| Rivendell | |
|---|---|
| Middle-earth location | |
 J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 painting of Rivendell | |
| First appearance | The Hobbit (1937) |
| In-universe information | |
| Other name(s) | Imladris Karningul Last Homely House East of the Sea |
| Type | Refuge of the Elves Hidden Refuge |
| Ruler | Elrond |
| Location | eastern Eriador: a western valley of the Misty Mountains |
| Lifespan | S.A. 1697 - Abandoned by F.A. 120 |
| Founder | Elrond |
Rivendell (Sindarin: Imladris) is a valley in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, representing both a homely place of sanctuary and a magical Elvish otherworld. It is an important location in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, being the place where the quest to destroy the One Ring began.
Rivendell's feeling of peace may have contributed to the popularity of The Lord of the Rings during the war-troubled 1960s. Scholars have noted that Rivendell was the home of Elvish song, from the hymn to Elbereth, recalling Tolkien's Catholicism, to the complex Song of Eärendil with its multiple poetic devices. Others have written that it resembles the Celtic Otherworld of Tír na nÓg; and that it physically recalls the valley of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland where Tolkien had gone hiking in 1911.