Tol Brandir
- "Frodo halted and looked out over the River, far below him, to Tol Brandir and the birds wheeling in the great gulf of air between him and the untrodden isle. The voice of Rauros was a mighty roaring mingled with a deep throbbing boom."
- ― The Breaking of the Fellowship
Tol Brandir (also called the Tindrock) was one of the three peaks at the southern end of Nen Hithoel. Unlike Amon Hen to the west or Amon Lhaw to the east, Tol Brandir was an island; the Anduin split into two arms and flowed on both sides of the peak before rejoining and plunging over the falls of Rauros. It was situated a little to the north of its companions and it was possible to paddle a boat across the river on it southern side above the waterfall.[1]
It was said that no foot of man or beast had ever been set upon Tol Brandir, which is understandable because its sides rose sheer out of the water. High above the initial cliffs there were steep slopes with trees, but then more grey cliffs shot up with a final spire of stone at the top. Being inaccessible to other creatures, many birds nested on the island.[2]
Etymology
The name of the island is made of two Sindarin words: Tol means an “isle” (rising with sheer sides from the sea or from a river).[3] Brandir is composed of the elements brand, meaning “lofty” or “high” and der, meaning “man”.[4] Whether it is named after its height or a certain person named Brandir, it is not known.
In Westron it was called Tindrock [5] (Old English tind="sharp" plus “rock”).
Portrayal in Adaptations
In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001 movie, when Frodo and Sam cross to Amon Lhaw, they paddle across Nen Hithoel to the north of the island rather than to the south. This is necessary because, unlike in the book, the river does not reach beyond Tol Brandir, instead the falls of Rauros are split by the pinnacle.
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River" and J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Breaking of the Fellowship"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "The Great River"