* The Fire
The flames of Orodruin.
A common epithet for the flames of Orodruin, into which the One Ring was to be cast.
* The Fire of Ilúvatar|Fire of Ilúvatar|Fire of Iluvatar Perhaps a name for the Flame Imperishable.
A term of uncertain meaning, apparently with the same meaning as ‘Flame Imperishable’. It was kept by Ilúvatar.
* The Fool
One of the many mocking titles given to Radagast by his fellow Wizard Saruman.
* The Forest
A term sometimes used to describe Greenwood the Great, later called Mirkwood, especially in the days before Sauron built Dol Guldur in its southern regions.
* The Golden
A title for Dragons and Kings.
A title of the dragons Glaurung and Smaug, and of Ar-Pharazôn, the last King of Númenor.
* The Golden Perch|Golden Perch
Home of the best beer in the Eastfarthing.
An inn in the township of Stock, north of Bucklebury near the eastern borders of the Shire. It was said by Pippin to serve the best beer in the Eastfarthing.
* The Great
The mightiest of their kind.
A very common title, applied to (among others) the River Anduin, the Ring Narya, the Vala Oromë, Sauron, Shadowfax, Shelob and Tar-Atanamir of Númenor.
* The Grey
A title of Gandalf, probably derived from the long grey cloak he wore.
Seen also in the Elves’ name for him, Mithrandir, meaning ‘Grey Wanderer’.
* The Halfling
Title given to Frodo Baggins in Gondor after he accomplished the Quest of Mount Doom.
* The Hedge
The eastern boundary of Buckland.
The High Hay; the great hedge built by the Bucklanders along their eastern border, to protect themselves from the strange things that lived in the Old Forest.
* The Hill
Hobbiton Hill, to the local Hobbits.
The local name for Hobbiton Hill, in which was excavated the smial of Bag End.
* The Hunter
A creature of the Elves’ darkest memories.
A shadowy creature of Elvish legend, said to have plagued the newly-awakened Elves at Cuiviénen. Those Elves captured by the Hunter were thought to have been corrupted by Melkor to form the race of Orcs.
* The Magnificent
A title shared by a dragon and a Hobbit.
A title flatteringly given to Smaug the Dragon of Erebor by Bilbo Baggins. It was also used of Meriadoc Brandybuck after his return from the War of the Ring.
* The Maia
Title given to Melian the Queen of Doriath, who was in origin a Maia of the people of Vána and of Estë.
* The Man-hearted
Emeldir the wife of Barahir.
A title given to Emeldir, who was the wife of Barahir and the mother of Beren Erchamion. After the ruin of the Dagor Bragollach, her husband and son remained in Dorthonion as hunted outlaws, but she led the women and children of her house, including Rían and Morwen, south into Brethil.
* The Mariner
Eärendil the Blessed.
Title given to Eärendil, greatest of voyagers on the sea, in honour of his feat of reaching the Undying Lands and summoning the aid of the Valar at the end of the First Age.
* The Mariner’s Wife
The subtitle to Aldarion and Erendis.
The subtitle of the long tale known as Aldarion and Erendis, one of the few to survive the destruction of Númenor, which tells the story of the mariner King Tar-Aldarion and his Queen Erendis. Tar-Aldarion, the sixth King of Númenor, was a great explorer and adventurer, but the tale is told mainly from the perspective of Erendis, the lonely wife he leaves behind in Númenor while he travels the seas, and who ultimately comes to a tragic end.
* The Marish|Marish
A fertile region in the Eastfarthing of the Shire.
A fertile but boggy farmland region on the western banks of the River Brandywine, in the Eastfarthing of the Shire.
* The Mark|Mark of the Riders
Name among the Rohirrim for their own country. Called also Riddermark, and the Mark of the Riders.
–—
The name among the Rohirrim for their own land.
A shortening of Riddermark, a common name for the land of Rohan among the Rohirrim themselves.
* The Moon|Moon
Telperion’s last flower.
The name among Men for the last flower of Telperion, steered through the heavens by the Maia Tilion to bring light to the Earth after the Darkening of Valinor.
* The Nine
The Rings given by Sauron to Men, and their nine slaves.
A title given to the nine Nazgûl, and also to the Nine Rings through which Sauron controlled them.
* The Old
A title for the longest-lived of Men.
A title of three Men who lived to advanced age: Bëor, Aldor of Rohan and Grimbeorn the son of Beorn.
Apparently the youngest of the three was Grimbeorn, who is reported to have ruled in the Vales of Anduin in the year III 3018. The evidence points strongly to his being born after Bilbo’s visit to his father in III 2941, so his age could be no more than 77 at the time he is called
‘The Old’. He may, of course, have lived longer that this.
Bëor was the first of Men to encounter the Elves, having led his people across the Blue Mountains into Beleriand. He was 49 at the time of that meeting, and died after another forty-four years of service to Finrod Felagund, at the age of 93.
The oldest of the three, though, was Aldor, the third King of Rohan. He lived for more than a century, 101 years to be precise, and ruled the land of the Rohirrim for no less than seventy-five years.
* The One
A title of Eru Ilúvatar, and the literal meaning of ‘Eru’; the ancient being who, through the Music of the Ainur, created the world of Arda.
* The Powers|Powers
The Lords of the West.
A general name for the Valar, and the literal meaning of that term.
* The Prancing Pony|Prancing Pony
The inn of Bree, whose landlord at the time of the War of the Ring was Barliman Butterbur.
* The Renewer
Envinyatar.
The meaning of the name Envinyatar, one of the High-elven titles claimed by Aragorn after the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. It refers to the prophecy - soon to be fulfilled at that time - that he would renew the hope of the Dúnedain by reuniting the Two Kingdoms.
* The Rider
Pursuer of the earliest Elves.
A shadowy creature of Elvish legend, sent by Melkor to trouble the first Elves at Cuiviénen.
* The Ring
Sauron’s One Ring to bind all Rings.
The powerful artefact of Sauron more properly called the One Ring or the Ruling Ring.
The Ring was born out of a plan Sauron devised to enslave the peoples of Middle-earth. He took on the form of a wise adviser, under the name Annatar, and offered great knowledge to the Elves. Many rejected him, but Celebrimbor and the Elves of Eregion accepted his offer, and he schooled them in the making of Rings of Power. At last, Annatar and the Elves made sixteen jewelled Rings that would in time become the Seven Rings of the Dwarves and the Nine Rings of Men.
Now Sauron put his scheme into motion. Returning to his land of Mordor, to the forges of Sammath Naur in the heart of Mount Doom, he began the secret making of another Ring. He filled it with his own power and malice, to wield power over all the other Rings of Power, and bind their wearers to his will.
His plan failed. The Elves, too, had made themselves Rings, so powerful that when Sauron took up his Ruling Ring, they perceived that they were betrayed. Taking off their own Rings, they escaped the trap that Sauron had set for them. In anger, Sauron swept out of Mordor with his armies; Eregion was destroyed, Celebrimbor was slain, and Sauron recovered fifteen of the Rings of Power (the Three Rings of the Elves had been sent into secret hiding, and one of the original sixteen had already been given by Celebrimbor to Durin III of Khazad-dûm).
Under the binding power of the Ring, Sauron subverted nine Men, whose Rings of Power twisted them slowly into wraiths, the Nazgûl, whose only will was Sauron’s. He attempted the same with Dwarves, but they proved resistant to the Rings’ powers, and those of their Rings that were not destroyed the Dark Lord reclaimed. The power of Sauron’s Ruling Ring was such, though, that it wielded power of the wills of lesser beings whether or not they wore another Ring. In Tolkien’s Letters, we’re told that he used it to bring about nothing less than the destruction of Númenor, by twisting the will of its King, Ar-Pharazôn, and his followers.
What Sauron could not have foreseen was that the Downfall of Númenor would ultimately bring about his own destruction, and the loss of his Ring. Nine ships escaped the Downfall and landed in Middle-earth, carrying Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion. Together, they founded great realms in Middle-earth, and allied themselves with Gil-galad and the Elves against Sauron. So began the long War of the Last Alliance, in which Sauron was at last defeated, and his Ring taken by Isildur. But Isildur did not hold the Ring for long. He was set upon by Orcs on the banks of the Great River, and the Ring was lost in its depths, where it would lie for two and a half millennia.
It was found at last by Déagol, a creature of hobbit-kind, and then passed through a strange series of events. No sooner had Déagol recovered it than he was killed by his companion Sméagol, who stole the Ring for himself. Driven out by his family, who gave him the name Gollum, he wandered into the depths beneath the Misty Mountains, and there he lurked for more than five centuries, his life stretched by the power of the Ring. By a twist of fate, he lost it, and it came into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, lost and wandering in the depths where Gollum dwelt.
Bilbo carried it through adventure and battle, eventually bringing it back to the Shire. It passed to his heir Frodo, and at last its identity was discovered by the Wizard Gandalf. Over the centuries, Sauron had recovered much of his strength, and he too learned that the Ring had been found, and discovered that it was held in the Shire. So began the War of the Ring, a desperate race to destroy Sauron’s Ring in the fires of its birth, before its Lord could reclaim it and use its power to enslave the World.
* The Ruler
An ambitious title claimed by Saruman at the end of the Third Age.
* The Seven Stars
The Sickle of the Valar.
–—
“And in answer he sang a song of challenge that he had made in praise of the Seven Stars, the Sickle of the Valar that Varda hung above the North as a sign for the fall of Morgoth.”
(Quenta Silmarillion 19, Of Beren and Lúthien)
–—
One of the many names for the seven-starred constellation that turned, and still turns, through the northern skies every night of the year. To the Elves this was the Valacirca, the Sickle of the Valar that signalled the downfall of Morgoth, but the Men of the Northern lands called it simply ‘The Wain’. The Seven Stars are today known as the Plough, or the Big Dipper.
* The Sheen
A poetic name for the Moon.
A title given to the Moon by the Vanyar, the Light Elves of Valinor, at the time of its creation. The name is a translation of Elvish Isil.
* The Shipwright
Title of Círdan, and the literal translation of his name.
* The Shire|Shire
The chief dwelling-place of Hobbits in the west of Eriador.
–—
The land of Hobbits west of the Brandywine.
At the end of the Third Age, the Shire was the most populous country of the Hobbits in the north of Middle-earth. It was founded in the middle of the Third Age by the Bree-hobbits Marcho and Blanco, and gifted to them and their followers by King Argeleb II of Arthedain, within whose borders the land lay at that time.
The Shire was divided into four farthings, North, South, East and West; its chief town was at Michel Delving on the White Downs, in the Westfarthing. The Mayor of Michel Delving was accounted among the most important of the Shire-hobbits, as was the Thain (the head of the Took family).
The Shire was largely given over to agriculture, and its land was well-suited for farming. One of its chief products was Halflings’ Leaf (tobacco), grown especially in the warmer regions of the Southfarthing.
* The Simple
One of the many scornful titles given to the Wizard Radagast by Saruman, the chief of his order.
* The Smith
Title given to the Vala Aulë, the maker of the Dwarves.
* The Steadfast|Steadfast
A title for heroes among Men.
The meaning of Thalion, the surname of Húrin of Dor-lómin during the First Age. It is also given as a translation of Voronwë, a title given to Mardil the first Ruling Steward of Gondor.
* The Tall
A title for the loftiest of heroes.
A title used of Maedhros the son of Fëanor, Galdor of Dor-lómin and Elendil of Númenor.
* The Unwilling
The Avari, those of the Elves who refused the Great Journey to Valinor and remained wandering in the lands around Cuiviénen.
* The Usurper
The title of Castamir, the deposer of Eldacar.
The title given to Castamir, a descendant of King Calmacil who led a revolt against Gondor’s true King, Eldacar, and usurped his throne. Over the ten years of Castamir’s rule, he proved to be a cruel and heartless King. His reign came to violent end when Eldacar returned from exile at the head of an avenging army.
* The Valiant
A title of Fingon, son of Fingolfin and High King of the Noldor.
* The Wain|Wain
A Mannish name for the Sickle of the Valar.
The name in the northern lands of Middle-earth for the constellation we know today as the Plough or the Big Dipper. In Tolkien’s mythology, these seven stars were set in the sky by Varda in the shape of a mighty sickle, as a warning to Melkor and his underlings. The Men and Hobbits of the northern lands seem to have been ignorant of this, though: they gave these stars the more prosaic name of ‘the Wain’, meaning a wagon or cart.
Other Names: The Sickle of the Valar, Valacirca.
* The Water
The main river of the Shire.
A tributary of the River Brandywine that rose in the Westfarthing of the Shire, and flowed eastward to meet the Brandywine just north of the Brandywine Bridge. Hobbiton and Bywater both stood on this river.
* The Wayward
A title of the Moon.
A Noldorin title for the Moon, from the Elvish Rána, referring to its unpredictable course through the sky.
* The White
The colour of the chief of the Istari.
Title apparently used to denote the head of the Wizards in Middle-earth, originally borne by Saruman, but claimed by Gandalf after his return.
* The White Mountain|White Mountain
A name of Taniquetil.
A name among Men for Taniquetil, the loftiest of all the mountains of the World. It lay on the eastern borders of Valinor, and on its peak stood the halls of Manwë and Varda.
* The Wild
The dangerous lands of Middle-earth.
An untamed, dangerous region of Middle-earth. Its boundaries are somewhat indefinite, but it seems to have been approximately equivalent to the region of Rhovanion.
* The Wise
A title claimed, with some justification, by Saruman the Wizard.
* The Wise (council)|The Wise
The Istari and the greatest Elves of Middle-earth. See White Council.
–—
The deepest in counsel of Wizards and Elves.
The title given to the greatest Elves of Middle-earth and the chief Wizards, who formed the White Council in the Third Age.
* The Wold|Wold
A region of Rohan, the northern part of the Eastemnet.
–—
The northern reaches of Rohan.
The northernmost and least populated part of Rohan, lying between Fangorn Forest and the River Anduin, and bounded to the north by the River Limlight.
* The Wood
The greatest of Middle-earth’s forests.
An occasional name for the great forest of Mirkwood, home to the Beornings in the west and the Wood-elves of Thranduil.
* The Worm
A title of Scatha, the great Long-worm of the Grey Mountains.
* The Wronged
The meaning of Túrin’s alias Neithan.
After the accidental death of Saeros at his hands, Túrin fled the land of Doriath where he had been brought up, and lived for a time among a band of outlaws beyond its western borders. It was Saeros’ taunts of Túrin that had led to his death, and therefore Túrin took a new name among the outlaws, Neithan, meaning ‘The Wronged’.
* The Young
The title of Eorl.
A title most famously given to Eorl son of Léod, who inherited the lordship of the Éothéod while still in his teens, after his father’s early death. This title is also given to Hathaldir, one of the outlaws of Dorthonion led by Barahir.
* Thengel
Father to Théoden of Rohan.
The sixteenth King of Rohan, son of Fengel and father of Théoden Ednew.
In his time, Saruman first pronounced himself Lord of Isengard.
* Théoden Ednew|Théoden|Theoden
Seventeenth King of Rohan, slain in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
–—
Last King of Rohan of the Second Line.
The son of Thengel; the seventeenth King of Rohan and last of the Second Line. He led the Rohirrim at the Battle of the Hornburg, and was slain defending Minas Tirith in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. He was succeeded by his nephew, Éomer.
* Théodred|Theodred
Son of Théoden King of Rohan; slain in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen.
–—
The lost heir of King Théoden.
Only son and heir of King Théoden of Rohan. He was slain in the First Battle of the Fords of Isen during the War of the Ring.
* Théodwyn|Theodwyn
Daughter of Thengel King of Rohan, mother of Éomer and Éowyn.
–—
Daughter, sister and mother of Kings of Rohan.
One of the daughters of King Thengel of Rohan, Théodwyn was the younger sister of Thengel’s only son, Théoden, who succeeded his father as King of Rohan. After the birth of her children Éomer and Éowyn, Théodwyn died of a sickness, and her orphaned children were taken in by their uncle King Théoden to grow up in the royal house at Edoras. On Théoden’s death, his own son Théodred having been slain in battle, the Kingship passed to Théodwyn’s son Éomer.
* Thingol
‘Grey-cloak’, ‘Grey-mantle’ (in Quenya Sindacollo, Singollo), the name by which Elwë (Sindarin Elu), leader with his brother Olwë of the host of the Teleri from Cuiviénen and afterwards King of Doriath, was known in Beleriand; also called the Hidden King. See Elwë, Elu Thingol.
* Thingol’s Heir
A title of Dior.
Eluchíl, a title given to Dior son of Beren, who succeeded his grandfather Elu Thingol for a time as lord of Doriath.
* Third Age
Last of the Elder Days.
The Third Age began a little over four thousand years after the Rising of the Moon in the first year of the First Age. Of the Ages, it is the best known, as the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings took place in its later years.
The Third Age began with the first overthrow of Sauron by the Last Alliance, and was marked by Isildur’s planting of the White Tree in Minas Anor. It ended more than three thousand years later with the destruction of the One Ring, the final end of Sauron, and the passing of the Ringbearers over the Sea.
The history of the Third Age is in large part the history of the Dúnedain in Gondor and Arnor. Though both these realms were founded in the late Second Age, it was during the Third that they grew to their greatest heights, and fell to their lowest depths, before being reunited by Aragorn II Elessar.
–—
Key Events of the Third Age:
- 1: Isildur plants a seedling of the White Tree in Minas Anor. Returning northward to Arnor with the One Ring, he is waylaid by Orcs and slain.
- 490: Gondor is assailed by Men out of the East; the first of many wars with the Easterlings and Southrons.
- 861: Division of Arnor into Arthedain, Rhudaur and Cardolan.
- c.1000: Five Wizards, including Saruman and Gandalf, arrive in the north of Middle-earth.
- 1050: Gondor conquers the Harad, and reaches the height of its power.
Also at about this time, the first Hobbits, wandering west across the Misty Mountains, first appear in records.
- c.1100: The first stirrings of Sauron are felt again in Middle-earth, though they are thought at this time to signal the return of a Nazgûl.
- 1409: The Witch-king of Angmar invades the northern kingdoms.
- 1432: Civil war in Gondor.
- 1601: The foundation of the Shire.
- 1974: The forces of Angmar capture Fornost; the remnant of the North-kingdom is destroyed.
- 1975: Eärnur of Gondor brings a fleet to the north. Too late to save the North-kingdom, he avenges its loss at the Battle of Fornost. Angmar is destroyed.
- 1980: The Dwarves of Moria unleash Durin’s Bane.
- 2002: Capture of Minas Ithil by the Nazgûl. It is renamed Minas Morgul.
- 2050: The last King of Gondor is lost. The Stewards now rule in the King’s name.
- c.2463: Gollum comes upon the One Ring.
- 2510: The Rohirrim ride to the aid of Gondor. They are given the land of Calenardhon (Rohan) to dwell in.
- 2941: Journey of Bilbo Baggins to Erebor with Thorin and Gandalf. The Battle of Five Armies.
- 3019: Destruction of the One Ring and passing of Sauron. Aragorn is crowned King in Gondor, and the North and South Kingdoms are reunited.
- 3021: Departure of the Ring-bearers.
* Third Clan
A name for the Teleri, the third of the three clans of the Elves that made the Great Journey from Cuiviénen.
* Thistle Brook|Thistle
A tributary of the Shirebourn.
A stream of the Eastfarthing of the Shire. It flowed southeast round Woody End and through the village of Willowbottom before its waters emptied into the River Shirebourn.
* Thistlewool Family|Thistlewool
A family of the Men of Bree.
* Thorin I|Thorin
The King who led Durin’s Folk into the Grey Mountains.
Son of Thráin I, and a distant ancestor of Thorin II Oakenshield. He led a great part of Durin’s Folk from Erebor into the Grey Mountains.
* Thorin II Oakenshield|Thorin
Dwarf of the House of Durin, King in exile, leader of the expedition to Erebor; slain in the Battle of Five Armies.
–—
The King who reclaimed Erebor from Smaug.
The King of Durin’s Folk who led his people to reclaim Erebor from Smaug; slain in the Battle of Five Armies.
* Thorin III Stonehelm|Thorin|Stonehelm
King of Durin’s Folk after the Battle of Dale.
The son of Dáin Ironfoot, who succeeded as King of Durin’s Folk after his father’s death in the War of the Ring.
* Thorin and Company
The thirteen Dwarves of the Quest of Erebor.
The thirteen Dwarves who famously travelled into the east of Middle-earth under the leadership of Thorin Oakenshield to seek revenge against Smaug and the recovery of Erebor. Thorin’s company were Balin, Dwalin, Fíli, Kíli, Dori, Nori, Ori, Óin, Glóin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur.
* Thorondir
The twenty-second Ruling Steward of Gondor.
The successor to Belecthor II as Steward of Gondor. When his father died, the White Tree of Minas Tirith also died. Without a seedling to replace it, Thorondir left the Dead Tree standing in hope of the King’s return, though that would not happen for nearly 140 years after his death. His rule was short; he was Steward for just ten years. He was succeeded by his son, who ruled as Túrin II.
* Thorondor|Sorontar
‘King of Eagles’; Lord of the Eagles of the Crissaegrim.
–—
Mightiest of Eagles.
The mightiest Eagle to ever live; lord of the Eagles of the Crissaegrim, and constant ally of Turgon of Gondolin.
The name comes from Quenya Sorontar, meaning ‘eagle-king’
* Thorongil
‘Eagle of the Star’, name of Aragorn in Gondor when he served Ecthelion II.
–—
An early alias of Aragorn.
‘The Eagle of the Star’, an alias taken by Aragorn in his youth, when he journeyed to Rohan and Gondor and performed services to their lords.
* Thousand Caves
Thingol’s carven citadel at Menegroth.
Menegroth, the underground citadel of Thingol that stood on the southern banks of the River Esgalduin in Doriath.
* Thráin I|Thráin|Thrain
Dwarf of the House of Durin, first King under the Mountain.
–—
The King who deserted Khazad-dûm.
A descendant of Durin the Deathless and King of Durin’s Folk, the son of Náin I and father of Thorin I.
* Thráin II|Thráin|Thrain
Dwarf of the House of Durin, King in exile, father of Thorin Oakenshield; died in the dungeons of Dol Guldur.
–—
The father of Thorin Oakenshield.
King of Durin’s Folk in exile, the son of Thrór and father of Thorin II Oakenshield. He escaped Erebor when Smaug descended upon it, but later wandered Middle-earth seeking to return there; he was captured by Sauron and died in the pits of Dol Guldur.
* Thranduil
Sindarin Elf, King of the Silvan Elves in the northern Mirkwood; father of Legolas.
–—
King of the Wood-elves who dwelt in northern Mirkwood; he fought at the Battle of Five Armies, and his son, Legolas, journeyed with the Company of the Ring.
* Three Houses of the Edain
The Elf-friends of the Elder Days.
The Houses of Bëor, Haleth and Hador; the three Houses of Men who remained faithful to the Eldar in the Wars of Beleriand, and were rewarded by the gift of the island of Númenor.
* Three Houses of the Elf-friends
The faithful Edain of the First Age.
The descendants of the Men who crossed into Beleriand in the fourth century of the First Age; the three allied Peoples of Bëor, Marach and Haldad, collectively called the Edain.
* Three Kindreds
The three branches of the Eldar.
The Vanyar, the Noldor and the Teleri; the three hosts of Elves who followed the summons of the Valar and began the Great Journey to Aman.
* Three Rings of the Elves|Three Rings|The Three Nenya, Narya and Vilya; the only three of the Rings of Power to be made wholly outside the influence of Sauron. Their power maintained the realms of the Elves in Middle-earth until the destruction of the Ruling Ring.
* Three-Farthing Stone
The meeting point of three of the Shire’s farthings.
A stone by the side of the East Road that marked the point where the borders of the Eastfarthing, Westfarthing and Southfarthing of the Shire came together. It was also said to mark a point near the centre of the Shire itself. The stone stood about five miles southeast from Bywater, and exactly fourteen miles west from Frogmorton.
The fourth farthing, the Northfarthing, did not meet the others at the Three-Farthing Stone. Instead, its borders met those of the Westfarthing and Eastfarthing about ten miles north of the Stone, though there is no record of a second three-farthing stone to mark this spot.
* Thrihyrne
The peaks above the Hornburg of Rohan.
* Thrimidge
The fifth month of the Shire Calendar, lying between Astron and Forelithe, and approximately equivalent to modern May. In fact, it ran from modern 22 April to 21 May.
* Thrór|Thror
Dwarf of the House of Durin, King under the Mountain at the coming of Smaug, father of Thrain II; killed in Moria by the Orc Azog.
–—
The refounding King under the Mountain.
The eldest son of Dáin I, and King of Durin’s Folk after him. He returned the Kingship to Erebor, and was King under the Mountain when the Lonely Mountain was invaded by Smaug. He died years later in Moria, at the hands of Azog the Goblin.
* Thrór’s Map|Thror’s Map
The map that guided the Quest of Erebor.
A map made by Thrór the King under the Mountain, after he had been exiled from his kingdom by the Dragon Smaug. As was traditional among the Dwarves, it was drawn with East at the top of the map, rather than North, and showed the Lonely Mountain of Erebor, the Running River that flowed from it, and the lands about. It also contained mention of a secret entrance to the Mountain, and (written in secret Moon-letters) instructions as to how it might be opened.
In his old age, Thrór set out to wander the lands of Middle-earth, but before departing he gave the heirlooms of his house to his son Thráin, including his Map. Years later, Thráin too set out into Middle-earth, seeking to recover Erebor himself, and taking with him the Map to guide his way. He was captured in the Wild by the servants of Sauron, but Sauron captured Thráin for the Ring of Power he bore, and so overlooked the Map he carried too. This proved to be a serious oversight, because Gandalf secretly entered Sauron’s lair at Dol Guldur while Thráin was a prisoner there, and managed to escape with the Map and the key that opened the secret door.
Using Thrór’s Map, his grandson Thorin was able to lead a small group of Dwarves (and one Hobbit, a certain Bilbo Baggins) on his own quest to refound the ancient Dwarf-realm. Through many adventures, they were able to recover Erebor and bring about the destruction of Smaug, dealing Sauron a serious reverse.
* Thrushes|Thrush
Large speckled brown birds with a special fondness for snails, whose shells they remove by breaking them against stones. A thrush of Erebor was instrumental in the downfall of Smaug.
* Thurin
Name given to Túrin in Nargothrond by Finduilas; translated ‘the Secret’.
* Thuringwëthil|Thuringwethil
‘Woman of Secret Shadow’, the messenger of Sauron from Tol-in-Gaurhoth who took the form of a great bat, and in whose shape Lúthien entered Angband.
–—
The ‘Woman of Secret Shadow’.
Sauron’s vampire messenger, bat-winged and iron-clawed, in whose form Lúthien came to Angband on the Quest of the Silmaril.
* Tighfield
The home of Sam Gamgee’s ancestors.
A village or town located somewhere in the Shire, though its exact location is not known. It is important to history as the home of many of Sam Gamgee’s ancestors. His great-great-grandfather Wiseman Gamwich came to Tighfield about two hundred years before the War of the Ring, and Wiseman’s son Hob Gammidge is recorded as a roper, one of a long line of Tighfield rope-makers. Hob’s grandson was Hamfast Gamgee, Sam’s father, who left Tighfield for Hobbiton, to start a new life as a gardener.
Tighfield’s name probably descends from an old word for a common field or pasture, and this fits well with the fact that there seem to have been fairs held there. Indeed, Hob’s son Hobson, and in turn his son Andwise, were said to have often shown off their skills in a rope-walk there. The Shire-hobbits loved punning place-names, though, and the fact that Tighfield was associated with ropes and roping is perhaps more than coincidence.
* Tilion
A Maia, steersman of the Moon.
–—
The steersman of the Moon.
Originally a hunter of Oromë’s people, famed for his silver bow. After the Darkening of Valinor, Tilion was chosen by the Valar to become the pilot of the Moon. Now he steers the last flower of Telperion across the sky, though sometimes by uncertain paths.
* Timeless Halls
The dwelling place of Ilúvatar, beyond the confines of the universe, where the Ainur were given being, and where the Valar and Maiar dwelt before their descent into Arda.
* Tindómë|Tindome
The twilight before the rising of the Sun.
A Quenya name for the twilight of dawn, called minuial in Sindarin.
* Tindómiel|Tindomiel
The daughter of Elros Tar-Minyatur.
The second child, and only daughter, of Elros Tar-Minyatur the first King of Númenor. Aside from her name, which means ‘daughter of twilight’, we know almost nothing of her. Her only mention in records is a single appearance in a genealogical chart showing the early descendants of her father, where she is shown beside her brothers Vardamir, Manwendil and Atanalcar.
* Tindrock
The steep-sided isle of Nen Hithoel.
The Mannish name for the steep, rocky island that stood at the southern end of Nen Hithoel, above the Falls of Rauros. The Elves called the island Tol Brandir (‘tall island’) but the name Tindrock has slightly different origins. In Old English a tind is a sharp point, so the Tindrock was the ‘pointed rock’.
The tall point of the Tindrock stood up between two hills, one on either of the shores of Nen Hithoel: Amon Hen to the west and Amon Lhaw to the east. In the great days of Gondor, these hills were important watch-posts at its northern borders. The island of the Tindrock, though, had never been visited by Men, or so the legends said.
* Tintallë|Tintalle
‘The Kindler’, a name of Varda as maker of the Stars. See Elbereth, Elentári.
–—
‘The Kindler’, a title given to Varda Elentári after she kindled the brighter stars with the dews of Telperion.
* Tinúviel|Tinuviel
The name that Beren gave to Lúthien: a poetic word for the nightingale,
‘Daughter of Twilight’. See Lúthien.
–—
Beren’s name for Lúthien.
‘Nightingale’, the name given to Lúthien of Doriath by Beren when he first saw her dancing in the forest.
* Tirion
‘Great Watch-tower’, the city of the Elves on the hill of Túna in Aman.
–—
The city of the Elves in Aman.
The city of the Elves in Aman, built on the hill of Túna. Originally shared by the Vanyar and the Noldor, the Vanyar later departed to dwell beneath Manwë’s halls on Taniquetil.
* Tobold ‘Old Toby’ Hornblower|Tobold Hornblower The first Shire-hobbit to grow pipe-weed.
A famous Hobbit of Longbottom in the South-farthing of the Shire. In his younger days, Tobold was something of a traveller, and made the eastward journey to Bree on several occasions. It was there, it is generally supposed, that he came across the cultivation and smoking of pipe-weed.
Tobold must have collected some of these plants and brought them back to his own garden in Longbottom. (At least, this is the most likely version of events - Tobold himself remained silent on the matter).
The Southfarthing seems to have been ideal for the growing of pipe-weed, and it became one the Shire’s most important industries. Among the different varieties that were developed, one was named ‘Old Toby’ in honour of Tobold its first grower.
* Tol Brandir
The island known as the Tindrock.
The tall, sheer-sided isle that stood in the River Anduin between the hills of Amon Hen and Amon Lhaw, above the Falls of Rauros.
* Tol Eressëa|Tol Eressea|Eressëa|Eressea
‘The Lonely Isle’ (also simply Eressëa), on which the Vanyar and the Noldor and afterwards the Teleri were drawn across the ocean by Ulmo, and which was at last rooted in the Bay of Eldamar near to the coasts of Aman. On Eressëa the Teleri long remained before they went to Alqualondë; and there dwelt many of the Noldor and the Sindar after the ending of the First Age.
–—
The Lonely Isle.
The Lonely Isle of the Elves of Aman, on which Ulmo brought the Elves to Valinor long ages before the rising of the Sun and Moon, and on which many still dwell within sight of the Blessed Realm.
* Tol Falas|Tolfalas
Island in the Bay of Belfalas close to Ethir Anduin.
–—
The island at the Mouths of Anduin.
A large island, also named in the form Tolfalas, that stood beyond the Ethir Anduin in the Bay of Belfalas. Its sharp southern cape was traditionally considered as marking the southernmost point of Gondor proper.
* Tol Fuin
The remnant of Taur-nu-Fuin.
When the waves consumed Beleriand and the regions around it after the War of Wrath, not all of the western lands were lost. The highlands that had been Dorthonion, and came to be called Taur-nu-Fuin, in part survived the inrush of the sea, and remained as an island far off the western coasts of Forlindon.
* Tol Galen
‘The Green Isle’ in the river Adurant in Ossiriand, where Beren and Lúthien dwelt after their return.
–—
The river-isle where Beren and Lúthien lived out their days.
The green isle that lay between two arms of the River Adurant in the south of Ossiriand. There Beren and Lúthien lived out their mortal lives.
* Tol Morwen
Island in the sea after the drowning of Beleriand on which stood the memorial stone of Túrin, Nienor, and Morwen.
–—
A survivor of the wreck of Beleriand.
An island that stood off the coasts of Middle-earth after the drowning of Beleriand at the end of the First Age. It was the site of the Stone of the Hapless and the grave of Morwen Eledhwen, hence its name.
* Tol Sirion
Island in the river in the Pass of Sirion on which Finrod built the tower of Minas Tirith; after its capture by Sauron named Tol-in-Gaurhoth.
–—
The island where the first Minas Tirith stood.
The island on the upper reaches of the River Sirion where Finrod Felagund built the tower of Minas Tirith, renamed Tol-in-Gaurhoth after its capture by Sauron.
* Tol Uinen
Island in the Bay of Rómenna on the east coast of Númenor.
* Tol-in-Gaurhoth
‘Isle of Werewolves’, later name of Tol Sirion, after its capture by Sauron.
–—
The Isle of Werewolves; the name given the island in the upper reaches of the Sirion where Finrod built Minas Tirith, after its capture by Sauron.
* Tolman ‘Tom’ Cotton (junior)|Tolman ‘Tom’ Cotton|Tolman Cotton The son and namesake of the Tolman Cotton who helped rally the Shire-hobbits after the return of the Travellers. He married Sam Gamgee’s youngest sister, Marigold.
* Tolman ‘Tom’ Cotton (senior)|Tolman ‘Tom’ Cotton|Tolman Cotton A respected Hobbit of the Shire, who played an important part in rallying the Shire-hobbits during the last days of the War of the Ring. He became Sam Gamgee’s father-in-law through his daughter Rose.
* Tolman Gardner
Thirteenth and youngest child of Samwise Gamgee and Rose Cotton; named for his grandfather, Tolman Cotton.
* Tom
One of the three Trolls that captured Bilbo and the Dwarves. Tricked by Gandalf, he was turned to stone by the light of the Sun.
* Tom Bombadil
The Master.
A mysterious and powerful being, called by the Elves Iarwain Ben-adar (Oldest and Fatherless), who dwelt in the valley of the Withywindle, east of the Shire.
* Tomb of Elendil
The secret of the Halifirien.
The tomb of the first King of Arnor and of Gondor. Its location was a secret kept for many centuries, but it was later discovered to be atop the mountain known as the Halifirien, on the borders of Gondor and Rohan.
* Took Family|Took
Name of a family of Hobbits in the Westfarthing of the Shire.
–—
Hereditary Thains of the Shire.
An old family of the Shire, who farmed the lands around Tuckborough in the Westfarthing. The head of the Took family was the hereditary Thain of the Shire from the time of Isumbras I.
* Tookbank
A small village in the Tookland, in the Westfarthing of the Shire, not far from the larger township of Tuckborough.
* Tookland
The ancestral lands of the Shire-thains.
A wide region of the Shire’s Westfarthing that was the historical province of the Took clan, and so of the hereditary Thains of the Shire.
The Tookland lay to the south of the East Road, with its chief and central township at Tuckborough in the Green Hills. There, burrowed into the hillsides, was the famous and historic home of the Tooks, Great Smials. Somewhat to the west of Tuckborough lay the smaller of the Tookland’s main settlements, Tookbank.
* Torog
The Elves’ name for those of troll-kind.
The Sindarin word that Tolkien normally renders as ‘troll’ in his works.
The derivation of this word is uncertain - it may be derived from older Elvish words or perhaps imitates olog, which seems to be the comparative term in the Black Speech.
* Tower Hills
The Emyn Beraid west of the Shire.
A name for the Emyn Beraid, the hills west of the Shire, home of three ancient Elf-towers that were home to the Elendil Stone, the last of the palantíri of the North.
* Tower of Amon Sûl|Tower of Amon Sul
An ancient stronghold of Arnor.
A tower built by Elendil in the founding years of Arnor, to hold one of the North-kingdom’s three palantíri. It stood on the hill known as Amon Sûl or Weathertop, which at that time lay in the central parts of Elendil’s northern domains. The later breakup of Arnor, though, left the Tower in exposed borderlands, and it was eventually destroyed by the invading armies of Angmar.
* Tower of Avallónë|Tower of Avallone
The tower of the Elf-haven of Tol Eressëa.
The great tower of the haven of Avallónë on Tol Eressëa; said to be the first sight a mariner sees when approaching the Undying Lands.
* Tower of Cirith Ungol
A guard-tower of Mordor’s western borders.
Originally a watchtower of Gondor guarding the main pass over the Ephel Dúath, the Tower was captured by the forces of Sauron and held by Orcs in the later Third Age.
* Tower of Ecthelion
The White Tower at the peak of Minas Tirith.
–—
“… the Tower of Ecthelion, standing high within the topmost walls, shone out against the sky, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver, tall and fair and shapely, and its pinnacle glittered as if it were wrought of crystals…”
(The Return of the King V 1, Minas Tirith)
–—
Though a White Tower had graced the highest point of Minas Tirith since ancient times, it was rebuilt by Steward Ecthelion I some three centuries before the War of the Ring, and so gained his name. The Tower of Ecthelion was used to bear the standard of the City, and - at least during the last years of the Third Age - held the palantír known as the Anor-stone.
* Tower of Guard
A name for Minas Tirith.
A name for the Gondorian fortress-city of Minas Tirith in the later Third Age, and the literal meaning of its name.
* Tower of Sorcery
A dark name for Minas Morgul.
A title of Minas Morgul, and an approximate translation of that name.
* Tower of the King
Turgon’s great tower in Gondolin.
The tower of King Turgon of Gondolin; in its fountain-filled courts stood images of the Two Trees of Valinor made by Turgon himself.
* Tower of the Moon
The tower of Minas Ithil.
Name, and literal translation, of Minas Ithil, the fortress built as a guard on the eastern borders of Gondor.
* Tower of the Rising Moon
Minas Ithil beneath the Ephel Dúath.
A poetic name given to Minas Ithil, emphasising its position on the far eastern borders of the realm of Gondor.
* Tower of the Setting Sun|Tower of the Sun A name for Minas Anor.
The great tower built beneath Mount Mindolluin, west of the River Anduin, in the earliest days of Gondor. Its position west of the River, compared with Isildur’s tower of Minas Ithil in the east, is the reason for its association with the ‘Setting’ Sun.
Historically, It was the tower of Anárion the son of Elendil, and over the centuries it came to replace Osgiliath as the seat of the Kings of Gondor. A thousand years before the War of the Ring, Minas Ithil was captured by the Nazgûl, and the Tower of the Setting Sun became the Tower of Guard, Minas Tirith. With its new name, the city remained a barrier to the forces of Mordor throughout the next millennium.
* Towers of the Teeth
The watchtowers east and west of the Morannon.
–—
The twin guardians of Mordor.
At the northwest corner of Mordor, the Ephel Dúath and the Ered Lithui came together at the Haunted Pass of Cirith Gorgor, and formed a gateway into that dark land. In the early days of Gondor, after Sauron’s first defeat, the Gondorians built two watchtowers at the entrance to the pass, to guard Mordor and prevent the return of Sauron’s servants. They failed, and the watchtowers fell under the control of the Red Eye. They became known as Carchost and Narchost, the Towers of the Teeth.
* Translations from the Elvish
The beginnings of the Silmarillion.
Three volumes written by Bilbo Baggins in Rivendell that formed the basis for the collection of tales known as the The Silmarillion.
* Travellers
The four Hobbits of the Company of the Ring.
The name in the Shire for the four Hobbits who travelled with the Company of the Ring; Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck.
* Treebeard
Fangorn of Fangorn Forest.
The Westron name of Fangorn, eldest of the Ents of Fangorn Forest, and a literal translation of that Elvish name.
* Trees of Silver and Gold
A rare name for the Two Trees of Valinor, Telperion (the Tree of Silver) and Laurelin (the Tree of Gold).
* Trolls|Troll
Hulking Monsters of the Dark.
Lumbering evil creatures originated by Melkor, and said to have been made by him ‘in mockery of the Ents’.
* Trollshaws
The troll-woods west of Rivendell.
The upland woods, consisting at least partly of beech trees, that lay to the west of Rivendell between the Rivers Hoarwell and Loudwater. They were the haunt of Trolls, three of which famously waylayed Bilbo and his companions during the Quest of Erebor.
* Tuckborough
An old and important settlement in the Westfarthing of the Shire. It was the location of Great Smials, the ancestral seat of the Took clan, the hereditary Thains of the Shire.
* Tuilë|Tuile
The first season (‘spring’) in the loa.
–—
The Quenya name for spring.
The first season of the Elves’ year, lasting fifty-four days and covering the period between modern 8 April and 31 May. Tuilë was the Quenya word for this season; the Sindar called it Ethuil.
* Tuilérë|Tuilere
One of several feast-days that appeared in the calendars of Gondor, Tuilérë lay between the months of Súlimë and Víressë, and marked the beginning of spring. On a modern calendar, it fell on 23 March.
* Tulkas
A Vala, the ‘greatest in strength and deeds of prowess’, who came last to Arda; also called Astaldo.
–—
Strongest of the Valar.
The last of the Valar to descend into Arda, and the most warlike; he did battle with Melkor in the years when the World was young.
* Tumhalad
Valley in West Beleriand between the rivers Ginglith and Narog, where the host of Nargothrond was defeated.
–—
A field to the north of Nargothrond.
A field on the western banks of the Narog, bounded by Narog’s tributary, the Ginglith. It is famous as the site of the last desperate defence of Nargothrond against the onslaught of Glaurung, a hopeless battle in which the Elf-lord Orodreth was slain.
* Tumladen (Gondolin)|Tumladen
‘The Wide Valley’, the hidden vale in the Encircling Mountains in the midst of which stood the city of Gondolin.
–—
The valley of Gondolin.
The hidden valley among the Encircling Mountains discovered by Turgon under the guidance of Ulmo, in which he founded the city of Gondolin.
* Tumladen (Gondor)|Tumladen
A valley in Gondor.
* Tumunzahar
A Dwarf-city of the Blue Mountains.
The Dwarvish name for Nogrod, the citadel of the Dwarves that lay in the Blue Mountains to the south of Mount Dolmed.
* Túna|Tuna
The green hill in the Calacirya on which Tirion, the city of the Elves, was built.
–—
The hill on which Tirion stood.
The hill in Aman where the Vanyar and the Noldor founded their fair city of Tirion.
* Tunnelly
A common family name among the Bree-hobbits.
* Tuor
Son of Huor and Rían, fostered by the Grey-elves of Mithrim; with Voronwë came to Gondolin bearing the message of Ulmo; wedded Idril Turgon’s daughter, and with her and their son Eärendil escaped from the destruction of the City; in his ship Eärrámë set sail into the West.
–—
The messenger of Ulmo.
The son of Huor and cousin to Túrin Turambar, Tuor is renowned as the father of Eärendil the Mariner. In his youth, Tuor journeyed into Nevrast, and there spoke with the Vala Ulmo. Ulmo sent him as messenger to Turgon in Gondolin. Dwelling there, he wedded Turgon’s daughter Idril, who gave birth to Eärendil. After the Fall of Gondolin, he dwelt with the Exiles at the Mouths of Sirion for a time, but feeling old age coming upon him, he built the great ship Eärrámë and sailed into the West with Idril.
* Tûr Haretha|Tur Haretha
The burial-mound of the Lady Haleth in the Forest of Brethil (see Haudh-en-Arwen).
* Turambar
The last name taken by Túrin, during his days in the Forest of Brethil.
Translated ‘Master of Doom’, and by Túrin himself ‘Master of the Dark Shadow’.
–—
The surname of Túrin.
A title meaning ‘Master of Doom’, taken by Túrin son of Húrin in defiance of the curse placed upon his family by Morgoth.
* Turambar (King of Gondor)
The ninth King of the South-kingdom.
The heir of King Rómendacil I, who succeeded to the throne of Gondor after the violent death of his father at the hands of the Easterlings.
Turambar sought vengeance for his father’s death, and succeeded brilliantly. We are told that he not only avenged the loss of Rómendacil, but carried his conquests into the lands of the Easterlings themselves, winning much new territory for his Kingdom.
Due to his father’s untimely loss, Turambar came early to Gondor’s throne. His rule lasted longer than a century, and was the longer by far than that of any preceding Gondorian monarch since that of his ancestor Meneldil.
Turambar ruled Gondor for one hundred and twenty-six years, and was succeeded by his son, who became Atanatar I.
* Turgon
The second son of Fingolfin; dwelt at Vinyamar in Nevrast before he departed in secret to Gondolin, which he ruled until his death in the sack of the city; father of Idril the mother of Eärendil. Called the Wise, and the Hidden King.
–—
King of the Hidden City of Gondolin.
The second son of Fingolfin and younger brother to Fingon, Turgon ruled in Nevrast until Ulmo led him to the hidden valley of Tumladen, where he founded and ruled the city of Gondolin.
* Túrin I (Steward of Gondor)|Túrin I|Túrin|Turin The sixth Ruling Steward of Gondor, who succeeded his father Húrin I to the Stewardship. Like his father, Túrin was named for a great hero of the First Age, and this seems to have become a trend in the House of the Stewards after his time. For five generations after Túrin, starting with his son Hador, his descendants were named for Elves or Men of the First Age.
Túrin ruled Gondor during the time known as the Watchful Peace, during which Sauron had withdrawn into the east and did not trouble the western lands of Middle-earth. Hence, his time as Steward was rather uneventful in historical terms.
Túrin ruled as Steward for thirty-four years, and was succeeded by his son Hador.
* Túrin II (Steward of Gondor)|Túrin II|Túrin|Turin The twenty-third Ruling Steward of Gondor, the son of Thorondir, and great-grandfather of Denethor II. He is most famous for his defeat of an army of the Haradrim at the Crossings of Poros, with the aid of King Folcwine of Rohan.
* Túrin Turambar|Túrin|Turin
Son of Húrin and Morwen; chief subject of the lay named Narn i Hîn Húrin from which Chapter XXI of ‘The Silmarillion’ was derived. For his other names see Neithan, Gorthol, Agarwaen, Mormegil, Wildman of the Woods, Turambar, Thurin.
–—
Doomed son of Húrin Thalion.
The most tragic of Tolkien’s heroes, Túrin, son of Húrin Thalion and cousin to Tuor, was in his time the most feared of Men by the servants of Morgoth. He did great service to both Doriath and Nargothrond, and is famed for slaying Glaurung, Father of Dragons, but the curse of Morgoth was on him, and evil followed him always. In the Forest of Brethil he came upon his own sister, but through the spells of Glaurung they did not know each other, and wed. After Nienor discovered the truth, she threw herself to her death, and in despair Túrin fell upon his own sword.
* Turnips|Turnip
Root vegetables that seem to have formed part of the diet of the Hobbits of the Shire. At least, they were well known to Sam Gamgee the gardener.
* Turuphanto
Translated ‘Wooden Whale’, name given to Aldarion’s ship Hirilondë while it was building.
–—
A name meaning ‘Wooden Whale’ given to the gigantic ship, built by Aldarion, that was more properly known as Hirilondë.
* Twilight Meres
The shaded waterways of the Aelin-uial.
The Aelin-uial, the maze of marshes and lakes that formed where the Aros met the Sirion on the borders of Doriath.
* Twilit Meres
The pools of the Aelin-uial.
A rare name for the wetland region more commonly called the Aelin-uial or the Twilight Meres.
* Two Captains
Túrin Turambar and Beleg Strongbow.
The two great warriors of the First Age who together led the outlaws of Dor-Cúarthol, the Land of Bow and Helm. They were a menace to Morgoth’s forces for a time, until he assaulted and overwhelmed their chief stronghold at Bar-en-Danwedh.
* Two Kindreds
Elves and Men.
* Two Kingdoms
The Kingdoms of the Dúnedain.
Arnor and Gondor, the twin Kingdoms founded before the beginning of the Third Age by Elendil and his sons Isildur and Anárion. The Kingdoms, and especially the South-kingdom of Gondor, came to dominate the history of that Age.
* Two Trees of the Valar
Telperion and Laurelin.
An occasional term for the Two Trees of Valinor, made for the Valar by Yavanna and Nienna.
* Two Trees of Valinor
The Trees of Silver and Gold.
Telperion and Laurelin, the Silver Tree and the Gold that brought light to the Land of the Valar in ancient times. The were destroyed by Melkor and Ungoliant, but their last flower and fruit were made by the Valar into the Moon and the Sun.
* Tyeller|Tyellë|Tyelle
The six grades of the Tengwar.
The six ‘grades’ used to indicate modifications to a basic sound in Tengwar. For example, where the first tyellë referred to the basic ‘t’
sound - the tengwa known as tinco - the other five tyeller would represent modifications of this basic sound. In this case - the sequence known as the tincotéma - the next three tyeller would typically represent the sounds ‘d’, ‘th’, ‘dh’, while the meanings of the last two would vary according to the particular system in use.
* Tyelpétema|Tyelpetema
The ‘Silver-series’.
One of the five témar or sound-series of the tengwar as used to represent the sounds of the Quenya language.
The tyelpetéma appears to have been unique; while each of the other four series consisted of a set of six individual ‘letters’, the palatal sounds of the tyelpetéma were formed by adding a mark of two dots beneath another character, as in the example above3. This is the equivalent of adding a ‘y’ after the letter in English to form a single distinct consonant sound. To use Tolkien’s own example from Appendix E to The Lord of the Rings, the sound ‘ty’ here has the same sound as the initial consonant in the (British pronunciation of) the English word ‘tune’ -
something close to, but distinct from, ‘ch’.
* Tyrn Gorthad
Sindarin name of the Barrow-downs.
–—
The Barrow-downs.
The downlands east of the Old Forest, a region that had been used as the burial grounds of Men from time immemorial. The first graves were cut there, it is said, before the ancestors of the Edain set out across the Blue Mountains into Beleriand, nearly seven thousand years before the War of the Ring.
The tradition of the Barrow-downs was carried on by the descendants of these early Men, and there is evidence that the burial chambers were used for at least the princes of Cardolan, in whose realm they came to lie many millennia after their first use.
At the height of the kingdom of Angmar, its lord the Witch-king sent out evil spirits to dwell among the barrows of Tyrn Gorthad, and it became a haunted place, shunned alike by the Men and Hobbits who lived nearby.
* Udûn (fortress)|Udûn|Udun
Melkor’s ancient fortress in the far north of the World.
–—
“The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow!”
(Words of Gandalf, from The Fellowship of the Ring II 5, The Bridge of Khazad-dûm)
–—
The Sindarin name of Utumno, the fortress of Melkor in the far north of the World. It was the first and greatest of Melkor’s citadels, delved in the earliest days, the home to hosts of demons and monsters. From Udûn, Melkor troubled the world for millennia. From there, he destroyed the Lamps of the Valar, so that Powers left Almaren, their dwelling-place in Middle-earth, and removed into the West. At the time of the awakening of the Elves, though, the Valar attacked Udûn in full force, and destroyed it utterly, carrying its master back to Valinor as their prisoner.
The name Udûn is much less common as a name for Melkor’s fortress than the equivalent Utumno. In The Lord of the Rings it appears just once, in Gandalf’s quote given above. It survived, though, as a name for the northern valley of Mordor that lay behind the Morannon. No doubt Sauron chose this name in memory of his ancient master’s greatest stronghold.
* Udûn (valley)|Udûn|Udun
The valley behind the Gates of Mordor.
The deep valley in the northwest of Mordor, formed at the meeting of the Ered Lithui and the Ephel Dúath, whose northern entrance was guarded by the Morannon.
* Ufthak
A victim of Shelob.
An Orc in the service of the Tower of Cirith Ungol, under the command of Shagrat. He was captured, poisoned and (presumably) eaten by Shelob, since his fellow Orcs made no attempt to rescue him.
* Uglúk|Ugluk
One of Saruman’s Uruk-hai.
An Uruk in the service of Saruman, the leader of the orc-band that captured Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took at Parth Galen.
* Uinen
The Lady of the Seas.
A Maia, the spouse of Ossë, called the Lady of the Seas. Her hair is said to spread through the waters of all the world’s oceans.
* Uinendili
‘Lovers of Uinen’, name given to the Númenórean Guild of Venturers.
–—
The Venturers of Númenor.
‘The devotees of Uinen’, a name taken by members of the Guild of Venturers in Númenor.
* Uinéniel|Uineniel
‘Daughter of Uinen’, name given to Erendis by Valandil Lord of Andúnië.
–—
A title, meaning ‘Daughter of Uinen’ given by Aldarion to Erendis, in the days when he was seeking her hand in marriage.
* Úlairi|Ulairi|Úlair|Ulair
A name for the Ringwraiths.
The rarely used Elvish name for the creatures of darkness more commonly called Nazgûl or Ringwraiths.
* Ulbar
Númenórean, a shepherd in the service of Hallatan of Hyarastorni who became a mariner of Tar-Aldarion.
* Uldor the Accursed|Uldor
Called ‘the Accursed’; son of Ulfang the Black; a leader of the Easterlings who was slain by Maglor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
–—
Youngest son of Ulfang the Black, who betrayed the Sons of Fëanor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. He was slain in that great battle by Maglor.
* Ulfang the Black|Ulfang
Called the Black; a chieftain of the Easterlings, who with his three sons followed Caranthir, and proved faithless in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
–—
Betrayer of the Sons of Fëanor.
The treacherous Easterling who followed the banner of Caranthir to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, but granted Morgoth the victory when he turned suddenly against the Sons of Fëanor.
* Ulfast
Son of Ulfang the Black, slain by the sons of Bor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
–—
The treacherous son of Ulfang, who professed to follow Caranthir, but who turned on the Sons of Fëanor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, and so brought about their defeat.
* Ulmo|Dweler in the Deep|Dweller of the Deep A Vala, one of the Aratar, called Lord of Waters and King of the Sea, The name was interpreted by the Eldar to mean ‘The Pourer’ or ‘The Rainer’.
–—
The Lord of Waters.
Lord of the Seas and one of the greatest of the Valar; in the dark days of the First Age, he kept watch on Elves and Men while the others of his order remained in Valinor. He is famed for bringing Tuor to Gondolin, and so ultimately bringing about the downfall of Morgoth in the War of Wrath.
* Ulrad
A member of the outlaw-band (Gaurwaith) that Túrin joined.
–—
An outlaw of the Gaurwaith.
A member of the outlaw band that Túrin joined, and ultimately led, after his self-imposed exile from Doriath. Ulrad travelled with the other outlaws to Bar-en-Danwedh. His fate is not known for certain, but he was likely lost in that stronghold when it was overcome by Orcs.
* Ulumúri|Ulumuri
The great horns of Ulmo made by the Maia Salmar.
* Ulwarth
Son of Ulfang the Black, slain by the sons of Bor in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
–—
Ulfang’s son, who went with the Sons of Fëanor to the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
He was faithless, and turned against his allies in the heat of the battle, granting Morgoth the victory.
* Úmanyar|Umanyar|Úmanya|Umanya
Name given to those Elves who went on the westward Journey from Cuiviénen but did not reach Aman: ‘Those not of Aman’, beside Amanyar ‘Those of Aman’.
–—
The Elves not of Aman.
The Elves who never came to Aman; a general term including not only the Avari, but also the Elves of the Great Journey who remained in Middle-earth, the Sindar and the Nandor.
* Umarth
‘Ill-fate’, a fictitious name for his father given out by Túrin in Nargothrond.
* Umbar
Great natural haven and fortress of the Númenóreans south of the Bay of Belfalas; held for most of the Third Age by Men of diverse origin hostile to Gondor, known as the Corsairs of Umbar.
–—
The great haven far to the south of Gondor.
A cape in the far south of Middle-earth, long held by Black Númenóreans, but conquered by Gondor for a time during the Third Age.
* Umbardacil
The title taken by King Telumehtar.
In the early years of Telumehtar’s reign over Gondor, his country’s coasts were still prey to assaults from the Corsairs of Umbar, under the command of the descendants of Castamir. Telumehtar resolved to put an end to these attacks, and in III 1810 marshalled an assault of his own. In a great victory, the Corsairs were driven out of Umbar, which was captured for Gondor, and Telumehtar added the title Umbardacil, ‘Victor over Umbar’, to his name. Umbar was held by Gondor throughout Telumehtar’s reign, but was lost soon after his death.
* Undeeps
The two great westward bends of Anduin, called the North and South Undeeps, between the Brown Lands and the Wood of Rohan.
–—
The meanderings of the Great River.
The two great westward loops made by the River Anduin as it flowed past the Field of Celebrant and the Wold.
* Underhill
The hamlet under Hobbiton Hill.
The part of Hobbiton that lay directly beneath Hobbiton Hill. Its most famous smial was within the Hill itself; Bag End.
* Underhill Family|Underhill
A common family name among the Bree-hobbits, who lived in the village of Staddle on the east side of the Bree-hill.
* Underking
An office of Rohan. In time of war, its holder either ruled the realm in the King’s absence with the army, or took command in the field if for any reason the King remained at home. In peace the office was only filled when the King because of sickness or old age deputed his authority; the holder was then naturally the Heir to the throne, if he was a man of sufficient age.
* Undómiel|Undomiel
‘Evenstar’.
Title and surname of Arwen, Queen to Aragorn II Elessar. It usually given in its translated form, Evenstar.
* Undying Lands|Deathless Lands
Aman and Eressëa; also called the Deathless Lands.
–—
The lands beyond the Great Sea.
A name of Aman, or at least that part of it inhabited by the Valar, Maiar and Elves. The island of Tol Eressëa is several times identified as the easternmost of the Undying Lands, and, at the least, Valinor must also be included.
‘Undying Lands’ seems to be a name that originated among Men. The Númenóreans, especially, envied the seemingly endless life of those who lived in the Undying Lands. From the first, the Valar placed a Ban on the Men of Númenor, that they should not sail into the West from their island, or set foot on the shores of Aman.
Wise as the Valar were, though, they did not foresee the wiles of Sauron. This great Maia falsely persuaded the last King of Númenor, Ar-Pharazôn, that the ruler of the Undying Lands would be undying himself.
Believing Sauron, Ar-Pharazôn assembled a great navy and sailed westward to make hopeless war on the Valar for the imagined prize of endless life.
The Valar could not permit this: Manwë called upon Ilúvatar, and the land of Númenor was destroyed and lost forever. The Undying Lands, which until that time had been part of the world, were removed forever from the reach of Mortal Men, though the Elves could still sail West and come there, if they would.
It is to the Undying Lands that the white ships sails at the end of The Lord of the Rings. The Ring-bearers, Bilbo and Frodo, were the first mortal beings to set foot on the shores of the Undying Lands. Tolkien is careful to point out, though, that even in Aman, mortals remain mortal.
* Undying Realm
The lands of the Uttermost West.
The lands of Aman in the West of the World where the High Elves lived, and especially Valinor, the golden land of the immortal Valar.
* Úner|Uner
‘Noman’.
* Ungoliant
The great Spider, destroyer with Melkor of the Trees of Valinor. Shelob in The Lord of the Rings was ‘the last child of Ungoliant to trouble the unhappy world’.
–—
Ancient ally of Melkor.
The evil creature of spider-form who was Melkor’s accomplice in the Darkening of Valinor, and who fled with him to Middle-earth. The creatures that infested the Ered Gorgoroth were her offspring and descendants, as was Shelob who dwelt on the borders of Mordor.
The name means ‘Gloomweaver’.
* Union of Maedhros
The league formed by Maedhros to defeat Morgoth that ended in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
–—
The alliance of the Noldor.
The short-lived alliance of the Sons of Fëanor with the Elves of the Houses of Fingolfin and Finarfin, formed after the Dagor Bragollach and destroyed in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
* Unnumbered Tears
The Nirnaeth Arnoediad, the great battle in the late First Age in which the last hope of Elves and Men for the defeat of Morgoth was swept away.
* Úrimë|Urimë|Urime
The eighth month of the year, according to the Stewards’ Reckoning of Gondor, following Cermië, and preceding Yavannië. On a modern calendar, Urimë ran between 23 July and 21 August, in a normal year.
* Urthel
One of the twelve companions of Barahir on Dorthonion.
* Uruk-hai
The great soldier-Orcs of the later Third Age.
The great soldier-orcs that first appeared in the late Third Age; they were larger and stronger than their forebears, and could withstand the light of the sun.
* Uruks|Uruk
Anglicized form of Uruk-hai of the Black Speech; a race of Orcs of great size and strength.
–—
The soldier-Orcs of the later Third Age.
A term for the large soldiers more fully referred to as Uruk-hai.
* Urulóki|Uruloki|Urulókë|Uruloke
Quenya word meaning ‘fire-serpent’, dragon.
–—
The Fire-drakes.
The fire-drakes; dragons who breathed fire. Glaurung, Father of Dragons, was the first of these. He first appeared in the middle of the First Age, but the urulóki certainly survived the downfall of their master, Morgoth.
Ancalagon apparently belonged to this kind1, and Smaug, the great fire-breathing dragon that sacked Erebor, seems to have been the last of the great urulóki. Other lesser types apparently survived to the end of the Third Age and beyond.
* Urwen
The given name of Lalaith, daughter of Húrin and Morwen who died in childhood.
* Usurpers
A name given to Men by the Elves, who, though they were born into the world millennia after the Firstborn, were destined to achieve its dominion.
* Uttermost West
The lands far across the Western Sea.
A name given in Middle-earth to the Undying Lands of Aman in the far west, the dwelling-place of the Valar.
* Utumno
The first great stronghold of Melkor, in the north of Middle-earth, destroyed by the Valar.
–—
The original stronghold of Melkor.
Also called Udûn (for example in Gandalf’s words on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm), Utumno was the ancient northern fortress of Melkor, delved in the time of the Lamps of the Valar. It was reduced to ruins when the Valar made war on him at the time of the awakening of the Elves.
* Vairë|Vaire
‘The Weaver’, one of the Valier, the spouse of Námo Mandos.
–—
A Queen of the Valar, the spouse of Mandos, who weaves the tales of the history of Arda.
* Valacar
Twentieth King of Gondor, whose marriage to Vidumavi of the Northmen led to the civil war of the Kin-strife.
–—
The King who sowed the seeds of the Kin-strife.
Valacar was the son and heir of the great King of Gondor, Rómendacil II.
While Rómendacil still sat on Gondor’s throne, he developed a strong alliance with the Northmen who lived to the east of Mirkwood. To further the close friendship between Gondor and these Northmen, Rómendacil sent Valacar as an ambassador to the court of their leader Vidugavia, who styled himself King of Rhovanion.
Rómendacil had intended that his son should learn something of the language and culture of the Men of Rhovanion, but he had not foreseen how strongly Valacar would be drawn to the Northmen. He went so far as to wed Vidumavi, daughter of Vidugavia, a union that would bring great troubles in the future.
The Northmen did not share the long lives of the Gondorians, and Vidumavi died even before Valacar had succeeded his father as King.
Nonetheless, she bore Valacar an heir. He was raised with the name Vinitharya in the eastern lands, but returned to Gondor with his father as Eldacar. These events caused unrest throughout Valacar’s reign - it was believed that the pure Númenórean blood of the Royal House would be lost.
By the last years of Valacar’s reign, certain southern provinces of Gondor saw this unrest break out into full rebellion. In the year Valacar died, III 1432, this rebellion became a civil war, a dark and bloody period known as the Kin-strife that would last for the next fifteen years, until Eldacar managed to secure his throne.
Valacar ruled as King of Gondor for sixty-six years, and was succeeded through great troubles by his son Eldacar.
* Valacirca
‘The Sickle of the Valar’, name of the constellation of the Great Bear.
–—
The Sickle of the Valar, the seven stars set in the sky by Varda as an enduring warning to Melkor and his servants.
* Valandil (King of Arnor)|Valandil
Youngest son of Isildur; third King of Arnor.
–—
Son and Heir of Isildur.
Youngest of Isildur’s four sons, and the only one to survive the Disaster of the Gladden Fields. He eventually became the third King of Arnor, and was succeeded by his son Eldacar.
* Valandil (Lord of Andúnië)|Valandil
Son of Silmarien; first Lord of Andúnië.
* Valandur
The eighth King of Arnor, a direct descendant in right line of Elendil and Isildur, who succeeded his father Tarondor to the throne. Of his reign we know almost nothing, except that he suffered a violent but mysterious death after a rule of fifty years. He was succeeded by his son Elendur.
* Valaquenta
‘Account of the Valar’, a short work treated as a separate entity from The Silmarillion proper.
–—
The ‘Tale of the Powers’, in which each of the Valar is named and described, together with the more important of the Maiar.
* Valar|Vala|Rulers of Arda|Lords of Valinor
‘Those with Power’, ‘The Powers’ (singular Vala); name given to those great Ainur who entered into Eä at the beginning of Time, and assumed the function of guarding and governing Arda. Called also the Great Ones, the Rulers of Arda, the Lords of the West, the Lords of Valinor.
–—
The Powers of the World.
‘Valar’ is the name given to the fourteen powerful spirits who took physical form and entered Arda after its creation to give order to the world and combat the evils of Melkor. They dwelt originally on the Isle of Almaren, but after its destruction long ages before the Awakening of the Elves they removed to Aman and there founded the realm of Valinor.
–—
Lords of the Valar: Manwë Súlimo, Ulmo, Aulë the Smith, Oromë, Mandos (Námo), Lórien (Irmo), Tulkas Astaldo. Queens of the Valar (Valier): Varda Elentári, Yavanna Kementári, Nienna, Estë the Gentle, Vairë the Weaver, Vána the Ever-young, Nessa.
–—
These are the names of the Valar as they were known to the Eldar in Valinor. In Middle-earth, they were known by other names of Sindarin origin; for example ‘Elbereth’ for Varda, or ‘Araw’ for Oromë. Their names among Men are said to be legion.
–—
The Valar in the Beginning of Arda: The Valar where in origin the greatest of the Ainur who witnessed the Vision of Ilúvatar and so descended into Eä to fulfil the vision and create Arda. It seems that, in the first beginnings of the World, the four mightiest spirits came down into it; Manwë, Ulmo and Aulë to prepare it for the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar, and Melkor to claim it for his own domain.
There was conflict between Manwë and Melkor, and Manwë called many other spirits into the World to aid him in his struggle. Among these were the other Valar, and those of lesser order known as Maiar. Melkor then withdrew for a time from Arda to some other hidden place in the deeps of Eä.
In time, Manwë and his followers began to achieve their purpose, and make the World ready for the coming of the Children. Seeing this, Melkor grew jealous, and returned to do battle over the fate of Arda. The Earth then saw great upheaval as the rival powers struggled over its destiny (it is thought that the Misty Mountains were raised at this time).
Slowly, though, and with great hardship, the Valar succeeded in shaping the World, although everything they created was in some way marred by Melkor.
–—
The Nature of the Valar: Like the Elves, those Valar who chose to enter the World at its beginning are bound to it until it reaches its destined end; they may not return to the Timeless Halls of Ilúvatar.
As spirits, the Valar have no fixed physical form, although they often took the shapes of the Children of Ilúvatar. They could, though, assume any form they chose, or cast aside their shape altogether and travel formless and invisible through Arda.
* Valaraukar|Valarauko
‘Demons of Might’ (singular Valarauko), Quenya form corresponding to Sindarin Balrog.
–—
Demons of Power.
The Quenya name for the creatures of Morgoth called Balrogs by the Sindar. The meaning is the same; ‘Demons of Power’.
* Valaróma|Valaroma
The fabled hunting horn of Oromë, the Huntsman of the Valar.
* Vales of Anduin
The western regions of Rhovanion.
The valley of the River Anduin, lying for most of its length between the Misty Mountains and Mirkwood.
* Vales of Sirion|Vale of Sirion
The wide valley that ran north to south through Beleriand.
The wide valley of the River Sirion, that separated West Beleriand from East Beleriand. The term (also seen in the singular form ‘Vale of Sirion’) seems to apply especially to that part of the river’s course that lay to the north of Doriath.
* Valier|Valië|Valie
‘The Queens of the Valar’ (singular Valië or Valie).
–—
A title for the seven Queens of the Valar; Varda, Yavanna, Nienna, Estë, Vairë, Vána and Nessa. The name ‘Valier’ only appears in the Valaquenta to describe the seven Queens - it is never used elsewhere.
* Valimar
A name of the city of the Valar in Valinor, more commonly referred to as
‘Valmar’.
* Valinor
The land of the Valar in Aman, beyond the mountains of the Pelóri; also called the Guarded Realm.
–—
The Land of the Powers.
The land founded by the Valar after Melkor’s destruction of their ancient dwelling of Almaren. Originally part of the World, Valinor could be reached by ship from Middle-earth. After the rebellion of King Ar-Pharazôn of Númenor in II 3319, Valinor and the lands of Aman were removed from the circles of the World, and could only be reached by the Elves, following the straight road that was kept open to them.
* Valinorean
The language of the Eldar in Valinor; another name for Quenya.
* Valmar
The city of the Valar in Valinor; the name also occurs in the form Valimar. In Galadriel’s lament in Lórien (The Fellowship of the Ring II 8) Valimar is made equivalent to Valinor.
–—
The city of the Valar.
The city of many bells in the east of Valinor where many of the Valar dwelt. The Two Trees of Valinor grew nearby on the mound of Ezellohar.
* Vampires|Vampire
Bat-winged creatures of darkness.
Mysterious bat-like creatures in the service of Morgoth and of Sauron.
The only vampire that Tolkien names is Sauron’s servant Thuringwethil, but Sauron himself took the form of a vampire on at least one occasion.
* Vána
One of the Valier, the sister of Yavanna and spouse of Oromë; called the Ever-young.
–—
A lesser lady of the Valar.
A lady of the Valar, the sister of Yavanna and spouse of Oromë. Flowers were said to open, and birds sing, at her passing.
* Vanyar|Vanya
The first host of the Three Kindreds of the Eldar on the Great Journey from Cuiviénen, led by Ingwë, all of whom left Middle-earth and remained in Aman.. The name (singular Vanya) means ‘the Fair’, referring to the golden hair of the Vanyar; see Finarfin.
–—
The People of Ingwë.
The first of the Elves to make the great march westwards from Cuiviénen to Valinor, and accounted the highest of the High Elves. Their leader, Ingwë, bears the title High King of the Elves, and dwells on Taniquetil beneath the halls of Manwë.
All of the Vanyar journeyed to Valinor long before the beginning of the First Age, and remained there. For this reason, they are not mentioned often in the histories of Middle-earth.
* Vanyarin
Of or pertaining to the Vanyar.
* Varda
‘Exalted’, ‘Lofty’, ‘Sublime’; also called the Lady of the Stars.
Greatest of the Valier, the spouse of Manwë, dwelling with him on Taniquetil. Other names of Varda, as maker of the Stars, were Elbereth, Elentári, Tintallë.
–—
The Queen of the Stars and spouse of Manwë the King of Arda, great among the Queens of the Valar. She set the stars in the sky, for which the Eldar of Middle-earth revered her, calling her by the name of Elbereth.
* Vardamir Nólimon|Vardamir
Called Nólimon for his love of ancient learning; son of Elros Tar-Minyatur; accounted the second Ruler of Númenor though he did not ascend the throne.
–—
Númenor’s uncrowned King.
The son of Elros Tar-Minyatur, accounted the second King of Númenor.
When the time came for him to take up the Kingship, he chose not to take it, and immediately abdicated in favour of his son, Tar-Amandil.
* Vardarianna
Fragrant evergreen tree brought to Númenor by the Eldar of Eressëa.
* Variags|Variag
The people of Khand.
A little-known people dwelling in the land of Khand, east of Mordor, at the time of the War of the Ring. They were allied to Sauron, and their warriors were seen at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
* Vása|Vasa
‘The Consumer’, a name of the Sun among the Noldor.
–—
A name among the Noldor for the Sun.
A name given to the Sun by the Noldor. In the text of the Silmarillion, it is translated ‘Heart of Fire’.
* Vëantur|Veantur
Captain of the King’s Ships under Tar-Elendil; grandfather of Tar-Aldarion; commander of the first Númenórean ship to return to Middle-earth.
–—
The great adventurer of Númenor.
A famous navigator of early Númenórean history, who served as Captain of the King’s Ships under Tar-Elendil, the fourth King of Númenor. He was the first of the Númenóreans to achieve the voyage back to Middle-earth, reaching the Grey Havens in his ship Entulessë in the six hundredth year of the Second Age.
* Venturers
The brotherhood of mariners formed by Tar-Aldarion. See Uinendili.
–—
The adventuring guild of Númenor.
A guild of sailors and explorers formed in Númenor by Aldarion, later to be King Tar-Aldarion.
* Vidugavia
‘Wood-dweller’, Northman, called King of Rhovanion.
–—
The self-styled King of Rhovanion.
A prince of the Northmen who ruled the lands between Mirkwood and the River Running. He was the ally of Gondor’s King Rómendacil II, and received Rómendacil’s son Valacar into his court as ambassador. Valacar would eventually wed Vidugavia’s own daughter, Vidumavi.
* Vidumavi
‘Wood-maiden’, daughter of Vidugavia; wedded Valacar King of Gondor.
–—
The mother of Eldacar of Gondor.
The daughter of Vidugavia, King of Rhovanion. She wedded Valacar, the royal ambassador of Gondor, and together they had a son, Vinitharya, who would become known as Eldacar. Vidumavi’s was the first non-Númenórean blood to enter the Royal House of Gondor, a fact that would lead to the civil war of the Kin-strife.
* Vilya|Blue Ring
One of the Three Rings of the Elves, the Ring of Air, borne by Gil-galad and afterwards by Elrond; also called The Ring of Sapphire and The Blue Ring.
–—
The Ring of Air.
Called the Ring of Sapphire and the Ring of Air, one of the Three Rings of the Elves. It was originally held by Gil-galad, but he passed it Elrond at the time of the founding of Rivendell.
* Vingilot|Vingilótë|Vingilote
(In full Quenya form Vingilótë). ‘Foam-flower’, the name of Eärendil’s ship; see Rothinzil.
–—
The ship of Eärendil.
‘Foam-flower’, the ship in which Eärendil sailed to Valinor across the Great Sea, which was hallowed by the Valar and afterwards sailed the airs.
* Vinitharya
The original name of Eldacar of Gondor.
The royal son of Valacar of Gondor and Vidumavi, daughter of the King of Rhovanion. When he returned to Gondor with his father, he was given the name Eldacar, a name he retained when he inherited Gondor’s throne.
* Vinyalondë|Vinyalonde|Vinya-londë|Vinya-londe
‘New Haven’, Númenórean harbour established by Tar-Aldarion at the mouth of the river Gwathló; afterwards called Lond Daer.
–—
The ancient haven at the mouth of the Gwathló.
A harbour founded by Aldarion and the Venturers at the mouth of the Gwathló; it was one of the first settlements built by the Númenóreans in Middle-earth, and survived (at least in part) into the Third Age as the port of Lond Daer.
* Vinyamar
‘New Dwelling’, the house of Turgon in Nevrast under Mount Taras.
–—
The city of Turgon in Nevrast.
The city of the Elves founded by Turgon and his followers after their return to Middle-earth at the beginning of the First Age. It lay beneath Mount Taras in Nevrast, and was inhabited for only about a century, after which Turgon and his people deserted it for Gondolin.
* Vinyarion
The original name of Hyarmendacil II.
The son of King Aldamir of Gondor. In his father’s time, war erupted between Gondor and the southern lands, and Aldamir was slain in that war.
Vinyarion led Gondor’s armies to avenge Aldamir’s death, and overran the Haradrim. In token of this great victory, Vinyarion ruled under the name Hyarmendacil II, a name meaning ‘South-victor’.
* Víressë|Viresse
The fourth month of the year, according to the Stewards’ Reckoning of Gondor, following the spring feast-day of Tuilérë. On a modern calendar, Víressë ran between 24 March and 22 April.
* Vision of Ilúvatar|Vision of Iluvatar
The vision before the making of the World.
The vision of the World created by Ilúvatar through the Music of the Ainur, later given being by him.
* Void
The emptiness beyond the World.
A term used by Tolkien in various ways, but that in general seems to describe the uninhabited regions of the universe. In particular, the Void is that part of existence outside the World, but the Timeless Halls of Ilúvatar seem to be apart from the Void, too. After his defeat in the War of Wrath, Melkor was cast out into the Void, but legends predict that he will return to the World before its end.
* Voronda
A surname of Elendil.
An Elvish adjective meaning ‘faithul’ or ‘steadfast’, given as a title or surname to the great hero Elendil.
* Vorondil
The first hereditary Steward of Gondor.
One of three Stewards to serve King Eärnil II of Gondor. He was an important figure in Gondorian history, as the first of the Stewards to inherit the title by direct line from his father. Vorondil was the son of Pelendur, the Steward who had assumed the rule of Gondor during the crisis following Ondoher’s loss. On Pelendur’s own death, his position as servant and adviser to the King fell on Vorondil his son.
Vorondil’s Stewardship was a time of war and loss for Gondor. In only his second year as Steward, he saw the Nazgûl come out of Mordor and lay siege to Minas Ithil, and two years later still, they succeeded in capturing it and the palantír it contained.
History remembers Vorondil less for any part in the loss of Minas Ithil, though, and more as Vorondil the mighty Hunter, who hunted the Kine of Araw in the far eastern lands on the shores of the Sea of Rhûn. The great horn carried by Boromir in The Lord of the Rings originated as the hunting horn of Vorondil, and may even have been made by his own hand.
Vorondil served Eärnil as Steward for twenty-one years. Just as he had inherited the position, he was in turn succeeded by his son Mardil, who was to become the first of the Ruling Stewards and the founder of a tradition that would survive in Gondor for nearly two thousand years.
* Voronwë (Elf of Gondolin)|Voronwë|Voronwe
‘The Steadfast’, Elf of Gondolin, the only mariner to survive from the seven ships sent into the West after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad; met with Tuor at Vinyamar and guided him to Gondolin.
–—
The guide of Tuor.
A mariner of Gondolin, sent by Turgon to seek a passage to Aman and call on the Valar for aid against Morgoth. He failed, and was washed ashore in Nevrast, where he encountered Tuor and led him back as messenger of Ulmo to the city of Gondolin.
* Voronwë (Title of Mardil)|Voronwë|Voronwe Name of Mardil Steward of Gondor.
–—
The surname of Gondor’s first Ruling Steward.
The title and surname of Mardil, the first Ruling Steward of Gondor, said to mean ‘Steadfast’.
* Wainriders|Wainrider
An Easterling people who invaded Gondor in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries of the Third Age.
–—
Easterling enemies of Gondor.
A confederation of Easterlings that descended upon Gondor and its allies, some two centuries after the time of the Great Plague, and remained a dire threat to the South-kingdom for nearly a hundred years.
The Wainriders, who took their name from the wagons and chariots in which they rode to war, quickly overran Rhovanion and soon came to battle with Gondor itself. Narmacil II was lost in battle, and for a time all of Gondor’s possessions east of Anduin were lost to it. Narmacil’s son Calimehtar won a temporary reprieve when he defeated the Wainriders on the plain of Dagorlad.
After that defeat, the Wainriders planned a crushing revenge. Allying themselves with the Men of Harad and Khand, they orchestrated a simultaneous assault on Gondor from the north and the south, and the South-kingdom came close to destruction. King Ondoher was lost in the northern battles, but his general Eärnil defeated the southern invaders.
The victorious Wainrider army in the north, celebrating their victory over Ondoher, suddenly found themselves set upon by Eärnil. In an encounter that became known as the Battle of the Camp, the Wainriders were put to rout, and those that survived fled back to their eastern domains.
It was later seen that the invasions of the Wainriders, as so many of Gondor’s perils, were engineered by the emissaries of Sauron. While Gondor’s control of the lands east of the Anduin had been lost, the borders of Mordor had been open, and during this time the Nazgûl had taken advantage of Gondor’s plight to re-enter the land of their master.
* Walda
The twelfth King of Rohan.
The son and heir of Brytta Léofa. During his father’s reign, Rohan had suffered warfare with Orcs that had descended from the North, and attempted to settle in the White Mountains. By the time Walda came to the throne, it was thought that the land was free of Orcs, but in the ninth year of his reign, Walda was slain by them near Dunharrow. He was succeeded by his son Folca, who avenged his father’s death.
* Wall’s End
The eastern end of the Long Wall.
The low lying hills in East Beleriand that marked the eastern end of the Long Wall of the Andram, more commonly referred to by the Elvish name Ramdal. They lay a little to the north of the great forest of Taur-im-Duinath, not far from Amon Ereb.
* Walls of the World
The ends of Arda.
The walls that surrounded Arda and marked its boundaries before it was
‘bent’ at the time of the Downfall of Númenor.
* Wandlimb
The long-lost beloved of Treebeard.
A translation of the Elvish Fimbrethil, both names used by Treebeard for his lost Entwife. They were separated when the Entwives travelled east of the Great River to plant their gardens. It was Treebeard’s desire to find Wandlimb again that led the Ents to discover that the Entwives’ gardens had been destroyed, and that the Entwives themselves were lost.
* War of the Dwarves and Orcs|War of the Dwarves and the Orcs|War of Dwarves and Orcs
The great underground conflict following the death of Thrór.
A great war of the later Third Age between the Dwarves and Orcs.
Precipitated by the murder of King Thrór by the orc-chieftain Azog, the War lasted six years, and the Orcs were eventually defeated at the Battle of Nanduhirion.
* War of the Jewels
The wars in Beleriand fought by the Noldor for the recovery of the Silmarils.
* War of the Last Alliance
The decisive war at the end of the Second Age.
The war at the end of the Second Age in which the Last Alliance of Elves and Men marched against the fortress of Sauron, Barad-dûr in Mordor; against all hope, they were victorious, but Sauron rose again in the long years of the Third Age.
* War of the Ring
The decisive conflict at the end of the Third Age.
The great conflict at the end of the Third Age, named for the One Ring and the importance this had in the final outcome. The war was fought between the Free (a loose alliance of Elves and Men led by the Wise) and Sauron the Dark Lord, with Saruman as a third power based in Orthanc.
Sauron at all times held the military advantage in the War, due to his overwhelming forces; not only Orcs and Trolls, but Men of Harad and the East. His main immediate object was the overthrow of Gondor, his near neighbour and the strongest of his enemies. He had such forces at his command, though, that he was able to fight the war on many fronts, also attacking Dale, Erebor and the Wood-elves in the far north, and Lórien from his secondary stronghold at Dol Guldur. There can be no doubt that, had the Wise not achieved possession of the Ring, Sauron would ultimately have been victorious.
Saruman had claimed alliance with both the Wise and the Dark Lord, but was ultimately fighting for his own ends. In alliance with the Dunlendings, and having Orcs at his own command, his objective was the defeat of Rohan. Until late in the War, he held the advantage, defeating Rohan twice at the Battles of the Fords of Isen. He had not considered the Ents of Fangorn in his plans, however, and when they were roused to anger at his actions, they brought about his downfall.
The policy of the Wise was based around the Quest of Mount Doom; a company of nine under the leadership of Gandalf travelled from Rivendell with the One Ring, with the hope of reaching Orodruin in Mordor and there destroying it. Because the Ring held much of Sauron’s native power, they realised that in unmaking it, they would also defeat its creator. Against all hope, the Quest was achieved by Frodo Baggins, and Sauron defeated.
The War did not end with the defeat of Sauron, for Saruman fled northward after the capture of Orthanc, and established himself in the Shire, bending the Hobbits to his will by threat of violence and the persuasive power of his voice. The return of Frodo Baggins and his companions led to a rebellion by the Shire-hobbits, in which Saruman was killed by his servant, Gríma Wormtongue.
Although Sauron and Saruman were both defeated, the Wise did not achieve total victory. With the destruction of the One Ring, the Three Rings that had maintained the realms of the Elves in Middle-earth lost their power, and the Elves began to leave Middle-earth for the Undying Lands.
* War of Wrath
The end of the Elder Days.
After Eärendil came to Valinor to beg for the aid of the Valar, they sent a mighty force into Middle-earth to do battle with Morgoth. Led by Eönwë, the herald of Manwë, the forces of the Valar, with the peoples of the Vanyar and the Noldor that had remained in Aman, sailed eastward in the ships of the Teleri.
In the great battle that followed, Morgoth’s armies were almost completely destroyed, and only a few of his Balrogs, Dragons and Orcs survived. Morgoth himself was taken as prisoner and shut beyond the confines of the World, and the Silmarils were recovered from his Iron Crown. In the tumult of the war, Beleriand and the lands to the north were destroyed and sunk beneath the sea, and the shape of Middle-earth was changed.
* Warden of the Houses of Healing
Chief healer of Minas Tirith.
The title given to the chief healer of the Houses of Healing in Minas Tirith, a position of some power and authority.
* Warden of the Keys
The office of Húrin the Tall.
A high office of Minas Tirith in Gondor, a position filled at the time of the War of the Ring by Húrin the Tall (also called Húrin of the Keys).
The details of its responsibilities are uncertain.
* Warden of Westmarch
The hereditary title of the Fairbairns of the Tower Hills.
The Westmarch, the land between the Tower Hills and the Far Downs, was added to the Shire some years after the War of the Ring. Its first Warden, appointed by Thain Peregrin, was Fastred of Greenholm. The title was hereditary, passed by Fastred to his son Elfstan Fairbairn, and associated from then on with the Fairbairns of the Towers.
* Wargs|Warg
Monstrous wolves of the northern lands.
The ferocious and intelligent race of wolves that lived in the northern Vales of Anduin, and probably elsewhere in the north of Middle-earth.
* Wars of Beleriand
The great conflict of the First Age.
The wars of the First Age between the Noldor and their allies, the Sindar and Edain, against the forces of Morgoth in Angband. There were five main battles in these wars; the First Battle, the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, the Dagor Aglareb, the Dagor Bragollach and the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
* Watcher in the Water
Guardian of the West-gate.
A mysterious and horrific beast that lurked in the swollen waters of the Sirannon, beneath the western walls of Moria.
* Watchful Peace
The period lasting from Third Age 2063, when Sauron left Dol Guldur, until 2460, when he returned.
–—
The time of Sauron’s withdrawal into the east.
A period of more than four hundred years in the later Third Age, during which Sauron withdrew before the power of the White Council and hid in the east of Middle-earth.
* Water of Awakening
Cuiviénen; the place of the Awakening of the Elves on the shores of the inland sea of Helcar.
* Waybread
Galadriel’s gift to the Company of the Ring.
Lembas, the enchanted food used by the Elves on long journeys; it seems to have originated with Melian of Doriath.
* Weather Hills
Hills of Eriador, of which Amon Sûl (Weathertop) was the southernmost.
–—
The range of hills running north from Weathertop.
The name among Men for the north-south range of hills that lay in central Eriador, and in ancient times marked part of the border between the lands of Cardolan and Rhudaur. Weathertop, or Amon Sûl, lay at the southern end of the range.
* Weathertop
Chief of the Weather Hills.
The name among Men for Amon Sûl, the southernmost of the Weather Hills in Eriador, on which had stood the Tower of Amon Sûl during the early Third Age.
* Wedmath
The eighth month of the Shire Calendar, following Afterlithe and approximately equivalent to modern August. In fact, it ran from modern 24
July to 22 August in a normal year.
* Were-worms|Were-worm|Wereworms|Wereworm
Mysterious denizens of the Last Desert.
Creatures of an unknown kind, possibly mythical and presumably related to dragons, that were said to dwell in the Last Desert.
Tolkien only ever mentions were-worms once, in the quote given above, so we know almost nothing about them. We cannot even be certain that they actually existed - the Hobbits had a rich folklore peopled with fantastic beings, and were-worms quite possibly fall into that category.
If they did exist, the name ‘were-worm’ suggests a shapeshifting creature like a werewolf - a being that could take the form of either a Man or of a Dragon. Any discussion of the form or habits of the were-worms, though, must remain in the realms of speculation.
* Werewolves|Werewolf|Were-wolves|Were-wolf Enchanted servants of the Dark Lord.
Dread servants of Morgoth in wolf-form. Werewolves were especially associated with Sauron, who indeed took the shape of a great wolf himself at least once.
* West Beleriand
The lands west of the Sirion.
The lands of Beleriand to the west of the River Sirion; they were for the most part under the lordship of Finrod Felagund in Nargothrond, and Círdan the Shipwright in the Falas.
* West of the World
The Blessed Realm.
The lands west beyond the Great Sea. In the uttermost West was Aman, the Blessed Realm of the Valar, and the lands and cities of the Elves. After the Downfall of Númenor, the West of the World became inaccessible to mortals (apart froma very few exceptions) and could only be reached by the Elves sailing the Straight Road.
* West over Sea
The Uttermost West beyond the Great Sea.
Aman, the Undying Lands. These were the lands to the west of the Great Sea, including Valinor, the land of the Valar. After the Downfall of Númenor, they were taken away from the mortal realms, and could only be reached by those permitted to travel the Straight Road.
* West-gate of Moria
The Doors of Durin.
The western entrance of old Khazad-dûm, used by the Dwarves in their trade with the Elves of Eregion during the Second Age.
* West-wings
The flagship of Vëantur.
Númerrámar, the far-travelled ship of the great Númenórean navigator Vëantur. Vëantur gave it as a gift to Aldarion, who became a traveller and explorer in his own right.
* West-mark
The western half of Rohan in the military organisation of the Rohirrim (see East-mark).
* Western Sea
The Great Sea west of Middle-earth.
The broad ocean that lay off the western coasts of Middle-earth, that in earlier days could be sailed westward to Númenor, and then to distant Aman in the Uttermost West.
* Westernesse
Translation of Númenor. See Anadûnë, Númenor.
–—
The land of Númenor.
A name in the Common Speech for the Isle of Númenor.
* Westfarthing of the Shire|Westfarthing
The lands westward from Hobbiton.
The western farthing of the Shire, in which lay many of its important towns: Michel Delving on the White Downs; Tuckborough, the seat of the Took Thains of the Shire; and Hobbiton, home of the Baggins family.
* Westfold
Region of Rohan, the slopes and fields between Thrihyrne and Edoras.
–—
The western lands of the Rohirrim.
The westernmost region of Rohan, lying immediately to the east of the Gap of Rohan, and in which lay Helm’s Deep. Its border with the Eastfold was marked by the course of the Snowbourn River.
* Westlands of Middle-earth|Westlands
A very general expression, referring broadly to the lands west of Anduin.
–—
The northwestern lands of Middle-earth.
A term of rather uncertain meaning. It appears to refer to the entire north-western region of Middle-earth, although it may also be used more specifically as a name of Eriador.
* Westlands of Númenor|Westlands
The region of the Andustar.
The western promontory of Númenor more properly called the Andustar, on the coasts of which lay the port city of Andúnië.
* Westmansweed
One of the many names for Halflings’ Leaf.
Another name for the plant better known as pipe-weed or Halflings’ Leaf.
Westmansweed was its name among the vulgar of Gondor, a reference to the Men of the West who were said to have brought it to Middle-earth from Númenor.
* Westmarch of the Shire|Westmarch
The lands beyond the Far Downs.
The land between the Far Downs and the Tower Hills, granted to the Shire-hobbits by King Aragorn II Elessar in the early Fourth Age.
* Westron
The common tongue of the North-west of Middle-earth. Called also Common Speech.
–—
The Common Speech of Middle-earth.
Derived mainly from Adûnaic, the ancestral tongue of the Edain and their kin, the Westron was widely spoken by the Men of Middle-earth. When the Númenóreans began to return to Middle-earth during the Second Age, Westron developed into a lingua franca allowing conversation between them and their distant kin. As the Second Age passed, and especially after the establishment of the Númenórean kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor at the end of the Age, Westron became widely spoken by all races in Middle-earth, not just Men. Hence it is often referred to as the Common Speech.
As the chief language of the northwest of Middle-earth, Westron is naturally represented in Tolkien’s work by modern English, even to the extent that names of the ancient Westron form are also translated into equivalent forms based on Old English (prominent examples being Hobbit, Rivendell and Shelob, although many others occur). Hence, we have very few examples of ‘real’ Westron words and names. There are in fact only two significant sources. The first appears in the isolated notes at the end of Appendix F II of The Lord of the Rings, where ‘banakil’, and
‘kuduk’ (both referring to Hobbits) are given with some other examples.
The second source is the names of the Númenórean kings from Ar-Adûnakhôr (‘King, Lord of the West’) to Ar-Pharazôn (‘Golden King’); these are in Adûnaic, and hence closely related to Westron.
* Wetwang
The great marshland beneath the Emyn Muil.
The name in the Westron tongue for the marshes beneath the Emyn Muil that the Elves called Nindalf.
* Wheat
An important cereal crop, used especially to be milled into flour. It is recorded as growing tall and golden in the land of Valinor.
* White Council
The Council of ‘the Wise’, formed to oppose Sauron, meeting at intervals from Third Age 2463 to 2953; usually referred to as ‘the Council’.
–—
The Council formed to challenge Dol Guldur.
The council formed in the Third Age by the chief among the Eldar and the Istari to combat the growing power of Sauron. The Council was led by Saruman, until Gandalf discovered his treachery at the beginning of the War of the Ring.
* White Downs|The Downs
The chalk-downs of the Shire’s Westfarthing.
A range of chalk downs in the western regions of the Shire; Michel Delving, the chief town of the Shire, was built (and burrowed) there.
* White Hand
An emblem of Saruman during the War of the Ring; a long white hand with one pointing finger.
* White House of Erendis|White House
The sanctuary of Erendis and Ancalimë.
A house that stood in the Emerië region of the Mittalmar of Númenor. It was built for Erendis as a gift by Tar-Meneldur, to mark her betrothal to his son Aldarion. Aldarion spent many years away from Númenor in his ships, and the White House became a sanctuary for his wife Erendis, and their daughter, who would become Queen Tar-Ancalimë.
* White Lady of Rohan
A title given to Éowyn by Faramir.
A title given to by Faramir to Éowyn of Rohan. They married, and dwelt together in the hills of Emyn Arnen in Ithilien.
* White Mountains
The snow-capped peaks that separated Gondor from Rohan.
Also called Ered Nimrais, an important mountain range in the southwest of the known parts of Middle-earth. In the latter part of the Third Age, they formed the border between Gondor in the south and Rohan in the north.
* White Rider
Gandalf astride Shadowfax.
A title given to Gandalf the White as he rode the great horse Shadowfax in the later days of the War of the Ring. The name was given in opposition to the nine Black Riders who served Sauron.
* White Ship
The ship that carried the Ring-bearers into the West.
The ship that sailed from the Grey Havens into the Uttermost West, carrying the Ring-bearers to Aman. Its departure marked the end of the Third Age.
* White Tower
The Tower of Minas Tirith.
A name used for Minas Tirith in Gondor, and especially of the glistening Tower of Ecthelion at its peak, emphasising its opposition to Sauron’s Dark Tower of Barad-dûr.
* White Tree of Minas Tirith|White Tree
The White Trees of Minas Ithil and Minas Anor. See Galathilion.
–—
A reminders of lost Númenor.
A title of either of two white trees that grew in the courts of Minas Tirith, descended from Nimloth of Númenor, and ultimately (it is said) from Telperion itself.
* White Tree of Númenor|White Tree of Numenor|White Tree Nimloth, the White Tree that grew in Armenelos.
In the early days of Númenor, its people still had the friendship of the Elves of Tol Eressëa. Among the gifts the Eldar gave to the early Númenóreans, one of the greatest was a white seedling of the tree Celeborn that stood in the middle of their island. Planted in the King’s Court in Armenelos, the seedling grew into a fine White Tree that came to be known as Nimloth. Its blossoms appeared as the Sun set, and their perfume filled the night in Númenor’s royal city.
The tree of Tol Eressëa, Celeborn, was itself descended from Galathilion, the White Tree that stood in Tirion that was made by Yavanna herself. Its descendant Nimloth stood in the courts of Armenelos for thousands of years, but when Sauron gained control of Númenor’s government, he saw the White Tree as a link to his enemies the Valar, and ordered it destroyed. So the White Tree of Nûmenor was cut down and burned on the altar-fire of Sauron’s temple.
The line of Galathilion did not end in Sauron’s flames. Isildur the son of Elendil had stolen a fruit from the Tree before it was lost. The fruit grew into a seedling that Isildur carried to Middle-earth with him after the Downfall of Númenor. That seedling was planted in Minas Ithil, and was destroyed before the end of the Second Age. Its seedling in turn grew into the first of the White Trees of Minas Tirith, a line that was to outlast Sauron himself.
* White Tree of Tol Eressëa|White Tree of Tol Eressea|White Tree The tree at the heart of the Lonely Isle.
The White Tree that grew in the central regions of the island of Tol Eressëa, more properly called Celeborn. It grew from a seedling of Galathilion, the White Tree made by Yavanna herself that grew in the courts of Tirion.
* White Tree of Valinor|White Tree
A title of Telperion, the elder of the Two Trees of Valinor, from whom the White Trees of Númenor and of Gondor were descended.
* White Wolves|White Wolf
Hunters out of the icy north.
A type of wolf native to the frozen lands in the north of Middle-earth.
They were not normally seen in Eriador, but seem to have remained among the snows of the Forodwaith and perhaps beyond.
In the year III 2911, one of the harshest winters in Middle-earth’s history descended, the so-called Fell Winter. The ice and snow of the north came at least as far south as the Shire. With them came the White Wolves, invading Eriador and roaming as far as the Shire. The frozen Brandywine River meant that they were even able to cross into the Eastfarthing. This was the last time the Horn-call of Buckland was used before the War of the Ring, one hundred and seven years later.
* Whiteskins
An Orkish name for the Rohirrim.
A name among Orcs for the Riders of Rohan, whose far northern origins would have given them a much paler skin colour than the Men who lived around them.
* Whitwell
A township of the Tookland.
A village or town near Tuckborough in the Shire’s Tookland region, at the western end of the Green Hills. Thain Paladin Took II, Pippin’s father, was known to farm the land around Whitwell, though it is not known whether he maintained a home there, or dwelt in the ancestral residence of the Tooks at Great Smials.
* Wild Elves
Mîm’s term for Dark Elves (Avari).
* Wild Lands
Term used in Rohan for the lands west of the Gap.
* Wild Men|Wild Man
The Men of Darkness; Men of the East and South of Middle-earth, who had fallen under the yoke of Morgoth during the First Age, and of whom many were allies of Sauron in the Second and Third Ages.
* Wild Men of the Woods|Wild Man of the Woods A name for the Drúedain in Rohan.
At the end of the Third Age, a remnant of the Drúedain still lived beneath the feet of the White Mountains, and in the lands westward.
Theirs was a strange and ancient race of Men, with an unusual affinity with nature, and unique powers. The Northmen who settled in Rohan, though, knew nothing of their ancestry and imagined them to be hardly more than beasts, at least until the time of the War of the Ring. For this reason the Rohirrim called them the Wild Men of the Woods.
* Wilderland
The wilderness of Rhovanion.
A term for the lands of Middle-earth that lay east of the Misty Mountains. ‘Wilderland’ probably represents the Westron equivalent of the Elvish name Rhovanion.
* Wildman of the Woods
One of the many aliases of Túrin Turambar, used by him among the Men of the Forest of Brethil.
* Will Whitfoot|Old Will|Old Flourdumpling Mayor of Michel Delving.
The Mayor of Michel Delving (and therefore of the Shire) at the time of the War of the Ring. He was renowned as being the fattest Hobbit in the Westfarthing, and was affectionately referred to as Old Will or Old Flourdumpling. He was one of the first to be placed in the Lockholes during Sharkey’s reign in the Shire, but survived the experience.
* William Huggins|Bill Huggins
A Stone-troll of the Trollshaws.
With Tom and Bert, one of the three Trolls encountered by Bilbo and the Dwarves on their eastward journey to the Lonely Mountain. He seems to have been the leader of the troll-band - at least, it was he who led them to the woodlands of Trollshaws, according to his companions. It was William’s pocket that Bilbo tried to pick as his first act of ‘burglary’, an attempt that brought the entire expedition close to disaster. Luckily, Gandalf was able to trick William and his two companions into arguing together until sunrise, whereupon they all turned to stone.
The name ‘William Huggins’ seems a very remarkable and unlikely one for a Troll. It seems to be a translation by Tolkien of the Troll’s ‘real’
name, as with the Hobbits, Dwarves, Rohirrim and so on, and the fact that it is recognisably English suggests that his original name was from a Mannish language. What William’s name actually was, though, is a mystery.
(By a curious coincidence, there was a real historical figure named William Huggins, a pioneering astronomer of the mid-nineteenth century, though it seems extremely unlikely that Tolkien’s foul-mouthed Troll would be based on this noted scientist!)
* Willowbottom
A village on the course of Thistle Brook.
A small village near Woody End in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. It stood on the banks of the stream called Thistle Brook, just above the place where that stream flowed into the River Shirebourn.
* Willows|Willow
Weeping trees of the waterside.
Waterside trees that grew throughout Middle-earth. The most famous of these was the ancient tree known as Old Man Willow, on the banks of the Withywindle in the Old Forest.
* Wilwarin
Name of a constellation. The word meant ‘butterfly’ in Quenya, and the constellation was perhaps Cassiopeia.
* Windlord
Title of Gwaihir the Eagle.
The title of the mighty Eagle Gwaihir who lived during the time of the War of the Ring, and the literal meaning of his name.
* Window of the Eye
The opening of the Red Eye.
The opening in the highest tower of Barad-dûr from which Sauron surveyed the lands of Middle-earth.
* Winged Nazgûl|Winged Nazgul
Black Riders aloft on winged steeds.
After their discomfiture at the Ford of Bruinen by Elrond and Gandalf, the Nazgûl returned to Sauron their master in the land of Mordor. There, he furnished them with horrible winged mounts and sent them abroad once again. While mounted on these flying beasts, they were known as the Winged Nazgûl.
* Winged Shadows|Winged Shadow
The Nazgûl on their winged steeds.
A name for the Nazgûl after they took to the skies on horrific winged steeds. This name refers especially to the profound dread and fear they inspired in those below them as the flew overhead.
* Wingfoot
Éomer’s name for Aragorn.
–—
“Wide wonder came into Éomer’s eyes. ‘Strider is too poor a name, son of Arathorn,’ he said. ‘Wingfoot I name you.’”
(The Two Towers III 2, The Riders of Rohan)
–—
When Aragorn first met Éomer, he had hunted the captors of Merry and Pippin across the wide fields of Rohan for four days. In that time, he and his companions Legolas and Gimli had covered forty-five leagues (that is, they had travelled about thirty-four miles each day). Éomer was so astonished by this feat that he gave Aragorn a new name: Wingfoot.
* Winterfilth
The tenth month of the Shire Calendar, approximately equivalent to modern October (in fact running from 22 September to 21 October on a modern calendar).
* Wiseman Gamwich
Ancestor of Samwise Gamgee.
The son of Hamfast, who took his name from his traditional family home in the village of Gamwich. Wiseman removed from Gamwich, though, to Tighfield. He was the great-great-grandfather of Sam Gamgee of the Fellowship of the Ring.
* Witch-king of Angmar|Witch-king
A guise of the Lord of the Nazgûl.
The title taken by the Lord of the Nazgûl in the middle of the Third Age, when he founded the northern realm of Angmar in opposition to the northern lands of the Dúnedain (Arthedain and its allies).
* Withywindle
The river that flowed through the Old Forest.
A minor tributary of the River Baranduin or Brandywine that flowed through the Old Forest on the borders of the Shire.
* Witnesses of Manwë|Witnesses of Manwe
The eagles of the Meneltarma.
* Wizards|Wizard
The ‘Wise ones’. See Istari, Heren Istarion.
–—
The Valar’s messengers to Middle-earth.
A name for the order of the Maiar more properly called Istari, who came to Middle-earth after the first millennium of the Third Age to aid the Free Peoples against the return and rise of Sauron.
The name means ‘Wise Ones’.
* Wolf-folk
Name given to the Easterlings of Dor-lómin.
* Wolf-Sauron
The form in which Sauron faced Huan.
The name given to the dreadful wolf-shape that Sauron took when he went from Tol-in-Gaurhoth to do battle with Huan, the Hound of Valinor.
* Wolfriders|Wolfrider|Wolf-riders|Wolf-rider Orcs and Orclike beings mounted on wolves.
–—
Those goblins who rode wolves into battle.
Orcs and Goblins, presumably quite small in stature, that rode into battle on ferocious wolves.
* Wolves|Wolf
Fearsome predators of the northern lands.
Wolves were of old allied with the Dark Lord; Morgoth bred the two greatest of their kind, Draugluin and Carcharoth, and Sauron was wont to take the form of a Great Wolf. The lesser kinds were sometimes used as steeds by the Orcs.
* Wood of Greenleaves
Eryn Lasgalen, the name given to Mirkwood by Celeborn and Thranduil after the downfall of Sauron in the last years of the Third Age.
* Wood-elves|Wood-elf|Woodland Elves|Woodland Elf Elves of the forests of Middle-earth.
The Silvan Elves who dwelt in the forests of Middle-earth, and especially the people ruled by Thranduil in the northern parts of Mirkwood.
* Wooden Whale
A name of Aldarion’s Haven-finder.
A translation of Turuphanto, the nickname given to Aldarion’s mighty ship the Hirilondë in the shipyards of Rómenna where she was built.
Aldarion sailed the Great Sea from Númenor to Middle-earth in the Wooden Whale at least twice. After the first voyage, the ship’s prow was adorned with a jewelled eagle, a gift to Aldarion from his friend Círdan.
* Woodhall
A village in the Shire, at the foot of the Woody End slopes.
–—
A village in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. Frodo, Sam and Pippin met Gildor Inglorion and his people in the woods above Woodhall, and the three passed close by the village on the last stages of their journey to Bucklebury Ferry.
* Woodmen|Woodman
The forest-dwellers of Middle-earth.
Those Men who dwelt in the forests of Middle-earth, and especially Brethil in the First Age and Mirkwood in the Third.
* Woody End
The high woods above the Marish.
An upland wooded region of the Eastfarthing of the Shire, lying between the Green Hill Country on the west and the Marish on the east.
* Worm of Morgoth
A title and name of Glaurung, Father of Dragons.
* Worms|Worm
A name for the race of Dragons, and especially those wingless kinds (such as Glaurung himself) who crawled on the ground.
* Wormtongue
The insulting surname given to Gríma.
A surname given to Gríma, counsellor to Théoden the King of Rohan, who was in fact a spy of Saruman.
* Woses|Wose
A Mannish name for the Drúedain.
A name among the Rohirrim for the shy, secretive people known in Elvish as the Drúedain. Though never populous, the end of the Third Age saw these people reduced to a few populations in the southern parts of Middle-earth, especially in the Drúwaith Iaur and Drúadan Forest of Rohan, where the Rohirrim came into contact with them.
In fact, the word ‘wose’ is a name from British folklore, referring to a hairy, troll-like being supposed to inhabit woods and forests. It represents Tolkien’s translation of an actual word of the Rohirrim into ancient English; the Rohirrim themselves would not have called such a creature a ‘wose’, but a róg.
* Wraith-world|Wraith world
The other side.
An alternative aspect of reality, in which the Elves partly existed.
Certain of the Rings of Power, and especially the One Ring, had the power to transport their bearer into the Wraith-world, making him appear to be invisible.
* Wraiths|Wraith
Spectral creatures of the Wraith-world.
Ghostly beings that existed more in the hidden Wraith-world than our own. The most famous of these were the Ring-wraiths, Men ensnared by Sauron’s Nine Rings, but their victims, too, were transformed into wraiths.
* Yavanna Kementári|Yavanna
‘Giver of fruits’; one of the Valier, numbered among the Aratar; the spouse of Aulë; called also Kementári.
–—
The Queen of the Earth.
Called the ‘Giver of Fruits’, Yavanna was the Vala whose province was all growing things upon the earth. She was the spouse of Aulë the Smith.
* Yavannamírë|Yavannamire
‘Jewel of Yavanna’, a fragrant evergreen tree with scarlet fruit, brought to Númenor by the Eldar of Eressëa.
* Yavannië|Yavannie
The ninth month of the year, according to the Stewards’ Reckoning of Gondor, following Urimë, and preceding the autumn feast of Yáviérë. On a modern calendar, Yavannië ran between 22 August and 20 September, in a normal year.
* Yávië|Yavie
The Quenya name for the season that corresponded to late summer and early autumn; 54 days between modern 12 August and 4 October. Called Iavas in Sindarin.
* Yáviérë|Yaviere
The harvest feast-day of the Stewards’ Reckoning of Gondor, lying between the months of Yavannië and Narquelië. On a modern calendar, Yáviérë would have fallen on 21 September.
* Year of Lamentation
The year of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
–—
The four hundred and seventy-first year of the First Age.
The year of the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, in which Morgoth overcame the armies of the Noldor and their allies, and Elves and Men were robbed of all hope of defeating him. It was also the year that Tuor was born, and that Túrin was sent to Doriath.
* Years of the Sun
The count of years from the time of the First Age.
The time after the first rising of the Sun until the present, beginning in the first year of the First Age.
* Years of the Trees
The centuries before the Sun and Moon.
The long years that lay between the founding of Valinor and its Darkening. During this time, Valinor was lit by the light of the Two Trees, but Middle-earth lay in darkness.
Long before the Elves awoke, Yavanna created the Two Trees of Valinor to give light to realm of the Valar. So began a reign of peace in Valinor, but Middle-earth was lit by starlight alone, and Melkor worked in the depths of Utumno in the north of the World. We are not told how long this time lasted, just that ‘the ages drew on’, so this period must have been at least 6,000 years, and probably longer. It was during this period that Aulë made the Dwarves, and set them to sleep until the coming of the Elves.
When Oromë discovered that the Elves had awoken at Cuiviénen, great changes came about. The Valar made war on Melkor to protect the Elder Children of Ilúvatar; Utumno was destroyed and Melkor brought in chains to Valinor. The Valar also summoned the Elves to dwell in their land, and many answered this summons.
A period of three ages (about 2,900 years) followed. Melkor was imprisoned in the halls of Mandos, and the Valar and Eldar dwelt together in the light of the Trees. In the darkness of Middle-earth, the Dark Elves who had not journeyed to Valinor still dwelt, and the Fathers of the Dwarves stirred. Men would not appear until some time after the end of the Years of the Trees.
These Years came to an end when Manwë released Melkor from his imprisonment. For a time, the Dark Lord pretended friendship with the Eldar, but he turned back to the darkness. With Ungoliant, he destroyed the Trees, stole the Silmarils and fled back to the north of Middle-earth. Seeking revenge, Fëanor led a great part of the Noldor out of Valinor and back to Beleriand.
So the Years of the Trees came to an end. At this time, the Valar made the Sun and Moon to give light to the World, and the Years of the Sun began, and with them the First Age.
* Yéni|Yeni|Yén|Yen
The long ‘years’ of the Elves.
The main units of time used by the Elves; one yén was equivalent to 144
years.
* Yestarë|Yestare
The first day of the Elvish solar year (loa).
–—
The first day of the year.
‘First-day’, the name used in the Elves’ calendars, and those derived from them, for the first day of the year. The actual date of yestarë varied from calendar to calendar; according to the Reckoning of Rivendell, it fell on modern 7 April, while in the calendars of the Númenóreans and their descendants, its modern equivalent would be 22
December.
* Younger Children of Ilúvatar|Younger Children of Iluvatar A poetic name for Men.
Men, who awoke many thousands of years after the Elder Children, the Elves.
* Yôzâyan|Yozayan
Adûnaic name for Númenor, ‘Land of Gift’.
* Yrch|Orch
An Elvish name for Orcs.
The Sindarin name for the race known to Men as Orcs. ‘Yrch’ is the plural form; the singular is ‘Orch’.
* Yule
The festival at the turning of the year.
Two days of the Shire Calendar that marked the end of an old year and the beginning of a new. 1 Yule (the last day of the old year) fell on modern 21 December, while 2 Yule, the first day of the new year, fell on modern 22 December.
* Zamîn|Zamin
Old woman in the service of Erendis.
* Zirak
A Dwarvish name for Zirakzigil.
A short form of Zirakzigil, the Dwarves’ name for the mountain called Celebdil or Silvertine by other races.
* Zirakzigil
The Silvertine.
The Dwarves’ name for the mountain also called Celebdil or Silvertine, above the Dwarf-kingdom of Khazad-dûm. On its peak stood Durin’s Tower, and this was the site of the final battle between Gandalf and Durin’s Bane.