Contribution “Airalindë Vardanna Quendion Imbeláriso” by Sámo Collarwa

Airalindë Vardanna Eldaron Arcimbelëo

A Quenya translation of the title of the poem otherwise known as A Elbereth Gilthoniel.

While expressing the same meaning as in Sindarin, the form obviously differs significantly.

• Airalindë is perhaps the more direct Quenya cognate of the Sindarin aerlinn that can be effected. Despite the loss of final short vowels in aer and linn (as well as the changing of -nd to -nn in the latter), it nonetheless maintains the meaning of "holy song" or "hymn." Being the subject of the title, no special case-endings would be required in Quenya (nor in Sindarin, had they persisted into the present).
• Vardanna is the open expression to whom the hymn is dedicated. Whereas the dedication is only inferred from the content of the hymn in Sindarin (specifically, the opening verse A Elbereth Gilthoniel ("O Elbereth who lit the stars")). Unlike Sindarin, in which case-endings all but disappeared by its present form, such remained in Quenya. (What would have become of them had the language persisted in Middle-Earth is ultimately unknown.) Thus, the sense of "to, toward" was expressed in the ending -nna, rather than in the preposition na (which would make the dedication something like *Aerlinn na Elbereth in Sindarin).
• Eldaron expresses authorship of the hymn and establishes an association with the elves of Rivendell. Rather than allude to this genitival relationship through the definite article (i; plural in, or "the"; hence names such as Ost-in-Edhil ("Fortress of the Elves/Eldar")), it is instead shown through the case-ending -o (plural -on, or "of"). The plural itself is also distinct from Sindarin, as it is indicated by, in this case, the suffix -r, rather than through i-infixion (whence Edhel ("an Elf") - Edhil ("Elves")).
• Arcimbelëo is similar to Eldaron in that it expresses a genitival relationship, though not so much with the hymn as with the elves who composed it. As Arcimbelë is a direct Quenya cognate with the Sindarin Imladris ("Deep Dale of the Cleft"), and the genitive ending -o is used to denote the elves originating from the haven.

Thus, the most direct translation of the title would run something like this: "[A] Holy-Song Varda-to Elves-of Rivendell-of."

Quenya Neologism