The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Probably dated from sometime in the Second Age1
Location
Above Harrowdale, the valley of the Snowbourn in the White Mountains
Origins
Created by the Men of the Mountains
Race
Culture
Originally Men of the Mountains; later occupied by the Rohirrim
Important peaks
Dunharrow stood on the lower slopes of the Starkhorn
Pronunciation
dunha'rrow
Meaning
'Temple on a hillside'2
Other names
Dúnharg; sometimes referred to as the 'Hold of Dunharrow', where 'Hold' is an old word for a fortress

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 16 August 2015
  • Updates planned: 1

Dunharrow

A refuge in the White Mountains

Map of Dunharrow

A refuge of the Rohirrim, hidden in the deep vales of the White Mountains and fortified against attack.


Notes

1

The earthworks at Dunharrow were originally made by the Men of the Mountains, and were known to predate the Third Age. In drafts of The Return of the King from volume VIII of The History of Middle-earth, we're told that '[h]ere they had dwelt under the shadow of the Dark Years...', so we can be sure that Dunharrow was in use during the Second Age, but it's not impossible that it dated back even further than this.

2

The reference to a 'temple' (harrow in English place names, specifically indicating a heathen place of worship) refers to Dunharrow's presumed original purpose. This purpose had been long forgotten by the later Third Age, and to the Rohirrim it was simply a highly defensible place of refuge among the mountains.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 16 August 2015
  • Updates planned: 1

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

Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 1998, 2001, 2010, 2015. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ.

Website services kindly sponsored by myDISCprofile, the free online personality test.
How do your personal strengths fit in with career matching? How can you identify them? Try a free personality test from myDISCprofile.
The Encyclopedia of Arda
The Encyclopedia of Arda
Menu
Homepage Search Latest Entries and Updates Random Entry