Ford of Bruinen

The shallow crossing point on the River Bruinen east of Rivendell where Frodo, pursued by the Nazgûl, is nearly overtaken before the river rises in flood to wash the Riders away.

The Ford of Bruinen, a shallow crossing on the swift River Bruinen east of Rivendell, serves as a pivotal defensive barrier in the early stages of the War of the Ring. In The Fellowship of the Ring, it becomes the site of a dramatic confrontation where Frodo, bearing the One Ring, narrowly escapes the Nazgûl, only for Elrond's flood to sweep the Black Riders away in a torrent of enchanted waters. Though it does not feature prominently in later volumes, the Ford's role underscores the strategic geography protecting Rivendell and marks a turning point in the Fellowship's perilous journey westward.