Doriath

Doriath, "the Land of the Fence", was the great hidden Elf-kingdom of Beleriand in the First Age, ruled by King Thingol and Queen Melian. Protected by Melian's girdle of enchantment, it was the mightiest and longest-enduring of the realms of the Grey-elves, and the setting of much of the central tragedy of the Elder Days.

The Realm

Doriath lay in the forests of central Beleriand, around the rivers Esgalduin and Aros. Its heart was the underground halls of Menegroth, the Thousand Caves, carved with great skill. The realm was guarded by the Girdle of Melian, an unseen wall of power woven by the Maia queen that turned aside all who came with ill intent, so that none could enter against the will of Thingol.

History

Thingol, one of the Sindar Elves, ruled Doriath with his queen Melian, who was of the Ainur. For long ages it stood inviolate amid the wars of Beleriand. It was to Doriath that Beren came seeking the hand of Lúthien, Thingol's daughter, and from this came the quest for the Silmaril.

The peace of Doriath was undone by that very jewel. When the Silmaril of Fëanor came at last to Doriath, it brought ruin: Thingol was slain over it, the Dwarves sacked Menegroth, and the sons of Fëanor, bound by their oath, fell upon the kingdom in the Second Kinslaying. By the end of the First Age Doriath was destroyed, its people scattered, and only a remnant survived to bear the Silmaril on to later hands.