rhûn
noun. east
rhûn
noun. east
rhûn
place name. East
The great inland sea of the East (LotR/1045), which is simply rhûn “east” used as a name.
Conceptual Development: On draft maps for the Lord of the Rings from the 1940s, this name was N. Rhûnaer “Eastern Sea” (TI/307), also appearing as Rúnaer >> Rhúnaer in drafts of the Lord of the Rings appendices (PM/198). A similar form N. Rúnaeluin appears in the drafts of the final chapters of the Lord of the Rings, and might be a variation of this name (SD/65, 71 note #9).
Elements
Word Gloss rhûn “east, east, [N.] eastern; †rising”
rhûn
noun. east, east, [N.] eastern; †rising
The Sindarin word for “east”, cognate of Q. rómen (LotR/1116, 1123). It was ultimately derived from the root √RŌ/ORO “rise” (Ety/RŌ), and so likely originally meant “rising” as in “rising sun” (PE22/35).
Conceptual Development: The word N. rhûn “east” appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s along with ᴹQ. rómen, both derived from ᴹ√RŌ (Ety/RŌ). At the time, there were no problems with this equivalence, since [[n|initial [r] was unvoiced]] in Noldorin. Tolkien went on to use both these forms in The Lord of the Rings.
Unfortunately, Tolkien later abandoned the unvoicing of initial r in Sindarin, making these two forms problematic. Tolkien considered modifying the Sindarin form to rûn (PE17/88) or the Quenya form to hrómen (PE17/18). The latter was probably derived from an s-strengthened form of the root ᴹ√SRŌ (PE22/127), where the initial sr- would become voiceless [r] in both Quenya and Sindarin. Ultimately, though, he left both forms alone. Perhaps he decided the s-strengthening of the root was a Sindarin-only variant.
Cognates
- Q. rómen “east, uprising, sunrise” ✧ LotR/1123; PE17/018; PE17/074; PE17/088; SA/rómen
Derivations
- √(S)RŌ “east”
Element in
Variations
- Rhûn ✧ PE17/074
- rûn ✧ PE17/088
- rún ✧ PE17/139; PE17/141
rûn
noun. east
n. #east. Q. rómen.
rûn
noun. east
amrûn
noun. east, orient
amrûn
noun. east
_n. _east. Q. orrō uprising, sunrise, east. >> rhûn
rhuven
noun. east
rhûn
Rhûn
rhûn
east (the east)
Rhûn (?na Thrûn) (maybe primarily ”the East” as a region), also amrûn (sunrise, orient, uprising). The term *Rhúven (?na Thrúven) is maybe primarily ”east” as a direction; the final element means ”way”. This word is spelt ”rhufen” in the source (LR:384 s.v. RŌ), but it would seem that f here represents v. EAST (adjectival prefix) rhu- (as in Rhudaur ”Eastwood”, name of a realm: rhu- + taur ”wood”).
rhûn
east
(?na Thrûn) (maybe primarily ”the East” as a region), also amrûn (sunrise, orient, uprising). The term ✱Rhúven (?na Thrúven) is maybe primarily ”east” as a direction; the final element means ”way”. This word is spelt ”rhufen” in the source (LR:384 s.v. RŌ), but it would seem that f here represents v. –
rhu
east
*(as in Rhudaur ”Eastwood”, name of a realm: rhu- + taur ”wood”)*.
n. east. Q. hrō- uprising, sunrise, east. >> amrûn