Sarn Athrad

The ford on the Dwarf-road

Sarn Athrad lay on the river Gelion a little south of the point where the Ascar came in from the mountains, on the boundary between Thargelion in the north and Ossiriand in the south. There the river ran shallow over a bed of stones, and there the road from the Dwarf-cities of Nogrod and Belegost, coming down beneath Mount Dolmed along the Ascar, crossed into East Beleriand and ran on west toward the fords of Aros and Doriath. For all the First Age it was the main door into Beleriand from the east: the Dwarves used it for trade, the three houses of the Edain came over it when they entered the land, and the sons of Fëanor rode across it to keep their friendship with the mountain folk.

The battle at the ford

Its fame rests on a single day. In the year 503, the army of Nogrod was marching home from the sack of Menegroth, laden with the treasure of Thingol and carrying the Nauglamír with the Silmaril, when it came to the ford. Beren, with Dior and the Green-elves, was waiting in the trees. As the Dwarves climbed the western bank the Elves fell on them, and the host was broken; the lord of Nogrod was slain by Beren himself and died cursing the treasure. The survivors fled up the road and were finished beneath Mount Dolmed by the Shepherds of the Trees. The Green-elves would not touch the gold, and by Beren's counsel it was cast into the river Ascar, which from that time was called Rathlóriel, the Golden-bed. Beren took only the Nauglamír, and carried it home to Lúthien. The Ford of Stones and the drowned treasure alike were lost when Beleriand was broken.