Words of
Ghân-buri-Ghânfrom
The Return of the King V 5
The Ride of the Rohirrim
A term of uncertain meaning, used among the Drúedain of Drúadan Forest in Gondor's northern lands. It seems to refer to the stone dwellings of the Gondorians (who the Wild Men called Stonehouse-folk), and especially the city of Minas Tirith (or 'Stone-city' to the Woses).
The only recorded uses of the phrase are in the reference given above and a subsequent mention of the 'walls of Stone-houses' (ibid), both of which are a little ambiguous. Either could in principle be read as equating the 'Stone-houses' with the 'Tall Men' or Dúnedain, rather than their stone dwellings. In his extended index to The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien clarifies things somewhat by defining the term as 'Gondor, also Stone-City'. Even this is slightly ambiguous, but 'Gondor' here seems to mean the 'City of Gondor' - that is, Minas Tirith - rather than the entire land).
Notes
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Strictly speaking, there were buildings in Gondor that dated back to a time before the founding of the land. Most notably, the city of Pelargir had been founded in II 2350, nearly a thousand years before the sons of Elendil established the South-kingdom of the Dúnedain. However, the city of Minas Tirith seems to be the main focus of the phrase 'Stone-houses', and (originally as Minas Anor) that can be dated to the founding of Gondor in II 3320.
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- Updated 13 March 2018
- This entry is complete
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