The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Came to Middle-earth c. III 1000. Saruman was slain in III 3019 and Gandalf left Middle-earth in III 3021; the fates of the other Wizards are unknown
Race
Division
Order
Pronunciation
i'throon1
Meaning
'wise ones'
Other names
Titles
Note
Ithryn is the plural term; an individual Wizard was known in Sindarin as an Ithron

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 18 April 2013
  • This entry is complete

Ithryn

A name for Wizards

A word from the Sindarin language, signifying 'wise ones' or 'those with knowledge'. It is equivalent to the Quenya word Istari, and related specifically to those wise and powerful beings who came to Middle-earth from across the Great Sea in the Third Age. Both forms are usually translated into English as 'Wizards', and therefore in this context the word 'Wizard' refers specifically to one of these emissaries out of the West.

The Sindarin Ithryn usually appears in translated form, and is only rarely recorded in the original language (it is perhaps most prominent in Ithryn Luin, the 'Blue Wizards', referring two Wizards who passed into the distant east of Middle-earth and never returned). The singular form is Ithron (or Istar in Quenya).


Notes

1

The pronunciation of 'y' as a vowel varied from place to place. 'i'throon' is the 'standard' pronunciation, but in Gondor, 'Ithryn' would have been pronounced 'i'threen'.

See also...

Istar, Ithryn Luin

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 18 April 2013
  • This entry is complete

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