Tol Brandir

noun. high island

toll (“island”), brand (“lofty, noble, fine”) + dîr (traditional suffix for proper names [Etym. DER- ]) The double consonant in toll might be shortened because of the construct state of the word [HKF] #The second element seems to be a noun (high, noble man?) in an adjectival position, and that could explain the lack of mutation.

Tol Brandir

place name. 'Isle of Great Steeples'

topon. 'Isle of Great Steeples', great upstanding mass ending in two major and two minor steeples (cf. drawing PE17:22). >> brand

tol brandir

place name. Tindrock, (lit.) Isle of the Great Steeples

An island in S. Nen Hithoel translated “Tindrock” (LotR/373), but more literally meaning “Isle of the Great Steeples” (PE17/22, PE17/61). The first element of this name is tol(l) “island”, but the origin of the second element is unclear. In one place, Tolkien indicated it was an elaboration of brand “steeple” (PE17/22, PE17/61), in another that it was a corruption of baradnir “tower-steep” (RC/333).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, Tolkien considered many different names for this island: first N. Toll-ondren “Carrock” with many minor variations (TI/268, 285) and then N. Tolharn or Tollernen “Stoneait” (TI/324), revised to N. Eregon “Stone Pinnacle” (TI/345), briefly N. Emris before reverting back to Eregon (TI/367) and then finally N. Tol Brandor >> Tol Brandir (TI/359, 367).

Elements

Word	Gloss
tol(l)	“island, (high steep-sided) isle”
brand	“steeple”
?

Variations

• Brandir ✧ RC/333