White Tree of Gondor

The White Tree, by Ted Nasmith

The White Tree of Gondor was the symbol of the realm of Gondor. While there were several trees referred to as the "White Tree," the best-known of these grew in the Court of the Fountain at Minas Tirith. The White Tree was also the motif of Gondor's flag.

Description

This iconic tree was in appearance a tall spacious tree of graceful form, white thin unwrinkled bark over white wood. In spring it bore numerous white flowers, but few of these ever fructified; what shape the fruit was is never described, nor was it considered to be edible. The leaves were laurel-like, dark green above and bright silver beneath.

It was fashioned in the image of Telperion, elder of the Two Trees of Valinor, originally. This image was given to the Elves of Kortirion in Valinor and named Galathilion. From it a sapling was taken to Tol Eressëa, named Celeborn. This in turn sired the tree Nimloth of Númenor, felled by Sauron and burned on the altars.

History

First White Tree

The first White Tree of Gondor came from a fruit that Isildur stole from Nimloth the Fair, the White Tree of Númenor, before Nimloth was destroyed at Sauron's insistence. Isildur brought the sapling to Middle-earth and eventually planted it in Minas Ithil before his house. But when Sauron returned to Middle-earth, he attacked and captured Minas Ithil, destroying the White Tree. Isildur escaped, again taking a sapling with him.

Second White Tree

While in Minas Anor instructing his nephew Meneldil in rulership, Isildur planted a sapling of the White Tree in memory of his brother, Anárion. This White Tree stood until TA 1636, when the Great Plague spread across Gondor.

Third White Tree

A third sapling was planted in TA 1640 by King Tarondor, which lasted until the year 2852 and the death of the Ruling Steward Belecthor II. At this, time no seedling of the tree was found or planted, and the dead tree was left standing "until the King returns."

Fourth White Tree

Following his coronation as King of Gondor, Aragorn was taken by Gandalf to the slopes of Mindolluin. There, Aragorn found a sapling of the White Tree. The dead tree was removed from the court and placed in the Tombs of the Kings, and Aragorn planted the sapling in its place. In June of TA 3019, the tree bloomed.

Portrayal in adaptations

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy

The White Tree as depicted in Peter Jackson's films

The finding of the sapling is not seen in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). In the film, the previously dead tree is shown to be flowering again during the Siege of Gondor and the imminent arrival of Aragorn on the Black Ships.

Line of the White Tree

					Telperion (destroyed)
					Galathilion
					Celeborn of Tol Eressëa
					Nimloth of Númenor
					First White Tree of Minas Ithil (planted by Isildur, c.SA 3320 - SA 3429)
					Second White Tree of Minas Anor (planted by Isildur, TA 2 - TA 1636)
					Third White Tree of Minas Tirith (planted by Tarondor, TA 1640 - TA 2872)
					Fourth White Tree of Minas Tirith (planted by Aragorn II Elessar, TA 3019)

Translations around the world

Foreign Language	Translated name
Afrikaans	Wit Boom van Gondor
Albanian	Pemë e bardhë e Gondorit
Arabic	شجرة جوندور البيضاء
Armenian	Գոնդոր-ի Սպիտակ ծառ
Azerbaijani	Gondor'in ağ ağacı
Basque	Gondorren Zuhaitz Zuria
Belarusian Cyrillic	Белае дрэва Гондара
Bengali	গন্দর এর সাদা বৃক্ষ
Bosnian	Bijelo drvo Gondora
Bulgarian Cyrillic	Бяло дърво на Гондор
Catalan	Arbre blanc de Góndor
Chinese	刚铎的白树
Croatian	Bijelo stablo Gondora
Czech	Bílý strom Gondoru
Danish	Hvide træ af Gondor
Dutch	Witte Boom van Gondor
Esperanto	Blanka Arbo de Gondoro
Estonian	Gondori valge puu
Fijian	Vulavula na vunikau ni Gondor
Filipino	Puting Puno ng Gondor
Finnish	Gondorin Valkoinen Puu
French	Arbre blanc du Gondor
Galician	Árbore Branca de Gondor
Georgian	გონდორის თეთრი ხე
German	Weißer Baum von Gondor
Greek	Λευκό δέντρο της Γκόντορ
Gujarati	ગોન્ડોરના સફેદ વૃક્ષ
Haitian Creole	Bwa Blan de Gondor
Hausa	Farin bishiya na Gondor
Hawaiian	ʻO ka lāʻau keʻokeʻo o Gondor
Hebrew	עץ לבן של גונדור
Hindi	गोन्डोर का सफेद वृक्ष
Hmong	Tsob ntoo dawb ntawm Gondor
Hungarian	Gondor fehér fája
Icelandic	Hvítt tré af Gondor
Indonesian	Putih pohon Gondor
Irish Gaelic	Crann bán de Gondor
Italian	Albero Bianco di Gondor
Japanese	ゴンドールの白い木
Javanese	Pohon Wit saka Gondor
Kannada	ಗೊಂಡೋರ್ನ ವೈಟ್ ಟ್ರೀ
Kazakh	Ақ ағашы Гондор (Cyrillic) Aq ağaşı Gondor (Latin)
Korean	곤도의 흰 나무
Latvian	Gondoras balta koka
Lithuanian	Baltas Gondoro medis
Macedonian Cyrillic	Белото дрво на Гондор
Malagasy	Hazo Fotsy ny Gondor
Malaysian	Pokok putih Gondor
Maltese	Siġra abjad tal-Gondor
Marathi	व्हाईट ट्री ऑफ गोन्दोर
Mongolian Cyrillic	Гондор-ийн Цагаан мод
Norwegian	Gondorens Hvite tre
Persian	درخت سفید از گاندور
Polish	Białe Drzewo Gondoru
Portuguese	Árvore branca de Gondor
Romanian	Arbore alb de Gondsau
Russian	Белое Древо Гондора
Samoan	Paʻepaʻe Laau o Gondor
Scottish Gaelic	Geal Craobh de Gondor
Serbian	Бело Дрво Гондора (Cyrillic) Belo Drvo Gondora (Latin)
Sinhalese	ගොඳොර් වල සුදු ගස
Slovak	Biely strom Gondoru
Slovenian	Bele drevo Gondorja
Spanish	Árbol blanco de Gondor
Swahili	Mti mweupe wa Gondor
Swedish	Gondorens Vita träd
Tamil	கொண்டோரின் வெள்ளை மரம்
Telugu	గోండోర్ యొక్క వైట్ ట్రీ
Turkish	Gondor'un beyaz ağacı
Thai	พฤกษาขาวแห่งกอนดอร์
Ukrainian Cyrillic	Біле Дерево Гондору
Vietnamese	Cây trắng của Gondor
Welsh	Coeden Gwyn o Gondor
Yiddish	ווייסע טרי פון גאָנדאָר
Yoruba	Igi funfun ti Gondor