Rivendell () is a valley in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth. It was established in the Second Age by Elrond Half-elven, who protected it with the powers of his Elven ring Vilya and ruled it until the events of The Lord of the Rings four or five thousand years later. It is an important location in Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales.