bound to his realm after extending his life force into his creations.

If Mordor is the embodiment of evil and the defensive in the later ages of Middle-earth, it is because for a while the light realms do have the upper hand for some time and what we see is a diversification of them. As the new realm of darkness is more complex and gets more characterization, the realms of good get more diverse as well. One of the most important of these places is the land of Eregion, founded by the remaining Noldor who stay behind at the end of the first age.

Misty Mountains – Steve Thomas

Nestled at the foot of the Misty Mountains and the western side, Eregion sees a friendship renewed and improved upon between theelves who live there and the dwarves of Kazad-dum. Eregion is hidden both by the mountains they are nestled in and also the by the power and creativity of the Noldor. “Those Elves who had survived the vicissitudes of the First Age begin a new kingdom in Eregion, and during the Second Age, the Elves of Eregion forge many magical rings, including 19 Rings of Power with the aid of Sauron. At this time Sauron is still able to put on a fair appearance and manages to fool the elves into believing his intentions are good. But he deceived them, for in secret he had made the One Ring for himself in order to enslave them and all the other peoples of Middle-earth.” Christopher Tolkien, The Silmarillion.

Eregion, I