Bilbo’s company visits Rivendell before crossing the Misty Mountains. The hidden Elven refuge gives Thorin’s Company a safe place to rest after their dangerous journey west from Hobbiton and provides crucial help before the next stage of the quest.
Rivendell is ruled by Elrond, a wise and scholarly Elf who welcomes the travelers. While there, Elrond examines the swords recovered from the trolls’ hoard, identifies their ancient histories, and helps interpret the moon-letters on Thorin’s map. This information becomes important because it points toward the secret entrance to the Lonely Mountain.
Rivendell is sometimes confused with other Elven realms in Tolkien’s legendarium. Doriath belongs mainly to the older history of Beleriand, Mithlond is the Grey Havens, and Lothlórien is the woodland realm visited much later in The Lord of the Rings. Rivendell stands in a gorge near the eastern edge of Eriador, close to the approaches to the Misty Mountains.