sarn gebir

place name. Stone-spikes

A series of rapids on the river Anduin described as “sharp shelves and stony teeth” (LotR/391) and translated “Stone-spikes” (RC/327). This name is a combination of sarn “stone” and the plural of the lenited plural of ceber “spike” (SA/sarn, RC/327). This formation is somewhat odd, since nouns in this position are not usually lenited in Sindarin, though they were in earlier Noldorin. The form Gebir may be a hold-over of its early Noldorin name.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, these rapids were first named N. Pensarn, quickly revised to N. Ruinel >> Sarn Ruin (TI/366), and a bit later to (plural) Sern Gebir >> Sarn Gebir (TI/283). These last two forms also appeared in The Etymologies with an unclear gloss, perhaps “?lonestone” or “?limestone”, but they were struck out (Ety/KEPER, EtyAC/KEPER).

Elements

Word	Gloss
sarn	“(small) stone, pebble; stony (place), (small) stone, pebble; stony (place); [N.] stone as a material”
ceber	“stake, spike, stake, spike; [N.] ?limestone, -rock”

Sarn Gebir

noun. stone spikes

sarn (“stone as a material”) cebir (pl. of ceber “stake, spike”)

Sarn Gebir

Sarn Gebir

Sarn Gebir is a Sindarin name meaning "stone-spiked".

ceber

stone ridge

(i geber, o cheber) (spike, stake), pl. cebir (i chebir). A lenited pl. form occurs in the name Sarn Gebir.

ceber

stake

ceber (i geber, o cheber) (spike, stone ridge), pl. cebir (i chebir). A lenited pl. form occurs in the name Sarn Gebir. Cf. also

ceber

stake

(i geber, o cheber) (spike, stone ridge), pl. cebir (i chebir). A lenited pl. form occurs in the name Sarn Gebir. Cf. also

penneth

noun. ridges, group of downs

ceber

noun. stake, spike, stone ridge

pinnath

noun. ridges, group of downs

pind

ridge

pind (i bind, o phind, construct pin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i phind), coll. pl. pinnath.

pind

ridge

(i bind, o phind, construct pin), no distinct pl. form except with article (i phind), coll. pl. pinnath.