Sûza
From Tolkien Gateway
Sûza is the Westron word for "province, sphere of occupation, division of a realm"[1], visible in Sûza-t, "The Shire".
Etymology
Perhaps the second element -za related to the Adûnaic word zâyan, "land"[2].
Inspiration
"[...] actually the ON Old Norse and mod. Icelandic sýsla[3]> (Swed. syssla, Dan. syssel, now obsolete in sense amt, but occurring in place-names) was in mind when I said that the real untranslated name of the Shire was Súza [...] hence it was also said [...] that it was a 'district of well-ordered business'." [4]
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F
- ↑ Andreas Möhn, "Etymologies of the Atani languages", entry ZAY'N
- ↑ Sýsla at Wikipedia
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Nomenclature of The Lord of the Rings" in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 775 (entry for Shire)
