dúath

noun. night shadow, dark/black shadow, night shadow, dark/black shadow, [N.] night-shade

A word meaning “night shadow” (PE17/152) or “dark/black shadow” (PE17/87), a combination of dû “night” and the soft-mutated form ’wath of gwath “shadow” (SA/dú, gwath), usually written dúath but sometimes dúwath or duwath. Most notably it appeared in the name Ephel Dúath “Mountains of Shadow; (lit.) Fence of Shadow” (LotR/636; RC/457). In one place Tolkien said it was used metaphorically for darkness as an ethereal substances, the opposite of glae(gal) which was light as a substance (NM/283).

Conceptual Development: N. Dú(w)ath “night-shade” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the etymology given above (Ety/DOƷ).

dúath

noun. darkness, shadow

dúath

noun. nightshade

dúath

adjective. dark

_ adj. _dark, black shadow.

dúath

dark shadow

dúath (i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith);

dúath

nightshade

dúath (i dhúath) (dark shadow), pl. dúaith (i núaith).

dúath

dark shadow

dúath (i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith). Compare the Ephel Dúath or ”Mountains of Shadow” forming th outer fence of Mordor, perhaps suggesting that Dúath is also the word used of Sauron as ”the Shadow”.

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith). Compare the Ephel Dúath or ”Mountains of Shadow” forming th outer fence of Mordor, perhaps suggesting that Dúath is also the word used of Sauron as ”the Shadow”.

dúath

dark shadow

(i dhúath) (nightshade), pl. dúaith (i núaith);

dúath

nightshade

(i dhúath) (dark shadow), pl. dúaith (i núaith).

cirith dúath

place name. Shadow Cleft

The original name of Cirith Ungol (UT/279-80 note #11), a combination of cirith “cleft” and dúath “night shadow”.

ephel dúath

place name. Mountains of Shadow; (lit.) Fence of Shadow

The “Mountains of Shadow” west of Mordor (LotR/636), or more literally the “Fence of Shadow” (RC/457). This name is combination of ephel “fence” and dúath “night shadow” (SA/pel, dú, gwath; PE17/152).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, the earliest Elvish name these mountains was simply N. Duath (TI/309, TI/343), later revised to N. Hebel Dúath (WR/122) and finally Ephel Dúath (WR/180).

Cirith Dúath

noun. pass of shadow

cirith (“pass, cleft”), dû (“nightfall, night, dimness”) + gwath (“shadow”)

Ephel Dúath

noun. fence of shadow

ephel (“outer fence, encircling fence”) < ed (“outer”) + pel (“fenced field”), dû (“nightfall, dimness”) + gwath (“shade”)