Ithilien
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In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Ithilien is a region and fiefdom of Gondor.
Ithilien, or Moon-land, is the only part of Gondor across the Great River Anduin, wedged in between the river and the Ephel Dúath of Mordor. The region is further divided into North and South Ithilien.
It was a fair and prosperous land during the Second Age and the first part of the Third Age, filled with many woods and gardens, when Gondor was strong and Mordor deserted. Of old its chief city was Minas Ithil, but when this was captured by Mordor it was renamed Minas Morgul. After this the majority of its people fled across the Anduin to escape war, but the Stewards of Gondor still kept scouts in Ithilien, based on secret locations such as Henneth Annûn.
In The Lord of the Rings, Gollum leads Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee through Ithilien on the way to the pass of Cirith Ungol into Mordor. After witnessing a battle with Southrons of Harad accompanied by Oliphaunts, the hobbits are found by the Rangers of Ithilien, under the command of Faramir, the son of the Steward Denethor, but are allowed to continue when he is satisfied they are not agents of Sauron.
During the Fourth Age, Ithilien is ruled by the Princes of Ithilien, a line that starts with Faramir and Éowyn (the White Lady of Ithilien). Minas Morgul is not repopulated, and Faramir rules as Lord of the Emyn Arnen. Ithilien also became the site of an Elven colony, whose people were former residents of Elven kingdoms in the north. The Elves played a great role in the reconstruction of eastern Gondor and gained of the respect of King Elessar. The colony only lasted for about a century, because many left for Lindon after Elessar's death in 120 F.A.
[edit] Henneth Annûn
Henneth Annûn was a hidden Gondorian outpost in North Ithilien. During the War of the Ring, Faramir son of Steward Denethor II had his base of operations there, and Frodo Baggins and his servant Samwise Gamgee were taken there by his company.
This secret dwelling (the name means Window of the Sunset) consisted of a cave behind a west-facing waterfall overlooking a pool. The cave had been excavated by the stream feeding the waterfall, which originally fell from the hole in the cliff constituting the window in the name, but that stream had since been diverted and the tunnel sealed save for a concealed entrance.
Like all of Gondor's hidden refuges in Ithilien, Henneth Annûn was created by the Steward Ecthelion I circa 2900 TA, after Ithilien was made desolate by the incursions of Orcs of Mordor. Henneth Annûn was the longest-lasting of all the refuges of Ithilien.
[edit] Emyn Arnen
Emyn Arnen is a series of hills in Ithilien, south of Osgiliath.
Emyn Arnen (Sindarin "Hills of Arnen", Arnen being of pre-Númenórean origin) was home to a family of Númenórean nobles, and from them came Húrin, chosen by King Minardil of Gondor to be his Steward. Later kings of Gondor only chose their stewards from among Húrin's descendants, and eventually the Stewardship of Gondor became hereditary (the stewards named themselves members of the House of Húrin).
After the events of the War of the Ring, King Elessar granted to Faramir, son of the Steward Denethor II, the Princedom of Ithilien and the Lordship of Emyn Arnen (Faramir also maintained the Office of the Steward, even after he tried to surrender it to King Elessar). Emyn Arnen, being the ancestral home of the Stewards of Gondor, became the official home of the Steward Faramir and his descendants.
