Blue Wizards – See ITHRYN LUIN.
Boar of Everholt – In the latter days of King Walda of Rohan, the great Boar of the Firienwood (on the borders of Gondor and Rohan) was accounted a worthy and daunting prey for any huntsman. But Walda was slain by Orcs and his son Folca vowed to pursue no wild beast while there remained a single goblin alive in Rohan. When the last den had been exterminated, Folca rode away to hunt the Boar of Everholt. He slew the beast but died later of the tusk-wounds it gave him.
Bob – A Hobbit of Bree; the ostler in charge of the stables at The Prancing Pony inn.
Boffin – See BOPHÎN.
Bofur – See BIFUR, BOFUR AND BOMBUR.
Bolg – An Orc-captain, the son of AZOG and leader of the Goblin force at the Battle of Five Armies, where this large and savage Orc was slain by (the even larger and more savage) Beorn.
Bolger – A prosperous Hobbit-family with pretensions to aristocratic status: nearly all their children were given prestigious names.
See also FREDEGAR BOLGER.
Bombadil – See TOM BOMBADIL.
‘Bombadil Goes Boating’ – A piece of whimsical Bucklandish verse, dealing with a river-expedition undertaken by the semi-legendary (to Hobbits) figure of Tom Bombadil.
Bombur – An immensely fat Dwarf who, with his kinsmen Bifur and Bofur, accompanied Thorin Oakenshield on the Quest of the Dragon of Erebor. After the successful conclusion of that expedition, and the prosperity that followed, Bombur grew so enormously that he became unable to walk; and it took six stout young Dwarves to carry him from couch to table, and back again.
Book of Mazarbul – A diary or chronicle kept by the Dwarves of Balin’s expedition to Moria (2989–94 Third Age). The latter entries, recording the death of Balin and the entrapment of the colony, were written by the Dwarf Óri, an old comrade of Balin’s and one of the original thirteen Dwarves of Thorin Oakenshield’s company. Though damaged, this book somehow survived the destruction of the Moria-expedition.
Book of the Kings – This volume comprises the main history of Gondor and Númenor, with some reference to the Line of Isildur in Arnor. From it was derived much of the information concerning Gondor’s history that is found in the Red Book.14
Bophîn – In original as opposed to translated Westron (the Common Speech of the Westlands), the name Bophîn is the proper form of the Hobbit surname translated as Boffin. Its original meaning is unknown.
Bór – An Easterling chieftain who, together with his people, came across the Blue Mountains into Beleriand in the year following the Battle of Sudden Flame. His sons were Borlad, Borlach and Borthand. Unlike the clan of Ulfang the Black, Bór’s people remained faithful to the Eldar, with whom they took service. Bór’s fate is unknown; his sons died bravely at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.
Borgil ‘War-star’ (Sind.) – A red star, probably the planet Mars.
Borin – A Dwarf of the House of Durin and one of Gimli’s ancestors. He was born in the Grey Mountains. But when the Dragons made war upon his people, Borin accompanied King Thrór back to Erebor.
Borlach – One of the sons of BOR.
Borlad – The eldest son of BOR.
Boromir – A chieftain of the First House of the Edain; first Lord of Ladros in Dorthonion, held in fief from the Elves of Finarfin’s house. He was the great-grandson of Bëor the Old and grandsire of Barahir.
Boromir ‘War-jewel’ – From 2477–89 Third Age, the eleventh Ruling Steward of Gondor, and one of its greatest Captains. It was he who defeated the first incursions into Ithilien of the race of uruks, black Mordor-orcs of great strength. Boromir drove them out after much fighting, but not before the ancient city of Osgiliath was finally destroyed and its bridge broken. Boromir himself received a Morgul-wound in the war which shortened his life: he died twelve years after his father Denethor I.
Note: Boromir of the Nine Walkers was named after this great warrior.
Boromir of the Nine Walkers – It was a sign of the decline of Gondor, and of the increasing need of her peoples for captains of war rather than men of learning that, towards the end of the Third Age, many among the ruling families esteemed the craft of arms higher than all other skills. Such a man was King Eärnur, last King of Gondor – and so also was Boromir, elder son of Steward Denethor II, brother of Faramir, and Captain of the Armies of Gondor until his departure to seek the counsel of Elrond during the War of the Ring (3019 Third Age).
Boromir delighted chiefly in battle and in trials of arms. He was a brave and honourable warrior, the champion of his people, and much esteemed for these qualities in Gondor. As the elder son of Denethor II, Boromir was heir to the Stewardship of the Tower and so, when both he and his brother both received the same prophetic dream, he would allow none but himself to journey north to Imladris (Rivendell), to unravel the hard words it contained. After an arduous and perilous journey of many months, he succeeded in finding the House of Elrond, where he took part in the great Council, and later became part of the Fellowship of the Ring. He died bravely on the journey south, defending the Hobbits from Orcs.
Boron – The grandson of Bëor the Old (of the First House of the Edain) and father of Boromir of Ladros.
Borondir (the Stirrupless) – The name of the heroic horseman of Gondor who made the great ride through many perils to reach the Éothéod and bring Steward Cirion’s plea for military aid against the BALCHOTH. The aid arrived in time, and the Balchoth were overthrown. Borondir, who despite his fatigue had ridden back with the Northmen as guide, was killed in this battle defending the Steward. His deeds were later cast into song as Rochon Methestal, the ‘Rider of the Last Hope’.
See also BATTLE OF THE FIELD OF CELEBRANT.
Borthand – One of the sons of BOR the Easterling.
Bough of Return – A custom among the Númenoreans of the early exploratory period (600–1200 Second Age) was for the wife of the captain to tie a bough of the green tree oiolairë (‘Ever-summer’) to bless the ship and bring her safely back to Númenor.
Bounders – Border-watchers of the Shire, a volunteer force employed to ‘beat the bounds’ and prevent incursions by undesirables. Their numbers varied according to need.
Bowman ‘Nick’ Cotton – Third son of Tolman Cotton, Hobbit of the Shire; brother of Rose Cotton (later Rose Gamgee).
Bracegirdle – A prosperous family of Hobbits of the Shire, a branch of which lived in Hardbottle village.
Braldagamba – In original (as opposed to translated) Westron, this (postulated) word would mean ‘heady-buck’ – a possible pun in the Hobbit style on the (jocular) name for the river Baranduin: Braldahîm (‘heady-ale’). Such a jest would, of course, make play on the similarity of this name with that of the clan which had colonised the strip of land on the river’s eastern bank, Brandagamba (Brandybuck).
Bralda-hîm ‘Heady-ale’ – In original Hobbit Westron (see BRALDAGAMBA above), a popular term for the river Baranduin, translated from the Red Book as ‘Brandywine’. Both names contain the same punning reference to the hue of the river’s waters and its resemblance to the colour of strong drink.
Brand – From 3007–19 Third Age, the third King of Dale restored, son of Bain son of Bard the Bowman. Assailed by Easterlings of Sauron’s rule during the War of the Ring, Brand fell at the Second Battle of Dale, defending the gates of Erebor. He was succeeded by his son Bard II.
Brandagamba ‘March-buck’ – An original Westron name (translated from the Red Book as ‘Brandybuck’).
Branda-nîn ‘Border-water’ – The genuine Hobbit Westron name for the river Baranduin, which served the Shire-folk as an eastward frontier.
Brandir the Lame – One of the Edain of the Second House, the Haladin. In the terrible years following the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, Brandir inherited the leadership of his people, who still dwelt in the Forest of Brethil, on the death of his father Handir. Being a man of defensive inclination, he fortified Amon Obel with a stockade and palisade of wood (the Ephel Brandir); and forbade open acts against Morgoth
’s forces, for he hoped to ride out the storm by lying hid in the forest. His plans were upset by the arrival in the midst of the Haladin of the great warrior Túrin son of Húrin, whom at first the Haladin did not recognise. Brandir tended Túrin with his own hands. It was not long afterwards that Nienor the sister of Túrin, spell-enslaved by the Dragon Glaurung so that she did not even know her own name, came also among the Woodmen of Brethil; and Túrin, who had last seen her as a little girl and knew her not, fell in love with her, and she with him; but Brandir the Lame also loved Niniel, as she was then called.
Soon afterwards the Dragon again came to that region of Beleriand. Túrin, who had by now wedded ‘Niniel’, went out against the Dragon; but Brandir, who wished, as told above, to avoid trouble and war, would not aid him in this quest; so Dorlas and Hunthor alone of the Haladin went with Túrin, and Brandir was shamed before his people. In the fight with the Dragon Túrin was victorious but Glaurung, in his death-throes, struck him down, so that he was left for dead. Brandir, who did not know that Glaurung was also mortally stricken, believed that all was lost and Turambar dead; and he still loved Niniel. He attempted to escape with her but she became fey, and rushed towards the place of battle. There she had her last encounter with the dying Dragon: the spell the Worm had laid on her was lifted, and, realising for the first time that she was carrying her own brother’s incestuous child, she cast herself into the waters of Teiglin and perished; while Brandir watched, helpless to prevent her.
The lame chieftain, sorrowing, made his way back to Ephel Brandir, and told his people some of what had befallen. And while they were digesting this news, Túrin himself – who was not dead as Brandir believed – came back. Then he and Brandir quarrelled. They came to blows, and Brandir was slain.
Brandybuck – The (translated) name of one of the most prominent Hobbit-families of the Shire. After the Oldbucks had colonised the strip of land east of the river Baranduin (c. 740 Shire Reckoning), Gorhendad Oldbuck changed the family name to Brandybuck, and the strip of land became known as the Buckland. Gorhendad also commenced the tunnelling of the great ancestral smial, Brandy Hall, into the side of Buck Hill. This mansion later grew to such an extent that most of the Brandybuck clan were eventually able to dwell there (though in somewhat crowded conditions). The chief of the clan was thereafter known as the Master of Buckland (or of the Hall), and his authority was widely respected.
Brandy Hall – See BRANDYBUCK above.
Brandywine – A translation of the Hobbits’ (jesting) name for the river BARANDUIN.
Brandywine Bridge – The Hobbits’ name for the ancient Bridge of Stonebows, which crossed the Baranduin north of the Buckland.
Bree – A small inhabited region of central Eriador. Besides Bree [village] itself, there was Staddle on the other side of the hill, Combe in a deep valley a little further eastward, and Archet on the edge of the Chetwood. The Bree-land was notable for being settled by both Men and Hobbits. Men of Bree claimed that the original village was extremely ancient; at the end of the Third Age, it was certainly the oldest surviving settlement of Hobbits, far older than the Shire.
The village of Bree consisted of about one hundred proper stone houses (for Big Folk) and a smaller number of hillside smials (for Hobbits), the whole enclosed by a dike and thorny hedge. The main meeting place was The Prancing Pony inn, the most important hostelry of the district, where travellers and inhabitants exchanged gossip and tales over mugs of ale provided by the gregarious innkeeper. The village was situated near the crossing of two ancient highways, the East Road and the North Road. But by the end of the Third Age, few travellers came up the Greenway (as the North Road was called), and even fewer came down from the desolate north-lands. Bree’s importance therefore declined steadily in these latter years.
Bree-land – The countryside surrounding the village of Bree. Though the Men of its four villages (Bree, Archet, Staddle and Combe) maintained that the whole area was an ancient settlement dating back to the First Age, it is more likely that the original founders were Men from Dunland and from the vales of the White Mountains, fleeing north in the Second Age to escape the tyranny of Sauron (see ACCURSED YEARS). But in the Third Age war swept over all of the lands of Eriador; defenceless apart from the usual dike and hedge arrangement, Bree was actually protected by the Rangers of the North throughout the last third of the Age – although the Bree-dwellers themselves were largely unaware of this until after the War of the Ring.
Bree Reckoning – The calendar system used by the Bree-folk, not dissimilar to the Shire Reckoning. Year One corresponded to the first settlement of Hobbits in Bree (1300 Third Age).
Bregalad ‘Quick-beam’ (Sind.) – The ‘short’ name of an Ent of Fangorn Forest, so called because on one remote occasion he reportedly said ‘yes’ to an older Ent before the latter had finished his question. Bregalad was thus noted for his (relative) speed of decision. He was much attached to rowan-trees.
Brego – From 2545–70, the second King of Rohan; son of Eorl the Young. When he came to the kingship, Brego completed the work begun at the Battle of the Field of Celebrant by driving the last remnant of Easterlings out of that part of Rohan known as the Wold. Later, he built the great hall of Meduseld in Edoras; at the feast to celebrate the completion of that ‘Golden Hall’ his elder son Baldor vowed to pass the ‘Paths of the Dead’. Baldor never came back and the grief-stricken Brego died the following year. His second son Aldor then became King. His third son Éofor (forefather of Éomer) took over the Eastmark and the fortified town of Aldburg.
Bregolas – One of the Edain of the First House; the son of Bregor and brother of Barahir; also the father of Belegund and Baragund. He was slain, fighting beside the Elf-lords Angrod and Aegnor, in the defence of Dorthonion during the Battle of Sudden Flame. Three years later his sons were also dead, slain together with his brother Barahir in an ambush.
Bregor – One of the Edain of the First House; the father of Bregolas and Barahir.
Breredon – A village of Buckland in the Shire.
Brethil ‘Silver-birch’ (Sind.) – See FOREST OF BRETHIL.
Bridgefields – The meadows in the Eastfarthing of the Shire which approached the Bridge of Stonebows (the Brandywine Bridge).
The Bridge Inn – The chief hostelry of the Bridgefields district in the Shire.
Bridge of Mitheithel – An ancient stone bridge of three great arches which crossed the river Hoarwell, or Mitheithel, some miles west of Rivendell. It was often called the Last Bridge because further south the Hoarwell grew too deep and wide to be crossed or forded.
Bridge of Stonebows – The bridge over the Baranduin, probably built in the early years of the Kingdom of Arnor to speed communications between Lindon and the eastern lands of Eriador. After the settling of the Shire (in 1601 Third Age), the Hobbits knew it as the Brandywine Bridge, or the Great Bridge.
Brilthor ‘Glittering-torrent’ (Sind.) – The name given in Ossiriand to the fourth of the six tributaries of Gelion.
Brithiach ‘Gravel-fords’ (Sind.) – A ford across the upper waters of Sirion, on the northern border of the Forest of Brethil.
Brithombar ‘Dwellings of Brithon’ (Sind.) – The more northerly of the two Havens founded early in the First Age by those Telerin Elves who were led by Círdan, the Falathrim (‘Coast-elves’). It stood at the mouth of the river Brithon. Its sister-haven was EGLAREST at the mouth of the Nenning. It was rebuilt with the aid of the Noldor, after this High-elven people had returned to Middle-earth to make war on Morgoth. Both Havens held throughout most of the War, but fell at last in the year after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. The surviving Falathrim escaped to the Isle of Balar, where they remained until the ending of the First Age.
Brithon ‘Gravelly’ (Sind.) – A river of West Beleriand.
Brockenborings – A maze of old tunnels and smials in the west of the hills of Scary in the Shire.
Brockhouse – A fairly common Hobbit-surname, found in both the Shire and Bree.
Bro
dda – An Easterling warrior in the service of Morgoth, who held lands in Dor-lómin as reward for his aid during the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. He forcibly wedded Aerin of the Edain, and was afterwards slain at his own board by Túrin Turambar.
Brown Lands – A desolate wilderness which lay between the southern eaves of Mirkwood and the hills of the Emyn Muil, west of the Black Gate. According to Ent-tradition, these lands had once been rich and fruitful, as the homes and gardens of the Entwives, established early in the Second Age. It was in the days of the Last Alliance that war swept across the fertile gardens and fields, a ‘scorched-earth’ policy of Sauron’s to deny forage to the advancing allies. Nothing grew there during the Third Age.
Brownlock – A Hobbit-family of the Shire.
Bruinen – The river Loudwater, which ran south from the Misty Mountains, embracing the uplands of Rivendell before it fell away south-west through Eriador, to meet the Hoarwell (Mitheithel); the conjoined rivers were known as the Gwathló (Greyflood).
The Great East Road crossed the Loudwater at the Ford of Bruinen, close to the hidden valley of Rivendell. There, Elrond controlled the river, and it could be made to rise in flood and bar the Ford should need arise.
Brytta – From 2798–2842 Third Age, the eleventh King of Rohan, much loved by his people, who called him Léofa (‘Beloved’), because of his kindness and liberality.
Bucca of the Marish – First Thain of the Shire (appointed 1979 Third Age) and founder of the Oldbuck (later Brandybuck) family. The Thainship remained with the Oldbucks until the colonisation of the Buckland, whereupon the office passed to the chief Took.
The Complete Tolkien Companion Page 11