The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum


Visit The *EVEN NEWER* Barrow-Downs Photo Page

Go Back   The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum > Middle-Earth Discussions > The Books
User Name
Password
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-12-2002, 10:18 PM   #1
Joy
Spirit of a Warrior
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wandering
Posts: 1,012
Joy has just left Hobbiton.
Sting Word Etymologies

I am bringing this topic back up. I posted this a while back, but I now have some questions.

I ahve been re-reading Beowulf, The Battle of Maldon, the Poetic Edda, Voluspa. I noticed the word "Eorl" appearing a few times, though I forgot which story mentioned it.

Could anyone tell me what this Old English word meant? Also, since this was the name of the founding King of Rohan, what did his name mean? One more, did the Rohiric language come from OE?

PS. In just remembered that the name AElfwine is mentioned in The Battle of Maldon. This is also the name of the man who traveled to Tol Eressa in the Bool of Lost Tales.

[ August 13, 2002: Message edited by: Joy ]
__________________
God bless,
Joy KingdomWarrior@hotmail.com
http://kingdomWarrior.jlym.com

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Joy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2002, 10:55 PM   #2
Morgoth Bauglir
Shade of Carn Dūm
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 252
Morgoth Bauglir has just left Hobbiton.
Sting

i know that it is mentioned somewhere in unfinished tales..... if i had the book i would help but i dont so sorry. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

well, i know for sire that it is one of the side notes, if that may help.
Morgoth Bauglir is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2002, 10:59 PM   #3
Joy
Spirit of a Warrior
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wandering
Posts: 1,012
Joy has just left Hobbiton.
Sting

Thanks, I'll go look it up. I have UT on my bookcase.


[Edit]: page 325 (my Version of UT) end of the chapter on Cirion and Eorl - Footnote 6.

Quote:
It is an interesting fact, not refered to I believe in any of my father's writings, that the names of the early kings and princes of the Northmen and the Éothéod are Gothic in form, not Old English(OE)(Anglo-Saxon) as in the case of Léod, Eorl, ahnd the later Rohirrim. Vidugavia is Latinized in spelling, represinting Gothic Widugauja ('wood dweller'), a recorded Gothic name, and similarly Vidumavi Gothic Widumawi('wood maiden"). Marhwini and Marhari contian the Gothic wors marh ('horse"), corresponding to the OE mearh, plural mearas, the word used in LotR for the horse of Rhohan; wini "friend" corresponds to OE winė, seen in the names of several of the Kings of the Mark. Since, as is explained in Appedix F(II), the language of Rohan was "made to resemble ancient English," the names of the ancestors of the Rohirrim are cast into the forms of the earlest recorded Germanic language.
Second paragraph in footnote 36 - [qoute] Anglo-Saxon eorl in the name Eorl the Young is a wholy unrelated word.[/quote]

One more note - in the case of Ęlfwinė, since this Rohiric is based on OE and ancient Germanic, this word then means "Elf-friend."

[ August 13, 2002: Message edited by: Joy ]
__________________
God bless,
Joy KingdomWarrior@hotmail.com
http://kingdomWarrior.jlym.com

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Joy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2002, 04:57 AM   #4
Sharkū
Hungry Ghoul
 
Sharkū's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,719
Sharkū has just left Hobbiton.
Sting

Per the OED2 on CD:
"† 1. A man of noble rank, as distinguished from a ceorl, churl, or ordinary freeman. Only in OE.
† b. In OE. poetry used for: A warrior, a brave man, a man generally."
Word form was eorl up to the 4th century, later the still present earl.

And when Tolkien in App. F On Translation writes "The language of Rohan I have accordingly made to resemble ancient English", he means just that: basically, the nomenclature of Rohan and some other cases, such as the men of the Vale of Anduin, the case of orcs (which is still in translation related to the Elven stem *ruku), or some hobbit names, is indeed Old English / Anglo-Saxon, though the names and words are not necessarily in that form in which they are traditioned in the written corpus.
Sharkū is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2002, 08:47 PM   #5
Joy
Spirit of a Warrior
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wandering
Posts: 1,012
Joy has just left Hobbiton.
Sting

Thanks Sharku and Morgoth. I love doing language research. This is one of my favorite passtimes.
__________________
God bless,
Joy KingdomWarrior@hotmail.com
http://kingdomWarrior.jlym.com

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Joy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:30 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.