The Water
From Tolkien Gateway
The Water of the Shire-water[1] was the main river of the Shire, a tributary of the Brandywine.
Geography
The Water arose to the north-west of Needlehole, and a little to its south formed Rushock Bog. From there, it flowed through Hobbiton and into the Bywater Pool at Bywater, where it was joined by a stream from the north. From then on, it flowed alongside the Great East Road, which ran through the valley of the Water, and it joined the Brandywine just north of the Brandywine Bridge.[2]
Inspiration
The naming of the Water may be a parody of some sorts of Celtic hydronyms that mean simply "river" or "water".[3]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p.66
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "A Part of the Shire" map
- ↑ Mark T. Hooker, A Tolkienian Mathomium, pp. 65-68.