The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
The eastern and southern regions of the land of Mordor.
Pronunciation
Something close to 'noorn'
Meaning
Perhaps 'sad (land)' or 'land of death'1

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 28 March 2009
  • This entry is complete

Nurn

The lowland regions of Mordor

Map of Nurn

The lowlands of the south and east of Mordor. Beyond the range of Orodruin's fumes, Nurn was more fertile than the barren Plateau of Gorgoroth to the northwest. Its most important feature was a great inland sea, the Sea of Núrnen, fed by four rivers that flowed through the lands of Nurn from its surrounding mountains.

Under Sauron's rule, Nurn was peopled by slaves, who worked its fields to produce food for the soldiers of Mordor. After Sauron's defeat in the War of the Ring, King Elessar released these slaves and granted them Nurn as an independent land of their own.


Notes

1

The meaning of the name Nurn is never directly explained, and does not derive from any obvious recorded Elvish source. The land contained the Sea of Núrnen, and given the similarity of the names, there was presumably some etymological connection (though even this is uncertain). The name of the Sea is also difficult to determine, with some sources suggesting 'sad water' while others prefer 'water of death'. On an assumption that Nurn shares its linguistic roots with Núrnen, it can be speculated that the meaning was at least similar.

See also...

Lithlad, Mordor, Sea of Núrnen

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 28 March 2009
  • This entry is complete

For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page.

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1997-2000, 2008-2009. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Discus includes everything you need to examine DISC personalities and roles within a team.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry