The Old Forest is a large woodland on the eastern border of Buckland located near the Shire.
It is bordered in the east by the Barrowdowns and in the west by The Hay, a large hedge which the Hobbits of Buckland grew to protect their eastern border.
Description
The forest, like Fangorn, was described to be dark and tangled, though both were less than Taur-im-Duinath of Beleriand.[1]
Aside from the trees, a valley lay at its center and the Withywindle river flowed through it. The Withywindle, as told in Hobbit folklore, was the center of queerness in the vast queerness of the forest. At the south-eastern edge of the forest, on the bank of the river Withywindle, stood the house of Tom Bombadil--the only constructed dwelling in the forest. The home of Bombadil rested in a glade near the Withywindle--a sunny spot with green grass and bright trees.The pathway through the Old Forest known by the Hobbits was near the bonfire grove, although when the company arrived there, it appeared to have shifted. The southern edge of the forest consisted primarily of oak and ash, being much more dense than the pine and fir-filled north.
History
Before the Third Age
The Old Forest, along with Fangorn Forest, was all that remained of a vast and ancient primordial forest that once spanned nearly all of Eriador before the Second Age, and is one of the few forests that the Elves decided to wake and teach to speak. Beginning in the middle of the Second Age, the forest came under threat by the felling of trees by the Men of Middle-earth and of Númenor. Later, when Sauron declared war on the elves, the havoc and destruction he and his troops created resulted in the near destruction of Eriador and the burning of much of the forest.
Third Age
By the Third Age, the forest had become wild and dangerous and those that lived near it had to take precautions, particularly the Bucklanders, who built the High Hay to keep out wild creatures. Before the War of the Ring, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin passed through the Old Forest on their way to Bree and were rescued by Tom Bombadil, after being trapped by Old Man Willow.[2]
Lore
The Hobbits believed the trees of the Old Forest were in some manner "awake". They sway when there is no wind, whisper at night, and mislead and waylay travelers. In a notable incident, trees from the Old Forest moved right next to the protective hedge; the Hobbits in turn cut down and burned them in an enormous bonfire. Ever since then, the trees were more hostile --the Huorns. In any event, despite being an ancient and "awake" forest, no Ents tend to this woodland, and it seems to be avoided by Elves as well.
Portrayal in adaptations
Video games
- The Old Forest is depicted in the video games The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (video game) and The Lord of the Rings Online.
Translations around the World
Foreign Language | Translated name |
---|---|
Arabic | الغابات القديمة |
Belarusian | стары лес |
Bengali | প্রাচীন বন |
Bulgarian | Старата гора |
Catalan | Bosc Vell |
Chinese (Hong Kong) | 老林 |
Croatian | Stare šume |
Czech | Starý Les |
Danish | Gammel skov |
Estonian | Vana mets |
French | Vieille Forêt |
Finnish | Vanha Metsä |
Georgian | ძველი ტყის |
German | Alter Wald |
Greek | Παλιά δάσος |
Haitian Creole | Forest vye granmoun ? |
Hungarian | Öregerdő |
Italian | Vecchia Foresta |
Hindi | पुराने जंगल |
Japanese | オールドフォレスト |
Korean | 오래된 숲 |
Lithuanian | Senas miškas |
Macedonian | Cтара шума |
Malayalam | പഴയ ഫോറസ്റ്റ് |
Maltese | Foresti ta ' l-Qadima |
Nepali | पुरानो वन |
Norwegian | Gamleskogen Gammelskogen |
Persian | جنگل قدیمی |
Polish | Stary Las |
Portuguese (Brazil) | Floresta Velha |
Portuguese (Portugal) | Velha Floresta or Floresta Velha |
Punjabi | ਪੁਰਾਣਾ ਜੰਗਲਾਤ |
Spanish (Spain and Latin America) | Bosque Viejo |
Swedish | Gammal skog |
Romanian | Vechea pădure |
Russian | Старый лес |
Siamese (Thai) | เก่าป่า |
Serbian | Стара Шума |
Slovak | Starého lesa |
Tajik | сола ҷангал |
Turkish | Yaşlı Orman |
Welsh | Hen goedwig |
Yiddish | אַלט וואַלד |
Places of Middle-earth and Arda
Middle-earth Locations:
Provinces/Regions: Arnor | Dunland | Ettenmoors | Forochel | Forodwaith | Gondor | Harad | Ithilien | Khand | Lindon | Minhiriath | Mordor | Rhovanion | Rhûn | Rivendell | Rohan | The Shire Forests & Mountains: Amon Dîn | Amon Hen | Amon Lhaw | Caradhras | Emyn Muil | Erebor | Fangorn Forest | High Pass | Iron Hills | Lórien | Mirkwood | Mount Doom | Mount Gundabad | Old Forest | Orod-na-Thôn | Tower Hills | Weathertop Hill City/Fortifications: Angband | Barad-dûr | Bree | Caras Galadhon | Dol Guldur | Fornost Erain | Hornburg | Isengard | Minas Morgul | Minas Tirith | Last Homely House | Tower of Amon Sûl | Tower of Orthanc | Osgiliath | Umbar | Utumno Miscellaneous: Argonath | Astulat | Buckland | Cair Andros | Dagorlad | Dead Marshes | Enedwaith | Fords of Isen | Gap of Rohan | Grey Havens The rest of Arda:
Aman | Burnt Land of the Sun | Dark Land | Empty Lands | Neldoreth | New lands | Númenor | Tol Eressëa |
References
- ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth, Thematic Maps, "Vegetation"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Chapter VI: "The Old Forest"