AT History

In the Beginning

The forest and lands surrounding it have been inhabited by elves since the Great Journey, when many of the Eldar refused to continue over the Misty Mountains. They settled at the banks of the Anduin (the Great River), or wandered freely under the trees of the immense forest reaching from Hithaeglir to Celduin. They lived without a ruler or written history until the end of the First Age, when the Laiquendi returned from Beleriand...

The First Age

The Laiquendi are a group of Nandor, or Silvan elves, who crossed over into Beleriand. There they dwelt in Ossiriand, the Land of the Seven Rivers, just west of the Ered Luin. In the first battle of the Wars of Beleriand, before the Noldor returned, King Thingol called upon the aid of the Nandor in Ossiriand. Denethor, their King, agreed to join in the war. But during the battle he was surrounded on Amon Ereb and died there along with all of his closest kin. The elves of Ossiriand took no new King after that and would never go into open war. They secluded themselves in Ossiriand and were called the Laiquendi, or Green-Elves, as the color of their clothing matched that of the land in which they lived.

When Beren and Luthien returned from Mandos, they dwelt in Ossiriand on the island of Tol Galen. It is said that when the Silmaril of the Nauglimir was worn by Luthien, Ossiriand was most like to Aman than any other land in Middle Earth. At Beleriand's destruction, however, Oropher and his son Thranduil, Sindar from Doriath, led the Laiquendi and many of the Sindar of Doriath over the Ered Luin, through Eriador, and back into Rhovanion. There they met the Erynedhrim...

The Second Age

The Erynedhrim are those Nandor who, after refusing to follow Denethor over the Misty Mountains, took the trees of Greenwood the Great as their homes. They lived carefree and became expert hunters. When Oropher arrived with the Laiquendi, the Erynedhrim were too cautious to accept him as a king, though they did welcome him and the others into Greenwood. But after orcs and men flooded into the forest and burnt their ancient tree-homes, the Erynedhrim retreated to the northeast of Eryn Galen, and searching for stronger protection, they took Oropher as their King.

At the end of the Second Age, when the Eldar and the Edain gathered the Army of the Last Alliance, the elves of Eryn Galen also took part in the war. They came under the command of King Oropher, numerous and courageous but badly equipped and not willing to obey the commands of Gil-Galad, High King of the Noldor. King Oropher was killed in their hot-headed attack against Morannon, the Gate of Mordor, and many of his troops died with him. Only one third of the army returned home with Thranduil, Oropher's son.

The Third Age

After the bloody victory and the tearful return, the elves of Eryn Galen decided to hide themselves in the forest and never go to an open battle field again. But the peace was too short for the long elven lifespan. After the passing of one thousand years of the Third Age, the dark forces returned to the forest. They fortified in Dol Guldur, built on the top of Amon Lanc, at the same place where the Laiquendi of King Oropher had dwelt in the Second Age. Under the command of the Ulairi, Sauron's Ringwraiths, they started to harry settlements of humans at the border of the forest and kill every elven ranger who wandered to the south. The forest was filled with horror, and has stayed so until today. The Eryn Galen changed to Mirkwood, Taur-e-Ndaedelos.

Nowadays elven bowmen guard the borders of their realm and every wanderer that dares to enter northern Mirkwood takes the risk of either ending up in Thranduil's dungeons or with an elven arrow in his throat.