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Dates
Probably founded in the Second Age;1 the last King, Amroth, died in III 1981
Location
Lórien, the forest land in the Angle between Anduin and Celebrant
Race
Division
Culture
Settlements
Amroth, at least, dwelt in the trees of Cerin Amroth
Pronunciation
'Lórien' is pronounced 'loa'rien'

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About this entry:

  • Updated 9 August 2015
  • Updates planned: 1

King of Lórien

The title of Amroth and his forerunners

An ancient title for the rulers of the land of Lórien, of which Amroth was the last.

Amdír
or Malgalad
Ruled to II 3434
The earliest recorded King of Lórien was Amdír, otherwise known as Malgalad.2 It's not clear whether there were any earlier Kings than this, but what is known is that this King ruled during the Second Age, and met his end fighting with the Last Alliance in the Battle of Dagorlad
Amroth Ruled II 3434 - III 1981 (1,988 years)
Amroth succeeded his father to rule Lórien during the first two millennia of the Third Age, and it was he who established the custom of using telain to dwell among the trees. When a Balrog was awoken in nearby Khazad-dûm, there was a great exodus of Elves from Lórien. Amroth followed his beloved Nimrodel into the south, but was lost at sea. Amroth was the last King to rule Lórien; after his time Celeborn and Galadriel took control of the land, but ruled only as Lord and Lady.

Notes

1

How the first King of Lórien emerged is something of a mystery, but there is a clue in the fact that Amroth is described as being of Sindarin descent. We know that many Sindar set out from Lindon after the end of the First Age, and that at least some of them established realms of their own. While Lórien is not explicitly named as one of these, Amroth's Sindarin origins point strongly in this direction. If this is correct, it implies that Amroth's father Amdír (or Malgalad) was the first King, and established his realm fairly early in the Second Age.

2

The names Amdír and Malgalad occur in different versions of the history of Lórien, and they presumably refer to different individuals. However, given that all these histories end with Amdír/Malgalad suffering the same fate at the Battle of Dagorlad, it's conceivable that they were different names for the same person, in the same way that Ereinion was also known as Gil-galad.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 9 August 2015
  • Updates planned: 1

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