The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Dated from the foundation of Buckland in III 2340
Location
Associated with Buckland, on the eastern banks of the river Brandywine
Origins
Originally the Zaragamba (Oldbuck) family, the name was changed when the leader of that family founded Buckland
Race
Division
Descended largely from the Fallohides
Culture
Family
Settlements
The main seat of the family was at Brandy Hall above Bucklebury
Important peaks
Brandy Hall was tunnelled into Buck Hill
Pronunciation
brandaga'mba
Meaning
Literally 'march buck' or 'border buck' (relating to Buckland as a borderland of the Shire) but translated as 'Brandybuck'
Other names

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 July 2023
  • This entry is complete

Brandagamba Family

The Hobbit-name translated as Brandybuck

Within Tolkien's history, the Hobbits of the family known as the Brandybucks did not actually use that name. Rather, like many other words and names within Tolkien's tales, Brandybuck is an anglicised version of a more alien and unusual-sounding original name. In this case, the clan of the Masters of Buckland in fact belonged to the family known as Brandagamba.

On the same principle, the river-name Brandywine is adapted from the original Branda-nîn, meaning 'border-water', and it is from this name that the branda- element of Brandagamba originates (it means 'borderland', a reference to Buckland to the extreme east of the Shire). The -gamba segment is equivalent to 'buck', and is also found in the older form Zaragamba (which translates into English as 'Oldbuck').


For a genealogy of the Brandagamba family, see the entry for the more familiar form of the name, Brandybuck.


Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 17 July 2023
  • This entry is complete

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

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2005, 2023. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.
Organising and managing DISC profiling has never been easier: Discus handles it all for you over the Web.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry