[Maram68]

Well here I go again, with my smart questions, picking the brains of people far smarter than I.

How do you see or imagine Mirkwood in the 4th Age?

I am trying to get a visual and also a general perspective, for the next part of my story.

Care to help?

Thank you,

C.

[Panneth]

My thoughts are that the forest goes back to something of what it was before the shadow fell (how ever you picture that).

I guess I picture it as a happy place again with no trace of the shadow that was there before. The books say that the place was clensed when Galadriel threw down the walls of Dol-Guldor, but there was much fighting in the north and Thranduil had a good old battle on his hands under the trees. I think that this means that a lot of the forest in that part would be burnt and scarred, but would eventually repair itself over time.

That's my opinion anyway

[Viv]

Southern half was ruled by Celeborn (for a while; at least, unti he went on up to Rivendell) and called "East Lorien." Northern bit (not even half) ruled by Thrandy and re-named "Eryn Lasgalen." There's a spot in the middle given to some Men (beornings?).

The area around Dol Guldur, in the south, never was quite right, but in other parts of the forest, I gather that that dark dismals of Mirkwood receded.

[Anna]

Did Thranduil rule over the southern half as well after Celeborn had left?

I hope they got rid of the spiders...

[Saralitazie]

I would tend to think of it as a place that was still slightly shadowed, them having lived under it for so long - you know, still using the multiple buddy system, carrying spider-butt-kicking-weapons with them everywhere.....but also as a place where healing and regeneration were taking place. Joyful living was happening again.

Anyway, that's my take

[Viv]

Okay, just have to say that I love the image of elves using the buddy system. I can just see some Sue-type sidling up to a certain blond bombshell and asking, "Will you be my buddy?"

Heck yeah, bring on the scary forest.

[Auli]

I imagined it to become much more peaceful and calm after Celeborn and Galadriel cleansed it from much of the shadow that had lurked 'neath it's boughs for so long. Though I'm thinking that it felt somewhat hollow and empty after the War of the Ring, and didn't hold the joy and exhuberence that Greenwood the Great did. I imagined that the whole atmosphere of the Wood to have been quenched quite a bit, and for this reason many of the elves who did not sail to Valinor migrated to Ithilien with Prince Legolas.

I hope my pitiful excuse for an imagination helped somewhat..

~Sareh