Encyclopedia of Arda: Beacons of Gondor

The chain of seven beacon-hills running between Minas Tirith and Rohan. From east to west, they were Amon Dîn, Eilenach, Nardol, Erelas, Min-Rimmon, Calenhad and finally, on the borders of the Eastfold, the Halifirien.

The table below lists the seven beacons in order from east to west (that is, in the order a signal would be passed from Gondor westward to the borders of Rohan).

Amon Dîn	One of the first beacons to be established, and the nearest to Minas Tirith, the purpose of the signal fire on Amon Dîn was originally to communicate with Gondorian forces in Anórien or on the island of Cair Andros. As the line of beacons extended westward over time, Amon Dîn became the first in a line that reached two hundred miles or more to the borders of Rohan.
Eilenach	The tallest of the three original beacons, Eilenach was the highest point in the Drúadan Forest. Though tall, its summit came to a narrow point, and there was little room to construct a large signal fire. The Eilenach beacon thus relied on the westward beacons to pass its warning on through the Mountains.
Nardol	An outlier of the Mountains at the extreme western edge of the Forest, Nardol was not so tall as Eilenach, but it had a much broader summit, allowing a great fire to be constructed. This was the source of its name, which means simply 'Fire-hilltop', and its purpose was to transmit the relatively faint light of the Eilenach beacon on westwards towards the borders of Rohan.
Erelas	Erelas was not so pronounced a peak as many of the other beacon hills, but its location midway between the great flame of Nardol to the east, and the Min-Rimmon to the west, made it a suitable location for one of the seven beacon fires.
Min-Rimmon	One of the three original beacons established before the founding of Rohan, the purpose of Min-Rimmon's beacon was originally to communicate with the Gondorian province of Calenardhon, the wide green land that would eventually be settled by the Rohirrim.
Calenhad	The sixth of the seven Beacons was only a matter of some fifty miles from Gondor's border with Rohan. West of Min-Rimmon, the White Mountains receded from the plain of Anórien, forming a wide and shallow indentation with a mouth some thirty miles across. Calenhad stood at the western end of this 'bay', at the point where the Mountains came close to the Great West Road once again.
Halifirien	The last of the seven beacon hills, and the tallest, was the Halifirien, which stood among the trees of the Firien Wood. Based on Gondor's ancient borders, this mountain had stood near the centre of the land, and was thus chosen as the site of the Tomb of Elendil. As time passed, Gondor's borders shrank, until by the time of the foundation of Rohan the Halifirien was on the fringes of the South-kingdom. At that time Elendil's remains were taken from his ancient Tomb to Minas Tirith, and the mountain became the last of the warning beacons, whose fire would call directly on the Rohirrim for aid.

Notes

1	The dating of the Beacons is uncertain, but the first three (Amon Dîn, Eilenach and Min-Rimmon) were put in place after the loss of the palantíri of Gondor (probably after the Ithil-stone was captured in III 2002) and before the foundation of Rohan in III 2510.

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Beacons of Gondor

The warning-fires of Minas Tirith

Notes

See also...