S. Anduin loc. “Great River, (lit.) Long River”

S. Anduin, loc. “Great River, (lit.) Long River”

The “Great River” of northwestern Middle-earth (LotR/52), a compound of and “long” and duin “river”, and thus literally meaning “Long River” (RC/765, VT48/23).

Conceptual Development: This river was first mentioned as N. Anduin in the earliest versions of the “Fall of Númenor” from the 1930s (LR/33). In the earliest drafts of the Lord of the Rings from the 1940s this river was named N. Beleghir “Great River”, but it was quickly changed to Anduin (RS/410). As he composed the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien considered other variants: Sirvinya “New Sirion” (TI/119) and Andon (TI/298), but all were rejected in favor of Anduin.

References ✧ LotR/52; LotRI/Anduin, Great River; MRI; PE17/12, 40; PMI; RC/350, 765; S/291; SA/an(d), duin; SI/Anduin, Great River; SMI; UTI; VT48/23; WJI

Glosses

Elements

and “long” ✧ PE17/12 (ann); PE17/40 (ann); RC/765; SA/an(d) (an(d))
duin “(large) river” ✧ RC/765; SA/duin
duinē “(large) river” ✧ VT48/23

Element In

Cognates


N. Anduin loc. “Great River”

See S. Anduin for discussion.

References ✧ LR/33; LRI; RS/410; RSI; SDI1/Anduin; TI/124, 144, 298; TII; WRI

Glosses

Variations

Changes

Elements

ann “long”
duin “water, river”

Element In


ᴹQ. Sirvinya loc. “New Sirion”

A rejected name for the river Anduin in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/119). It is a compound of síre “river” and vinya¹ “new”, as suggested by Roman Rausch (EE/2.11).

References ✧ TI/119; TII/Anduin

Glosses

Elements

síre “river”
vinya¹ “young, new”

N. Beleghir loc. “Great River”

Precursor to the river name Anduin appearing in the Lord of the Rings from the 1940s (RS/410), a combination of beleg “great” and the lenited form of sîr “river”.

See S. Anduin for further discussion.

References ✧ RS/410; RSI; TII/Anduin

Glosses

Changes

Elements

beleg “great, large”
sîr “river” soft-mutation