Lebethron: Difference between revisions

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==History==
==History==
Lebethron was said to be fair, and beloved by the woodworkers of Gondor.<ref name="XR">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[Journey to the Cross-Roads]]"</ref> The staves given by [[Faramir]] to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] were made of lebethron,<ref name="XR"/> as was the casket in which he brought the [[Crown of Gondor]] to the coronation of [[Aragorn|Elessar]].<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Steward and the King]]"</ref>
Lebethron was said to be fair, and beloved by the woodworkers of Gondor.<ref name="XR">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Two Towers]]'', "[[Journey to the Cross-Roads]]"</ref> The staves given by [[Faramir]] to [[Frodo Baggins|Frodo]] and [[Samwise Gamgee|Sam]] were made of lebethron,<ref name="XR"/> as was the casket in which he brought the [[Crown of Gondor]] to the coronation of [[Aragorn|Elessar]], described as made of "black ''lebethron''".<ref>[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Return of the King]]'', "[[The Steward and the King]]"</ref>
 
The casket is described as made of "black ''lebethron''". It may suggest that the wood is naturally dark, or that it has high enough tannin content and can thereafter be darkened by chemical processes (e.g. with ammonia), so that to confer a black finish to pieces of furniture.{{fact}}


==Etymology==
==Etymology==

Revision as of 13:41, 5 April 2015

Lebethron was a hardwood tree that grew in Ithilien.

History

Lebethron was said to be fair, and beloved by the woodworkers of Gondor.[1] The staves given by Faramir to Frodo and Sam were made of lebethron,[1] as was the casket in which he brought the Crown of Gondor to the coronation of Elessar, described as made of "black lebethron".[2]

Etymology

The name was invented by Tolkien at the time of writing, as melinon, then lebendron and finally lebethras. It was replaced by lebethron on the fair manuscript copy.[3]

According to a later source, lebethron was a Gondor Sindarin word. The fist element, lebeth, was related to Quenya lepsë,[4] "finger".[5] The second element was said to be derived from oron, "tree", though a later addition also ties it to the root RUN, "rub, grind, smooth, polish". In this light, the tree was named lebethorn, and the wood of the tree lebethron, and the two words merged into one over time.[4]

References