Tol Eressëa was a large island, whence the Mallorn trees come. Its name may be translated from Elvish as the Lonely Island, for it lay originally in the middle of the Belegaer (Great Sea), far from any other landmasses.

HistoryEdit

Ulmo pushed it back and forth across Belegaer twice to transport the Elves to Aman. After that, it came to rest forever just off the eastern shore of that continent in the Bay of Eldamar, and was inhabited by the Teleri of Aman, until they left to Alqualondë. Over time it had become a land of many beautiful places and interesting sites such as: Alalminórë, the Land of Elms, and Tavrobel.

With the end of the First Age, many of the Eldar of Middle-earth exiles (and Teleri that never left it) went to Aman, and lived in the island of Tol Eressëa. Sometime during the early Second Age, the elves that chose to settle there built Avallonë in the eastern part of the island. It was also where most of the elves visiting Númenór came from at least until the shadow fell upon the Númenóreans. The Númenóreans yearning for the light of the west would often gaze at the great tower of Avallonë, which they could see from the western-most parts of their homeland. When Ar-Pharazôn the Golden broke the Ban of the Valar and sailed to the Undying Lands with his Great Armament, Tol Eressëa was surrounded by its fleets before going to Tirion but it is not known whether its people were assailed by this act or not.^[1]

Earlier versions of legendariumEdit

In early versions of Tolkien's legendarium, the island was later visited by Ælfwine (or Eriol), an Englishman from the Middle Ages, which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion.

Notable dwellingsEdit

• Avallonë
• Cottage of Lost Play
• House of Hundred Chimneys
• Kortirion

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ The Atlas of Middle-earth pg. 38

External linkEdit

• Tol Eressëa at Tolkien Gateway