Ascar

The Ascar is a river of the First Age, one of the seven rivers that gave the land of Ossiriand its name, the Land of Seven Rivers. Its Elvish name, meaning 'rushing, impetuous,' captures the nature of its swift waters, but it is the river's violent history, rather than its flow, that marks its significance. The Ascar is forever tied to the fate of the Silmarils and the tragic downfall of the Elven realm of Doriath, an event that echoes through the ages and connects the ancient history of the Elder Days to the world of the Third Age in which the events of The Lord of the Rings unfold.

The River in the Geography of Ossiriand

The Ascar was one of the seven rivers of Ossiriand, a region of Beleriand east of the great river Sirion. The land's name, meaning 'Land of Seven Rivers,' was derived from these waterways, which included the Gelion, the largest, and its tributaries. The Ascar was the northernmost of these rivers, flowing through the northern part of Ossiriand before joining the Gelion. This geography placed the Ascar at the edge of the great forests of the region, a land that was largely uninhabited by Elves, who preferred to dwell further south. The river's position made it a boundary and a landmark, a natural feature that defined the character of the land it traversed.

The Plundering of Doriath and the River's New Name

The Ascar's most significant historical moment came at the end of the First Age, during the catastrophic plundering of Doriath. The Dwarves of Nogrod, having been paid for their work in crafting the Nauglamír, the Necklace of the Dwarves, coveted the Silmaril that was set within it. They slew King Thingol of Doriath and made off with the treasure. They were pursued and destroyed by the Green-elves of Ossiriand, who were led by Beren, and the Silmaril was recovered. It was at the crossing of the Ascar that this battle took place, and the river was renamed Rathlóriel, the 'Goldenbed,' because the Dwarves' treasure, scattered in the fight, lay gleaming in the water. This renaming marks the river as a site of both violence and loss, a place where the greed of the Dwarves and the vengeance of the Elves left a permanent mark on the landscape.

The Fate of the Silmaril and the River's Enduring Legacy

The recovered Silmaril was then given to Elwing, Thingol's heir, who wore it and brought it to the havens at the mouth of the Sirion. The sons of Fëanor, bound by their oath to recover the Silmarils, attacked the havens, and Elwing cast herself into the sea with the jewel. The Silmaril was thus lost to the waters, and the Ascar's connection to it became a memory of a treasure that was ultimately beyond the reach of any. The river's story is one of a jewel that passed through many hands, bringing ruin to its possessors, a theme that resonates with the history of the One Ring in the Third Age. The Ascar, once a simple river, became a permanent reminder of the destructive power of such coveted objects, a lesson that the characters of The Lord of the Rings must learn anew.

The Ascar in the Context of the Third Age

By the time of the War of the Ring, the Ascar and the land of Ossiriand were part of a distant, submerged past. Beleriand itself was broken and sunk beneath the sea at the end of the First Age, and only the easternmost parts, including Ossiriand, survived as the land later known as Lindon. The river's name and its history were preserved in the lore of the Elves, particularly those who had dwelt in the Elder Days. The story of the Ascar, like the stories of the Silmarils, served as a warning from the past, a tale of how the desire for beautiful and powerful things could lead to betrayal, murder, and ruin. In the Third Age, the memory of such events informed the wisdom of figures like Elrond and Galadriel, who understood the dangers of the One Ring because they had witnessed the consequences of the Silmarils. The Ascar, though geographically distant and historically ancient, thus remained a relevant part of the moral and historical landscape of Middle-earth, a silent testament to the long defeat and the enduring struggle against the corrupting influence of power.