The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Known as the 'Gap of Calenardhon' from the foundation of Gondor to the creation of Rohan (II 3320 to III 2510; 2,631 years)
Location
Between the southern end of the Misty Mountains and the northern reaches of the White Mountains
Race
Division
Culture
Settlements
Guarded by Angrenost to the north and Aglarond to the south
Outflow
The river Angren (later called Isen) flowed south and west through the Gap
Important peaks
Methedras and Dol Baran marked the end of the Misty Mountains to the north; to the south the mountains later called the Thrihyrne marked the beginning of the White Mountains
Pronunciation
Calenardhon is pronounced 'kalena'rthon' ('th' as in English 'these')
Meaning
Calenardhon means 'green province'
Other names
Later called the Gap of Rohan

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 September 2016
  • This entry is complete

Gap of Calenardhon

The opening at the end of the Misty Mountains

Map of the Gap of Calenardhon

The Misty Mountains marched southwards through Middle-earth for hundreds of miles, forming a barrier between Eriador and the Vales of Anduin that could be crossed only by a few difficult passes. At their southern end, they diminished into a range of hills, and then came to an end altogether, leaving a flat plain that ran southwards for some fifty miles until the foothills of the White Mountains rose out of it in the south.

At the end of the Third Age, this opening was most usually called the Gap of Rohan, named for the country on whose western borders it stood, but for most of the earlier part of that Age it had been known as the Gap of Calenardhon. Calenardhon was the name given by the Gondorians to the wide green land that would be settled by the Rohirrim, but before their coming it was a northern fief of the Kings of Gondor, and through it ran the Great Road that passed through the Gap and ran on northwards across Enedwaith towards Arnor in the North.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 September 2016
  • This entry is complete

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