The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Became extinct at some point after the First Age, probably in the cataclysm that brought that Age to an end
Location
Only recorded growing on the slopes of Amon Rûdh, though surely found elsewhere
Settlements
Grew around Bar-en-Danwedh on the summit of Amon Rûdh
Meaning
'Snow' is a reference to the plant's white flowers ('thorn' is literal, as the plant bore sharp spines)
Other names
Aeglos; apparently related to modern gorse

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About this entry:

  • Updated 3 March 2023
  • This entry is complete

Snowthorn

A white-flowering plant of West Beleriand

A thorned plant growing in West Beleriand, and especially on the lower slopes of Amon Rûdh, the Bald Hill, where its thick thorns guarded the way to Bar-en-Danwedh on the heights of the hill. It was said to resemble a larger variety of modern gorse, a plant with dense stems that are thickly laden with spines. Gorse has bright yellow flowers, but the flowers of the snowthorn of Beleriand were white in colour, giving the plant its association with snow.

The Elvish name for this plant was aeglos, which is essentially equivalent to English 'snowthorn', combining words for 'spike' and 'snow'. Aeglos was also the name of the Spear of Gil-galad, but there does not seem to be direct connection with the plant of the same name. The Spear's name is variously translated as 'snow-point' or 'icicle', suggesting that the resemblance of the names merely reflects a similar etymology between the sharp point of an icicle and the thorns and ice-white flowers of the snowthorn plant.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 3 March 2023
  • This entry is complete

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