The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 22 February 2019
  • Updates planned: 2

The Wilderness

The untamed lands of western Middle-earth

"It was thought that you might turn far aside to avoid pursuit, and become lost in the Wilderness."
Words of Glorfindel
from The Fellowship of the Ring I 12
Flight to the Ford

At the end of the Third Age, the lands between the Bree-land and the Misty Mountains had become wild and pathless. The old East Road still ran through these lands, a remnant of more civilised times, but away from the road a traveller could easily become lost in the untamed wilds. Thus, when Elrond heard from the Rangers that Frodo and his companions had set out from Bag End, and that they were pursued by Black Riders, he sent out his allies into the Wilderness to search for them and give them aid. Aragorn was among these, and travelling along the East Road he found the Hobbits and gave them his help in the rest of their dangerous journey to Rivendell.


It is difficult to be sure whether the 'Wilderness' between Bree and Rivendell was a named area in its own right. In most cases, it's simply referred to as an (uncapitalised) 'wilderness'. On one occasion, however, Aragorn speaks of the (capitalised) 'Wilderness' as if it is the name of the region, perhaps roughly equivalent to the 'Lone-lands', rather than just a description. In either case, the 'Wilderness' west of the Misty Mountains is not to be confused with the 'Wilderland' of Rhovanion, which lay beyond the Mountains to the east.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 22 February 2019
  • Updates planned: 2

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2019. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Learn how DISC can help recruitment, team building and more in our FREE guide to DISC profiling.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry