| Also known as Lórinand, Lindórinand, Dwimordene, Laurelindórenan, Hidden Land and Golden Wood, Lórien was an elven settlement considered the most "elvish" place in Middle-Earth during the Thrid Age. The first settlers were Nandorin elves who refused to cross the Hithaeglir (Misty Mountains) into the west. After the War of Wrath, Sindarin elves crossed the mountains and settled in Lórien. A Silvan elf named Amdír became their first king, and Sindarin replaced the language spoken by the Nandor. The arrival of the Sindar greatly boosted the power and culture of the Nandor, though they never reached the amount of wisdom and power possessed by the Noldor. Amdír was eventually succeeded by his son Amroth, but Amroth tired of Middle-Earth and sought to leve for Valinor, leaving Lórien without a ruler. Following his departure, Galadriel and Celeborn took over the rule of the land, calling themselves "lord" and "lady" as opposed to "king" and "queen". With their departure after the War of the Ring, the light departed from Lórien, and it fell into decline. The remaining elves either migrated into Thranduil's realm, or faded and went westwards. When Arwen returned to Lórien in FA 121 to give up her life, it was already deserted. |
