The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
Especially noted in the highlands within Mirkwood and the lands west and east of the Misty Mountains, but found in many of the forests of Middle-earth, and also in the north and west of Númenor
Species
Several species of the genus Abies
Meaning
Related to Old English firgen, in the sense 'mountain forest'1

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About this entry:

  • Updated 14 November 2017
  • Updates planned: 1

Firs

Hardy trees of the highlands

Evergreen trees that grew across the northern parts of Middle-earth, and especially in the upper Vales of Anduin.


Notes

1

The etymology of the word 'fir' is a complex and elaborate one, and it seems to have originally come from an ancient root word meaning 'oak forest' (though in fact oaks and firs are quite unrelated trees). The word seems to have evolved in Old English to mean any highland forest, and this version of the word, firgen, is modernised by Tolken in names such as 'Firienholt' or 'Halifirien'. As simply 'fir', the name came ultimately to be used of a particular kind of highland conifer.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 14 November 2017
  • Updates planned: 1

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