The western most village of the Westemnet, Turfaham lies just west of a large bog that is used by the village's inhabitants to harvest peat.
Tagol Tirith was was an Arnorian stronghold in Ruhdaur. Located on the great East Road and just south of the Trollshaws, its garrison was tasked with keeping the road safe. It was abandoned by the time of the war with Angmar.
There was at that time a man named Freca, who claimed descent from King Fréawine, though he had, men said, much Dunlendish blood, and was dark-haired. He grew rich and powerful, having wide lands on either side of the Adorn. Near its source he made himself a stronghold and paid little heed to the king.
- Appendix A, Annals of the Kings and Rulers
The chief stronghold of the West Marches, the fort of Frecasburg was erected by the treacherous lord Freca nearly three centuries ago. Located at the south-eastern end of the region, it is the last line of defense for its people.
September came in with golden days and silver nights, and they rode at ease until they reached the Swanfleet river, and found the old ford, east of the falls where it went down suddenly into the lowlands. Far to the west in a haze lay the meres and eyots through which it wound its way to the Greyflood: there countless swans housed in a land of reeds.
- The Return of the King (Book 6), Chapter 6
The Swanfleet is a vast marshland surrounding the joining of the rivers Glanduin and Mitheithel. It was once home to the Stoors, a Hobbit people, but they moved to the Shire after their numbers were greatly reduced by the Great Plague.
‘Which question shall I answer first?’ said Pippin. ‘My father farms the lands round Whitwell near Tuckborough in the Shire. I am nearly twenty-nine, so I pass you there; though I am but four feet, and not likely to grow any more, save sideways.’
- The Return of the King (Book 5), Chapter 1
Whitwell is a small settlement south of Tuckborough in the Southfarthing.
Now at a point nearly midway in its course the stream of Adurant divided and then joined again; and the island that its waters enclosed was named Tol Galen, the Green Isle. There Beren and Lúthien dwelt after their return.
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 14
Set between the waters of the river Adurant, the island of Tol Galen is where Beren and Lúthien dwelled for the remainder of their lives after their return to Middle-earth in F.A. 469. In this time, the island's surroundings became known as Dor Firn-i-Guinar and their beauty was compared to that of Valinor itself.
So, though there was still some store of weapons in the Shire, these were used mostly as trophies, hanging above hearths or on walls, or gathered into the museum at Michel Delving. The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a mathom. Their dwellings were apt to become rather crowded with mathoms, and many of the presents that passed from hand to hand were of that sort.
- The Fellowship of the RIng (Book 1), Prologue
The Mathom-house is a kind of museum in Michel Delving. It stores and displays mathoms, objects that were of value but of no particular use to the Hobbits. One of the mathoms held there included Bilbo Baggins' Mithril-coat until he took it with him to Rivendell in T.A. 3001.
Khalath-Giri was a dwarven settlement in the southern Ered Luin and has been abandoned for many centuries.
The chief citadel of Maedhros was upon the Hill of Himring, the Ever-cold; and that was wide-shouldered, bare of trees, and flat upon its summit, surrounded by many lesser hills.
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 14
In ancient days, Himring was a tall hill upon which Maedhros built his chief fortress, from which he guarded the northeastern border region that became known as the March of Maedhros. After the War of Wrath, when the western lands were flooded, the plains about the hill of Himring were drowned and the top of the hill was all that remained. Left standing as an island, Himring lay off the northwest coast of Forlindon. Nothing remains of the fortress.
Haeron Tirith was an Arnorian stronghold in Arthedain. Its northern position rendered it useless following the fall of Fornost in T.A. 1974, leading to its abandonment.
It is a strange road, and folk are glad to reach their journey’s end, whether the time is long or short. But I know how long it would take me on my own feet, with fair weather and no ill fortune: twelve days from here to the Ford of Bruinen, where the Road crosses the Loudwater that runs out of Rivendell.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 11
The Ford of Bruinen is the crossing of the river Bruinen leading toward the path to Rivendell. Elrond, the lord of Rivendell, holds power over its waters.
Going westward a mile or so they came to a dale. It opened southward, leaning back into the slope of round Dol Baran, the last hill of the northern ranges, greenfooted, crowned with heather.
- The Two Towers (Book 3), Chapter 11
The southernmost hill of the Misty Mountains, Dol Baran is located just west of the road connecting Isengard and the Fords of Isen.
No one had a more attentive audience than old Ham Gamgee, commonly known as the Gaffer. He held forth at The Ivy Bush, a small inn on the Bywater road; and he spoke with some authority, for he had tended the garden at Bag End for forty years, and had helped old Holman in the same job before that. Now that he was himself growing old and stiff in the joints, the job was mainly carried on by his youngest son, Sam Gamgee.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 1
The Ivy Bush is an inn located on the Bywater Road connecting Hobbiton and Bywater. It is frequented by the inhabitants of both villages.
As after indeed befell, and still the Tol Morwen stands alone in the water beyond the new coasts that were made in the days of the wrath of the Valar.
- The War of the Jewels (Part 3), Chapter 1
One of the last remains of Beleriand, Tol Morwen is the site of the Stone of the Hapless.
The fellings had at first been along both banks of the Gwathló, and timber had been floated down to the haven (Lond Daer); but now the Númenóreans drove great tracks and roads into the forests northwards and southwards from the Gwathló, and the native folk that survived fled from Minhiriath into the dark woods of the great Cape of Eryn Vorn, south of the mouth of the Baranduin, which they dared not cross, even if they could, forfear of the Elvenfolk.
- The Unfinished Tales, Appendix D
A cape in the south west of Eriador, Eryn Vorn is littered with dark pines. They are the last remnants of the vast forests that once covered north-western Middle-earth.
The Númenóreans cut down a large part of the forests to build their fleets in the Second Age, before the forces of Sauron burned down much of the remaining woodland during the War of the Elves and Sauron. Only a few secretive woodsmen dwell in the woods by the end of the Third Age.
Bizar-Filatin is the largest dwarven settlement in the southern Blue Mountains.
Now they had gone on far into the Lone-lands, where there were no people left, no inns, and the roads grew steadily worse.
- The Hobbit, Chapter 2
The Lone-lands are the wilderlands east of Bree-land. Littered with the remains of long-abandoned Arnorian settlements, they were completely deserted by the end of the Third Age.
Thafar-Damith is a dwarven settlement in the southern Ered Luin.
Nara-Athuk is a dwarven settlement in the southern Ered Luin.
From Dunland, where he was then dwelling, he went north with Nár, and they crossed the Redhorn Pass and came down into Azanulbizar. When Thrór came to Moria the Gate was open. Nár begged him to beware, but he took no heed of him, and walked proudly in as an heir that returns. But he did not come back.
- Appendix B, The Third Age
For a time, Thrór's hall was the refuge of the survivors of the Sack of Erebor. It was abandoned in favor of the Blue Mountains when the remainders of Durin's folk established Thorin's hall in T.A. 2802.
‘We have reached the borders of the country that Men call Hollin; many Elves lived here in happier days, when Eregion was its name. Five-and-forty leagues as the crow flies we have come, though many long miles further our feet have walked. The land and the weather will be milder now, but perhaps all the more dangerous.’
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 2), Chapter 3
A low ridge on the eastern side of the Misty Mountains, Hollin ridge once marked the border of the elven realm of Eregion.
To the north of the great height of Mount Dolmed was Gabilgathol, which the Elves interpreted in their tongue Belegost, that is Mickleburg; and southward was delved Tumunzahar, by the Elves named Nogrod, the Hollowbold.
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 10
Once looming over the only known path from Beleriand to Eriador, Mount Dolmed is a mountain on the western edge of the Ered Luin. Some of the first dwarves founded the cities of Belegost and Nogrod east of the mountain in the Years of the Trees. Like much of the Ered Luin, it was heavily damaged in the drowning of Beleriand.
Iaur Amdir was an Arnorian town in Rhudaur. Largely abandoned by the time of the war with Angmar, the remaining population was wiped out by the Great Plague in T.A. 1636.
Located at the tip of the Angle where the rivers Hoarwell and Loudwater meet, its ruins have since become home to a watchtower of the Northern Dúnedain dwelling in the region.
The village of Standelf lies in the south of Buckland, along the eastern banks of the Brandywine.
A mist arose from the river and hid them from their enemies, and they escaped over the Brithiach into Dimbar, and wandered among the hills beneath the sheer walls of the Crissaegrim, until they were bewildered in the deceits of that land and knew not the way to go on or to return. There Thorondor espied them, and he sent two of his eagles to their aid; and the eagles bore them up and brought them beyond the Encircling Mountains to the secret vale of Tumladen and the hidden city of Gondolin, which no Man yet had seen.
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 18
The Crissaegrim were a great mountain range of Beleriand. Hidden in its valleys was the great city of Gondolin. Following the drowning of Beleriand, most of the Crissaegrim were submerged by the sea. Only their peaks remain.
[To the West,] the land rose in wooded ridges, green, yellow, russet under the sun, beyond which lay hidden the valley of the Brandywine. To the South, over the line of the Withywindle, there was a distant glint like pale glass where the Brandywine River made a great loop in the lowlands and flowed away out of the knowledge of the hobbits.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 8
The Brandywine (or Baranduin) is a river in Eriador which marked the eastern end of the Shire until the establishment of Buckland. It only has three known crossings at the end of Third Age: The Brandywine Bridge, the Bucklebury Ferry, and Sarn Ford on the far southern border of the Shire.
Northern Dúnedain used to dwell along the river in centuries past as it marked the border between the Arnorian kingdoms of Arthedain and Cardolan. The fall of their kingdoms in the wars with Angmar led them to desert these settlements.
Now the people of Caranthir dwelt furthest east beyond the upper waters of Gelion, about Lake Helevorn under Mount Rerir and to the southward; and they climbed the heights of Ered Luin and looked eastward in wonder, for wild and wide it seemed to them were the lands of Middle-earth.
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 13
Once home to a fortress of one of the Sons of Fëanor, Mount Rerir was a great mountain in the First Age. Likely abandoned after the Battle of Sudden Flame, the War of Wrath left the once mighty mountain greatly diminished.
The ground now became damp, and in places boggy and here and there they came upon pools, and wide stretches of reeds and rushes filled with the warbling of little hidden birds. They had to pick their way carefully to keep both dry-footed and on their proper course. At first they made fair progress, but as they went on, their passage became slower and more dangerous. The marshes were bewildering and treacherous, and there was no permanent trail even for Rangers to find through their shifting quagmires. The flies began to torment them, and the air was full of clouds of tiny midges that crept up their sleeves and breeches and into their hair.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 11
Located between the Chetwood and the Weather-hills, the Midgewater Marshes are a fly-infested fen.
Between Ramdal and Gelion there stood a single hill of great extent and gentle slopes, but seeming mightier than it was, for it stood alone; and that hill was named Amon Ereb.
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 14
The hill of Amon Ereb was once a dominant feature in the southern plains of eastern Beleriand. Its position at the southern end of the hills of Andram where the eastern passage into the southern parts of eastern Beleriand lay, made it an important strategic position in the First Age. It now sits on the western shores of Forlindon.
Balan Ostronn was an Arnorian stronghold in Rhudaur. Located on the eastern edge of the Angle, it was abandoned by the time of the war with Angmar.
Imlanen is a Nandorin village in the forests of Harlindon. Hidden in the wooded foothills of the Blue Mountains, it is nearly impossible to find. The villagers use a small island in the nearby lake for high festivals.
Night was waning on the twenty-second day of September when drawing together again they came to Sarn Ford and the southernmost borders of the Shire. [The Nazgûl] found them guarded for the Rangers barred their way. But this was a task beyond the power of the Dúnedain; and maybe it would still have proved a even if their captain, Aragorn, had been with them. But he was away to the north, upon the East Road near Bree; and the hearts even of the Dúnedain misgave them.
- The Unfinished Tales (Part 3), The Hunt for the Ring
Guarded by the Rangers of the North, Sarn Ford lies on the far southern border of the Shire. It is the stone ford of the River Baranduin.
There Mount Rerir, and about it many lesser heights, stood out from the main range of Ered Lindon westward; and in the angle between Rerir and Ered Lindon there was a lake, shadowed by mountains on all sides save the south. That was Lake Helevorn, deep and dark, and beside it Caranthir had his abode;
- The Silmarillion, Chapter 13
Lake Helevorn lies at the foot of Mount Rerir.
We have now come to the River Hoarwell, that the Elves call Mitheithel. It flows down out of the Ettenmoors, the troll-fells north of Rivendell, and joins the Loudwater away in the South. Some call it the Greyflood after that. It is a great water before it finds the Sea. There is no way over it below its sources in the Ettenmoors, except by the Last Bridge on which the Road crosses.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 12
Located on the Hoarwell just west of the Trollshaws, the Last Bridge marked the middle point between Weathertop and Rivendell along the great East Road.
The origins of the ancient bridge are unknown. It might have been built as early as the First Age, although it likely saw modifications and repairs by the Northern Dúnedain as they maintained it throughout the Second and the Third Age.
Aldarion had a great hunger for timber desiring to make Númenor into a great naval power; his felling of trees in Númenor had caused great dissensions. In voyages down the coasts he saw with wonder the great forests, and he chose the estuary of the Gwathló for the site of a new haven entirely under Númenórean control [...] There he began great works, that continued to be extended after his days.
- The Unfinished Tales, Appendix D
Located on estuary of the river Gwathló, Lond Daer was the first Númenórean colony on the shores of Middle-earth. Founded by S.A. 800, it served as an important port, especially for transporting lumber from Middle-earth to Númenor.
Largely ruined by the Downfall of Númenor and the subsequent reshaping of the shores of Middle-earth, Lond Daer was soon abandoned in favor of Tharbad in the early Third Age. By the end of the Third Age, the site of Lond Daer was mostly covered by estuarine salt marshes, with only a few islands and low hills indicating where this once-mighty city stood.
But beyond, in the great fief of Belfalas, dwelt Prince Imrahil in his castle of Dol Amroth by the sea. - The Return of the King (Book 5) CH 1
This area in the southern coastal region of Gondor is well-known for its strategic position and deep-rooted history. Located on a narrow piece of land extending into the Bay of Belfalas, it is bordered by the sea on three sides, offering inherent protection and a thriving harbor. The Prince of Dol Amroth, from a noble lineage known for their bravery and allegiance to Gondor, governs the city.
Established by people from Númenor during the Second Age, the city showcases a mix of Númenórean and Elven ancestry, which is visible in its buildings and way of life. The city showcases beautiful stone structures, high waterfront barriers, and vibrant gardens that mirror its affluence from the sea trade and high level of culture. Gondor's maritime heritage is unparalleled, boasting a strong navy that defends the southern coasts and participates in widespread commerce.
The city is known for its prestigious Swan Knights, revered fighters respected for their courage and expertise. The Prince Imrahil leads these knights who are known for their steadfast loyalty and powerful presence in combat. The elite soldiers' reputation mirrors the city's commitment to martial excellence and safeguarding Gondor.
This city's important and lively role in Gondor's history is due to its beautiful surroundings, strong military presence, and exceptional leadership. The coastal allure, enhanced by its strategic significance, showcases the endurance and cultural diversity of Middle-earth.
The largest of the West-march hamlets, Carrdun sits on a hill just north of the Adorn in the region's south-east. The hamlet dates back to the days of Freca, being established around the same time as Frecasburg, and is still almost exclusively inhabited by Middle-Men of Dunlendic blood.
A group of Rohirric settlers built Neahburg on the foundations of an old Middle-Men hillfort. Located in the north-east of the West Marches, it is the village closest to the rest of Rohan geographically and culturally. Its strong Rohirric roots set it apart from most other West-march settlements.
The newest settlement in the West Marches, Aberrhyd is home to the Dunnish clan of the Gaesela who settled in the region after being driven out of their homeland further north around 60 years ago. After decades of fighting, they were subjugated by the Kings of Rohan who forced them to give up their arms and to pay tribute in grain.
Three Elf-towers of immemorial age were still to be seen on the Tower Hills beyond the western marches. They shone far off in the moonlight. The tallest was furthest away, standing alone upon a green mound. The Hobbits of the Westfarthing said that one could see the Sea from the top of that tower; but no Hobbit had ever been known to climb it.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Prologue
The grandest of the three White Towers on the Tower Hills, Elostirion has held one of the Palantíri of Arnor for many millenia. They were built by Gil-galad as a gift to Elendil in the last Second Age.
‘I don’t know if the Road has ever been measured in miles beyond the Forsaken Inn, a day’s journey east of Bree,’ answered Strider. ‘Some say it is so far, and some say otherwise. It is a strange road, and folk are glad to reach their journey’s end, whether the time is long or short.'
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 11
Located east of Bree and along the great East Road, the Forsaken Inn is a long abandoned ruin. By the time of the War of the Ring, it has been a ruin for over 60 years.
Besides Bree itself, there was Staddle on the other side of the hill, Combe in a deep valley a little further eastward, and Archet on the edge of the Chetwood. Lying round Bree-hill and the villages was a small country of fields and tamed woodland only a few miles broad. [...]
To their left they could see some of the houses and hobbit-holes of Staddle on the gentler south-eastern slopes of the hill
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 9
Located on the gentler south-eastern slopes of Bree-hill, Staddle is one of the three smaller villages surrounding Bree. Exclusively inhabited by Hobbits, it is the only known settlement of this kind outside of the Shire at the end of the Third Age.
The village houses a branch of the Underhill family who occupy a larger smial at the at the village's southern end. The Hobbits of Staddle are also known for the pipe-weed they grow on the southern slopes of Bree-hill.
Besides Bree itself, there was Staddle on the other side of the hill, Combe in a deep valley a little further eastward, and Archet on the edge of the Chetwood. Lying round Bree-hill and the villages was a small country of fields and tamed woodland only a few miles broad. [...]
Down in a deep hollow away north of the Road there were wisps of rising smoke that showed where Combe lay;
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 9
Combe is one of the three smaller villages surrounding Bree. It lies in a deep valley on the eastern end of Bree-hill.
From Ost-in-Edhil, the city of the Elves, the highroad ran to the west gate of Khazad-dûm, for a friendship arose between Dwarves and Elves, such as has never elsewhere been, to the enrichment of both those peoples. In Eregion the craftsmen of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, the People of the Jewel-smiths, surpassed in cunning all that have ever wrought, save only Fëanor himself; and indeed greatest in skill among them was Celebrimbor, son of Curufin.
- The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power
Once the chief city of the Elven realm of Eregion, Ost-in-Edhil was home to the great Elven smith Celebrimbor and his brotherhood. It was here where the Rings of Power were forged.
During the War of the Elves and Sauron, the Dark Lord sacked the city, killing Celebrimbor and reclaiming all but the three Elven Rings of Power.
The hobbits were glad to leave the cheerless lands and the perilous Road behind them; but this new country seemed threatening and unfriendly. As they went forward the hills about them steadily rose. Here and there upon heights and ridges they caught glimpses of ancient walls of stone, and the ruins of towers: they had an ominous look. Frodo, who was not walking, had time to gaze ahead and to think. He recalled Bilbo’s account of his journey and the threatening towers on the hills north of the Road, in the country near the Trolls’ wood where his first serious adventure had happened.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 12
The Trollshaws are an upland woodland located in the former kingdom of Rhudaur. While many castles and towers littered the tops of its hills in the days of the kingdom of Arnor, only their ruins remain now. Over the past centuries, the Trollshaws have mainly been home to Stone-trolls that have made the journey along the East Road increasingly dangerous.
Tongues began to wag in Hobbiton and Bywater; and rumour of the coming event travelled all over the Shire. The history and character of Mr. Bilbo Baggins became once again the chief topic of conversation; and the older folk suddenly found their reminiscences in welcome demand.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 1
Located just south-east of Hobbiton in the Westfarthing, the village of Bywater lies on the southern banks of the Bywater Pool. It is home to the Cotton Family and houses the Green Dragon inn.
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty,dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozysmell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it tosit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
- The Hobbit, Chapter 1
Bag End is a smial in Hobbiton and the residence of the Baggins family. Frodo Baggins is the sole occupier - his old relative Bilbo having left five years ago to live with the Elves in Rivendell. The smial was built by Bilbo's father. Its gardens are maintained by Samwise Gamgee.
Great stores of goods and food, and beer, were found that had been hidden away by the ruffians in sheds and barns and deserted holes, and especially in the tunnels at Michel Delving and in the old quarries at Scary; so that there was a great deal better cheer that Yule than anyone had hoped for.
- The Return of the King (Book 6), Chapter 9
Scary is a village in the Eastfarthing and lies at the feet of a range of hills that go by the same name. Its quarries are the main source of stone for much of the Shire.
Fond as he was of Frodo, Fatty Bolger had no desire to leave the Shire, nor to see what lay outside it. His family came from the Eastfarthing, from Budgeford in Bridgefields in fact, but he had never been over the Brandywine Bridge.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 5
The Eastfarthing village of Budgeford sits on the northern banks of the Shire-water, just north of Whitfurrows. It is home to the Bolger family.
Suddenly they came out of the shadow of the trees, and before them lay a wide space of grass, grey under the night. On three sides the woods pressed upon it; but eastward the ground fell steeply and the tops of the dark trees, growing at the bottom of the slope, were below their feet. Beyond, the low lands lay dim and flat under the stars. Nearer at hand a few lights twinkled in the village of Woodhall.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 3
Woodhall is a village on the eastern edges of Woody End in the Eastfarthing.
He had been taken when the ruffians smoked out a band of rebels that he led from their hidings up in the Brockenbores by the hills of Scary.
-The Return of the King (Book 6), Chapter 9
Brockenborings (or Brockenbores) is a village in the northern Eastfarthing known for the long network of tunnels dug into the hills just north of it.
Located in the Southfarthing, the village of Sackville is home to the family of the same name.
As evening fell they were drawing near to Frogmorton, a village right on the Road, about twenty-two miles from the Bridge. There they meant to stay the night; The Floating Log at Frogmorton was a good inn. But as they came to the east end of the village they met a barrier with a large board saying NO ROAD; and behind it stood a large band of Shirriffs with staves in their hands and feathers in their caps, looking both important and rather scared.
- The Return of the King (Book 6), Chapter 8
The village of Frogmorton lies between the villages of Bywater and Whitfurrows in the Eastfarthing. Its location along the Great East Road makes the village's inn, the Floating Log, frequented by travellers.
Lying in the Southfarthing, the village of Pincup is built in the southern slopes of the Green Hills.
They passed along the edge of a huge turnip-field, and came to a stout gate. Beyond it a rutted lane ran between low well-laid hedges towards a distant clump of trees. Pippin stopped. ‘I know these fields and this gate!’ he said. ‘This is Bamfurlong, old Farmer Maggot’s land. That’s his farm away there in the trees.’
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 4
Bamfurlong is the farmstead of Farmer Maggot. Located in the Eastfarthing, it consists of a brick-built house with a thatched roof and two additional side buildings surrounded by a high brick wall.
The Eastfarthing village of Dwaling lies just north of the hills of Scary.
Deephallow is a village on the south-eastern edge of both the Eastfarthing and the Shire itself. The village lies on the banks of the Brandywine, just north to where it meets the Shirebourn.
The people in the Marish were friendly with the Bucklanders, and the authority of the Master of the Hall (as the head of the Brandybuck family was called) was still acknowledged by the farmers between Stock and Rushey.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 5
Rushey is a village in the Eastfarthing, located south of Stock and north of Deephallow.
‘All right!’ said Pippin. ‘I will follow you into every bog and ditch. But it is hard! I had counted on passing the Golden Perch at Stock before sundown. The best beer in the Eastfarthing, or used to be: it is a long time since I tasted it.’
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 4
The town of Stock lies on the Stock-brook stream near the western banks of the Brandywine in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. It is home to the Golden Perch inn.
The Eastfarthing village of Willowbottom lies on the banks of the stream Thistle Brook just north of where it meets the Shirebourn.
‘Short cuts make long delays,’ argued Pippin. ‘The country is rough round here, and there are bogs and all kinds of difficulties down in the Marish – I know the land in these parts.'
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 4
The Marish is a farmland in the Eastfarthing between the villages of Stock and Rushey. A partially reclaimed marshland, it is very fertile yet difficult to traverse. A high banked causeway allows for safe passage through the area.
But all accounts agree that Tobold Hornblower of Longbottom in the Southfarthing first grew the true pipe-weed in his gardens in the days of Isengrim the Second, about the year 1070 of Shire-reckoning. The best home-grown still comes from that district, especially the varieties now known as Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, and Southern Star.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Prologue
Located at the southern end of the Southfarthing, the town of Longbottom is where the pipe-weed was first introduced to the Shire. The town remains famous for its pipe-weed production as Longbottom Leaf is one of the most popular and sought-after varieties of pipe-weed in all of Middle-earth.
He charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit-hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same moment.
- The Hobbit, Chapter 1
Greenfields is a village in the Northfarthing. In T.A. 2747, a hobbit militia under the leadership of Bandobras Took defeated a force of invading orcs from Mount Gram there.
Peregrin Took marries Diamond of Long Cleeve.
- Appendix B, The Tale of Years
Long Cleeve is a town in the Northfarthing and home to the North-tooks, a distant branch of the Took family.
Tookbank is a village in the Westfarthing just north-west of the town of Tuckborough.
My cousin Hal for one. He works for Mr. Boffin at Overhill and goes up to the Northfarthing for the hunting. He saw one.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 2
The Westfarthing village of Overhill lies on the northern feet of Hobbiton Hill.
Oatbarton is a village in the Northfarthing along the Northway.
Besides Bree itself, there was Staddle on the other side of the hill, Combe in a deep valley a little further eastward, and Archet on the edge of the Chetwood. Lying round Bree-hill and the villages was a small country of fields and tamed woodland only a few miles broad.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 9
Located north-east of Bree-hill, Archet is one of the three smaller villages surrounding Bree. It lies north of the East Road and north-east of Combe at the southern edge of the Chetwood.
There’s a good few down south in Longbottom and by Sarn Ford, I hear; and some more lurking in the Woody End; and they’ve sheds at Waymeet.
- The Return of the King (Book 6), Chapter 8
Located at the meeting of several smaller roads with the Great East Road, Waymeet is a town east of Michel Delving in the Westfarthing.
Needlehole is a village on the northern edge of the Westfarthing. It lies on the banks of the Shire-water.
1451 Elanor the Fair marries Fastred of Greenholm on the Far Downs.
- Appendix B, The Tale of Years
The Westfarthing village of Greenholm is located near the Far Downs at the western borders of the Shire.
It’s in the family, as you might say. Why, my grand-dad, and my uncle Andy after him, him that was the Gaffer’s eldest brother, he had a rope-walk over by Tighfield many a year. And I put as fast a hitch over the stump as anyone could have done, in the Shire or out of it.
- The Two Towers (Book 4), Chapter 1
The town of Tighfield lies at the north-western edge of the Westfarthing. It is home to the Roper and Gamgee families.
Gamwich is a village in the north-western Westfarthing. It is the place of origin of the Gamwich family which later evolved into the Gamgee family.
It reminds me, somehow, of the old room in the Great Place of the Tooks away back in the Smials at Tuckborough: a huge place, where the furniture has never been moved or changed for generations. They say the Old Took lived in it year after year, while he and the room got older and shabbier together – and it has never been changed since he died, a century ago.
- The Two Towers (Book 3), Chapter 4
One of the oldest settlements in the Shire, Tuckborough lies in between the Green Hills in the Westfarthing. The town is home to the Great Smials, the ancestral seat of the Took family.
The town of Nobottle lies in the Westfarthing, west of Needlehole.
Little Delving is a village north of Michel Delving in the north-eastern Westfarthing.
We aren’t allowed to send by it now, but they use the old Quick Post service, and keep special runners at different points. One came in from Whitfurrows last night with a “secret message”, and another took it on from here.
- The Return of the King (Book 6), Chapter 8
Whitfurrows is a village in the Eastfarthing between Frogmorton and the Brandywine Bridge.
‘That,’ said Merry, pointing with his hand, ‘that is the line of the Withywindle. It comes down out of the Downs and flows south-west through the midst of the Forest to join the Brandywine below Haysend. We don’t want to go that way! The Withywindle valley is said to be the queerest part of the whole wood – the centre from which all the queerness comes, as it were.’
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 6
The village of Haysend marks the southern end of Buckland where the Brandywine and the Withywindle meet. Its name stems from it lying at the end of the High Hay which protects Buckland from the dangers of the Old Forest.
The town of Newbury lies at the north-eastern end of Buckland. It is protected from the Old Forest by the High Hay that runs along the town's eastern edge.
Even in the Shire the rumour of the Barrow-wights of the Barrow-downs beyond the Forest had been heard. But it was not a tale that any hobbit liked to listen to, even by a comfortable fireside far away.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 7
The Barrow-downs are a series of hills between the Old Forest and Bree, crowned with burial mounds dating back to the First Age. Revered by the Northern Dúnedain, they buried many lords and kings there.
Following the split of the kingdom of Arnor, the Barrow-downs became part of the kingdom of Cardolan. After Cardolan's defeat at the hands of the Witch King, many Dúnedain fled there. After the Great Plague killed the remaining Dúnedain, the Witch King released evil spirits into the hills. Known as Barrow-wights, they have been haunting the area ever since.
Indeed, even in the hilly regions and the older villages, such as Hobbiton or Tuckborough, or in the chief township of the Shire, Michel Delving on the White Downs, there were now many houses of wood, brick, or stone.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Prologue
The de-facto capital of the Shire, Michel Delving sits amongst the hills of the White Downs in the Westfarthing. Its mayor is the only official in the whole Shire.
Consisting mostly of above-ground houses, the town's most famous buildings include the Town Hole, the mayor's office, and Mathom-house, a museum. The hills around the village are littered with Lockholes, old storage tunnels.
Long ago Gorhendad Oldbuck, head of the Oldbuck family, one of the oldest in the Marish or indeed in the Shire, had crossed the river, which was the original boundary of the land eastwards. He built (and excavated) Brandy Hall, changed his name to Brandybuck, and settled down to become master of what was virtually a small independent country. His family grew and grew, and after his days continued to grow, until Brandy Hall occupied the whole of the low hill, and had three large front-doors, many side-doors, and about a hundred windows.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 5
Located in the centre of Buckland, Brandy Hall is the ancestral home of the Brandybucks. It was first established by Gorhendad Oldbuck around T.A. 2340 and steadily grew into of the largest smials in all of the Shire. It was also home to Frodo Baggins following the death of his parents until he was adopted by his cousin Bilbo and moved to Bag End in T.A. 2989.
Built into Buck Hill, the village of Bucklebury, the chief village of the region, lies at Brandy Hall's feet. The village is also the namesake of the nearby Bucklebury Ferry, which allows for safe passage across the Brandywine.
Nand Calen was a village in Harlindon. A great manor once sat in the village's centre but like the rest of the village, it too has been deserted for many centuries. Most of the village's population either sailed for Valinor or moved to the seaside village of Tirannui.
Minthaun is a Nandorin village in the forests of Harlindon.
Barad Ethir is a village at the western end of the Gulf of Lhûn in Harlindon. Its most prominent feature is its lighthouse, which helps to safely lead ships through the Gulf.
Taurbar is a Nandorin village in the forests of Harlindon.
Upon the shores of the Gulf of Lhûn the Elves built their havens, and named them Mithlond; and there they held many ships, for the harbourage was good. From the Grey Havens the Eldar ever and anon set sail, fleeing from the darkness of the days of Earth; for by the mercy of the Valar the Firstborn could still follow the Straight Road and return, if they would, to their kindred in Eressëa and Valinor beyond the encircling seas.
- The Silmarillion, Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
Built at the very beginning of the Second Age, Mithlond is the largest Elven settlement west of the Misty Mountains. It is the de-facto capital of the Elven realm of Lindon and is ruled by Círdan the Shipwright, one of the oldest and wisest Elves in Middle-earth.
Its havens have played a vital role throughout the history of the Northern Realms, serving as a wharf for both Númenórean and Gondorian hosts that went on to crush the armies threatening the safety of the peoples of Eriador.
A mighty realm in its own right, the Elves of Lindon have helped fend off the armies of Sauron and the Witch King throughout the Second and Third Age. Lindon's strength is greatly diminished by the end of the Third Age however, as many of its inhabitants have left Middle-earth for Valinor. The harbours of Mithlond offer passage there and are the chief destination for all Elves that desire to return to their homeland.
The fishing village of Tirannui sits on the western shores of Harlindon.
Echor Brethil is a Nandorin village in the forests of Harlindon.
After the end of the First Age the power and wealth of Khazad-dûm was much increased; for it was enriched by many people and much lore and craft when the ancient cities of Nogrod and Belegost in the Blue Mountains were ruined at the breaking of Thangorodrim.
- Appendix A, Durin’s Folk
Guarding one of the only passes over the Blue Mountains, the city of Nogrod was one of the first dwarven dwellings in Middle-earth. After prospering for much of the First Age, the city was heavily damaged in the War of Wrath. This led most of its remaining inhabitants to abandon the city in favor of Khazad-Dûm early in the Second Age.
Eärailin was a Noldor village near the western shores of Forlindon. Established after the drowning of Beleriand in the First Age, it was abandoned early in the Third Age as its inhabitants sailed to Valinor.
Tarnasirya was a Noldor village in Forlindon. Established after the drowning of Beleriand in the First Age, it was abandoned early in the Third Age as its inhabitants sailed to Valinor.
After the abandonment of Belegost and Nogrod, the dwarves of the Blue Mountains founded new settlements there, including Adjân-Lazhar. After the establishment of Thorin's Halls following the loss of Erebor, many inhabitants of Adjân-Lazhar chose to move there, leaving much of the settlement deserted.
After the end of the First Age the power and wealth of Khazad-dûm was much increased; for it was enriched by many people and much lore and craft when the ancient cities of Nogrod and Belegost in the Blue Mountains were ruined at the breaking of Thangorodrim.
- Appendix A, Durin’s Folk
Guarding one of the only passes over the Blue Mountains, the city of Belegost was one of the first dwarven dwellings in Middle-earth. After prospering for much of the First Age, the city was heavily damaged in the War of Wrath. This led most of its remaining inhabitants to abandon the city in favor of Khazad-Dûm early in the Second Age.
Amon Garth was an Arnorian town in Arthedain. Largely abandoned due to the war with Angmar, the remaining population was wiped out by the Great Plague in T.A. 1636.
But when Eärnur came to the Grey Havens there was joy and great wonder among both Elves and Men. So great in draught and so many were his ships that they could scarcely find harbourage, though both the Harlond and the Forlond also were filled; and from them descended an army of power, with munition and provision for a war of great kings.
- Appendix A, The Númenorean Kings
The haven of Harlond, located on the southern shores of the Gulf of Lhûn, is one of the three large Elven harbours in Lindon.
Gwaeryn was an Arnorian town in Arthedain. It was abandoned following the fall of Fornost in T.A. 1974.
Númenetsir is a Noldor village on western shores of Forlindon.
Nanderessea was a Noldor village in Forlindon. It was abandoned around T.A. 2900 as its inhabitants sailed to Valinor.
Yantaorna was a Noldor village in Forlindon. It was abandoned around T.A. 2900 as its inhabitants sailed to Valinor.
Located at the northern end of Lake Evendim, Athradamen was an Arnorian town in Arthedain. Its proximity to Annúminas made it a flourishing fishing and trade town at the end of the Second and at the beginning of the Third Age.
The decline of the Northern Dúnedain following the war of the Last Alliance and the subsequent abandonment of Annúminas in T.A. 861 resulted in Athradamen's importance diminishing. It too was abandoned within a few centuries.
Beriarhûn was an Arnorian stronghold in Arthedain. Located to the north-east of Fornost, it was destroyed by the Witch King before his capture of the city in T.A. 1974.
Minas Gwarth was an Arnorian stronghold in Rhudaur. Initially built as a defence against Arthedain along the Weather Hills, it was abandoned by the time of the Great Plague in T.A. 1636.
Vilges-Bakti is a Lossoth village in Forochel. An isolated and primitive people, the Lossoth have inhabited the very northern parts of Middle-earth for many millennia.
Argwaedh was an Arnorian town in Arthedain. Largely abandoned by the time of the war with Angmar, the remaining population was wiped out by the Great Plague in T.A. 1636.
Amon Deryn was an Arnorian stronghold in Arthedain. Its northern position rendered it useless following the fall of Fornost in T.A. 1974, leading to its abandonment.
After Erebor was taken over by Smaug, the Longbeards fled to the Blue Mountains where they founded new settlements, including Arganzulum. The majority of the dwarven population lives in the southern Ered Luin, giving Arganzulum a chance to flourish. It continues to grow, even after the retaking of Erebor.
Baraduin was an Arnorian stronghold in Arthedain. Its northern position rendered it useless following the fall of Fornost in T.A. 1974, leading to its abandonment.
Maethoriach was an Arnorian town in Rhudaur. Located just east of the Weather Hills, it was destroyed by Angmar in T.A. 1409 when the Witch King attacked and captured Amon Sûl.
When the waves consumed Beleriand and the regions around it after the War of Wrath, not all of the western lands were lost. A part of the highlands that had been Dorthonion survived the inrush of the sea, and remained as an island far off the western coasts of Forlindon named Tol Fuin.
Ornduirro was an Arnorian town in Arthedain. Largely abandoned due to the war with Angmar, the remaining population was wiped out by the Great Plague in T.A. 1636.
Joganjálbmi is a Lossoth village in Forochel. An isolated and primitive people, the Lossoth have inhabited the very northern parts of Middle-earth for many millennia.
Located within a forest just south of the Icebay, Varrejarvi is a Lossoth village in Forochel. Its villagers live off the forest and lake, netting fish in the lake, setting traps for rabbits and other small animals, and hunting for bigger animals in the forest.
During the summer they regularly gather around the large fireplace in the centre of the village, telling stories and worshiping their gods. The cold temperatures in winter require them to gather in the central hut instead. To appease the forest ghosts, they have regular rituals in the central hut or at their sacred larch coppice to the village's south.
The northern-most village of the Lossoth in Forochel, Sogjide Gaddi is located on the eastern end of the Icebay. The harsh climate makes farming impossible, so its people live almost entirely off of fishing.
But long before, in the first days of the North Kingdom, they built a great watch-tower on Weathertop, Amon Sûl they called it. It was burned and broken, and nothing remains of it now but a tumbled ring, like a rough crown on the old hill’s head. Yet once it was tall and fair. It is told that Elendil stood there watching for the coming of Gil-galad out of the West, in the days of the Last Alliance.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 11
The southernmost top of the Weather Hills, there had been a tower on Weathertop (or Amon Sûl) dating back to the days of King Elendil. It was here where one of Arnor's Palantíri was stored for the first half of the Third Age.
The Palantír and its central location made the tower an important strategic position that was sought after by all three successor kingdoms of Arnor, eventually landing in the possession of the kingdom of Arthedain. The Witch King lay siege to Amon Sûl in T.A. 1409 and razed it to the ground upon capturing it. However, a few Dúnedain managed to rescue Amon Sûl's Palantír and brought it to Fornost Erain.
There was room and to spare for incomers, and ere long the Hobbits began to settle in ordered communities. Most of their earlier settlements had long disappeared and been forgotten in Bilbo’s time; but one of the first to become important still endured, though reduced in size; this was at Bree and in the Chetwood that lay round about, some forty miles east of the Shire.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Prologue
The Chetwood is a forest east of Bree-hill. The village of Archet lies near its edge.
It was not called the Old Forest without reason, for it was indeed ancient, a survivor of vast forgotten woods; and in it there lived yet, ageing no quicker than the hills, the fathers of the fathers of trees, remembering times when they were lords. The countless years had filled them with pride and rooted wisdom, and with malice.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Book 1), Chapter 7
Located between the eastern border of the Shire and the Barrow-downs, the Old Forest is one of the last remains of the great woodlands that once occupied much of Eriador. It survived the deforestation of the western shores of Middle-earth by the Númenóreans and the destruction caused by the War of the Elves and Sauron.
Millennia of destruction have turned the ancient trees of the forest queer and wicked, making the Old Forest a dangerous land to pass through. Its hostility to travellers means only few Hobbits dare to enter it. Much of the forest's hatred stems from the Old Man Willow, an ancient willow tree only kept in check by Tom Bombadil.
Ealggana is a Lossoth village in Forochel. An isolated and primitive people, the Lossoth have inhabited the very northern parts of Middle-earth for many millennia. Located close to the larger village of Falisluokta, the people of Ealggana mostly live off farming and hunting.
The last leaders of the Faithful, Elendil and his sons, escaped from the Downfall with nine ships, bearing a seedling of Nimloth, and the Seven Seeing-stones (gifts of the Eldar to their House); and they were borne on the wind of a great storm and cast upon the shores of Middle-earth. There they established in the North-west the Númenórean realms in exile, Arnor and Gondor. Elendil was the High King and dwelt in the North at Annúminas; and the rule in the South was committed to his sons, Isildur and Anárion.
- Appendix A, The Númenórean Kings
Founded by Elendil after the downfall of Númenor, Annúminas served as the kingdom of Arnor's capital for almost a millenium.
The decline of the Northern Dúnedain following the war of the Last Alliance led them to desert Annúminas in favour of Fornost Erain in T.A. 861, leaving the city to ruin.
As the city never saw battle, much of its remains survive to the present day, despite having been abandoned for more than two millenia. This includes the royal palace, the royal baths, and the city's circus.
Ost-in-Forn was an Arnorian stronghold in Arthedain. Initially built to defend Arthedain against Angmar, its northern position rendered it useless following the fall of Fornost in T.A.1974, leading to its abandonment.