Ered Luin

The Ered Luin (the Blue Mountains), also known as the Ered Lindon, is a mountain range in the west of Eriador. It is home to the Dwarves of the Blue Mountains, part of the Kingdom of the Longbeards.

Summary

In the Elder Days, The Ered Luin was one continous mountain range, raised by the Valar in the early days of Arda. It was home to the Broadbeams and Firebeards in their two great cities cities, Nogrod and Belegost. During the calamitous War of Wrath at the close of the First Age, the Ered Luin was split asunder as Beleriand sank beneath the sea, and the Gulf of Lhun formed between the two halves of the mountains. Nogrod and Belegost were ruined and abandoned, most of its folk leaving for Khazad-dum.

Small Dwarven settlements remained, but the Blue Mountains were only recolonised in force after the Sack of Erebor. These new arrivals founded a number of new halls, the greatest of which being Thorin's Halls.

Climate and ecology

The Blue Mountains contain the following ecological zones:

A4 - Scandinavian open vegetation of crustose and foliose lichens

A5 - Scattered vegetation of cushion plants and lichens in the Alps and Pyrenees

B41 - Scandinavian middle alpine complex of windswept heaths, grass heaths and scree vegetation

B44 - Alpine grasslands in the Alps with herbs and lichens on carbonate rocks

C9 - Scandinavian moist birch forests

C16 - Anglo-Irish birch forests

D8 - Scandinavian-east European spruce forests

Settlements

Athuk-Atkatu

Thorin's Halls

Adjan-Lazhar

Lazhar-Ala

Arganzulum

Bizar-Filatin

Thafar-Damith

Nara-Athuk

Khalath-Giri

Further reading

Tolkien Gateway