A bay of the Great Sea lying to the south of Gondor, within whose waters stood the island of Tolfalas; the River Anduin flowed into the Bay.
Notes
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This great Bay took its name from the Gondorian region of Belfalas, which formed a prominent part of its northern coastline. Tolkien originally gave a simple Sindarin derivation for this name, meaning 'steep shore'. In later writings, however, he cast some doubt on this: while -falas 'surf-washed shore' is consistent, he suggested that Bel- actually came from an older tongue and itself also meant 'wave-washed shore'. By this later interpretation Belfalas essentially means 'shore shore', combining two different languages. Reduplication of elements like this is not in fact uncommon in real place-names.
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See also...
Anfalas, Common Language, Dark Days, Elf-havens, Great River, Green Hills, Long Cape, Mouths of Anduin, Outlands, Prince of Dol Amroth, Ras Morthil, River Anduin, River Lefnui, River Sirith, Silvan Elves, [See the full list...]Silver Swan, South Wind, The Great, The Ship and the Silver Swan, Tolfalas, Vales of Anduin, Western Gondor, White Mountains
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- Updated 12 August 2013
- Updates planned: 1
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