Nobottle
| Nobottle | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| General Information | |
| Location | Westfarthing, the Shire |
| Type | Town |
| Inhabitants | Hobbits |
Nobottle was a town in the Westfarthing of the Shire, west of Needlehole.[1]
Etymology[edit]
- 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]
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.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Part of the Shire" map
- ↑ David Salo, "Hobbitish Place-names" dated 23 November 1998, Elfling (accessed 20 March 2013)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 771
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. lvi
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, "XXIII. Notes on Various Topics", p. 424
