Shire-water

The Shire-water flowing into the Brandywine River, as seen in The Lord of the Rings Online.
Shire-water
Location	The Shire, Eriador
Type	River
Other names	The Water, Water
Description	An important river of the Shire

The Shire-water,, also called The Water or simply Water, was the main river in the Shire and a tributary to the Brandywine River.

Geography

The Shire-water began in the Northfarthing, located in the North Moors near Long Cleeve and then passed into the Westfarthing to the north-west of Needlehole where it turned to flow to the south. After a short distance at the Rushock Bog it split into two branches, which soon rejoined and then turned eastwards, southwards, and again eastwards before Hobbiton. Before flowing through Hobbiton, the Shire-water was quite narrow and could be crossed by a narrow plank-bridge, and was shadowed by alder-trees. From there, it flowed through Hobbiton and on into the Bywater Pool at Bywater, where it was joined by a stream from the north. From then on, it flowed eastward, running parallel alongside a portion of the East-West Road, which ran through the Water-valley. North of Frogmorton, the Shire-water split again into two branches that rejoined after a short distance. It continued eastwards where it could be crossed at the ford by the village of Budgeford in Bridgefields. From there, the Shire-water passed into the Eastfarthing where it joined the Brandywine River just north of the Brandywine Bridge.

According to the The Atlas of Middle-earth, it was approximately two-hundred miles long.

History

In the year 3019 during the Third Age, the Ruffians known as Sharkey's Men fouled all the lower parts of the Shire-water after the Old Mill at Hobbiton was demolished. As a consequence, filth flowed out into the Brandywine River. Many of the trees and houses that ran along the Shire-water's banks were also destroyed at this time. After the Battle of Bywater and the end of the War of the Ring, the Shire-folk did much to repair the damage to the Shire, including to the Shire-water.

Inspiration

The naming of the Shire-water may be a parody of some sorts of Celtic hydronyms that mean simply "river" or "water".

In adaptations

The Lord of the Rings Online

In the 2007 video game, The Lord of the Rings Online, the Water originates in the mountains of southern Evendim and flows past Long Cleeve and Nobottle before reaching Needlehole.

Translations

Foreign Language	Translated name
Catalan	l'aigua
Danish	Vandet
Dutch	Het Water
Esperanto	La Akvo
French	L'Eau
German	Die Wässer
Greek	το νερό
Hebrew	ה נהר
Italian	Lo Acqua
Polish	Woda
Portuguese (Brazil)	O Água
Malagasy	Ny Rano
Norwegian	Renna
Spanish	El Agua
Welsh	y Dŵr
Yiddish	די וואַסער