Rivendell

Farewell we call to hearth and hall!
Though wind may blow and rain may fall,
We must away ere break of day
Far over wood and mountain tall.

To Rivendell, where Elves yet dwell
In glades beneath the misty fell,
Through moor and waste we ride in haste,
And whither then we cannot tell.
-The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 5

Rivendell, also known as Imladris and The Last Homely House, is an elven estate nestled in the foothills of the Misty Mountains on the eastern edge of Eriador. During the War of the Elves and Sauron, Elrond led an army of Elves of Lindon to the defence of the Kingdom of Eregion. The Lindon Elves arrived too late, however, and were joined by a detachment of Elves from Eregion, led by Celeborn. Sauron’s armies proved too great for the combined might of Elrond and Celeborn, causing the Elves to fall back to the headwaters of the Bruinen. It was here that Elrond established the stronghold of Imladris to serve as a bastion against the darkness in S.A. 1697.

By S.A. 1700, Sauron had overrun all of Eriador and began to siege Imladris. Sauron’s siege was only broken when Gil-galad arrived with reinforcements from Lindon, as well as the Numenorean armies of Tar-Minastir. From Imladris, the combined alliance drove Sauron out of Eriador completely.

After the war, a council was held at Rivendell and Elrond was declared as Gil-galad’s vice-regent in Eriador, with Imladris as his seat. It was also at this time that Elrond was secretly entrusted with Vilya, the Ring of Air.

During the early Third Age, Rivendell had a strong alliance with the Kings of Arnor. After the fall of Arthedain, Rivendell became a place of refuge for the Rangers of the North and the Heir of Isildur.