Name of an island and bay at the mouth of the river Sirion, from which Beleriand got its name (S/54). Ossë would frequently visit this island to see the Teleri who lived there and nearby (S/57).

Conceptual Development: The island of N. Balar appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/180). In The Etymologies it was given as a derivative of the root ᴹ√BAL (Ety/BAL). In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Balar was said to be another name for Ossë and this was the source of the island’s name, but this idea seems to be based on earlier concepts and did not appear in the published version of The Silmarillion (WJ/5, 104).