Combe

From Tolkien Gateway
Combe
Village
General Information
LocationIn Bree-land northeast of Bree in Eriador
TypeVillage

Combe was a village in Bree-land.[1] It was located northeast of the village Bree north of the East Road[2] in a deep valley a little further eastward from Staddle,[1] which was on the gentler south-eastern slopes of Bree-hill[2].

History[edit | edit source]

When Aragorn, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took left the Prancing Pony inn in Bree in the morning of 30 September, T.A. 3018[3] even many inhabitants from Combe were crowded on the road in Bree to watch their departure.[4] On that day having walked for some miles on the East Road, Aragorn and the Hobbits could see rising smoke in a deep hollow north of the East Road that indicated where Combe was located.[2]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The word Coomb means a deep (but usually not very large) valley and occurs as an element in place-names spelt -comb, -cumb or -combe.[5]

The name Combe (Coomb) has been modelled on a relic of a "British" (i.e. Celtic) name that was chosen for its meaning, because the survival of traces of the older language of the Bree-men resembled the survival of Celtic elements in England.[6]

David Salo suggests that Combe means "valley" and that it is a Celtic name, which is derived from British *kumba and Welsh cwm.[7]

The real-life Welsh place-name Cwm means "valley".

Portrayals in Adaptations[edit | edit source]

2007: The Lord of the Rings Online:

Combe is a busy village that is visted by the player during "Stirrings in the Darkness". Weary travellers can relax and drink in the Comb and Wattle Inn. The village is commanded by Constable Underhill.

References