Lune

The Lune is the principal river of Eriador's northwest, rising in the Blue Mountains and running westward to empty into the sea at the Gulf of Lune. It is the river that gives its name to the region of Harlindon and Forlindon, the lands south and north of its course, and it forms the natural boundary between the Shire's westernmost reaches and the Elven havens. In the geography of the Third Age, the Lune is the last great waterway before the Grey Havens, the point where the mortal world of the Hobbits and the fading realm of the Elves meet. Its name in the Elvish tongue is Lhûn, and it is the river that carries the Ring-bearers on their final voyage out of Middle-earth.

Geography and Setting

The Lune flows from the Blue Mountains, the great range that separates the coastal lands from the interior of Eriador. It runs westward, its course marking the division between the northern and southern parts of the old Elven realm of Lindon. The river is broad and deep enough to be navigable by the Elven ships that sail from the Grey Havens, and its estuary, the Gulf of Lune, opens onto the western sea. The lands along its banks are among the oldest settled by the Elves in Middle-earth, and the river itself is a constant presence in the history of the First and Second Ages, long before the Shire was founded.

The River in the History of the Ring

The Lune is intimately connected with the story of the One Ring. It was across this river that the Elves of Lindon, under their lord Círdan, maintained their watch against the shadow of Sauron, and it was from the Grey Havens at the river's mouth that the last of the Elven ships would depart. The river is also the boundary that the Ring-bearers cross when they leave the Shire for the last time. In the final chapter of the tale, Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and the Elven lords Elrond and Galadriel ride to the Grey Havens, where they board a ship that sails down the Lune and out into the western sea, leaving Middle-earth forever. The river thus becomes the threshold between the mortal world and the Undying Lands, the point where the Third Age ends and the Fourth Age begins.

The Lune and the Shire

The Lune is also the river that marks the western edge of the Shire's influence. The Hobbits of the Shire, who live east of the river, know of the Grey Havens and the Elves who dwell there, but the river itself is a boundary they rarely cross. The Shire's own river, the Brandywine, flows into the Lune from the east, and the two rivers together define the region that the Hobbits call home. The Lune is thus a river of transition, separating the familiar, homely lands of the Hobbits from the mysterious, ancient realm of the Elves. It is a reminder that even the most insular of peoples live on the edge of a wider, older world.

Symbolic Significance

The Lune is more than a geographical feature; it is a symbol of departure and loss. It is the river that carries away the bearers of the Three Rings, the last of the Elven lords, and the two Hobbits who have borne the burden of the Ring. Its waters are the final link between Middle-earth and the West, and its name is spoken with a sense of finality. The river represents the end of an age, the passing of the Elves, and the beginning of the dominion of Men. It is the last landmark of the world that was, and the first step into the world that is to come.