Rhovanion

Rhovanion
J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium location
Other name(s)	Wilderland; the Land Beyond
Type	large inland region
Notable locations	Dimrill Dale, Dol Guldur, the Emyn Muil, Fangorn, the Gladden Fields, the Great River, Lake-town, the Lonely Mountain, Lothlórien, Mirkwood
First appearance	The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings
Location	north-west Middle-earth

The Lord of the Rings location
Other name(s)	Rhovanion
Created by	J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre	High fantasy
Type	Monarchy
Ethnic group(s)	Northmen
Language(s)	northern tongue akin to Dalish and Rohirric

In the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, Rhovanion or Wilderland was a large inland region of north-west Middle-earth. It is the scene of action for much of The Hobbit and some episodes of The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien generally uses the name 'Wilderland' rather than 'Rhovanion'. Wilderland was introduced in The Hobbit, where Rhovanion does not appear at all. In The Lord of the Rings Rhovanion appears on the Middle-earth map and in the appendices, but nowhere in the main narrative body. In the main story, Wilderland is mentioned several times, including by wise characters such as Gandalf and Treebeard.

Tolkien stated that Wilderland is an "invention ... based on wilderness ... Supposed to be the CS [​Common Speech​] name of Rhovanion (in the map, not in the [main] text), the lands east of the Misty Mountains (including Mirkwood) as far as the River Running."

The large region of Rhovanion extended to the east as far as the inland Sea of Rhûn; north to the Grey Mountains and Iron Hills, home of the Dwarves; west to the range of the Hithaeglir, or Misty Mountains; and south to the line marked by the Limlight river, Anduin, Emyn Muil, Dagorlad, and the Ered Lithui.

Important rivers in Rhovanion included the Anduin or Great River, the Celduin or River Running, and the Carnen or Redwater.

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