River Greylin

In the north of Middle-earth, near the western end of the long range of the Grey Mountains, three streams rose near one another on the mountains' southern side. One of these - the easternmost - flowed away southeastwards to enter Mirkwood and form the Forest River. The other two ran down southwards through the mountains and on to the grassy plains beyond. After some forty miles, the two branches joined together to form a wider stream.

The name Greylin was given to the river by the Men of the Éothéod, who dwelt in the northern plains for several centuries during the Third Age. The name was said to mean 'grey torrent' in their tongue, presumably referencing its sources in the Grey Mountains to the north. These Men built their township of Framsburg at the southern end of the river, where it met another stream, the Langwell, that flowed down from the Misty Mountains to the west.

These two rivers combined their waters to form a broader river that flowed away southward for league after league. This long river with its source in their lands was named Langflood by the Men of the Éothéod, but it was better known by other names: Anduin from the Elvish, or simply the Great River. Fed by many tributaries on its long journey south, the Great River would swell to mighty proportions before it reached the Sea far away. Its origins, though, lay with the small stream Greylin (and its companion the Langwell) in the cold northern mountains of Middle-earth.