Unlike the Sindarin name Celduin – which simply means “large flowing river” from “cell” (adj. “running, flowing”) + “duin” (“big and large river”), a meaning we also see used in “river Running”, the word for the river Running in Dwarvish is “Aklah’ân”, meaning “Source River”.
Stunning art “The Front Gate” by Alan Lee (In which we see the river Running)..
It is likely the word here finds its origin in the fact that Halls of Erebor were built upon, around and even far beneath the source of the river, to eventually pour out of the Front Gate of the Lonely Mountain. The river source thus was so prominent in Erebor, that it simply became known as “The Source River”.
Toadstones are mythical stones or gems
thought to originate from the heads of toads. In reality, a toadstone is simply
bufonite that formed from the button-like teeth of Lepidotes, an extinct
species of fish from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
In ancient
times, people assumed that because toads had poison glands in their skin, they
must also carry their own antidotes and took this in the form of a magic stone.
For that reason, toadstone were supposed to be an antidote to a number of
different poisons, and whenever someone was bitten or stung by a poisonous
something-or-other, a toadstone would be rubbed on the wound. European
jewellers also set the stones into magical rings and amulets until the 18th
century, calling them “stones that are perfect in form.”
The first ring, Narya, from the Quenya nár meaning fire, was also called Narya the Great, Ring of Fire, and the Red Ring. It was worn by Círdan the Shipwright, who in the Third Age recognized Gandalf’s true nature as one of the Maiar from Valinor and gave him the ring to aid him in his labours. It is described as having the power to inspire others to resist tyranny, domination, and despair, evoking hope in others around the wielder, as well as giving resistance to the weariness of time.
The third and greatest of the Three was Vilya, from the Quenya vilya meaning air; it was called the Ring of Air, the Blue Ring, the Dominant Ring, or Ring of Sapphire. It was made of gold and adorned with a great blue stone. The exact power of Vilya is not mentioned, other than the power of all three to heal and to preserve. Its power of healing may be particularly strong, as Elrond, who was its bearer, is said to be the greatest healer in Middle-earth at the time of the Quest.
MisbehavingMaiar: Tumblr Archive 