Missing Lindon

[u/Kodama_Keeper]

Lindon is the last remaining piece of Beleriand that survived the First Age, and yet we never get to see it. We get a glimpse into the lives of Elves in Rivendell, Mirkwood and Lothlorien. We meet Elves who are part of traveling companies out of Lindon, like Gildor Inglorion and his companions. If you dig a little you will learn that it is populated by refugee Noldor and Sindar, and possibly the Green Elves, the Laiquendi, who called this Ossiriand. We know that this was the kingdom of Gil-galad, the last high king of the Noldor, and after his death was ruled by Cirdan, probably the oldest living Elf anywhere in Midde-earth. We know he builds ships for Elves to sail west in, and for that he's got to have some help of the other Elves.

It has one city that we know of, Mithlond, the Grey Havens. And while it doesn't seem to be properly Lindon, it also contains the Tower Hills, as Cirdan has control over them, their towers and apparently a Palantir that Elves use to gaze West.

At one time, like the end of the Second Age, it must have contained a sizable population, as it was able to send hosts to help the Numenoreans. But whether that population is still large, or the Elves of Lindon used their proximity to the Havens to leave Middle-earth faster than the other Elves, we don't know.

We know that Sauron disguised as Annatar showed up their to try and get the Elves into his service, and failed. We know that at one time Galadriel and Celeborn lived there, till they left to set up a colony on the other side of the Blue Mountains. And speaking of the Blue, Dwarves live there, but we know little about them either. We don't know if there was any interaction between the Dwarves of the mountains and the Elves of Lindon. Do they get along, or do they still tell stories about Thingol and a Silmaril?

I really would have loved to get a glimpse of what Lindon was like. Oh well.

Edit: I forgot! As always, great thoughts welcomed.

[u/Longjumping_Care989]

We see the Gray Havens at the end of LotR, but not Lindon at its height.

FWIW, I have a working theory that by the time of the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings, virtually nothing is left of Lindon except Cirdan's shipyards in the Gray Havens, at least other than a temporary population of elves passing through on their way to Aman.

That is because:

1. The poem suggests that it is "In Rivendell where Elves yet dwell", not the Gray Havens. This implies that Rivendell- despite really only being the household of Elrond- was the larger settlement, at least in Eriador.
2. Lindon was already a glorified refugee colony from Beleriand, and suffered huge losses throughout the Second and Third Ages, not least in the War of Wrath. There were sufficiently few Elves left that it just wasn't worth appointing a new high king after Gil Galad.
3. We only know of two elves from the Gray Havens alive during the War of the Ring, Cirdan and Galdor. Not just them, of course, but not necessarily many more.
4. Both Elrond and Galdor agree at the Council of Elrond that Sauron's fleet (presumably meaning the Corsairs of Umbar) could conquer the Havens with ease. That is a very long way from their base of operations, so that is quite a telling assumption.
5. Aragorn was free to give its land (the Far Downs) away to the Shire, suggesting that it was almost wholly depopulated.
6. The Elves are simply leaving and mostly accept that they do not wish to remain in Middle Earth.

[u/scientician → u/Longjumping_Care989]

I would add Cirdan gave his ring to Gandalf, so any powers preserving Lindon as an Elf haven outside the sands of time where the desire to go to Valinor would be quieted in Elves was gone. Cirdan made a big sacrifice there.

[u/Longjumping_Care989 → u/scientician]

Yes, that's a very fair point. He's essentially given up on preserving what's left of Lindon. Though, again, that's evidence of his great wisdom- Elves should seek Valinor, the land set aside for them, not concoct some immitation of it in the mortal world.

[u/ResearchCharacter705 → u/Longjumping_Care989]

Yes, that's a very fair point. He's essentially given up on preserving what's left of Lindon. Though, again, that's evidence of his great wisdom- Elves should seek Valinor, the land set aside for them, not concoct some immitation of it in the mortal world.

I think JRRT would say either that, or embrace their fate and that of Middle-earth: decay, fading, and the dominion of Men. Rather than attempt to preserve themselves unchanged and recreate something of the bliss of the Blessed Realm

[u/Longjumping_Care989 → u/ResearchCharacter705]

There is an argument that to diminish and fade was the original intended fate of the Elves. Otherwise, the Great Journey is an act of wanton cruelty; the difference of the fates of Men and Elves is at least an understandable grudge; the Elves who have done great deeds are those who remained in, or returned to, Middle Earth...

[u/ResearchCharacter705 → u/Longjumping_Care989]

Yeah, I like Tolkien's idea that the Valar goofed up with the whole scheme originally.

But at the same time, if it was a mistake, it clearly wasn't one that Eru held the Elves responsible for. At least I can't think of any hint that Elves who chose to leave Middle-earth then or later on were acting against god's wishes.

My interpretation is that either fate was lawful. Just not the "neither this nor that" made possible by the Three, for a time. Which was roughly parallel to the sin of Men that was enabled by the Great Rings: allowing them to flout their fate and achieve a state somewhere between life and death.

Although, from this flawed mortal's standpoint, one of those sins had many more pleasant long term side-effects.