The Shire
The Shire was an independent land that was granted for the residence of the hobbits by the Arthedain kingdom.
The Shire was a very fertile land that was part of Arthedain and the hobbits that migrated from the Vales of the Anduin over the Misty Mountains would settle at Bree and the Shire.
The hobbits named Marcho and Blanco would receive permission from the king of Arthedain to reside at the Shire under the condition to serve the king of Arthedain.
This was called the Shire Reckoning and most of the hobbits that were scattered over Eriador in Dunland, Cardolan and Rhudaur would gather near the Shire and Bree after the Shire Reckoning.
The hobbits would serve during the Angmar war to serve Arthedain and after Arthedain perished, the rangers of the North would occasionally scout and patrol the lands north of Shire.
As Rivendell also resided at the east of the Shire, the Shire would remain in peace for hundreds of years although there were occasionally breakthroughs of the wargs(wolves) and orcs. The hobbits including Bilbo Baggins,
Bree
Bree was located east of the Shire and west from Weathertop also known as Amon Sul. Hobbits and humans coexisted together at Bree and was part of Arthedain near the main roads.
As Bree was nearby the main roads, many by passers such as the dwarves, humans and elves would stop by Bree. Bree would have many inns and for the bypassing beings.
Frodo, Samwise, Meriadoc and Peregrin were supposed to meet Gandalf at Bree but they would rather meet a ranger of the North nicknamed Strider.
Strider’s identity was Aragorn who was sent by Gandalf to protect the hobbits. Aragorn and Frodo with the other hobbits first met at the Prancing Pony Inn where they would evade the nazguls.
Anduin River
The Anduin River was called the Great River and it is the largest river that would cross many lands of Middle Earth. The Vales of the Anduin River started near Mirkwoods where the Gladden Fields were located where Isildur was killed and lost the One Ring.
The Anduin River would pass the west part of Rhovanion and even Lothlorien and flow by Osgiliath, Minas Tirith and reach Pelargir where it would meet the Belegaer Sea. The Great Sea.
Anduin River – Argonath and the Nen Hithoel Lake
The Great Pillars or the Great Gate of Gondor was called the Argonath where the large stone statue of Anarion and Isildur would mark the border of Gondor along the Anduin River. The Argonath would mark the entrance of the Nen Hithoel Lake which was the border of Gondor.
Anduin River – Emyn Muil
The hills of Emyn Muil was near the Argonath and the Nen Hithoel Lake where the Fellowship of the Ring landed after rowing down the Anduin River.
At Emyn Muil, where Frodo Baggins saw the ruins of Gondor, the Uruk Hai of Saruman caught up with the Fellowship of the Ring and attacked them.
Boromir was killed while Frodo and Samwise would head east to pursue for Mordor and the Uruk Hai of Saruman kidnapped Pippin and Merry mistaking them as the hobbits that had the One Ring. Legolas, Gimli and Aragorn the Three Hunters would chase the Uruk Hai orcs to save Merry and Pippin.
Emyn Muil was just north of the Dead Marshes and located west of the Dagorlad Plains where the decisive battle of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men took place.
Anduin River – Mirkwoods, Rohvanion, Lorien
The Fellowship of the Ring would receive help from the elves of Lothlorien or Lorien that was ruled by the elf lord Celeborn and elf lady Galadriel.
The Anduin River also flowed along Mirkwoods where Lorien was located near the south of Mirkwoods and Dol Guldur. Legolas was the elf prince of Mirkwoods led by the elf-king Thranduil.
At the northeast of Mirkwoods lay the dwarf kingdom of Erebor and the Iron Hills along with the human lands Dale and Lake Town.
Gimli was the son of Gloin who was also one of the dwarves during the Throin Oakenshield’s quest for reclamation of Erebor.
The main locations where the story of The Hobbit took place didn’t appear in the movie Lord of the Rings. However, Mirkwoods, Dale, Erebor, Lake Town and the Iron Hills also faced a major offensive by the Easterlings of Mordor and the dark creatures of Dol Guldur led by the nazgul Khamul during the War of the Rings.
Vales of Anduin River – Mirkwood elves and Isildur
The Vales of Anduin River was the point where the Anduin River forms where it meets the Gladden River at the Gladden Fields.
North of the Vales of the Anduin River laid Greenwood the Great that would later become Mirkwoods. T
he Teleri elves that didn’t climb the Misty Mountains during the Great Voyage to Valinor would occupy the Vales of the Anduin River and would later become the Silvan elves of Mirkwoods.
Isildur and his men during their journey to Arnor to claim the seat as the High King of Arnor and Gondor were ambushed at the Gladden Fields of the Vales of the Anduin River.
Isildur would lose the One Ring at the Gladden Field as it sank in the Anduin River.
Vales of Anduin River – Ancestors of Rohan and Smeagol
Hobbits also resided at the Vales of the Anduin River including Smeagol and his cousin Deagol. Smeagol and Deagol found the One Ring during a fishing trip where Smeagol would murder Deagol over the desire of the One Ring.
Smeagol or Gollum was banished from the hobbit village he lived in the Anduin River and eventually lurked in the caves of the Misty Mountains with his Precious the One Ring.
The descendants of the northmen of Rhovanion that called themselves the Eotheod also once occupied the Vales of the Anduin River. These Eotheods would later become the Eorlingas, the descendants of Eorl or more known as the Rohirrim and become the men of Rohan.
