The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
Flowing southward through central Gondor, from its source above Erech in the White Mountains to meet the Great Sea at Edhellond
Race
Culture
Settlements
Erech stood near the river's source; Edhellond stood near its mouth
Source
Tributaries
Met the Ringló at its mouth
Outflow
Into the Bay of Belfalas1
Pronunciation
mo'rthond
Meaning
'Black root' (because its source was in the shadow-shrouded valley of the Morthond Vale)
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 1 November 2014
  • Updates planned: 1

River Morthond

The river of the Blackroot Vale

Map of the river Morthond

Rivers of Gondor

A river that rose under the shadows of the White Mountains (hence its name, meaning 'black root') and flowed approximately southward through the lands of Gondor. It was joined by the waters of Ringló above the ancient port of Edhellond.


Notes

1

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Morthond's outflow was probably into the Bay of Belfalas. The matter is confused by the fact that the courses of Morthond and Ringló met at a point about ten miles from the shore, and their joint waters flowed on into the bay. The point at issue is which of these rivers had primacy (that is, was Ringló a tributary of Morthond, or Morthond a tributary of Ringló?)

In earlier draft maps of this region, the question did not arise, as the two rivers had quite different courses (on those early maps, Morthond was a tributary of Anduin, while Ringló followed its own course into the Bay of Belfalas). In later maps, including the published version, the ten-mile joint channel became important, because the Elf-haven of Edhellond was built on its shores.

None of the canonical works address the question of the channel's identity, and indeed the History of Middle-earth offers only hints. Those hints, however, overwhelmingly favour Morthond as the primary river. Other sources are clearer, though still not quite conclusive. In his expanded index to the The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien calls Ringló a 'joint tributary' of Morthond (though his use of the unusual phrase 'joint tributary' confuses the matter slightly). Further, in The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor (in The Nature of Middle-earth) Tolkien describes Ringló as '...meeting with the Ciril and later with the Morthond...'. All of this seems to point strongly to Ringló being the tributary river, so the channel after their confluence would be part of Morthond, not of Ringló.

All of this leaves the question close to being answered, but that answer is nonetheless not quite definitive. In a note to Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan (in Unfinished Tales) there is a reference to Dol Amroth lying 'between the mouths of Ringló and Gilrain' (where might rather expect, 'Morthond and Gilrain'). This single reference is an outlier, and the only remotely canonical comment that questions Morthond as the primary river. On that basis we assume that it was Morthond that flowed out into the Bay of Belfalas rather than Ringló, though it does seem that there may be a shred of doubt on the point.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 1 November 2014
  • Updates planned: 1

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2000, 2014. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.
Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability, but aptitudes and skills are also key.
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River Morthond

The river of the Blackroot Vale

Location
Flowing southward through central Gondor, from its source above Erech in the White Mountains to meet the Great Sea at Edhellond
Race
Culture
Settlements
Erech stood near the river's source; Edhellond stood near its mouth
Source
Tributaries
Met the Ringló at its mouth
Outflow
Into the Bay of Belfalas1
Pronunciation
mo'rthond
Meaning
'Black root' (because its source was in the shadow-shrouded valley of the Morthond Vale)
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 1 November 2014
  • Updates planned: 1

River Morthond

The river of the Blackroot Vale

Map of the river Morthond

Rivers of Gondor

A river that rose under the shadows of the White Mountains (hence its name, meaning 'black root') and flowed approximately southward through the lands of Gondor. It was joined by the waters of Ringló above the ancient port of Edhellond.


Notes

1

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Morthond's outflow was probably into the Bay of Belfalas. The matter is confused by the fact that the courses of Morthond and Ringló met at a point about ten miles from the shore, and their joint waters flowed on into the bay. The point at issue is which of these rivers had primacy (that is, was Ringló a tributary of Morthond, or Morthond a tributary of Ringló?)

In earlier draft maps of this region, the question did not arise, as the two rivers had quite different courses (on those early maps, Morthond was a tributary of Anduin, while Ringló followed its own course into the Bay of Belfalas). In later maps, including the published version, the ten-mile joint channel became important, because the Elf-haven of Edhellond was built on its shores.

None of the canonical works address the question of the channel's identity, and indeed the History of Middle-earth offers only hints. Those hints, however, overwhelmingly favour Morthond as the primary river. Other sources are clearer, though still not quite conclusive. In his expanded index to the The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien calls Ringló a 'joint tributary' of Morthond (though his use of the unusual phrase 'joint tributary' confuses the matter slightly). Further, in The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor (in The Nature of Middle-earth) Tolkien describes Ringló as '...meeting with the Ciril and later with the Morthond...'. All of this seems to point strongly to Ringló being the tributary river, so the channel after their confluence would be part of Morthond, not of Ringló.

All of this leaves the question close to being answered, but that answer is nonetheless not quite definitive. In a note to Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan (in Unfinished Tales) there is a reference to Dol Amroth lying 'between the mouths of Ringló and Gilrain' (where might rather expect, 'Morthond and Gilrain'). This single reference is an outlier, and the only remotely canonical comment that questions Morthond as the primary river. On that basis we assume that it was Morthond that flowed out into the Bay of Belfalas rather than Ringló, though it does seem that there may be a shred of doubt on the point.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 1 November 2014
  • Updates planned: 1

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2000, 2014. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Axiom Discovery aptitude and skill testing.
Personality is one part of understanding a candidate's suitability, but aptitudes and skills are also key.