S. Mindolluin loc. “Towering Blue-head”

S. Mindolluin, loc. “Towering Blue-head”

The mountain on which Minas Tirith was built (LotR/751), translated “Towering Blue-head” in Tolkien’s “Unfinished Index” of The Lord of the Rings (RC/439). It is a combination of a shortened or root form of minas “tower” with dol(l) “head” and luin “blue” (SA/minas, dol, luin).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Tor-dilluin, perhaps beginning with N. taur² “high” (as suggested by Roman Rausch, EE/3.6), but it was soon revised to N. Mindolluin (WR/80).

References ✧ LotRI/Mindolluin, Mount Mindolluin; PMI; RC/439; SA/dol, luin, minas; SI

Glosses

Related

Elements

minas “tower, fort, city (with a citadel and central watch tower)”
dol(l) “head, hill” ✧ SA/dol (dol)
luin “blue” ✧ SA/luin

N. Mindolluin loc.

See S. Mindolluin for discussion.

References ✧ PE22/126; SDI1/Mindolluin; TI/310; TII; WR/80; WRI/Mindolluin, Tor-dilluin

Element In


N. Tor-dilluin loc.

See S. Mindolluin for discussion.

References ✧ WR/80; WRI

Changes

Elements

taur² “vast, mighty, overwhelming, awful, huge; high, sublime”
till “horn” soft-mutation
lhûn “blue” soft-mutation