Alarienel

is the fabled “lost city” of the ic, said to have been the seat of. Many, , and human legends refer to its existence, although the tales are vague on details such as its appearance and location. Hundreds of attempts by human adventurers to find Alarienel have been unsuccessful and treasure maps purporting to show its location are common frauds. If Alarienel exists on a physical plane at all, the most common sites mentioned are and, although some believe the city is in  on.

The Lost City
One of the most enduring legends about the and the  is that of Alarienel, the “lost city of King Daélda.” Sindarin, Kúzhan, and human legends all refer to its existence, although every tale is vague on details such as appearance and location. Sindarin and legends are strangely coy on the subject of what became of the city; neither race seems eager to discuss the matter.

Although the ambiguity of the Alarienel myth casts doubt on whether it even existed, a few clues do exist. It is almost certain that it was built prior to the arrival of the Khúzdul on. Dwarven tales speak of the “ancient halls of the elven King”, and since both and  were built with Kúzhan aid, they are probably not the places being referred to as “ancient.”

It is virtually certain that Alarienel was located in southern Hârn, most likely in or near the Shâva Forest. This assumption is based on the fact that the Sindarin population has always been centered in that area. Attempts by human adventurers to find it have met with no success. The treasure maps that have occasionally turned up showing Alarienel’s location have been frauds.

Some people believe that Alarienel was. While this possibility cannot be entirely discounted it seems somewhat unlikely. Most of Pesíno was not built by the Sindarin, and there is little to suggest that it was ever called “King Daélda’s city.”

There are hints in the legends that Alarienel was destroyed by a natural disaster. This theory gained some support from the report of the survivors of a shipwreck in the in 631. They claimed to have seen the ruins of a great city beneath the waters of on the coast of. The fact that an expedition five years later found nothing has not dampened the rumor.

There are two other interesting theories about Alarienel. The first is that it existed (exists?) in on  and can be reached by one of the  in the Shava Forest. The second is that Alarienel is not a physical place at all, but rather a state of mind that the Sindarin of the old blood could achieve. For obvious reasons, proof of these theories would be extremely difficult to obtain.

= =