Lithe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Look up Lithe in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Lithe is a fictional holiday from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is a Midsummer holiday in the Shire. It is mentioned in The Fellowship of the Ring. Lithe fell between Forelithe, the sixth month of the year, and Afterlithe, the seventh month. In most years there were three Lithedays: 1 Lithe, Midyear's Day, and 2 Lithe. In Leap-years there was a fourth Litheday called Overlithe between Midyear's Day and 2 Lithe. Midyear's Day and Overlithe were not assigned any weekday, while 1 Lithe always fell on a Friday and 2 Lithe was a Saturday. Lithe and the Midwinter holiday called Yule were the two major holidays in the Shire. Lithe was a time of great feasting and merriment. During Lithe, the Free Fair was held on the White Downs, where Hobbits gathered to celebrate and to buy and sell goods. Every seven years at the Free Fair during Lithe, an election was held for the office of Mayor of Michel Delving.

In the years that Overlithe occurred, it was a day of special celebration. Overlithe fell during the Great Year of Plenty in 3020 after the War of the Ring, and it was the merriest holiday in the history of the Shire.

[edit] Etymology

The word lithe is from the Old English líða. This may have been the name for Midsummer, while ærra Líða and æftera Líða were used for the months June and July. The word lithe means "mild, balmy" in relation to the weather.

[edit] Sources

  • The Fellowship of the Ring: "Prologue - Of the Ordering of the Shire," p. 19
  • Appendix D of The Lord of the Rings: The Calendars, p. 387 and Shire Calendar
  • Guide to the Names in The Lord of the Rings, p. 199
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../l/i/t/Lithe.html"