 | |
| Stream | |
| Mering Stream | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Other names | Glanhír |
| Location | Border between Rohan and Gondor |
| Type | Stream |
| Description | East flowing stream, tributary of the Entwash |
The Mering Stream, or Glanhír in Sindarin, was the border river between Rohan and Gondor. West of the Mering Stream lay the Eastfold, and to its east lay Anórien.[1]
Course
The stream rose from a cleft in a northward spur of the White Mountains, traversed the Firienholt, which grew about the mountain Halifirien, last of the Warning beacons of Gondor, then exited to the plain and joined the Entwash, where it formed impassable marshes.[1][2]:301
History
Before the establishment of the kingdom of Rohan, the line of the Mering Stream was fortified on its between the impassable marshes where it flowed into the Entwash and the bridge where the road ran westward out of the Firienholt.[2]:301
In later times it formed the border between Gondor and Rohan, together with the White Mountains and the Mouths of the Entwash.[2]
On early March 8 T.A. 3019[3][4] Gandalf and Pippin crossed the stream during their ride from Rohan to Minas Tirith in the War of the ring.[5]
On March 11 T.A. 3019[6] the riders of Rohan led by their King Théoden travelled with Meriadoc Brandybuck through the Eastfold on their way to Minas Tirith.[7]
In early August T.A. 3019[8] the funeral escort of King Théoden passed through the Eastfold on its way to Edoras.[9]
Etymology
The name means "boundary stream". Mering represents Old English māere or mēre ("boundary").[10]
Glanhír is a Sindarin name, which means "boundary stream".[11] Paul Strack suggests that the first element is glan(n) ("border", "boundary") and that the second element is a lenited form of sîr ("river", "stream")".[12]
Portrayal in adaptations
2013: The Lord of the Rings Online:
- The Mering Stream is only accessible from the Rohan side, as the Gondorian side is blocked by impassable cliffs and reeds. The only way to cross the river is through a guarded ford, which also transitions the player between the Rhovanion to the Gondor in-game landmasses, a transition very noticeable because all of Gondor is covered under the Dawnless Day at that time, regardless of the daylight conditions on the Rohan side. A Rohirrim town of "Beaconwatch" sits on the bank of the river, with a clear view across into the Firien Wood and Halifirien.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "(iii) Cirion and Eorl"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B, "The Great Years", entry for the year 3019, March 5, p. 1093
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 509
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Minas Tirith", "the third night since he had looked in the Stone", p. 747
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 542
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "The Muster of Rohan", p. 804
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 641
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King, "Many Partings", p. 976
- ↑ 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, entry Mering Stream, p. 773
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, "Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan", "Notes", note 46
- ↑ Paul Strack, "S. Glanhír loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon, accessed 20 October 2024