What this is
In brief
Origins
Lothlórien grew from the Silvan Elves of the wood between the Celebrant and the Anduin. After the fall of Eregion, Galadriel and Celeborn came to rule there, and the realm was protected and enriched by Nenya, the Ring of Water.
Culture
A hidden, timeless woodland realm built in and among the great mallorn trees. Its people are skilled in song, archery and woodcraft, distrustful of outsiders, and preserved from change by the power of the Elven-ring while it lasted.
Language
Sindarin, with Silvan speech and song, and Quenya among the high lords.
History
Lórien was the heart of resistance in the region; it sheltered the Fellowship after Moria. Its forces, led by Celeborn and Galadriel’s captains, attacked Dol Guldur during the War of the Ring and cast down its walls. After the One Ring was destroyed Nenya’s power faded, and Galadriel passed into the West; the realm gradually emptied of Elves.
Leaders
Settlements
- caras-galadhon
- lothlorien
Alliances
- rivendell
- elves
- the-fellowship-of-the-ring
Conflicts
- war-of-the-ring
- battle-of-dol-guldur
Notable members
CharacterGaladriel
An Elven-queen of the Noldor, wielder of Nenya, and one of the wisest and most powerful figures remaining in Middle-earth.
CharacterCeleborn
Lord of Lothlórien, husband of Galadriel, and a Sindarin prince of Doriath.
CharacterHaldir
An Elf of Lothlórien who guides the Fellowship and later dies defending Helm’s Deep in the film adaptation.
Sources
The Lord of the Rings · 1954–55
Three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
Unfinished Tales · 1980
Expanded and alternative accounts of the First, Second and Third Ages.
The Silmarillion · 1977
Posthumously edited. Contains the Ainulindalë, Valaquenta, Quenta Silmarillion, Akallabêth and Of the Rings of Power.
Related entries
PeopleSilvan Elves
The woodland Elves of Mirkwood and Lothlórien, largely of Nandorin descent, who loved the forests and never journeyed to the West.
PeopleElves
The Firstborn Children of Ilúvatar, deathless and beautiful, whose long history spans the awakening at Cuiviénen, the wars of Beleriand and the slow fading of the Third Age.
LocationRivendell
Elrond’s refuge in a hidden valley below the Misty Mountains, a haven of lore, healing and counsel.