The One Wiki to Rule Them All
Register
Advertisement
The One Wiki to Rule Them All

Tol Eressëa, known also as the Lonely Isle, was a large island located off the eastern coast of Aman.[4]

History[]

Tol Eressëa was originally an island that stood in the middle of the Belegaer far from either the coasts of Aman or Middle-earth. Ulmo uprooted it and with the help of his servants used it as a ferry to transport the willing three kindreds of the Elves back and forth twice from Middle-earth to Aman. After that, the host of Olwë remembering the star-light of their home in eastern Middle-earth begged to the Maia Ossë to stay their journey. Their request was granted at the behest of Ulmo. Ossë rooted it permanently to the bottom of the sea, and never moved again afterwards. The isle came to rest forever just off the eastern shore of Aman in the Bay of Eldamar, and the Teleri dwelt there for many years. This long separation from the Vanyar and the Ñoldor caused the Telerin language to sunder from Quenya of the other Calaquendi. So that the Teleri could see the light of Valinor, the Valar opened a cleft in the Pelori so that the light of the Two Trees of Valinor shone upon it, making its western shores green and fertile. Many Teleri lived here until their lord Olwë built the city Alqualondë on the northeastern shore of Aman.[2]

800px-Frédéric Bennett - Haven of the Eldar

Tol Eressëa - by Frédéric Bennett

With the end of the First Age, many of the Eldar of Middle-earth exiles came to it, and lived on the island of Tol Eressëa. Sometime during the early Second Age, the Elves that chose to settle there built Avallónë in the eastern part of the island, while the western shore was known as Falassë Númëa. 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 westernmost 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.[5]

In other versions[]

In earlier versions of Tolkien's legendarium, the island was inhabited by Gnomes and Solosimpi, who established themselves in the western shores from which they sailed with their swan-ships.[6] Later, the island was visited by Ælfwine (or Eriol), an Englishman from the Middle Ages, which provided a framework for the tales that later became The Silmarillion. Over time it had become a land of many beautiful places and interesting sites such as: Alalvinórë, the Land of Elms, and Tavrobel.[7] Along with Ulmo, host of whales centering the great whale Uin were also in charge to carry the island to the Bay of Eldamar.

The Cottage of Lost Play, which Eriol visited, was one of the more famous spots in Tol Eressëa at which many stories were told (the stories that became the Lost Tales) of ancient times.

At different eras of development of his mythology Tolkien either saw Tol Eressëa as the island of Britain, or as the island of Avalon, off the coast of Great Britain beyond the Straight Path near Valinor.[8] In some of the later writings and letters he began to see the Shire and Rivendell to be closer to England geographically. Some of the ideas of Avalon (and Arthurian legend) that had been associated with the island can also be seen in the name of the city Avallonë. Tolkien even echoed this in a letter when he stated he had given Frodo and Bilbo an "Arthurian ending".

But when Morgoth was thrust forth, the Gods held council. The Elves were summoned to return into the West, and such as obeyed dwelt again in Eressëa, the Lonely Island, which was renamed Avallon: for it is hard by Valinor.[8]

Notable dwellings[]

Cities and towns[]

Other places[]

See also[]

  • Leithian, about earlier versions of the legendarium

Translations[]

Foreign Language Translated name
Amharic ጦል ዐረስሰኣ
Arabic تول اريسسيّا
Armenian Տոլ Երեսսեա
Assamese টল এৰেছিয়া
Belarusian Cyrillic Тол Ерессеа
Bengali তোল এরেসিয়া
Bulgarian Cyrillic Тол Ересеа
Chinese (Hong Kong) 伊瑞西亞島
Danish Tol Eressëa ("Den Ensomme Ø")
Georgian ტოლ ერესეა
Greek Τολ Ερεσσεα
Gujarati ટોલ એરેસીઆ
Hebrew טול ארסיאה
Hindi टोल एरेस्सेअ
Japanese トル・エレッセア
Kannada ಟೋಲ್ ಎರೆಸ್ಸಿಯಾ
Kazakh Тол Ерессеа (Cyrillic) Tol Eressea (Latin)
Korean 톨 에렛세아
Kyrgyz Cyrillic Тол Эрэссэа
Laotian ຖໂລ ແຣເຊຊເະ
Macedonian Cyrillic Тол Ерессеа
Marathi टॉल एरेसीआ
Mongolian Cyrillic Тол Ерессёа
Nepalese टोल एरेस्सेअ
Pashto طول ېرېسسېا
Persian تول ارسئا
Punjabi ਟੋਲ ਐਰਸੇਸੀ
Russian Тол-Эрессеа
Sanskrit तोल एरेस्सेया
Serbian Тол Ерессеа (Cyrillic) Tol Eressea (Latin)
Sinhalese ටොල් ඒරෙස්සෙඅ
Tajik Cyrillic Тол Ерессеа
Tamil டொல் ஏரெஷெஅ
Telugu టోల్ ఎరెస్సియా
Thai โทลเอเรสเซอา
Ukrainian Cyrillic Тол — Ересеа
Urdu ٹول ایریسیا
Uzbek Тол Эрессеа (Cyrillic) Tol Eressea (Latin)
Yiddish טאָל ערעססעאַ
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

Places in the Undying Lands (Aman and Tol Eressëa)
Places and regions of the Valar
ValinorEzelloharGardens of LòrienHalls of MandosHalls of NiennaHouse of TulkasIlmarinMáhanaxarPastures of YavannaWells of VardaWoods of OromëPlain of ValinorTwo Trees of Valinor
Other regions
EldamarAlalvinórëAramanAvatharEnchanted IslesHaerastOiomúrëSindanóriëGalathilion
Mountains and passes
PelóriTaniquetilHyarmentirTúnaCalaciryaCaves of the Forgotten
Bodies of water
AfrosBay of EldamarGruirHíriLórellinShadowy SeasSirnúmen
Cities and strongholds
ValmarAlqualondëAvallónëFormenosKôrtirionTavrobelTirionLumbi
Houses and towers
Cottage of Lost PlayHouse of the Hundred ChimneysMindon EldaliévaTower of AvallónëTower of TavrobelTram Nybol


References[]

Advertisement