Sindarin Vocabulary: Places and Geography

Structures and Settlements

Sindarin	Plural	Period	English
annon		S.	great gate, great door
bar	bair	S.	home, dwelling
barad	beraid	S.	tower, fortress
caras	ceraiss	S.	moated fortress/city
gobel		S.	village, walled hamlet
minas		S.	tower (with view, projecting peak)
ost	yst	S.	city, fortress
ram	raim	S.	wall
tirith		S.	guard, watching-tower

Geographic Features

Sindarin	Plural	Period	English
amon	emyn	S.	hill, mountain
cirith		S.	cleft, narrow pass
dol		S.	head, hilltop (isolated hill)
eryn		S.	wood, forest
esgal		S.	screen, veil (of trees/leaves)
imlad		S.	deep valley, trough
lad		S.	plain, level ground
nan		S.	valley with river
nen		S.	water, lake, pool
rath	raiss	S.	course, riverbed, street
sîr		S.	river
talath		S.	flat lands, plain
taur		S.	great forest
tol	tŷl	S.	isle, isolated hill
gaear		S.	sea (poetic form)
aear		S.	sea

Cardinal Directions

Sindarin	English	In Names
dûn	west	Dúnedain (Men of West), Dûnhoth
amrûn / rhûn	east	Rhûn (the East lands)
forod	north	Forlindon, Forochel
harad	south	Haradrim (southrons), Harondor
lhûn	(blue — northwest river)	River Lune

Famous Place Name Analyses

Rivendell / Imladris

• Imlad (deep valley) + ris (rushing water, cleaving) = "Deeply-Cloven Valley"
• English "Rivendell" = Old English translation (riven = split; dell = valley)

Minas Tirith

• Minas (tower with view) + Tirith (guard/watch) = "Tower of Guard"
• Formerly Minas Anor (Tower of the Sun) before the Third Age

Lothlórien

• Loth (flower/blossom) + Lórien (land of dream/Elvish name) = "Flower/Dream Lórien"
• Full Sindarin name: Caras Galadhon (City of Trees)

Caras Galadhon

• Caras (moated city) + Galadhon (of trees, genitive) = "Moated City of Trees"

Mirkwood / Eryn Lasgalen

• Eryn (forest) + las (leaf) + galen (green, lenited from calen) = "Forest of Green Leaves"
• Previously Greenwood the Great (Sindarin: Eryn Galen), then Taur-nu-Fuin (Mirkwood)

Barad-dûr

• Barad (tower/fortress) + dûr (dark, gloomy) = "Dark Tower"

Mordor

• Mor (dark, black) + dor (land) = "Black Land / Dark Land"

Gondor

• Gond (stone, rock) + or / dor (land) = "Land of Stone"

Rohan

• Actually has origins in Rohirric/Old English; Sindarin equivalent would be Rochan (horse-country)
• Roch (horse) + -an (land suffix) = "Horse-country"

Helm's Deep / Aglarond

• Aglar (glory, radiance) + rond (vaulted cave/hall) = "Glittering Caves"

Orthanc

• Or (high) + thanc (forked; also "mind" in some analyses) = "High Thorn / Mind of Iron"

Isengard / Angrenost

• Angren (of iron) + ost (fortress) = "Iron Fortress"

Minas Morgul

• Minas (tower) + Morgul (morn dark + gûl wraith-sorcery) = "Tower of Sorcery/Wraith-Magic"
• Formerly Minas Ithil (Tower of the Moon)

Weathertop / Amon Sûl

• Amon (hill) + Sûl (wind) = "Hill of Wind"

Rivendell / Imladris

• Imlad (deep valley) + ris (rushing cleave) = "Deep Cloven Valley"

Misty Mountains / Hithaeglir

• Hith (mist) + aeglir (aeg = peak + -lir = row) = "Row of Misty Peaks"

The Shire / Sûza (Hobbitish, not Sindarin)

• Sindarin might say Talath (flat-lands) or Lad (plain) for the Shire landscape

Elvish Realm Names

Sindarin	English	Notes
Beleriand	Great Land (First Age Elvish kingdoms)	From bel (strength?) + -iand (land)
Doriath	Land of the Fence (Thingol's realm)	dor (land) + iath (fence, girdle)
Eregion	Land of Holly	ereg (holly tree) + -ion (land of)
Lindon	Land of Song	lind (singer, musical) + -on
Lothlórien	Flower Dream Land	loth (flower) + Lórien
Gondolin	Hidden Rock	gond (rock) + dolen (hidden)
Nargothrond	Fortress Caves of Narog	Narog (river name) + thrond (cave-fortress)