Situated around a long, exceedingly deep lake tucked into the steep western flank of the Northern Dark Mountains (Av.: "Phorondûli") a remnant of the long-lost Inland Sea of Helcar, Khelgardh (Av. "Realm of Glass"; PQ."Kyelegardâ"), was a mysterious Avarin realm. Legends suggested that it was founded in memory of lost Cuiviénen, the old birthplace of the Quendi, at one of the last remnants of the ancient Inland Sea. Khelgardh's Elven lords lived in a beautiful, pastoral land characterized by waterfalls and streamside parks. A great circular earth-wall surrounded their kingdom. Thus, the Avari remained apart from the Hildor. The three entries into Khelgardh all followed long, heavily-guarded channels and passageways.
Only the East-gate, the "Doors of Morning", were kept unlocked. They opened toward Moinarlin (Av.: "Dear Exalted Mere"), a pool fed by three waterfalls and the birthplace of the river Kuiviesîr. The Doors of Morning actually opened onto a grass-covered road that wound under the great cataract spills out from Moinarlin. The fall formed a watery arch that gave birth to a virtually perpetual rainbow.
The Kuiviesîr was one of three major streams emptying into the great lake of Khelkeneni. Khelkeneni was all that remained of the Helcar Sea. Its cold shores formed the core of the Avari's guarded homeland.
Settlements and Points of Interest[]
- Caves of Tû
- Doors of Morning
- Isle of Sunrises
- Kemi Raumen
- Prith-an-Iryst
- Samri Kheleka
- Tîrn Gyilyundu
Characters[]
Dardariann Mormiresûl Morwe Nurwe Tû Ulgarin
Notes[]
Original form in MERP: Helcarth
Geographically Cuivienen is often compared to the great central asian lakes, especially lake Baikal, on Pete Fenlons map however it is situated even further east, more comparable to modern Hunlun lake or Buir lake.However in The Nature of Middle-Earth J. R. R. Tolkien stated once that the march of the elves from their places of awakening to the western coasts of Beleriand was about a length of ca. 2,000 miles which would locate Cuivienen on the western shore of the Rhûnaer.A second time however he stated that Cuivienen was located about 450 miles east or southeast from the eastern shores of the Rhûnaer.If Rhûnaer was roughly at the same location as the northwesternmost bay of the Black sea, that would locate Cuivienen roughly at the Black sea's northeasternmost bay in modern day southern Russia. Thus Helcarth or Helkanen being a remnant of actual Cuivienen seems very implausible.
References[]
- The Wild Lands South and East, Gazetteer by Pete Fenlon (archived, latest available)
Editorial Note: This entry contains speculative or fan-based material — such as fanon, fanfiction, or theory constructs — that may not be directly supported by canonical texts. Interpretations offered here are part of the NNCA’s speculative corpus and should not be mistaken for primary Tolkien sources.