Lórien

Lórien, also known as Lothlórien and the Golden Wood, is the most perilously fair of all the Elf-realms remaining in Middle-earth during the Third Age. A land of ancient, living memory where the Elder Days still linger in the waking world, it is ruled by the Lord Celeborn and the Lady Galadriel, the wielder of Nenya, one of the Three Rings of the Elves. For the Fellowship of the Ring, shattered by the loss of Gandalf in Moria, Lórien provides a haven of healing, a test of will, and the gifts that will sustain them on their separate paths to war and destruction.

Geography and Nature

Lórien lies east of the Misty Mountains, between the rivers Celebrant (Silverlode) and Anduin the Great. Its heart is the Naith, or Gore, a spearhead of land between these two waters. The forest is dominated by the mallorn-trees, whose bark is smooth and grey, and whose leaves turn to gold in autumn but do not fall until spring, when the new green opens and the boughs are laden with yellow flowers. The ground is carpeted with golden elanor and pale niphredil, flowers that bloom in winter in the unfading grass. The air is cool and soft, and the land is free from stain or blemish. The city of Caras Galadhon, built on a green hill, is encircled by a great wall and thronged with mallorn-trees taller than any others in the land, their branches lit with countless lamps of green, gold, and silver. Within this city, Celeborn and Galadriel hold court in a high chamber built around the trunk of the greatest mallorn of all.

The Realm of the Three Rings

Lórien is preserved and defended by the power of Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, which Galadriel wears. This ring, one of the Three made by the Elves, holds the land in a state of ageless beauty, protecting it from the decay of time and the encroaching Shadow. The power of the ring is such that time itself flows differently within the borders of Lórien; the Fellowship, who believed they had stayed only a few days, found that a month had passed in the world outside. Galadriel reveals to Frodo that she is the keeper of Nenya, and that the fate of Lórien is bound to the Quest of the Ring-bearer. If Sauron regains the One Ring, Lórien will be laid bare; if the Ring is destroyed, the power of the Three will fade, and Lórien will diminish, passing into the West or dwindling into a rustic memory.

The Fellowship in Lórien

The Company of the Ring, led by Aragorn after Gandalf's fall, enters Lórien in deep grief and weariness. They are met by Haldir and his brothers, who at first are wary, especially of the Dwarf Gimli, whom they insist must be blindfolded. However, after messages from Rivendell, the Lord and Lady welcome them. In Caras Galadhon, Frodo is tested by the Mirror of Galadriel, where he sees visions of the past, present, and future, including the Eye of Sauron. He offers the One Ring to Galadriel, who passes the test of her own deep desire for it, refusing to take it. The Fellowship is healed of their hurts and grief, and they are given gifts of great power: cloaks that aid in concealment, lembas waybread, and for Frodo, the Phial of Galadriel, a light in dark places. It is here that Boromir's temptation by the Ring first becomes apparent, and the Fellowship's future course is debated, leading to their final parting at Parth Galen.

The Passing of Lórien

As the Fellowship departs down the Great River, Galadriel sings a lament for Lórien, knowing that its time is ending. The land is a vision of a world that is passing away, a last remnant of the Elder Days. After the War of the Ring, Celeborn and Thranduil meet and rename the forest Eryn Lasgalen, the Wood of Greenleaves, but the power of Lórien is broken. Celeborn grows weary and departs to Rivendell, and the land becomes silent, a memory of a beauty that has gone forever from Middle-earth.