§ Sern Erain >> Sarn Aran (WR:98) ’the King Stones = the Gates of Sarn Gebir’
§ {Sarnel Ubed. Ennyn. Aran} Taur Toralt {Sarn Torath} Annon Torath. Aranath (WR:132)
§ Sairn Ubed (WR:132)
These are earlier names of Argonath < arn(a)gon-ath ’the group of (two) noble stones’ (Let:347), earlier Sern Aranath (see 2.60). The sequence in the second line occurs in a brief outline for the chapter ’Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit’, which was put down in a hardly legible handwriting. Frodo and Sam see a stone figure on their journey through Ithilien which reminds them of Sern Aranath. In the The Lord of the Rings they encounter it in the chapter ’Journey to the Cross-roads’:
The brief glow fell upon a huge sitting figure, still and solemn as the great stone kings of Argonath. The years had gnawed it, and violent hands had maimed it. Its head was gone […]
One can only guess that the singular forms among these hastily written names refer to the broken statue in Ithilien and the other ones to the two statues at the Anduin.
Sern Erain is formed with sern pl. of sarn ’stone as a material; or as adj.’ (SAR-) and erain, pl. of aran ’king’ (ƷAR-, Let:347). The following Sarn Aran shows the same words in the singular.
Sern Ubed was added later to the same page with ’denial’ in brackets (WR:137). This must be a translation of ubed, which can be hence analyzed as containing the negative suffix u- (UGU-, UMU-) and the lenited element -ped from KWET- ’say’. For a derivation of this kind compare N. úan ’monster’ < ūbanō (BAN-), the vowel becomes shortened in uanui ’monstrous, hideous’ or úgerth *’tresspasses’ < carth ’deed’ (KAR-). In The Etymologies we can find pencilled N. ú- ’un, bad-’ (VT46:20). But all these forms imply a reversal, which is not the derivation of ’deny’ from ’say’. However, one can also find the struck through word N. mû ’no’ from MŪ- ’not, no’ (VT45:35) which looks related to UMU-. This would explain ubed *’saying no = denial’. The name *’Stones of Denial’ most probably refers to the fact that the two statues hold their hands raised in a gesture of refusal.
The word sarnel instead of sern or sairn is formed with the suffix -el, which also occurs in N. gandel, gannel ’a harp’ (ÑGAN-, ÑGÁNAD-), findel, finnel ’(braided) hair’ < sphindele (SPIN-) or nelladel ’ringing of bells’ (NYEL-). Here its role might be the formation of *’stone-figure, statue’. See also Dant-ruinel, Nen-uinel above (2.39, 2.59).
From the following notes Ennyn Aran should probably belong together, meaning *’Gates of the King’ with pl. ennyn of N. annon ’great gate’ (AD-). As the statues mark the northern border of Gondor on the Anduin, they are also in a way a gate to its land.
Taur in the next form Taur Toralt may either be N. taur < tāro ’king: only used of the legitimate kings of whole tribes’ or the adjective taur < taurā ’vast, mighty, overwhelming, awful – also high, sublime’ (TUR-) and Toralt most probably contains taur intially with au > o in the compound. The second element -alt could be the cogante of Q. alta ’large, great in size’ (ÁLAT-). As a whole toralt may mean *’king-large = large king’ (referring to the size of the statue) or be the compound of two adjectives *’large and mighty’.
Sarn Torath probably means *’Stone of the Kings’ with taur ’king’ in the class plural, similar to Sern Aranath (2.60).
Annon Torath must then be the *’Gate of the Kings’ with annon ’gate’ in the singular.
And finally, Sairn Ubed shows a different plural formation of sarn to sairn instead of sern.