Thornsir

The Thornsir was the slender falling stream that flowed at the bottom of a gorge beneath Cirith Thoronath within the Echoriad around Gondolin.The History of Middle-earth, The Lays of Beleriand, II. "Poems Early Abandoned": Fragment of an alliterative Lay of Eärendel, pg. 142
==History==
During the Fall of Gondolin, the survivors of the siege escaped through a secret way, with Glorfindel defending the rear of the group, and losing some of his followers there. As they made their escape through Cirith Thoronath, a Balrog came upon them. Glorfindel leapt forward and dueled the Balrog. At the last moment, he pierced the Balrog's belly, and it fell backwards toward the precipice, but grabbed Glorfindel by his hair, and both fell into the gorge of the Thornsir. After this battle the Balrog's black blood stained the waters flowing into the Vale of Tumladen for many days thereafter.The History of Middle-earth, The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, chapter III: "The Fall of Gondolin", pgs. 192-4
==Etymology==
Thornsir is an early Noldorin name meaning "Stream of Eagles", containing the words thorn ("eagle") and sîr ("stream").Parma Eldalamberon 13, pgs. 147, 154
==Other versions==
In Gnomish, the predecessor to Noldorin, the stream was called Thorn Sir or Thorn-sir, both meaning "Eagle-stream". The name contained the words thorn ("eagle")The History of Middle-earth, The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "Appendix to the Lost Tales - Part I", entry Sorontur and sîr ("river")The History of Middle-earth, The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "Appendix to the Lost Tales - Part I", entry Sirion. In Qenya, it was called Eäsindi, containing the words er(a) ("(young) eagle") and sindi ("river").Parma Eldalamberon 13, "The Alphabet of Rúmil & Early Noldorin Fragments", pg. 105
Noldorin eventually evolved into Sindarin, causing the words in Thornsir to become thoron ("eagle")The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, pg. 427 and sîr ("river, stream")Parma Eldalamberon 17, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", pg. 37, thus possibly making the name of the stream Thoronsir.
==References==
Category:Noldorin words
Category:Rivers of Beleriand