Ered Tarthonion

"During our long sojourn at  Dol Amroth,  we  were informed by His Lordship the Prince that of old these  mountains  were known  as  Ered  Torthonion  "the Mountains  of  Lofty Pines", with the element tor-, meaning "lofty" or "noble",  seen  also in  the obsolete word  torfir  "noble-man", that  is  "man  of  Númenór"  though now  we use the word Dunadan.  The present  form  Tarthonion  must show the learned influence  of  the  Quenya  word  "tara"   "lofty", The Prince proved  to be  a most  engaging  host, and his wine-cellars were remarkably well- stocked.We conducted much valuable research at Dol Amroth." -Findegil

The Ered Tarthonion formed the  great arm of the White Mountains  that  divided  the  lands of southern Gondor east and west.They contributed  to the headwaters of the Ringló  and [Glanduin]] rivers and were a major force in the shaping  of  the  Belfalas peninsula.There  were two main passes through the Ered Torthonion.The first was the  Cirith Dudhrandir, which  traversed the heart of the Belfalas peninsula, the second was the  Din-Lamedon  to  the north.Lesser passes  abounded, but only  the Cirith Dudhrandir and the Din-Lamedon possessed  paved roads.As their name signified, tall pine forests adorned  the  slopes of this ridge.The mightiest of these trees made fine ship timber,  and for  this reason they  were a  treasured resource  in both Linhir and Lond Ernil.A Belfalathron noble whose estate encompassed  stands of these pines was  counted to be fortunate  indeed  and he made  every  effort to preserve his grove from harm by poachers in search of timber as well as from natural  hazards.Many of the most extensive pine forests of  the Ered Torthonion were reserved for the prince's own possession and careful  measures  were  taken to replant a number of trees equal to those felled for ship-building and other construction purposes.