The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Occupied by the Teleri from ancient times, but true Havens began to be established here from I 508; destroyed at the end of the First Age
Location
At the outflow of Sirion into the Bay of Balar, on the bay's northeastern coasts
Races
Settled by Elves and Men of many cultures
Divisions
Settlements
Source
Fed by the waters of Sirion flowing from Eithel Sirion in the far North
Outflow
Into the Bay of Balar
Pronunciation
li'sgarth (dh represents the sound of 'th' in English 'these', rather than the more usual English pronunciation of 'garth')
Meaning
'Land of reeds'
Other names
These marshes occupied the region known as the Mouths of Sirion

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About this entry:

  • Updated 19 August 2025
  • This entry is complete

Lisgardh

The land of reeds at the Mouths of Sirion

Map of Lisgardh

Where the mighty river Sirion flowed into the Great Sea, it formed a wide delta filled with reed beds, known as the Lisgardh, a region that was uninhabited until the final decades of the First Age. After the disaster of the Dagor Bragollach, however, the people of Gondolin secretly established havens and shipyards at the mouth of the river, from which they sailed to the Isle of Balar.

Voronwë was one of the sailors of Gondolin who set out onto the Great Sea from the Isle of Balar seeking a way into the West. His ship was wrecked, but he survived to encounter Tuor on the coastlands of Nevrast. Voronwë agreed to guide Tuor to the Hidden City, and on their journey, he told his new companion of the Lisgardh and the havens far to the south.

After they reached Gondolin, Tuor lived among the Elves of that city for many years, until the time of its Fall to the forces of Morgoth. Fleeing from the destruction, Tuor led the survivors southwards, and they settled at last among the reeds of the Lisgardh. The haven they founded there became a final refuge for the people of Beleriand, and it was from there that Tuor's son Eärendil set out on his fateful voyage into the West.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 19 August 2025
  • This entry is complete

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