White Mountains (Middle-earth)
Encyclopedia
The White Mountains, a loose translation of the Sindarin
Ered Nimrais "Whitehorn Mountains", is a fictional mountain
range in J. R. R. Tolkien
's Middle-earth
. The mountains are named after the glacier
s of their highest peaks. The range lies mostly East-West, but also has a northern section, which is separated from the main line of the Hithaeglir Misty Mountains
by the Gap of Rohan. Even at the southern latitude of Gondor and Rohan, the White Mountains bear snow even in summer, suggesting they are extremely high. The range has no passes. The Paths of the Dead
pass under it, but only the most courageous (or foolhardy) ever venture that route. The White Mountains form the northern boundary of Gondor
and the southern boundary of Rohan
except in their easternmost provinces, where Gondor's province of Anórien lies to the north of the mountains.
Its notable peaks include Irensaga "Iron Saw" and Starkhorn. Between these two lies the Dwimorberg, entrance to the Paths of the Dead.
At the eastern end, the city of Minas Tirith
is carved into Mindolluin mountain. The Warning beacons of Gondor
are placed on top of seven peaks in the range: Amon Dîn, Eilenach, Nardol, Erelas, Min-Rimmon, Calenhad and Halifirien.
Several river
s rise in the White Mountains, among them the Adorn (a tributary of Isen), the Snowbourn and Mering Stream (tributaries of the Entwash), and, on the south side, the Erui, a tributary of Anduin
, the Ringló and its tributary Ciril, which together with the Morthond all enter the Bay of Belfalas
at Edhellond near Dol Amroth
; the Lefnui of the Anfalas, and the Five Rivers of Lebennin.
In the Second Age
, the White Mountains were populated by a people related to the Dunlendings who had been servants of Sauron
. They swore allegiance to Isildur
, but betrayed him and were cursed: they became known as the Dead Men of Dunharrow
, of the paths Aragorn
, Gimli
, Legolas
, and the Rangers
later took. Before the Dunlendings, the White Mountains had been home to the Púkel-Men or Drúedain
.
landscape. He was introduced to the area by C. S. Lewis
, who had brought him here to meet George Sayer
, the Head of English at Malvern College
. Sayer had been a student of Lewis, and became his biographer, and together with them Tolkien would walk the Malvern Hills
. Excerpts from The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings
were recorded in Malvern in 1952, at the home of George Sayer. The recordings were later issued on long-playing gramophone record
s. In the liner notes for J.R.R. Tolkien Reads and Sings his The Hobbit & The Fellowship of the Ring, George Sayer wrote that Tolkien would relive the book as they walked and compared parts of the Malvern Hills to the White Mountains of Gondor.
Sindarin
Sindarin is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Sindarin is one of the many languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called the Eledhrim or Edhellim in Sindarin....
Ered Nimrais "Whitehorn Mountains", is a fictional mountain
Mountain
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range in J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's Middle-earth
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
. The mountains are named after the glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s of their highest peaks. The range lies mostly East-West, but also has a northern section, which is separated from the main line of the Hithaeglir Misty Mountains
Misty Mountains
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth, the Misty Mountains is a mountain range, running for 795 miles from north to south, between Eriador and the valley of the Great River, Anduin, and...
by the Gap of Rohan. Even at the southern latitude of Gondor and Rohan, the White Mountains bear snow even in summer, suggesting they are extremely high. The range has no passes. The Paths of the Dead
Paths of the Dead
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Paths of the Dead were a haunted passage under the White Mountains.The Paths of the Dead started at the Dark Door at the end of the long valley of Harrowdale, beyond the Firienfeld and the forest of Dimholt, wedged in between the mountains Irensaga ,...
pass under it, but only the most courageous (or foolhardy) ever venture that route. The White Mountains form the northern boundary of Gondor
Gondor
Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J. R. R. Tolkien's writings, described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the Third Age. The third volume of The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, is concerned with the events in Gondor during the War of the Ring and with...
and the southern boundary of Rohan
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
except in their easternmost provinces, where Gondor's province of Anórien lies to the north of the mountains.
Its notable peaks include Irensaga "Iron Saw" and Starkhorn. Between these two lies the Dwimorberg, entrance to the Paths of the Dead.
At the eastern end, the city of Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith
Minas Tirith , originally named Minas Anor, is a fictional city and castle in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. It became the heavily fortified capital of Gondor in the second half of the Third Age...
is carved into Mindolluin mountain. The Warning beacons of Gondor
Warning beacons of Gondor
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the warning beacons of Gondor were an alarm system for the realm of Gondor.Situated on top of several hills on both sides of the White Mountains, the beacons were great fire-places permanently manned by men of Gondor...
are placed on top of seven peaks in the range: Amon Dîn, Eilenach, Nardol, Erelas, Min-Rimmon, Calenhad and Halifirien.
Several river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s rise in the White Mountains, among them the Adorn (a tributary of Isen), the Snowbourn and Mering Stream (tributaries of the Entwash), and, on the south side, the Erui, a tributary of Anduin
Anduin
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional Middle-earth, Anduin is the Sindarin name for the Great River of Wilderland, the longest river in the Third Age . The ancestors of the Rohirrim called it Langflood. It flowed from its source in the Grey and Misty Mountains to the Mouths of Anduin in the Great Sea...
, the Ringló and its tributary Ciril, which together with the Morthond all enter the Bay of Belfalas
Bay of Belfalas
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Bay of Belfalas was a large southern bay in the Great Sea.The Bay of Belfalas was the remainder of the eastern edge of the Great Gulf that had divided Beleriand from the Lands to the South in the First Age...
at Edhellond near Dol Amroth
Dol Amroth
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Dol Amroth was a hill along the coast of Gondor, on a peninsula on the Bay of Belfalas; and also the city that grew up there, mainly in the Third Age as the seat of the principality of the same name. The Prince of Dol Amroth was one of the principal subjects of...
; the Lefnui of the Anfalas, and the Five Rivers of Lebennin.
In the Second Age
Second Age
The Second Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. Tolkien intended for the history of Middle-earth to be considered fictionally as a precursor to the history of the real Earth....
, the White Mountains were populated by a people related to the Dunlendings who had been servants of Sauron
Sauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
. They swore allegiance to Isildur
Isildur
Isildur is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He appears in the author's books The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
, but betrayed him and were cursed: they became known as the Dead Men of Dunharrow
Dead Men of Dunharrow
The Dead Men of Dunharrow are fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium...
, of the paths Aragorn
Aragorn
Aragorn II is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, one of the main protagonists of The Lord of the Rings. He is first introduced by the name Strider, which the hobbits continue to call him...
, Gimli
Gimli (Middle-earth)
Gimli is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. A Dwarf warrior, he is the son of Glóin ....
, Legolas
Legolas
Legolas is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, featured in The Lord of the Rings. He is an Elf of the Woodland Realm and one of nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring.- Literature :...
, and the Rangers
Rangers of the North
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Rangers of the North, also known as the Dúnedain of the North, were the descendants of the Dúnedain from the lost kingdom of Arnor...
later took. Before the Dunlendings, the White Mountains had been home to the Púkel-Men or Drúedain
Drúedain
The Drúedain are a fictional race of Men which were counted amongst the Edain, who made their way into Beleriand in the First Age, and were friendly to the Elves. They are part of the Middle-earth legendarium, created by J. R. R. Tolkien....
.
Inspiration
Tolkien found inspiration in the MalvernMalvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
landscape. He was introduced to the area by C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
, who had brought him here to meet George Sayer
George Sayer
George Sydney Benedict Sayer born at Bradfield, Berkshire, England, was a teacher in a famous English school and is probably best known for his biography of the author C. S. Lewis.-Career:...
, the Head of English at Malvern College
Malvern College
Malvern College is a coeducational independent school located on a 250 acre campus near the town centre of Malvern, Worcestershire in England. Founded on 25 January 1865, until 1992, the College was a secondary school for boys aged 13 to 18...
. Sayer had been a student of Lewis, and became his biographer, and together with them Tolkien would walk the Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
. Excerpts from The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
were recorded in Malvern in 1952, at the home of George Sayer. The recordings were later issued on long-playing gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s. In the liner notes for J.R.R. Tolkien Reads and Sings his The Hobbit & The Fellowship of the Ring, George Sayer wrote that Tolkien would relive the book as they walked and compared parts of the Malvern Hills to the White Mountains of Gondor.