris in easternmost Eriador at the foot of the Misty Mountains, in the “Angle” of land between the rivers Hoarwell and Loudwater.
Here was hidden the great House of Elrond. Considered the “Last Homely House East of the Sea”, it was a house of wisdom, great learning and a refuge of kindness for all Elves and Men of goodwill. It was here that Bilbo Baggins found refuge, as later did the Fellowship of the Ring. The house and valley were guarded by Elven enchantments that caused the rivers on either side to rise up and repel invaders. Rivendell survived all the wars of the Second and Third Ages, and besides being an Elven refuge, it was also a refuge for the Dúnedain, and particularly the Chieftains of the North Kingdom. After the War of the Ring, Elrond left Rivendell for the Undying Lands, but Elrohir, Elladan and Celeborn remained there with many other Elves until that time in the Fourth Age when the last Elven ship departed from the Grey Havens.
River Anduin
In the Third and Fourth Ages of the Sun, the Anduin was the largest and longest river on Middle-earth. Its name is Elvish for “great river” and it was often simply called The Great River. Its major tributaries were Celebrant, Gladden, Entwash, Limlight, Morgulduin, Erui, Poros and Sirith. The Anduin lands, stretching from its source in the Grey Mountains in the far north to its delta which drained into the Bay of Belfalas in the south, were the lands most hotly contested on Middle-earth during the War of the Ring.
River-women
In the histories and writings of Middle-earth, mention is made of the River-women. Whether, like Ossë and Uinen, these were Maiar of Ulmo, Lord of the Waters, or whether they were spirits who came into the World like Ents, is not told; but it is certain they were chiefly concerned with the Kelvar and Olvar of the World.
The “Red Book of Westmarch” tells how the River-woman of the Withywindle had a daughter named Goldberry, who was the wife of Tom Bombadil. This River-daughter was golden-haired and bright as an Elf-maiden. Her garments were often silver and green, and flowers continuously blossomed in the spring of her light and laughter.
Roäc the Raven
Raven lord of Erebor. The son of Carc, he was born in the year 2788 of the Third Age. Roäc was 153 years old and rather feather-bald when he helped out the Dwarves of Thorin and Company. It was Roäc who told Thorin of the death of Smaug the Golden Dragon, and it was he who sent his Ravens to the Dwarves of the Iron Hills to recruit them for the Battle of Five Armies.
Rógin
In the language of the Rohirrim horsemen, Rógin was the name given to those primitive tribal people of the Druadan Forest who were more commonly called the Wildmen or the
Woses.
Rohan
The kingdom of Rohan, meaning “horse land”, was founded in 2510 of the Third Age of the Sun after the Battle of the Field of Celebrant. During this battle a wandering race of golden-haired horsemen called the Éothéod came to the rescue of the Men of Gondor and turned the tide of battle. In gratitude, they were given Gondor’s entire province of Calenardhon as an independent yet allied nation. Thereafter, the Éothéod called themselves the Rohirrim or “horse-lords” and made Rohan (or Riddermark) their home. Rohan largely consisted of the wide grasslands, horse plains and farmlands bordered by the River Anduin in the east, the White Horn Mountains in the south, the Misty Mountains and the Fangorn Forest in the north. It was divided into five main regions: Eastfold, Westfold, East Emnet, West Emnet and the Wold. The Entwash and the Snowbourn were the main tributaries of the Anduin River that drained its lands. Rohan’s capital was the city of Edoras where Meduseld, the Golden Hall of the king was found. Although Edoras was fortified, it was not easily defended. In time of war, the Rohirrim took refuge in the great fortresses of Helm’s Deep and Dunharrow, high up in the White Horn Mountains. This happened during the Dunlending Invasion of 2758 and again during the War of the Ring and the decisive Battle of Hornburg. After the Rohirrim’s critical role in the Battle of Pelennor Fields and the defeat of the Ring Lord; Rohan, with the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, prospered long and well into the Fourth Age.