Lebethron was a black[1] hardwood tree of Gondor that grew in Ithilien and probably the Ered Nimrais. The tree was said to be fair and it was favored by the wood-wrights of Gondor.[2]
The staves that Faramir gave to Frodo and Sam were made of Lebethron,[2] as was the casket in which the Crown of Gondor was kept.[1]
Etymology[]
Lebethron was a Númenórean Sindarin word with an unknown meaning containing the element lebeth, which was related to the Quenya element lepsë[3] ("finger"[4]). The second element was either derived from oron ("tree") or the root run ("rub, grind, smooth, polish").[3]
In other versions[]
In earlier drafts, Lebethron was written as Melinon before being changed to Lebendron and then to Lebethras and finally to Lebethron.[5]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lord of the Rings, Vol. III: The Return of the King, Book VI, ch. V: "The Steward and the King"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers, Book IV, ch. VII: "Journey to the Cross-Roads"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Parma Eldalamberon XVII, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings: Eldarin Roots and Stems", pg. 89
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. V: The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
- ↑ The History of Middle-earth, Vol. VIII: The War of the Ring, pgs. 180, 207