The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Created after the coming of the Elves to Valinor during the Years of the Trees1
Location
In Eldamar, near the eastern end of the Calacirya, the Pass of Light that led into Valinor
Race
Passes
Associated with the Calacirya, the Pass of Light
Pronunciation
kalaki'rian
Meaning
Probably 'land (or region) of the Pass of Light'

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 22 June 2017
  • Updates planned: 1

Calacirian

A region near the Pass of Light

Map of the Calacirian
Somewhat conjectural2
Somewhat conjectural2
"...through the Calacirian
to hidden land forlorn he went.
"
From Bilbo's Song of Eärendil
The Fellowship of the Ring II 2
Many Meetings

The region leading into the pass through the mountains of the Pelóri that led from the shores of the Great Sea westward towards Valinor. Its name derives from the Elvish for 'Pass of Light', a reference to the light of the Two Trees that shone through the pass in the days before the Sun and Moon.


Notes

1

The Annals of Aman in volume X of The History of Middle-earth gives an exact date for the making of the pass of the Calacirya: Valian Year 1133, or about 3,517 years before the first rising of the Sun. Presumably the region known as the Calacirian came into being, or at least gained its name, at the same date.

2

We have no map from any phase of Tolkien's writing showing the location of the Calacirian, and indeed all we have as a basis for its geography is brief note in the expanded index to The Lord of the Rings. That note places it in Eldamar near the pass of the Calacirya, so the location of the Calacirian must have been at least close to the point shown on the map for this entry.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 22 June 2017
  • Updates planned: 1

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