Lebethron: Difference between revisions

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(Add the mention of "black lebethron" for the casket - possibly the wood natural color or the result of some finishing.)
(→‎Etymology: Add earlier draft names)
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==Etymology==
==Etymology==
''Lebethron'' was a [[Gondor Sindarin]] word. The fist element, ''[[lebeth]]'', was related to [[Quenya]] ''[[lepsë]]'',<ref name="PE17">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Gilson]] (ed.), "Words, Phrases & Passages in ''The Lord of the Rings''", published in [[Parma Eldalamberon]] [[Parma Eldalamberon 17|#17]] (July [[2007]]), page 89.</ref> "finger".<ref name="etym">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]], ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', "[[The Etymologies]]"</ref> The second element was said to be derived from ''[[oron]]'', "tree", though a later addition also ties it to the [[Sundocarmë|root]] [[RUN]], "rub, grind, smooth, polish". In this light, the tree was named ''lebethorn'', and the wood of the tree ''lebethron'', and the two words merged into one over time.<ref name="PE17"/> [[Didier Willis]] has speculated that it was the "finger-oak", or ''Quercus Digitata'',<ref>[[Didier Willis]], "[http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=62 Un arbre mystérieux : le lebethron]" (original, in French), "[http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/file/lebethron-part1.pdf Behind the leaves of the ''lebethron'': Tree and Oak]" (English draft), [http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/index.php?lng=fr Hiswelokë], [[2003]]</ref> though the identification of the second element as ''oron'' rather than ''[[doron]]'', "oak", made that interpretation questionable.  
 
The name was invented by Tolkien at the time of writing, as ''melinon'', then ''lebendron'' and finally ''lebethras''. It was replaced by ''lebethron'' on the fair manuscript copy.<ref>{{WR}} pp. 180 and 207.</ref>
 
According to a later source, ''lebethron'' was a [[Gondor Sindarin]] word. The fist element, ''[[lebeth]]'', was related to [[Quenya]] ''[[lepsë]]'',<ref name="PE17">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Gilson]] (ed.), "Words, Phrases & Passages in ''The Lord of the Rings''", published in [[Parma Eldalamberon]] [[Parma Eldalamberon 17|#17]] (July [[2007]]), page 89.</ref> "finger".<ref name="etym">[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], [[Christopher Tolkien]], ''[[The Lost Road and Other Writings]]'', "[[The Etymologies]]"</ref> The second element was said to be derived from ''[[oron]]'', "tree", though a later addition also ties it to the [[Sundocarmë|root]] [[RUN]], "rub, grind, smooth, polish". In this light, the tree was named ''lebethorn'', and the wood of the tree ''lebethron'', and the two words merged into one over time.<ref name="PE17"/> [[Didier Willis]] has speculated that it was the "finger-oak", or ''Quercus Digitata'',<ref>[[Didier Willis]], "[http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=62 Un arbre mystérieux : le lebethron]" (original, in French), "[http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/file/lebethron-part1.pdf Behind the leaves of the ''lebethron'': Tree and Oak]" (English draft), [http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/site3/index.php?lng=fr Hiswelokë], [[2003]]</ref> though the identification of the second element as ''oron'' rather than ''[[doron]]'', "oak", made that interpretation questionable.  


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Revision as of 19:37, 1 April 2015

Lebethron was a hardwood tree that grew in Ithilien.

History

Lebethron was said to be fair, and beloved by the woodworkers of Gondor.[1] The staves given by Faramir to Frodo and Sam were made of lebethron,[1] as was the casket in which he brought the Crown of Gondor to the coronation of Elessar.[2]

The casket is described as made of "black lebethron". It may suggest that the wood is naturally dark, or that it has high enough tannin content and can thereafter be darkened by chemical processes (e.g. with ammonia), so that to confer a black finish to pieces of furniture.

Etymology

The name was invented by Tolkien at the time of writing, as melinon, then lebendron and finally lebethras. It was replaced by lebethron on the fair manuscript copy.[3]

According to a later source, lebethron was a Gondor Sindarin word. The fist element, lebeth, was related to Quenya lepsë,[4] "finger".[5] The second element was said to be derived from oron, "tree", though a later addition also ties it to the root RUN, "rub, grind, smooth, polish". In this light, the tree was named lebethorn, and the wood of the tree lebethron, and the two words merged into one over time.[4] Didier Willis has speculated that it was the "finger-oak", or Quercus Digitata,[6] though the identification of the second element as oron rather than doron, "oak", made that interpretation questionable.

References