The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
Around the base of the Hill of Awe (later called the Halifirien) on the border between Gondor and Rohan
Race
Divisions
Cultures
Settlements
The Halifirien held one of the Beacons of Gondor
Source
The Mering Stream rose in the Firien-dale and flowed through the wood
Important peaks
Amon Anwar (the Hill of Awe, later called the The Halifirien)
Meaning
The wood caused those under its trees to whisper, due to the awe of the secret hallow on the mountain, and the Tomb of Elendil that stood there through most of the Third Age
Other names
The Firien Wood, The Firienholt, The Halifirien Wood, The Wood of Anwar; the western parts of the wood were known as Everholt

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 9 April 2024
  • This entry is complete

Whispering Wood

The old Gondorian name for the Firien Wood

Map of the Whispering Wood

On the Great West Road, where a rider from Minas Tirith would pass from Anórien into Calenardhon, stood an outlying height of the White Mountains known as Amon Anwar, the Hill of Awe. Around the feet of this hill grew a wide wood through which the Road ran for several miles, and the awe of the hill also fell on this forest. It was said that a Man entering the wood would feel an urge to whisper rather than speak aloud, and hence it gained the common name of the Whispering Wood.

At the time of the foundation of Rohan, when Steward Cirion gifted the province of Calenardhon to the Rohrrim, the reason for this sense of awe was revealed: Amon Anwar held the Tomb of Elendil within a secret hallow said to be protected by the Valar. At that time Elendil's mortal remains were taken to the Hallows of Minas Tirith, but the Rohirrim maintained the tradition, naming Amon Anwar in their own tongue as the Halifirien, the holy mountain. The Whispering Wood also gained a new name at that time, and came to be known as the Firienholt, or the Firien Wood.


See also...

Wood of Anwar

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 9 April 2024
  • This entry is complete

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