Orthanc

noun. forked hight

or (from stem oro- “up, rise, high”) + thanc (“split, forked”)

orthanc

place name. Mount Fang, Forked Height

Saruman’s fortress, translated “Mount Fang” (LotR/555) or “Forked Height” (UT/400). This name appears to be a combination of a shorter form of orod “mountain” with thanc “cleft, split” (RC/625).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name was already N. Orthanc (TI/132), but its translation was revised “Stony Heart” >> “Stone Fang” >> “Mount Fang” (WR/35).

Elements

Word	Gloss
orod	“mountain”
thanc	“forked, forked, [N.] cleft, split, [ᴱN.] divided, cloven, bifurcated; [ᴱN.] cleft, break, breach”