Baranduin

noun. gold-brown river

baran (“gold-brown”) + duin (“long and large river”) David Salo: ”dh and mh were liable to revert to d and m when they came to follow a nasal after syncope” TolkLang message 19.31.

baranduin

place name. Brandywine, (lit.) Brown River

The Sindarin name of the Brandywine river in the Shire (LotR/210). It is a combination of baran “brown” and duin “river”, thus literally meaning “Brown River” (LotR/1138). As discussed by Tolkien at the end of Appendix F, the English name “Brandywine” is a punning alteration of the name rather than a translation, based on the similar Westron punning-form Bralda-hîm “Heady Ale”, a variation on the proper Westron form Branda-nîn.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name first appeared as N. Branduin (TI/61). In The Etymologies, it appeared in both forms Branduin and Baranduin, already with the etymology given above (Ety/BARÁN, EtyAC/DUI). At several point in the drafts, it was changed to Malevarn, but this was only a transient name (TI/66, PM/39).

Changes

• Branduin → Baranduin ✧ PMI/Baranduin

Element in

• S. anglennatha i Varanduiniant erin dolothen Ethuil “will approach the Bridge of Baranduin on the eighth day of Spring” ✧ AotM/062; SD/129

Elements

Word	Gloss
baran	“brown, golden-brown, brown, golden-brown; [N.] swart, dark brown”
duin	“(large) river, (large) river; [N.] water”

Variations

• Branduin ✧ PMI/Baranduin (Branduin)

baranduiniant

w7D2{#hJ5`B1[D noun. Bridge of Baranduin

A compound of Baranduin and iant as seen in the King's letter.

Baranduin

Golden-brown river

The name Baranduin was Sindarin for "golden-brown river", from baran and duin.

The Hobbits of the Shire originally gave it the punning name Branda-nîn, meaning "border water" in original Hobbitish Westron. This was later punned again as Bralda-hîm meaning "heady ale" (referring to the colour of its water), which Tolkien renders into English as Brandywine.

The word "Brandywine" both resembles the original Elvish name "Baranduin", and provides the Hobbitish meaning adequately.

Baranduin

Baranduin

The name Baranduin was Sindarin for "golden-brown river", from baran and duin. The Hobbits of the Shire originally gave it the punning name Branda-nîn, meaning "border water" in original Hobbitish Westron. This was later punned again as Bralda-hîm meaning "heady ale" (referring to the colour of its water), which Tolkien renders into English as Brandywine. The word "Brandywine" both resembles the original Elvish name "Baranduin", and provides the Hobbitish meaning adequately. The word brandywine was actually the archaic English word for brandy as imported from the Dutch brandewijn. David Salo noted that it represents a possible Old English *baernedwin, meaning "burned wine", which would resemble quite closely the original Elvish Baranduin. making Hobbitish Brandywine a legitimate corruption of S. Baranduin.