Ford · The Shire
Sarn Ford
The stony ford on the Brandywine where the Nazgûl broke into the Shire
- Appears in
- The Lord of the Rings, Appendices
- Region
- The Shire
Sarn Ford, the Stony Ford, lies at the southern end of the Shire's border, far downstream of the Bucklebury Ferry and the Brandywine Bridge. It is where the old road running up from Minhiriath and Tharbad meets the Brandywine, which makes it the natural way into the Shire from the south.
That is why it was guarded. Aragorn's Rangers watched the southern approaches for years without the hobbits noticing, and the ford was one of the posts they kept. The arrangement failed once, at the worst moment: on 22 September TA 3018, the day before Frodo left Hobbiton, the Nazgûl came up the Greenway, forced the crossing at nightfall and scattered the small guard of Rangers.
From the ford the Riders split up. Some went north into the Shire hunting for the Baggins of Hobbiton, and it was one of those who questioned Farmer Maggot three days later.
Events at this place
-
TA 3018 · Appendices
The Nazgûl force the ford
At nightfall on 22 September the Black Riders drove the Rangers from Sarn Ford, and four of them entered the Shire before dawn the next day.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Sarn Ford on the Middle-earth map?
At the southern corner of the Shire, where the Brandywine is forded by the road coming north from Minhiriath and the Greenway.
Who guarded Sarn Ford?
The Rangers of the North under Aragorn watched the ford as part of their unseen guard on the Shire's borders until the Nazgûl overwhelmed them in TA 3018.