Lothlórien

Lothlórien, also called Lórien, the Golden Wood, or Laurelindórenan in older song, is an Elven realm in Middle-earth, a forest of surpassing beauty east of the Misty Mountains between the rivers Celebrant and Anduin. It is ruled by the Lady Galadriel and the Lord Celeborn, and is the fairest and most enchanted of the remaining Elf-kingdoms of the Third Age, a place where the light and grace of the Elder Days still linger.

In Lothlórien grow the mallorn trees, tall and silver-barked, with golden leaves that do not fall until spring; in their high branches the Elves build their dwellings, the flets or talans. The realm is preserved against time and decay by the power of Nenya, the Ring of Adamant borne by Galadriel.

Geography

Lothlórien lies in the angle between the river Celebrant (the Silverlode) and the Anduin, with the forest's heart at Caras Galadhon, the city of the Galadhrim built among the greatest of the mallorn trees. The wood is bordered to the west by the Misty Mountains and Moria, from which the Silverlode flows, and the river Nimrodel runs at its edge. The land within is green and golden, untouched by the stain of the world outside, where no shadow of evil falls.

History

Lothlórien was settled by Silvan Elves in the deeps of time and later joined by Sindar and Noldor from the west, among them Galadriel, one of the great Elven leaders of the Elder Days. Through the Third Age it remained hidden and protected, ruled by Galadriel and Celeborn, a refuge of beauty and memory while the world outside fell under shadow. Its strength was tested when, during the War of the Ring, the forces of Sauron from Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood assailed its borders, but the assaults were thrown back.

In the story

The Fellowship of the Ring, grieving the loss of Gandalf in Moria, comes to Lothlórien and is given rest and refuge by Galadriel and Celeborn. There Frodo looks into the Mirror of Galadriel and the Lady refuses the One Ring he offers her. The Fellowship is furnished with boats, lembas (the waybread of the Elves), and the grey Elven-cloaks, and each is given a parting gift. After the War of the Ring and the passing of the Three Rings, Galadriel departs over the Sea, and the power that preserved Lothlórien fades.