The Ethir Anduin, also known as the Ethir,[1] Anduin's Mouths, and the Mouths of Anduin, was the delta formed by the river Anduin's egress into the Bay of Belfalas, and thus into the Great Sea of Belegaer. It was within southern Gondor, near the great harbor of Pelargir in Lebennin. It was considered one of the fiefs of the Outlands.[2]
History[]
The delta's earliest inhabitants were probably the Nandor. Some of the Nandor who had originally lived upstream in woodlands within the Vales of Anduin before the Misty Mountains, traveled southward until they reached the Anduin's mouth, where they made dwellings.[3]
After the Nandor had gone, the land became settled by "lesser men",[4] though they were likely in conflict with Haradrim. After the coming of the Númenóreans, the confluence of cultures in the Ethir and Pelargir formed one of the earliest forms of Westron.[5] The Númenóreans made a passage through the Ethir to be taken by ships going to and from Pelargir.[6]
The Ethir was formed after the Downfall of Númenor when the great storms in the island kingdom's drowning changed the shape of the coast. The shores of the Bay of Belfalas had retreated a great distance, putting Pelargir much farther inland than it had been originally. This led the Anduin to carve a new path into the bay through many mouths.[7]
In the days following the founding of Gondor, the delta became an important area under the control of the new kingdom. Those Gondorians that lived there were mainly fisherman and sea-crafty folk who went out to the Belegaer on boats.[8] Fishing had been the most profitable business in the Anduin's Mouths for generations, and fish the main food source.[4]
During the reign of Tarannon Falastur, the first of the Ship-kings, Gondor had built a strong navy, and through its use extended the realm along the coasts west and south of the Mouths of Anduin. Tarannon had even relocated from the capital city of Osgiliath, building a house downstream of Pelargir that rested upon arches sunk into the waters of the Ethir, where he lived within the sound and smell of the sea.[4]
On March 13 in the year 3019, shortly before the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, some hundred fishermen who could be spared from their boats were sent under their lord Northiligand[9] to aid in the defense of Minas Tirith.[10] This left the Mouths themselves open to conquest by Umbar,[11] but the occupation did not last very long; Aragorn and the Grey Company liberated it several days later.[8]
Etymology[]
Ethir Anduin is a Sindarin name meaning "Mouths of Anduin",[1] consisting of the elements ethir ("outflow,[1][12] delta")[13] and Anduin ("Long river").
In adaptations[]
The Return of the King (1980 film)[]
In The Return of the King animated film in 1980, Gandalf mentions the Ethir (wrongly pronounced Ee-thur) as he explains the coming of the Corsair fleet to the audience.
Translations[]
| Foreign Language | Translated name |
| Amharic | ኤቲር ኣንዱኛ |
| Arabic | إيثير أندوين |
| Armenian | Էթիր Անդուին |
| Assamese | ইথিৰ এণ্ডুইন |
| Belarusian Cyrillic | Эцір Андуін |
| Bengali | ইথির আন্দুইন |
| Bulgarian Cyrillic | Етир Андуин |
| Danish | Anduinflodens Munding (Ethir Anduin) |
| Dari | ایتیر اندوین |
| Georgian | ეთირ ანდუინი |
| Greek | Εθίρ Αντουίν |
| Gujarati | ઇથિર એન્ડુઇન |
| Hebrew | אתיר אנדואין |
| Hindi | इथिर एन्डुइन |
| Japanese | エシル・アンドゥイン |
| Kannada | ಎಥಿರ್ ಅಂಡ್ಯುಯಿನ್ |
| Kazakh | Этир Андүін (Cyrillic) Étïr Andüin (Latin) |
| Korean | 에티르 안두인 |
| Macedonian Cyrillic | Етир Андуин |
| Maithili | एथिर अण्डुइन |
| Malayalam | എതിർ ആൻഡുയിൻ |
| Marathi | इथीर अँडुइन |
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Этир Андуин |
| Nepalese | इथिर अन्दुइन |
| Pashto | ایتیر اندوین |
| Persian | اتیر آندوین |
| Punjabi | ਈਥਿਰ ਐਂਡੂਇਨ |
| Sanskrit | एथिर् अण्डुइन् |
| Sindhi | ايٿير اينڊين |
| Sinhalese | එතිර් ඇන්ඩුයින් |
| Tajik Cyrillic | Этир Андуин |
| Tamil | எதிர் அண்டுய்ந் |
| Tatar | Этир Андуин |
| Telugu | ఎథిర్ అండుయిన్ |
| Thai | เอธีร์ อันดูอิน |
| Ukrainian Cyrillic | Етір Андуін |
| Urdu | ایتھر اینڈوئن |
| Yiddish | עטהיר אַנדוין |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, "Unfinished index to The Lord of the Rings", pg. 350
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, VII: "The Heirs of Elendil"
- ↑ Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth, Part Two: The Second Age, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn and of Amroth King of Lórien", Appendix A: "The Silvan Elves and their Speech"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Lord of the Rings, Appendix A, "The Númenorean Kings", "Gondor and the Heirs of Anárion"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Men"
- ↑ Vinyar Tengwar 42, "The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor", pg. 11
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. XII: The Peoples of Middle-earth, VI: "The Tale of Years of the Second Age"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Lord of the Rings, Vol. III: The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter IX: "The Last Debate"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. VIII: The War of the Ring, Part Three: Minas Tirith, II: "Book Five Begun and Abandoned", Sketches for Book Five, pgs. 252, 266 (note 24)
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter I: "Minas Tirith"
- ↑ The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, Book Five, Chapter VI: "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", entry "ET"
- ↑ The Silmarillion, Appendix: "Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names" , entry sîr