Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains, known in the Elvish tongue as Ered Luin, are a great mountain range that runs from north to south in the far west of Eriador. They form the natural boundary between the Shire and the Elvish country of Lindon, which lies beyond the River Lune. In the geography of the Third Age, the range is the westernmost major mountain chain of Middle-earth, separating the lands of mortal Men and Hobbits from the Grey Havens and the Sea.

Geography and Extent

The Blue Mountains stretch from the Gulf of Lune in the south to the far north, where they eventually dwindle into the cold wastes. The River Lune flows out of the mountains and into the sea, and the Great East Road passes through the range, connecting the Shire and Bree to the Grey Havens. The mountains are not as high or as formidable as the Misty Mountains, but they are ancient and worn, their slopes covered with forests and their valleys rich in minerals. The western side of the range, facing the sea, is green and quiet, a land where few Men dwell, but where Elves and Dwarves have long had dealings.

Dwarven History and Settlement

The Blue Mountains are of immense importance to the Dwarves of Durin's Folk. After the ruin of their ancient mansions in the east—first Nogrod and Belegost in the First Age, and later Moria and Erebor—the Blue Mountains became a refuge and a place of exile. Following the destruction of the great Dwarf-cities of the First Age, many Dwarves fled westward and settled in the eastern side of the Ered Luin, where they established mines and forges. In the Third Age, after the fall of Erebor to the dragon Smaug, Thráin II and his son Thorin Oakenshield led a remnant of their people to the Blue Mountains, where they dwelt in exile for many years, forging iron and slowly rebuilding their strength. The mountains were also the home of the Dwarf-kingdom of the Longbeards during their long wandering, and it was from here that Thorin set out on the quest to reclaim Erebor.

The Elves and the Grey Havens

To the west of the Blue Mountains lies Lindon, the last remaining Elvish realm in Middle-earth. At the Grey Havens, on the Gulf of Lune, dwelt Círdan the Shipwright, and many of the High Elves who still lingered in Middle-earth lived in this region. The mountains thus form a natural barrier between the mortal lands and the Elvish seaward domains. The Elves of Lindon maintained a watch on the passes, and the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains often traded with them, using the ancient road that ran through the range. The Tower Hills, where the White Towers stood, are located at the southern end of the range, and from their heights the farsighted could descry the Sea.

The Blue Mountains in the War of the Ring and After

During the War of the Ring, the Blue Mountains remained a relatively peaceful region, though they were not untouched by the shadow of Mordor. Dwarves from the Blue Mountains joined the forces of the West, and Gimli, son of Glóin, was a member of the Fellowship of the Ring. After the war, the Dwarf-folk of the Blue Mountains were among those who helped to rebuild Gondor and Rohan, and Gimli himself became Lord of the Glittering Caves. The mountains continued to be a home for Dwarves, and their mines were still worked in the Fourth Age. The range thus stands as a symbol of endurance and renewal, a place where the ancient crafts of the Dwarves were preserved and passed on, even as the world changed around them.