The name Tarlang was said to have derived from Sindarin tarch ('stiff, tough') and lang 'neck'. It was only later that Men added 'Neck' for the low ridge in their own language, so the later name of the pass has a name that means in full 'stiff-neck's neck'.
According to folklore, Tarlang was originally the name of an immense giant, one of those who raised the White Mountains to protect their seaward domain. As he worked, Tarlang tripped and fell with the load he was carrying, and his fellow giants built around his fallen body. So, according to this account, Tarlang's Neck was literally the neck of the giant Tarlang. The higher lands to the south represented Tarlang's head and his fallen load, and their peaks were named Dol Tarlang 'Tarlang's head', Cûl Veleg 'great load', Cûl Bïn 'little load'.
It should be mentioned that this tale of Tarlang the giant does not seem to have been meant to stand, and it certainly wasn't intended as any kind of historical account. There surely was no real giant named Tarlang, but we might take his story as a folk tale told among the people of Erech or Lamedon.
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