Nobottle

From Tolkien Gateway
Nobottle
Town
The Lord of the Rings Online - Nobottle.jpg
Nobottle in The Lord of the Rings Online
General Information
LocationWestfarthing, the Shire
TypeTown
InhabitantsHobbits
GalleryImages of Nobottle

Nobottle was a town in the Westfarthing of the Shire, west of Needlehole.[1]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

See also: Hardbottle

David Salo suggests that the name represents a possible Old Hobbitish etymology *Neowebotl, therefore meaning "new dwelling".[2]

Bottle in an element in English place-names meaning "large dwelling".[3] Old English bold or botl mean "building, house, dwelling".

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

The name was one of those proposed by Christopher Tolkien to his father while drawing A Part of the Shire in 1943, mainly derived from his large collection of books on English place-names.[4] However that time Christopher thought that the name referred to an absence of inns, due to some remoteness and poverty of the place.[5]

Nobottle is an actual place-name in Northamptonshire, England (erroneously listed as being in Northumberland).[3] Similarly named actual places (apparently with the same etymology) include Newbold and Nobold.

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2022: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Nobottle is one of the four settlements of "the Yondershire", in the Shire's wilder north-western reaches. It is famous for its brewery, the products of which are in high demand.

References