"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 , sometimes also known as the Emyn Ernil (though sometimes only applied to the smaller northwestern foothills of the Ered Tarthonion) formed the great arm of the White Mountains that divided the lands of central 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.
References[]
- MERP:Southern Gondor:The Land