ered nimrais

place name. White Mountains, (lit.) White-horns Mountains

Sindarin name of the “White Mountains” (LotR/258), more literally “White-horns Mountains” (UTI/Ered Nimrais). This name is a combination of the plural of orod “mountain” and the plural of Nimras “White Horn” (SA/nim, ras; PE17/89, 168).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, these mountains were first called N. Eredvyrn or Ered Myrn “Black Mountains” (TI/124), later changed to “White Mountains” with numerous Elvish forms: N. Hebel Orolos >> Hebel Uilos (WR/137) >> Hebel or Ephel Nimrais (WR/137) >> Hebel or Ered Nimrath (WR/137, 167) >> Ered Nimras (WR/168), then briefly to Eredfain before finally Ered Nimrais (WR/288). In later writings it occasionally appeared with the proper Sindarin plural of orod: S. Eryd (PE17/168, WJ/385).

hebel uilos

place name. White Mountains

Earlier name for S. Ered Nimrais appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s with the gloss “White Mountains” (WR/137). It is a combination of hebel and Uilos “Ever-snow”. The second element was initially (rejected) Orolos, perhaps meaning “?Mountain Snow” as suggested by Roman Rausch (EE/3.14).

ered nimras

place name. White Mountains

Earlier name for S. Ered Nimrais (WR/168), with singular ras “horn” instead of plural rais “horns”. The plural was introduced later (WR/288).

ered nimrath

place name. White Mountains

Earlier name for S. Ered Nimrais (WR/137), with a final element rath “course” (“?climb”) instead of rais “horns”, as suggested by Roman Rausch (EE/3.14). It also appeared as Hebel Nimrath (WR/167).