Barrow-downs

The Barrow-downs, or Tyrn Gorthad, was an area of low hills located to the east of the Shire and the Old Forest, and southwest of the town of Bree. They were made by men in the First Age, and served as resting places for the men of the north, as well as Dúnedain, until evil spirits called Barrow-wights came and began to inhabit their barrows.
The downs lay within the region of Cardolan in the region of Eriador.
== History ==
=== Before the Great Years ===
Tyrn Gorthad was first made and inhabited by "forefathers" of the Edain in the First Age.The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, I: "The Númenórean Kings", iii. "Eriador, Arnor, and the Heirs of Isildur", "The North-kingdom and the Dúnedain", pg. 1041 (50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition They fled when Eriador was invaded by Easterlings, but when they disappeared after the War of Wrath the Middle Men returned to the region.
By the Second Age as the Númenóreans began to establish colonies in Middle Earth the Barrow-downs were where the Dúnedain emigrants from Númenor first came to reside. When Elendil came to Middle-earth around SA 3320, the Barrow-downs were incorporated into his northern kingdom of Arnor.thumb|left|The ancient center of Cardolan
When Arnor was sundered into three realms in TA 861, Tyrn Gorthad became part of the realm of Cardolan. When Cardolan fell to Angmar in TA 1409, the Dúnedain of Cardolan took refuge in Tyrn Gorthad until the Great Plague wiped out the survivors. The Witch-king unleashed apparitions known as "Barrow-wights" upon Tyrn Gorthad to haunt its great tombs of men, for over a millenia. In TA 1851 King Araval of Arthedain attempted to resettle Cardolan, but the settlers were driven off or killed by the terror and power of the wights.
=== Frodo's encounter ===
Fleeing the Black Riders in September of TA 3018, Frodo Baggins and his three companions came and were ensnared by a wight in one of the numerous barrows. The four were separated from one another in a dense fog, and, all captured, ended up in the same barrow. Three of the Hobbits seemed under a spell, but Frodo, almost succumbing to the wight, was able to call out to Tom Bombadil, whose house was near the place of the Barrow-downs. Hearing Frodo, Tom came with haste to the barrow and dispelled the evil spirit from the tomb. He had told the hobbits earlier to pass by the barrows on the western side, but the hobbits stopped for lunch on what must have been a barrow, and promptly fell asleep in the shade on the east side. After their rescue, the hobbits each took from the spoils of the tomb a finely crafted Dúnedain knife, and continued their journey towards Bree.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book One, Ch. VIII: "Fog on the Barrow-downs"
== Appearances in adaptations ==
The Barrow-downs appear in the video games The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Rise of the Witch-king, The Lord of the Rings Online, LEGO The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
=== The Rise of the Witch-king ===
In Electronic Arts' The Battle for Middle-earth II expansion, The Rise of the Witch-king, the Barrow-downs are a circular open map with many Wight lairs. In a skirmish, up to eight armies can play there.
=== The Lord of the Rings Online ===
In The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, the Barrow-downs are split into separate regions, "North Barrows" and "South Barrows". Many wights dwell throughout. The oldest and largest of the barrows is named "Othrongroth".
== Trivia ==
A possible real-life inspiration of this place for J.R.R. Tolkien was the Barrow Downs of Warwickshire, near the village of Long Compton.
== Gallery ==
Barrow_Downs.jpg|A barrow within the downs
==Translations==
Foreign Language 	Translated name
Danish 	Dyssehøje
Dutch 	Grafheuvels
Finnish 	Hautakerot
French 	Hauts des Galgals/Coteaux des Tertres
German 	Hügelgräberhöhen
Hebrew 	(Barrow-downs) ארץ הכוכים
(Tyrn Gorthad) טירן גורתאד
Italian 	Tumulilande
Persian 	بارو-داونز
Polish 	Wzgórza Kurhanów
Portuguese 	Colinas dos Túmulos (Brazil Portuguese)
Colinas das Antas (Portugal)
Russian 	Могильники
Slovenian 	Gomilne vesine
Slovak 	Mohylové vrchy
Spanish (Spain and Latin America)	Quebradas de los Túmulos
Swedish 	Kummelåsarna
Thai 	เขาสุสา่น
Turkish 	Höyük Yaylalar
Ukrainian 	Курганні Пагорби
== References ==
Category:Hills of Middle-earth
Category:Eriador
Category:Graves and tombs
Category:Arnor
Category:Regions
de:Hügelgräberhöhen
es:Quebradas de los Túmulos
fr:Hauts-des-galgals
it:Tumulilande
nl:Grafheuvels
pl:Tyrn Gorthad
ru:Могильники
uk:Тирн-Ґортад