Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page |
|
09-09-2004, 01:19 PM | #1 |
Haunting Spirit
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 80
|
The Language of names
I have two questions about what Language the names in the books are.
1. Of the half elves before Elrond and Elros decision, how were they named? I ask because I know that the name Earendul is Anglo-Saxon the precusor of the tongues of men. 2. How would one tell the difference between Quena names and Sindarin names for Elves. I do know that those female names with the ending "wen" are Sindarin. I apologize for any misspelling of Middle Earth words. |
09-10-2004, 09:27 AM | #2 | |
Haunting Spirit
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Norway
Posts: 69
|
Quote:
__________________
Auta i lomë! Aurë entuluva! "Take no heed! We speak as is right, and as King Finwë himself did before he was led astray. We are his heirs by right and the elder house. Let them sá-sí, if they can speak no better." -Son of the Therindë |
|
09-10-2004, 09:39 AM | #3 |
Pilgrim Soul
Join Date: May 2004
Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle...
Posts: 9,458
|
If you have a look at the indexes in the Silmarillion you will get perhaps enough info to give you an idea... but most of the Names in the major works are Sindarin apart from the very earliest characters since the elves that returned to Middle Earth usually became know by the Sindarin versions of their names, Although they were often similar .... ie Feanor not Feanaro and Thingol (not that he was a "returner") not Singollo. Names ending with "we" (and a diaresis over the e that I can not type) are Quenya .
__________________
“But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.”
Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace Last edited by Mithalwen; 09-21-2004 at 12:56 PM. Reason: typos |
09-11-2004, 07:11 AM | #4 |
Haunting Spirit
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 80
|
Thank you for your replies. The reason I asked about the Elvish names was because I was wondering which language the name Nellas(from The Unfinished Tales) came from.
|
09-11-2004, 09:04 AM | #5 |
Hungry Ghoul
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,719
|
The likeness of Earendil to Old English is one thing the Professor intentionally recreated in his languages because he was so captivated by the Crist line where Earendel is mentioned. Through backwards-engineering he decided that it had to mean 'sea-lover' in his language. The imagined history is that the old Elvish word would survive in Old English and other languages (short version ).
|
09-11-2004, 09:57 AM | #6 |
Haunting Spirit
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 80
|
I brought up the subject of Earendil because I read that the language of the Rohrrim and with a different dialect the Hobbits was a form of Anglo-Saxon and that the Rohrrim were close to what the ansestors of the Numenor were like before the big war at the end of the Simillarion
|
09-11-2004, 10:57 AM | #7 |
Haunting Spirit
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Norway
Posts: 69
|
Well, Tolkien used Old English as a stand-in for 'real' Rohirric in the books, and we have very few genuine Rohirric-words.
Regarding Nellas; I would think it's Doriathrin, a diaect of Sindarin spoken in (you guessed it) Doriath. The last part, -las, is probably the same as the -las in Legolas meaning leaf. (Legolas being a 'Silvanized' form of Sindarin Laegolas, 'green-leaf'.) The first part may come from neldor, "beech". So perhaps the name means 'beech-leaf'. Or perhaps not.
__________________
Auta i lomë! Aurë entuluva! "Take no heed! We speak as is right, and as King Finwë himself did before he was led astray. We are his heirs by right and the elder house. Let them sá-sí, if they can speak no better." -Son of the Therindë Last edited by Falagar; 09-11-2004 at 11:03 AM. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|