Page "Gondor" Paragraph 125

The ideas were concretized at an early stage during the writing of The Lord of the Rings, beginning with a clearer image of the defeat of Sauron and of the acquisition of the One Ring by " Isildor " son of Elendil, and followed by the slow development of the Númenórean heritage.

First to be introduced were their northern descendants — the " Rangers ", and the southern people appeared when Tolkien pondered in 1939 over the course of the narrative following the Council of Elrond.

As he later recalled, Tolkien thought about " adventures " that the Company would meet on their way to Mordor and considered employing " Stone-Men " as one of them ; other preserved notes mention a " city of stone and civilized men ", its siege and a " Land of Ond ".

The name was based upon an already existing stem of Elvish languages, ( g ) ond with the meaning ' stone '.