Dorthonion
Encyclopedia
In the fictional world of J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
, Dorthonion ("Land of Pines"), later Taur-nu-Fuin, was a highland region of the First Age
, lying immediately to the north of Beleriand
, and south of the plains of Ard-galen (later Anfauglith) that extended north to Morgoth
's stronghold of Thangorodrim
. It is notable in its function as a dangerous stage and scene in the adventures of many major characters in several of Tolkien's books and other works such as The Silmarillion
, The Lays of Beleriand
, and most recently The Children of Húrin
. Similar to the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium
such as Mirkwood
, Fangorn and Lothlórien it provides a transitional device in the invented history of Tolkien's Middle-earth and important episodes in the heroic quests of his characters such as Beren
, Lúthien
, Beleg
and Túrin
.
Dorthonion was 60 leagues
east to west. In the north it rose gradually from the plains, with extensive pine forests on these slopes, as well as on the western slopes above the Pass of Sirion. The majority of Dorthonion consisted of a high plateau
with bare and rocky peaks rising to higher altitudes than the mountains of the nearby Ered Wethrin (the Shadowy Mountains). The Ered Gorgoroth (Mountains of Terror) formed the southern boundary of Dorthonion, bending to the north on the east side to create the Pass of Aglon between Dorthonion and Hills of Himring. To the south and west of Dorthonion were the Echoriath (Encircling Mountains), which surrounded the hidden kingdom of Gondolin. Between Dorthonion proper and the Echoriath lay the Pass of Anach.
Dorthonion was originally ruled by Angrod
and Aegnor, two of the sons of Finarfin
, under the suzerainty
of their older brother Finrod. The north-eastern area of Dorthonion, Ladros, was given to Boromir of the House of Bëor
as a fief (c. Y.S. 350) and held by his descendants.
In the Dagor Bragollach
, Dorthonion was a key theatre of war, as Morgoth concentrated on conquering it. Angrod and Aegnor were killed, along with most of their people, including Bregolas, then Lord of Ladros, and virtually all the warriors of his House, and Dorthonion was overrun. Bregolas' brother Barahir
remained in Dorthonion leading a band of guerrillas in opposition to Morgoth, and retreated to the high mountains of Ladros. The pine forests, under Morgoth's influence, gradually became dark and dangerous, and were named Taur-nu-Fuin (the Forest under Nightshade); it was said that the forest was haunted, and that those who entered would be trapped and lost, or driven mad with terror. As Barahir's forces were driven back, and more and more of Dorthonion fell to Morgoth (a process which was complete after a few years), the name Taur-nu-Fuin was increasingly applied to the whole plateau.
Allied forces under Maedhros
regained Dorthonion shortly before the Nírnaeth Arnoediad
, before Morgoth took it back permanently in the aftermath of that battle.
Along with the other lands west of the Ered Luin, Taur-nu-Fuin was mostly destroyed in the War of Wrath
at the end of the First Age. Its highest parts survived as the island Tol Fuin (Isle of Night), part of the western isles.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
, Dorthonion ("Land of Pines"), later Taur-nu-Fuin, was a highland region of the First Age
First Age
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, the First Age, or First Age of the Children of Ilúvatar is the heroic period in which most of Tolkien's early legends are set...
, lying immediately to the north of Beleriand
Beleriand
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional legendarium, Beleriand was a region in northwestern Middle-earth during the First Age. Events in Beleriand are described chiefly in his work The Silmarillion, which tells the story of the early ages of Middle-earth in a style similar to the epic hero tales of Nordic...
, and south of the plains of Ard-galen (later Anfauglith) that extended north to Morgoth
Morgoth
Morgoth Bauglir is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth legendarium. He is the main antagonist of The Silmarillion, figures in The Children of Húrin, and is mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Rings.Melkor was the most powerful of the Ainur, but turned to darkness and became...
's stronghold of Thangorodrim
Thangorodrim
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Thangorodrim was a group of three volcanic mountains in the Iron Mountains in the north of Middle-earth during the First Age...
. It is notable in its function as a dangerous stage and scene in the adventures of many major characters in several of Tolkien's books and other works such as The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, The Lays of Beleriand
The Lays of Beleriand
The Lays of Beleriand, published in 1985, is the third volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume book series, The History of Middle-earth, in which he analyzes the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R...
, and most recently The Children of Húrin
The Children of Húrin
The Children of Húrin is an epic fantasy novel which forms the completion of a tale by J. R. R. Tolkien. He wrote the original version of the story in the late 1910s, revised it several times later, but did not complete it before his death in 1973...
. Similar to the other great forests of Tolkien's legendarium
Tolkien's legendarium
The phrase Tolkien's legendarium is used in the literary discipline of Tolkien studiesto refer to the part of J. R. R. Tolkien's high fantasy fiction being concerned with his Elven legends; that is, historic events that have become legendary from the perspective of the characters of The Lord of the...
such as Mirkwood
Mirkwood
Mirkwood is a name used for two distinct fictional forests in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. In the First Age, the highlands of Dorthonion north of Beleriand were known as Mirkwood after falling under Morgoth's control. During the Third Age, the large forest in Rhovanion, east of the Anduin in ...
, Fangorn and Lothlórien it provides a transitional device in the invented history of Tolkien's Middle-earth and important episodes in the heroic quests of his characters such as Beren
Beren
Beren is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. He appears in The Silmarillion. Huan spoke to him.-Character overview:...
, Lúthien
Lúthien
Lúthien Tinúviel is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. She appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian, The Lord of the Rings and the Grey Annals, as well as in other material.-Character overview:Lúthien is a Telerin ...
, Beleg
Beleg
In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Beleg is a major character who appears in numerous books, tales and poems about the First Age of Middle-earth such as The Silmarillion, The Lays of Beleriand and the Children of Húrin.-Name:...
and Túrin
Turín
Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador....
.
Dorthonion was 60 leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
east to west. In the north it rose gradually from the plains, with extensive pine forests on these slopes, as well as on the western slopes above the Pass of Sirion. The majority of Dorthonion consisted of a high plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
with bare and rocky peaks rising to higher altitudes than the mountains of the nearby Ered Wethrin (the Shadowy Mountains). The Ered Gorgoroth (Mountains of Terror) formed the southern boundary of Dorthonion, bending to the north on the east side to create the Pass of Aglon between Dorthonion and Hills of Himring. To the south and west of Dorthonion were the Echoriath (Encircling Mountains), which surrounded the hidden kingdom of Gondolin. Between Dorthonion proper and the Echoriath lay the Pass of Anach.
Dorthonion was originally ruled by Angrod
Angrod
In J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe, Angrod was a son of Finarfin and lord of the Noldor.Angrod was the elder brother of Galadriel and Aegnor, and the younger brother of Finrod Felagund. He joined the Exile of the Noldor to Middle-earth, where together with Aegnor he held the highlands of...
and Aegnor, two of the sons of Finarfin
Finarfin
Finarfin is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Silmarillion.-Personality:Unlike the warlike Fëanor and Fingolfin, Finarfin was something of a pacifist...
, under the suzerainty
Suzerainty
Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...
of their older brother Finrod. The north-eastern area of Dorthonion, Ladros, was given to Boromir of the House of Bëor
House of Bëor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, the House of Bëor were the family of Men who ruled over the eldest of the Three Houses of the Edain that had allied with the Elves in the First Age.-The Folk of Bëor:...
as a fief (c. Y.S. 350) and held by his descendants.
In the Dagor Bragollach
Dagor Bragollach
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, the Dagor Bragollach was the fourth battle of the Wars of Beleriand...
, Dorthonion was a key theatre of war, as Morgoth concentrated on conquering it. Angrod and Aegnor were killed, along with most of their people, including Bregolas, then Lord of Ladros, and virtually all the warriors of his House, and Dorthonion was overrun. Bregolas' brother Barahir
Barahir
Barahir is a fictional character in the fantasy-world Middle-earth of the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. He appears in The Silmarillion, the epic poem The Lay of Leithian and the Grey Annals.-Character overview:...
remained in Dorthonion leading a band of guerrillas in opposition to Morgoth, and retreated to the high mountains of Ladros. The pine forests, under Morgoth's influence, gradually became dark and dangerous, and were named Taur-nu-Fuin (the Forest under Nightshade); it was said that the forest was haunted, and that those who entered would be trapped and lost, or driven mad with terror. As Barahir's forces were driven back, and more and more of Dorthonion fell to Morgoth (a process which was complete after a few years), the name Taur-nu-Fuin was increasingly applied to the whole plateau.
Allied forces under Maedhros
Maedhros
Maedhros is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. First introduced in The Silmarillion and later mentioned in Unfinished Tales and The Children of Húrin, he is one of the most enduring characters in The Silmarillion, and has been the subject of paintings by artists such as Jenny...
regained Dorthonion shortly before the Nírnaeth Arnoediad
Nirnaeth Arnoediad
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium of Middle-earth, the Nírnaeth Arnoediad or Unnumbered Tears was the climactic Fifth Battle in the Wars of Beleriand.-The Fifth Battle as told in The Silmarillion:...
, before Morgoth took it back permanently in the aftermath of that battle.
Along with the other lands west of the Ered Luin, Taur-nu-Fuin was mostly destroyed in the War of Wrath
War of Wrath
The War of Wrath, or the Great Battle, is a key plot development in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, portraying the final war against Morgoth at the end of the First Age....
at the end of the First Age. Its highest parts survived as the island Tol Fuin (Isle of Night), part of the western isles.
External links
- Tolkien in the land of Arthur: the Old Forest episode from The Lord of the Rings. Mythopoeic Society, 2006. An article discussing the significance of forests in Tolkien's work, in particular, the Old ForestOld ForestIn J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Old Forest is a small forested area which lies east of the Shire in Buckland....
with comparisons to other myths and romances. - Dorthonion at the Encyclopedia of Arda