This is a reasonably elaborate chalk scetch, done at age 18 at the height of my Lord of the Rings preoccupation (until now, that is). I don't know what you guys think, but I like it a lot. :-)

Most people seem to have a fairly clear mental imagine in their mind of Rivendell, but strangely enough there is not much actual physical description of the place to be found in Tolkien's work. What we know of Rivendell is mostly pieced together out of stray remarks in "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", and it's mostly about how serene and wholesome the place feels, and that it is filled with the sound of rushing water, laughter, and music, a sweet scent of summer, of trees and flowers, and a general sense of comfort, peace and well-being.
And yet, when I first saw Rivendell in the movie, my instant reaction was: hey, that is my drawing!" (which isn't stricly true as you can see, but it felt that way at the time.)

In "The Hobbit", Gandalf, Bilbo and the Dwarves have some difficulty finding Rivendell, and they seem to approach it through some roadless wasteland, whereas in "Lord of the Rings" there does not seem any particular problem about following the Road to the Ford fo Bruinen, and then on to Rivendell - but perhaps that is just because the company has Glorfindel with them.

Here is from "The Hobbit":

"... They came to the edge of a steep fall in the ground so suddenly that Gandalf's horse nearly slipped down the slope. "Here it is at last!" he called, and the others gathered round him and looked over the edge. They saw a valley far below. They could hear the voice of hurrying water in a rocky bed at the bottom; the scent of trees was in the air; and there was a light on the valley-side across the water.
Bilbo never forgot the way they slithered and slipped in the dusk down the steep zig-zag path into the secret valley of Rivendell. The air grew warmer as they got lower, and the smell of the pine-trees made him drowsy, so that every now and again he nodded and nearly fell off, or bumped his nose on the pony's neck. Their spirits rose as they went down and down. The trees changed to beech and oak, and there was a comfortable feeling in the twilight. The last green had almost faded out of the grass, when they came at length to an open glade not far above the banks of the stream.
"Hmmm! It smells like elves!" thought Bilbo, and he looked up at the stars. They were burning bright and blue. Just then there came a burst of song like laughter in the trees..."

"...On they all went, leading their ponies, till they were brought to a good path and so at last to the very brink of the river. It was flowing fast and noisily, as mountain-streams do of a summer evening, when sun has been all day on the snow far up above. There was only a narrow bridge of stone without a parapat, as narrow as a pony could well walk on; and over that they had to go."

from: J.R.R. Tolkien: "The Hobbit"; chapter III: "A Short Rest"

And here is how Frodo saw it some sixty years later:

"Frodo woke and found himself lying in bed. At first he thought that he had slept late, after a long unpleasant dream that still hovered on the edge of memory. Or perhaps he had been ill? But the ceiling looked strange: it was flat, and it had dark beams richly carved. He lay a little while longer looking at patches of sunlight on the wall, and listening to the sound of a waterfall..."

"...Frodo was now safe in the Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, 'a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.' Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness..."

"...Sam led him aslong several passages and down many steps and out into a high garden above the steep bank of the river. He found his friends sitting in a porch on the side of the house, looking east. Shadows had fallen in the valley below, but there was still a light on the faces of the mountains far above. The air was warm. The sound of running and falling water was loud, and the evening was filled with a faint scent of trees and flowers, as if summer still lingered in Elrond's gardens."

"Next day Frodo woke early, feeling refreshed and well. He walked along the terraces above the loud-flowing Bruinen and watched the pale, cool sun rise above the far mountains, and shine down, slanting through the thin silver mist; the dew upon the yellow leaves was glimmering, and the woven nets of gossamer twinkled on every bush. Sam walked beside him, saying nothing, but sniffing the air, and looking every now and again with wonder in his eyes at the great heights in the East. The snow was white upon their peaks.
On a seat cut in the stone beside a turn in the path they came upon Gandalf and Bilbo deep in talk. "Hullo! Good morning!" said Bilbo. "Feel ready for the great council?"
"I feel ready for anything," answered Frodo. "But most of all I should like to go walking today and explore the valley. I should like to get into those pine-woods up there." He pointed away far up the side of Rivendell to the north..."

From: J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", book II, chapter I "Many Meetings" and chapter II "The Council of Elrond"

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last updated: 12 January, 2004