The Great Tree of Lindon
The Great Tree was a beautiful tree that stood in the Elven realm of Lindon. The tree's vitality was linked to the Elves' own; as long as the tree was healthy, then the Elves would continue to exist and thrive in Middle-earth. When the tree lost its leaves, the fading of the Elves and their powers would mean that they must return to Valinor.
History[]
The Great Tree grew on a cliffside in the realm of Lindon, next to a beautiful waterfall that plunged to the waters below. It had golden leaves, and a courtyard was close by where Gil-galad conducted the ceremony that honored Galadriel and her company for their efforts in tracking down Sauron over the centuries.[1]
The elf Elrond gifted a seedling of the Great Tree to his close friend Prince Durin IV of the Dwarves. It grew beautifully in Khazad-dûm and was cared for with the type of love Durin would give a child.[2]
During the Second Age, the Great Tree began to shed its leaves; when High King Gil-galad inspected the leaves, he found that a corruption was spreading through them that greatly concerned him. He sent Elrond to work with the great Elven-smith Celebrimbor,[1] later revealing that he did so in the hopes Elrond would contact the Dwarves he once befriended. Gil-galad believed The Song of the Roots of Hithaeglir was true; it spoke of how the power of the lost Silmarils were infused in the rock beneath the Two Trees of Valinor. Gil-galad shared the truth with Elrond; the Elven race were under threat of destruction with the corruption of the Great Tree spreading rapidly. He believed the Ore Mithril could save their race by reversing the corruption of their Great Tree.[3]
The Dwarven King refused Elrond's plea to allow mining of the Ore, though Elrond and Prince Durin discovered Mithril did reverse the corruption of a leaf from the Great Tree. Their efforts to mine more than a single piece were thwarted, which forced Elrond to return to Lindon empty-handed.[4]
Gil-galad resigned to his fate and instructed all the Elves to return with him in-land, though Celebrimbor and Elrond appealed to his ego by offering to build a crown with the sole piece of Mithril they had left. The crown would hold the power to reverse the corruption, so the High King granted them time to make a last attempt to save their race. They ultimately forged the Mithril and other alloys into a set of three rings to allow for balance.[5]
Appearances[]
- Season One
- "A Shadow of the Past" (First appearance)
- "Adrift" (Mentioned only) (Seedling tree)
- "Partings"
- Season Two