Eryn laegol

The Eryn Laegol is one of the few surviving remnants of the primeval forest of southern Gondor, which was spared the tree-fellings of the [Númenóreans]] because it was Dor-in-Edhil (S. "Elvenland"), and therefore sacrosanct in the eyes of the Dúnedain. In its origin, the Eryn Laegol was primarily a forest of oak and beech; but the exiles from Beleriand brought with them many seedlings of such trees as had grown in the great woodland realm of Doriath in ancient days, or upon the Falas beside the havens of the Falathrim. The most treasured of all these was the gwingorn.

The rich flora and fauna of Eryn Laegol sustain its Silvan Elves, being home to a sizeable population of deer and other game, as well as endowed with the natural fruits of the earth. The Elves take care not to overly deplete the bounty of their wood, and see to it that no unwelcome predators from beyond its borders trouble its denizens. The folk of Eryn Laegol defend the boundaries of their land with both active vigilance and magical wards (though few of southern Gondor's inhabitants would be willing to disturb the folk of Elvenland). There are very few impassable thickets in Eryn Laegol that would hinder a traveler, but passage through the wood is more easily achieved by the use of the Paid-i-Rendir (S. "Pilgrim Ways"), two well marked paths that follow the edge of the forest and the course of the Caleneithel, both of which converge at the Iant-in-Eilph beside the river haven of Edhellond.