The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Location
In the northern White Mountains, running southwestwards from Edoras towards Dunharrow
Race
Division
Culture
Settlements
Dunharrow lay to the south of Írensaga
Passes
The valley of Harrowdale ran beneath the mountain's western slopes
Pronunciation
eye'rensaga ('eye' as in the English word 'eye')
Meaning
'Iron saw' in reference to the ridge-toothed shape of its crest
Note
In many earlier editions of The Lord of the Rings, Írensaga is spelt without an accent on the initial 'I'

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 September 2017
  • This entry is complete

Írensaga

A series of peaks in the White Mountains

Map of Írensaga

Prominent peaks of the White Mountains

A rocky mass on the northern edges of the White Mountains, with a crest of jagged peaks from which it took its name: Írensaga means 'iron saw' in the language of the Rohirrim. It separated Edoras to the north from Dunharrow to the south, and the road between these two places ran along the valley of the river Snowbourn that marked Írensaga's western flank.


Notes

1

The reason for the introduction of the accented 'I' in later editions of The Lord of the Rings is not entirely clear. It first appears, at least in English, in the carefully revised 2005 edition, but where the editors of that edition, Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, are typically scrupulous in explaining their revisions in their Reader's Companion, this particular change goes unremarked. Presumably it is intended to follow the conventional Old English īren (with a macron marking a long 'i') for 'iron' rather than unaccented iren, which would be pronounced with a short 'i' sound.

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 20 September 2017
  • This entry is complete

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