Quenya 

moriquendi

collective name. Elves of the Darkness, (lit.) Dark Elves

Originally, this term was used for the Elves who never saw the light of the Two Trees of Valinor (S/51, WJ/361). Later, the meaning of this term was modified to exclude the Sindar, and so became more or less equivalent to Avari (WJ/373, SI/Moriquendi). It is a compound of morë (mori-) “darkness” and the plural of Quendë “Elf”.

Conceptual Development: One of the earliest name for the Dark Elves may have been ᴱQ. Hisildi “Twilight People” (LT1/232). The term ᴹQ. Moriqendi first appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/197). It also appeared in The Etymologies, with the same derivation as given above (Ety/MOR). In this earlier period, Tolkien also used the terms ᴹQ. Moreldar and ᴹQ. Morimor for “Dark-elves” (LR/197, 405; Ety/MOR).

A singular form, Moriq(u)en, appeared in linguistic notes from the 1930s and 1940s (PE19/59; PE21/69), as an illustration of the loss of short final vowels in trisyllabic or longer words. A longer singular form Moriquende, reformed from the independent word Quendë, also appeared (PE19/59).

Cognates

  • S. Morben “*Dark-folk” ✧ WJI/Morben; WJ/361; WJ/376
  • T. Moripendi “Dark-elves” ✧ WJ/361; WJI/Moriquendi

Derivations

  • morikwende “*Dark-elf, [ᴹ✶] Dark-elf” ✧ WJ/373

Elements

WordGloss
morë“dark, black; darkness, night, dark, black; darkness, [ᴹQ.] blackness, [Q.] night”
Quendë“Elf, (lit.) One That Speaks”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
mori-kwendī > Moriquendi[morikwendī] > [morikwendi]✧ WJ/373

Variations

  • Moriqend ✧ PE17/141
Quenya [LT2I/Moriqendi; MRI/Moriquendi; PE17/141; PE18/074; S/053; SA/mor; SA/quen; SI/Dark Elves; SI/Moriquendi; WJ/361; WJ/373; WJ/376; WJI/Morben; WJI/Moriquendi] Group: Eldamo. Published by