The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Lost before the end of the Third Age1
Location
On the river Nimrodel, in the western part of Lórien
Race
Division
Culture
Settlements
Presumably associated with the nearby dwelling of Nimrodel
Pronunciation
Nimrodel is pronounced 'ni'mrodel'
Meaning
Nimrodel probably means 'Lady of the white cave'2

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About this entry:

  • Updated 10 February 2023
  • This entry is complete

Bridge of Nimrodel

A lost bridge of Lórien

Map of the Bridge of Nimrodel
The approximate location of the Bridge of Nimrodel3
The approximate location of the Bridge of Nimrodel3

A bridge that spanned the Nimrodel, a stream that fed the river Celebrant that flowed through Lórien. At one time famed for its beauty, the Bridge was broken and lost at some point, apparently long before the end of the Third Age, though it's not entirely clear when or how the Bridge was lost. Its connection to Nimrodel perhaps implies that it was abandoned at the time of the awakening of Durin's Bane, when Nimrodel the Elf-maid (after whom the stream was named) left her home with many other Silvan Elves. This took place more than a thousand years before the War of the Ring, and by the close of the Third Age no trace of the storied Bridge remained.


Notes

1

We know almost nothing about the Bridge except that it had long been lost by the end of the Third Age. It was probably abandoned after the exodus from Lórien following the disaster of III 1981, but even so it would likely have taken some time to fall into complete ruin.

2

This interpretation is the source of the name of the Elf-maiden Nimrodel; that name was given to the river that passed by her dwelling, and thus to the Bridge that spanned that river.

3

All we know for sure about the bridge was that it was built across the river Nimrodel. That river was more than thirty miles long, but on balance it seems unlikely to have been bridged along its mountainous upper course. Given that the bridge was evidently built and used by the Elves of Lórien, we can probably assume that the bridge was downriver, on or within the borders of Lórien and close to the place where the waters of Nimrodel ran into Celebrant.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 10 February 2023
  • This entry is complete

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