ered

From Tolkien Gateway

ered is the Sindarin word for "mountains", being the plural of orod.[1][2]

Etymology

Examples

Plural form

Singular form

Other versions

ered is the plural form used by J.R.R. Tolkien in his writing of the 1940s (including The Lord of the Rings) and by Christopher Tolkien in the published Silmarillion. In his later work on the Silmarillion in the 1950s and 60s, J.R.R. Tolkien often used the plural form eryd instead, for example Eryd Lindon[3] and Eryd Gorgoroth[4] replacing earlier Ered Lindon and Ered Gorgoroth.

In the normal pluralization rules of Sindarin, the form eryd would be the proper plural, because an o in the final syllable of a singular noun became y in the plural, such as emyn the plural of amon "hill" and gelydh the plural of golodh "Noldo". To explain the presence of ered in the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien considered modifying the internal history of the Sindarin pluralization, so that the y-plurals of the First Age had changed to e by the Third Age, except in limited cases such as before nasals like n and m (to explain emyn, which also appeared in The Lord of the Rings).[5][note 1]

Notes

  1. Tolkien even noted: "Use Eryd in Silmarillion". Perhaps Christopher used Ered in The Silmarillion to be consistent with The Lord of the Rings.

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", entry orod
  2. 2.0 2.1 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), p.64
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Jewels, "Part Four. Quendi and Eldar", p. 385
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Three. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: (II) The Second Phase: Of the Thieves' Quarrel", p. 297
  5. 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), p. 33