The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Extant I 472, and said to be old at this date
Location
Served the House of Hador in Dor-lómin; travelled to Doriath with Túrin and later returned
Race
Division
Culture
Family
Served the House of Hador
Pronunciation
ge'thron
Meaning
Uncertain1

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About this entry:

  • Updated 14 January 2023
  • This entry is complete

Gethron

One of the guides who led Túrin to Doriath

"...Morwen sent Túrin forth over the mountains with two aged servants, bidding them find entry, if they could, into the kingdom of Doriath."
The Silmarillion
Quenta Silmarillion 21
Of Túrin Turambar

These two 'aged servants' are never named in The Silmarillion, but the Narn i Chîn Húrin has more to say about them, including their names: Gethron and Grithnir. These two had been young at the time of Hador Lórindol, when they had roamed far and wide throughout Beleriand.

In their old age, they remained in the service of the House of Hador, whose lord at that time was Hador's grandson Húrin. After Húrin failed to return from the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, his wife Morwen chose Gethron and Grithnir as guides for the young Túrin, to lead him out of the now dangerous land of Dor-lómin. It was Gethron who stood before Thingol in the halls of Menegroth and asked that Túrin be fostered by the King, so playing a small part in Turin's deadly fate.


Notes

1

If the name Gethron was intended to carry a meaning, that meaning is lost, as the name appears to be uninterpretable. We might possibly take this to suggest that the name wasn't Elvish, but rather that it derived instead from the old Mannish tongue of the House of Hador. The name does appear Elvish in structure, however, so if it did originate in a Mannish tongue, its form seems to have been adapted to Sindarin. Of course, there is also the possibility that the name simply incorporates Elvish elements that Tolkien did not otherwise record, or that it has no intended meaning at all.

See also...

Grithnir, Ragnir

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 14 January 2023
  • This entry is complete

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