Mirkwood Battle of Five Armies & The Third Age of Middle-Earth All of our adventures & campaigns will take place during the Third Age of Middle-earth. Inspired By J.R.R. Tolkien & Peter Jackson

Mirkwood, once known as Greenwood the Great, is the vast and ancient forest that dominates much of eastern Rhovanion. Stretching nearly six hundred miles from north to south and roughly two hundred and fifty miles across at its widest point, it remained one of the largest forests in Middle-earth for countless ages. The woodland was bordered by the Grey Mountains to the north and contained numerous natural landmarks, including the Mountains of Mirkwood, the Forest River, and the infamous Enchanted River.

This latter stream was tainted by dark influences and possessed the strange power to induce deep slumber and forgetfulness in those who touched its waters. Though its climate was generally mild, the dense canopy and tangled undergrowth made travel difficult, with only a handful of established routes such as the Old Forest Road and the Forest Path crossing its shadowed depths. The history of Mirkwood reaches back to the earliest days of Middle-earth. During the Great Journey of the Elves from Cuiviénen, many of the Eldar passed through the forest and lingered there before continuing westward. In later ages, the woodland became home to the Wood-elves, descendants of the Nandor who had long ago separated from the Great Journey. During the Second Age, the Sindarin prince Oropher established the Woodland Realm, creating a kingdom that would endure for thousands of years.

Men also settled in and around the forest during this period, likely the ancestors of the Northmen who would later inhabit the region. Following Oropher's death in the War of the Last Alliance, the crown passed to his son Thranduil, who would rule the Woodland Realm throughout the Third Age. For many centuries the forest was known as Greenwood the Great, a name that reflected its beauty and vitality. Around the year 1050 of the Third Age, however, a dark shadow began to spread through the southern reaches of the woodland. Sauron, hidden beneath the guise of the Necromancer, established himself in the fortress of Dol Guldur upon Amon Lanc. As his influence grew, corruption spread throughout the forest, twisting both plants and creatures alike.

The once-bright woodland became a place of fear, earning the name Mirkwood, or "the Dark Wood." Giant spiders descended from the monstrous Ungoliant infested its depths, while other fell creatures prowled beneath the trees. Thranduil and his people were gradually driven northward, retreating deeper into their realm as the darkness consumed much of the south. Despite its dangers, Mirkwood remained central to many of the great events of the late Third Age. Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield's company crossed the forest during their quest to reclaim Erebor, enduring the horrors of the Enchanted River, giant spiders, and eventual capture by Thranduil's elves.

Around the same time, the White Council launched its assault upon Dol Guldur, forcing Sauron to abandon the fortress and return openly to Mordor. Years later, Gollum was held prisoner in Thranduil's halls before escaping during an Orc attack. Following the War of the Ring and the final defeat of Sauron, the shadow that had plagued the forest for centuries was finally lifted. Thranduil renamed the woodland Eryn Lasgalen, the Wood of Greenleaves, restoring a measure of its ancient glory and symbolizing the return of hope to one of Middle-earth's oldest forests.

Notes
- Despite being called Mirkwood ever since Third Age 1050, Mirkwood is referred to by Radagast and Gandalf in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as the Greenwood, with Gandalf mentioning to the White Council that the woodsmen there only recently started calling it Mirkwood because of the sickness that had fallen over it.

- Mirkwood also appears in The Fall of Arthur, as well as in one of Eriol's poems as Myrcwudu (Old English: 'Mirkwood'), which was an ancient Germanic legendary name for a great dark boundary-forest found in various different applications. Elfwine's reference was to near the Eastern Alps, while the reference in the Fall of Arthur was somewhere east of the Rhine.

- In Middle-earth, Mirkwood refers to two forests, one which was later renamed Taur-nu-Fuin of Beleriand, and the other west of the Lonely Mountain in Rhovanion.

Notable Locations
• Forest Gate
• Woodmen-town
• Tyrant's Hill
• Fenbridge Castle
• Dol Guldor
• Elvenking's Halls