Places in Middle-earth
Sarn Athrad
Type: Fords, Bridges, Crossings
Region: Beleriand & North
Meaning: Ford of Stones
Location: The ford where the Dwarf-road to Menegroth crossed the river Gelion in East Beleriand.
Description: ... the Dwarves trafficked into Beleriand, and they made a great road that passed under the shoulders of Mount Dolmed and followed the course of the River Ascar, crossing Gelion at Sarn Athrad, the Ford of Stones, where battle after befell.
The Silmarillion, Quenta Silmarillion, Ch 10, Of the Sindar
Etymology
sarn '(small) stone' in Sarn Athrad (Sarn Ford on the Brandywine is a half-translation of this); also in Sarn Gebir ('stone-spikes': ceber, plural cebir 'stakes'), rapids in the river Anduin. A derivative is Serni, a river in Gondor. ...
thar- 'athwart, across' in Sarn Athrad, Thargelion; also in Tharbad (from thara-pata 'crossway') where the ancient road from Arnor and Gondor crossed the Greyflood.
The Silmarillion, Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names
Contributors: Elena Tiriel 17Jan05