The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
The North-South Road was constructed in the last years of the Second Age; it began to fall into decay from the seventeenth century of the Third Age1
Location
Running north to south between the ancient kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor
Origins
Built by Elendil and his sons
Race
Division
Settlements
Probably2 originally ran between Annúminas and Osgiliath
Meaning
From the ruined and overgrown state of the road in the later Third Age, especially the part that ran past Bree
Other names
Originally known as the Great Road, the North Road, the North-South Road, the Royal Road; the Greenway was partially known as, or at least connected to, the Old South Road

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 18 December 2016
  • Updates planned: 1

Greenway

The remnant of the old North-South Road

Map of the Greenway

Especially in the northern parts of Middle-earth, the name given to the overgrown remains of the ancient North-South Road that ran from Gondor in the south to Arnor in the north.


Notes

1

The seventeenth century is the only recorded date relevant to the decay of the North-South Road: it was the time when the maintainers of the road were withdrawn from Tharbad in its middle reaches, far to the south of Bree. At this time the North-kingdom had been at war for several hundred years, and the segment of the Road under its control may already have begun to fall into disrepair.

2

Actually, the termini of the North-South Road are not established with certainty, but Annúminas and Osgiliath were the capitals of the North- and South-kingdoms at the time the road was built, and it seems unlikely that the Dúnedain would build a road across Middle-earth without connecting their two main cities. Nonetheless, we have no canonical map showing the road continuing beyond Fornost in the North (as shown on the map for this entry).

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 18 December 2016
  • Updates planned: 1

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001, 2007, 2016. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Discus is one of the most powerful DISC personality profile tools, with free and unlimited job matching and team building.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry