 | |
| Hill | |
| Amon Lhaw | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Hill of Hearing |
| Location | Emyn Muil, across the Nen Hithoel opposite Amon Hen |
| Type | Hill |
| People and History | |
| Inhabitants | Gondorians (formerly), Spies of Mordor |
| Gallery | Images of Amon Lhaw |
Amon Lhaw, also called the Hill of Hearing, was one of the three peaks above the Rauros-falls, where Nen Hithoel was drained.[1]
Description
Amon Lhaw towered among the Emyn Muil on the eastern banks of the Anduin opposite Amon Hen, which lay upon the western bank. Between these two peaks was the island hill of Tol Brandir.[1]
Amon Lhaw may possibly have been a little "over 1,000 feet" according to a 1959 letter that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to a reader about the height of Amon Hen.[2]
History
Amon Lhaw was first fortified "in the days of the great kings" according to Aragorn, though the precise dating is unspecified.[1] The hill was fortified before the time of the Stewards, which meant that by the year T.A. 3019, the fortifications were at a minimum 969 years old. One likely possibility is that the hill was fortified at the same time as the Argonath, which was built after Minalcar defeated the Easterlings in the year T.A. 1248 but before the end of his reign in the year T.A. 1366.[3]
At one time Amon Lhaw had been part of the North March[4] of Gondor and a high seat[5] was built there upon which Men kept watch. By the time of the War of the Ring however, it had long since fallen under the influence of Mordor, as spies often roamed there. Such spies may have been Orcs.[1]
In the year 3019, following the Breaking of the Fellowship at Parth Galen, Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee took a boat and paddled across Nen Hithoel. They landed upon the southern slopes of Amon Lhaw where there was a shelving shore.[5]
Etymology
Amon Lhaw is Sindarin, and translates as "Hill of Hearing", or "Hill of Ears",[6] from amon ("hill") and lhaw ("ears").[7]
Other versions of the legendarium
In his drafts, Tolkien first wrote that Amon Lhaw was fortified "in the days of Isildur" instead of "in the days of the great kings". He also originally gave Amon Lhaw the Quenya name Larmindon ("Listen Tower")[8].[9]
At the top of a draft entitled "Trotter on Amon Hen", Tolkien wrote "many experimental Elvish names" such as Llawhen, Amon Tirlaw, Lhawdir, Lasthen, Henlas, and Hendlas. However, all of these names were struck through in favor of Amon Lhaw and Amon Hen.[10]
Portrayal in adaptations
2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring:
- Amon Lhaw briefly appears in Peter Jackson's 2001 film adaptation of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, though it is not named.
2012: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- Amon Lhaw can be seen in detail from Amon Hen but is not accessible, just like the rest of Nen Hithoel's east shore.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River"
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry "the summit of Amon Hen", p. 350. From Waterfield's Catalogue 157, Modern Literature, 1995, item 427.
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Window on the West"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
- ↑ Paul Strack, "S. Amon Lhaw loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 62
- ↑ Paul Strack, "ᴹQ. Larmindon loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XVII. The Great River", p. 364
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XIX. The Departure of Boromir", p. 387 (note 4)