Gilrain

From Tolkien Gateway
This article is about the river. For the mother of Aragorn, see Gilraen.

The Gilrain was a river in the south of Gondor.[1]

Course[edit | edit source]

The Gilrain flowed from its source on the southern slope in the east of the White Mountains[1] swiftly southward until at the end of the southward outlier of the mountains that separated the valley of the river Gilrain from the valley of the river Celos, it entered a wide shallow depression[2]. There the Gilrain wandered for awhile and formed a small lake at the southern end of the depression where it cut through a ridge and flowed over waterfalls again swiftly southward until its confluence[2] with its tributary, the river Serni. A short distance downstream at Linhir were the fords where travellers on the road from Erech to Pelargir crossed over the river. The Gilrain then continued to flow southwest for another 20 miles until it emtpied into the Bay of Belfalas west of the Ethir Anduin.[3][4][5]

History[edit | edit source]

Legend said that Nimrodel tarried there upon the banks of the lake formed by the Gilrain as she came south out of the White Mountains, falling into a long sleep and thus missing Amroth's ship.[2]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The first element in the Sindarin name Gilrain is gil ("spark"),[6][7] and the second element derives from the root RAN ("wander, stray")[2].

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

It is mentioned that the Serni continued to be called the Serni after its confluence with the Gilraen until it flowed into the sea and that its mouth was blocked with shingles in the entry Serni in the index of Unfinished Tales that was written by Christopher Tolkien in 1980 and in the etymological essay The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor that was written by J.R.R. Tolkien sometime after June 1969.[8][9][10] In addition, the label "Serni" is placed downstream from the confluence of the two rivers not far upstream where the river flows into the Bay of Belfalas on the map of The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age, which was drawn by Christopher Tolkien and published with Unfinished Tales in 1980.[11]

On the General Map of Middle-earth, which was drawn by Christopher Tolkien in late 1953 and published with older editions of The Lord of the Rings the "R" of the label "River GILRAIN" is placed downstream from the confluence of the two rivers not far upstream from where the river flows into the Bay of Belfalas. This is consistent with the location of the "R" in the label "R Gilrain" on The Third Map of The Lord of the Rings, which was drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien during the writing of The Lord of the Rings based on which Christopher Tolkien drew the General Map of Middle-earth. The text of a revised version of the draft manuscript for the chapter The Last Debate explicitly states that Linhir and the fords were on the shore of the Gilrain, that the men of Lamedon defended the passage over the Gilrain at Linhir and that the enemy had sailed up the mouth of the Gilrain.[12][13]

For the joint course of the Gilrain and the Serni from their confluence to the sea the name Linhir was also used.[14]

Portrayal in adaptations[edit | edit source]

2014: The Lord of the Rings Online:

The river Gilrain formed the border between the areas of Dor-en-Ernil and Lower Lebennin in the region of Central Gondor. The river was the domain of the gentle River-maid Roamingstar, one of the Five Sisters, who dwelt in the mere. Roamingstar lulled the elf-maid Nimrodel to sleep with her song and so accidentally caused the Elf to lose her beloved, Amroth, a tragedy the River-maid still felt guilt for during the War of the Ring. She and her sisters were widely considered myths by then, but when her aid was sought for Gondor she gave it by preventing the Ruthless Dead from crossing her river into Lebennin.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The History of Galadriel and Celeborn", "Amroth and Nimrodel", pp. 242-3
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Last Debate", "we came to Linhir above the mouth of Gilrain", "And there men of Lamedon contested the fords with fell folk of Umbar and Harad who had sailed up the river." and "Thus we crossed over Gilrain", p. 875
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Gilrain
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Linhir "a haven with ferrybridge over Gilraen near its mouth" and entry Gilrain "river of Gondor, joining Serni and fl[owing] to [the] Sea beyond the Ethir", p. 587
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter), in Vinyar Tengwar, Number 42, July 2001, entry Gilrain, pp. 11-3
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part Three. The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants: XXII. The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor", pp. 382-4
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Index, entry Serni
  9. J.R.R. Tolkien, "The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor" (edited by Carl F. Hostetter), in Vinyar Tengwar, Number 42, July 2001, entry Gilrain, p. 10
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter (ed.), The Nature of Middle-earth, "Part Three. The World, its Lands, and its Inhabitants: XXII. The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor", p. 381
  11. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "The West of Middle-earth at the End of the Third Age" [map]
  12. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The War of the Ring, "Part Three: Minas Tirith", "XII. The Last Debate", "to Linhir beside the waters of Gilrain where there are fords that lead into Lebennin" and "There the men of Lamedon had been contesting the passage of Gilrain with a great strength of the Haradrim, and of their allies the Shipmen of Umbar, who had sailed up Gilrainmouth", pp. 411-2
  13. Christopher Tolkien, General Map of Middle-earth (published in older editions of The Lord of the Rings).
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Unfinished index for The Lord of the Rings", in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, entry Linhir, "name of the joint course of Gilrain and Ringlo [i.e. Serni] bet[ween] their junction and the sea", p. 587