The name of a street in the lowest of the seven circles of Minas Tirith, a broad roadway that ran towards the Great Gate of the city, with an Elvish name that translates as 'Lampwrights' Street'. The only building on the street that is described in detail was the Old Guesthouse, a large grey building set back behind a green lawn, with two wings running out to the street itself. It was here that Pippin first met Bergil son of Beregond.
Notes
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The city of Minas Tirith (or Minas Anor as it was originally known) dated back to the late Second Age, but the street of Rath Celerdain may not have existed during the city's earlier centuries. King Ondoher rebuilt Minas Anor in the year III 420 (that is, more than five hundred years after its founding). So, while Rath Celerdain may have dated back into the Second Age, it is at least as likely that it came into being as part of Ondoher's rebuilding work some centuries later.
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Rath was the usual name used for main streets within Minas Tirith (probably originating as a word meaning 'climb', because the city was built on a hill, and hence most of its roads were on an incline). Celerdain is the plural of calardan, 'lampwright', where a calar was the Elvish name for a portable lamp or lantern. Hence the fully translated name was equivalent to 'Lampwrights' Street'.
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See also...
Gate of Gondor, Lampwrights’ Street, Minas Anor, Minas Tirith, Mundburg, Númenórean Sindarin, Old Guesthouse, Stone-city, Tower of Anor, Tower of Guard, Tower of the Setting Sun, Tower of the Sun
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- Updated 30 September 2024
- Updates planned: 1
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