Forest of Neldoreth
| Neldoreth | |
|---|---|
| Forest | |
 | |
| "By Moonlight in Neldoreth Forest" by Ted Nasmith | |
| General Information | |
| Other names | Taur-na-neldor (S) |
| Location | Doriath |
| Type | Forest |
| People and History | |
| Inhabitants | Iathrim |
| Events | Meeting of Beren and Lúthien |
| Gallery | Images of Neldoreth |
- "To the beeches of Neldoreth I came in the Autumn.
Ah! the gold and the red and the sighing of leaves in the Autumn in Taur-na-neldor!" - ― Treebeard's song
The Forest of Neldoreth was the beech-forest that lay between the banks of the Esgalduin River and the Mindeb River that formed the northern and lesser part of the Kingdom of Doriath.[1]
History[edit]
It was in the Forest of Neldoreth that Lúthien was born and later these woods were part of the enclosure called the "Girdle of Melian".[2] It was also under the trees of Neldoreth that Beren first beheld Lúthien dancing in the moonlight. Later, when Sauron had cast Beren into a pit and Lúthien resolved to rescue him, Thingol had her imprisoned in a house built high in the branches of the highest tree of the forest, called Hírilorn.[3]
When Treebeard was carrying Merry and Pippin to Wellinghall he chanted to them about walking in the woods of the First Age. He recalled coming to Neldoreth in Autumn and enjoying the gold and red and sighing leaves of Taur-na-neldor (an alternate name for the forest).[4]
Etymology[edit]
The name Neldoreth is unclear, but seems to be a compound of neldor ("beech") and the abstract noun ending -eth.[5]
Taur-na-neldor more clearly means "Beech-forest": taur ("forest"), na ("of") and neldor.[6]
Other versions of the legendarium[edit]
On an early draft map for The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien indicated that Neldoreth was the name of the forest bordering the north-eastern shore of the Sea of Rhûn. This forest went unnamed in later maps.[7]
Treebeard's home was also called the Forest of Neldoreth in an early draft.[8]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Map of Beleriand and the Lands to the North"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of the Sindar"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Quenta Silmarillion: Of Beren and Lúthien"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Treebeard", "In the Willow-meads of Tasarinan"
- ↑ Paul Strack, "S. Neldoreth loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 27 November 2019)
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 384
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XV. The First Map of The Lord of the Rings", "Map II", p. 307
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Return of the Shadow, "The Third Phase: XXII. New Uncertainties and New Projections", p. 384
