| Boromir: "Is it not a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt for so small a thing? So small a thing!" - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring II:10 |
A barrow (S."Gorthad", "haudh";) was an artificial mound of earth and/or stones built up over a grave(s), or rather grave-chamber, and wass an ancient and fairly widespread form of inhumation. Burial in barrows seems to have been common among the early Edain, at least for the nobility, and the practice was continued (or revived) by the Dúnedain of Arnor, Arthedain, and Cardolan.
Famous barrows included those on the Barrow-downs (S. Tyrn Gorthad) and the King's Barrows ("Barrowfield") outside Edoras in Rohan, but these groups were just two of many in Middle-earth.
Among loremasters, there were several recognized types of barrows, usually classified according to their location, form, and date of construction.
See also[]
Editorial Note: This entry contains speculative or fan-based material — such as fanon, fanfiction, or theory constructs — that may not be directly supported by canonical texts. Interpretations offered here are part of the NNCA’s speculative corpus and should not be mistaken for primary Tolkien sources.