minas anor

place name. Tower of the (Setting) Sun

Original name of Minas Tirith, translated “Tower of the Setting Sun” (LotR/244), a combination of minas “tower” and Anor “Sun” (SA/minas, nár).

Conceptual Development: When it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, the name N. Minas Anor was translated more literally as “Tower of the Sun” (TI/119).

Elements

Word	Gloss
minas	“tower, fort, city (with a citadel and central watch tower)”
Anor	“Sun”

Minas Anor

noun. the tower of the sun

minas (“tower, fort”), Anor (“the sun”)

minas ithil

place name. Tower of the (Rising) Moon

Original name of Minas Morgul, translated “Tower of the Rising Moon” (LotR/244), a combination of minas “tower” and Ithil “Moon” (SA/minas, sil).

Conceptual Development: When it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, the name N. Minas Ithil was translated more literally as “Tower of the Moon” (TI/119).

Elements

Word	Gloss
minas	“tower, fort, city (with a citadel and central watch tower)”
Ithil	“Moon”

Variations

• Minas Anor ✧ LotR/0244