Lebennin

From Tolkien Gateway
Lebennin
Province
General Information
Other namesLand of Five Streams
LocationSouthern Gondor
TypeProvince
People and History
InhabitantsMen of Gondor
CreatedS.A. 3320
EventsKin-strife
War of the Ring

Lebennin (prounounced [lɛˈbɛn.nɪn] le-ben-nin) was a fief[1] and region in the south of Gondor.[2]

Geography[edit | edit source]

Lebennin was the land between the White Mountains in the north, the river Anduin in the south and the river Gilrain in the west[3] from Anórien to Belfalas.[1]

It was known as Fair Lebennin of the Five Streams, which referred to the Five Rivers of Lebennin.[1] The city of Pelargir was in the south of Lebennin.[2]

At the time of the War of the Ring a numerous amount of hardy Men[4] of mixed blood, which included short and swarthy people who were more descended from the forgotten men who lived in the shadows of the hills before the coming of the kings.[5]

History[edit | edit source]

During the War of the Ring, Lebennin did not send men to the aid of Minas Tirith before the Siege of Minas Tirith.[6] This was probably because Lebennin was under attack by the Corsairs of Umbar.[4] Aragorn, leading the Grey Company and the Dead Men of Dunharrow, came to Linhir. There men from Lamedon defended the fords agains men from Umbar and Harad who had sailed up the river, but all of them fled when Aragorn arrived and cried that the King of the Dead had come. Only Angbor, the Lord of Lamedon had the courage to stay and Aragorn asked him to gather his men and follow him because he would need them at Pelargir. They crossed over the river Gilrain into Lebennin[7] on 11 March[8] driving their fleeing enemies before them and defeated the Corsairs of Umbar and the Haradrim near the city of Pelargir[9] on 13 March[10]. On the next day troops from Lebennin travelled with Aragorn and the Grey Company up the Anduin on the captured ships of the Corsairs of Umbar[11] to aid the forces of Minas Tirith and the Rohirrim in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.[12]

Lori Deitrick - Men of Lebennin

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Lebennin means "five rivers"[1] in Sindarin[13]. It consists of leben ("five") and nin ("rivers", "waters").[13][14].

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

1982-97: Middle-earth Role Playing:

Lebennin is the most populous province in Southern Gondor. Its capital is Pelargir, and other landmarks in the region include Fanuilond (town), Glinduin (river) and Serni (river).[15]

1995-8: Middle-earth Collectible Card Game:

Lebennin is a region which links to Anórien, Belfalas, Lamedon, and the Mouths of the Anduin. "Men of Lebennin" is a Man Faction, playable at the site Pelargir.

2014: The Lord of the Rings Online:

For game development purposes, Lebennin was divided into Lower Lebennin and Upper Lebennin, divided by Pelargir and the river Sirith. Lower Lebennin was the eastern-most area in Central Gondor and Upper Lebennin was the western-most area in Eastern Gondor. Dor-en-Ernil lay to the west across the river Gilrain and Lossarnach lay to the east across the river Erui. The emblem of Lebennin was five wavy blue lines representing the Five Rivers on a white field. Aside from Pelargir, major settlements in Lebennin included "Ost Anglebed", "Glaniath", and Tumladen, along with Linhir which was also part of Dor-en-Ernil. The smaller settlements, some of which had fallen to enemy forces before the breaking of the Siege of Gondor, included "Ethilorn", "Sarnhad", "Malbarth", "Aerthir", "Lornost", "Erynos", and "Halach". A local tradition in Lebennin was the offering of gift baskets to the rivers in honor of the Five Sisters of Lebennin, though by the end of the Third Age few believed the Sisters were any more than a myth.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Lebennin, p. 274
  2. 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor"
  3. >J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "Notes", note 36
  4. 4.0 4.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", p. 765
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", p. 750
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", p. 770
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate", p. 875
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3019, March 11, p. 1093
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate", p. 876
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3019, March 13, p. 1093
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate", p. 877
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields", p. 848
  13. 13.0 13.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), entry S Lebennin, p. 95
  14. Paul Strack, "S. Lebennin loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 14 March 2024)
  15. Jason Beresford, Anders Blixt, Mats Blomqvist, Gunnar Brolin, Jeff Hatch, Tim Innes, Åke Rosenius, Martin Rundkvist, Erik, Rågvik, Chris Seeman, Magnus Seter (1996), Southern Gondor: The Land (#2021)
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