(i galben, o chalben), pl. celbin (i chelbin).
Quenya
elda
noun. Elf, (lit.) one of the Star-folk
Cognates
Derivations
- ✶eledā “star-folk, of the stars” ✧ Let/281; PE17/141; SA/êl; WJ/360; WJ/364; WJ/364
- √EL “lo, behold; star, lo, behold; star, [ᴹ√] starry sky” ✧ Let/281
- ✶elenā “connected with or concerning the stars” ✧ PE17/139; PE17/152
- ✶edelā “the fair” ✧ PE17/139; PE17/151
- √DEL “*fair” ✧ PE17/151
- ✶edelō “one who goes, traveller, migrant, marcher” ✧ PE17/152
- √DEL “walk, go, proceed, travel” ✧ WJ/360; WJ/363
Derivatives
Element in
- Q. Amaneldi “*Elves of Aman”
- Q. ar súlë Manwëo etsurinyë ar Eldaron indor turyaner “*and the spirit of Manwe went out and the hearts of the Eldar were comforted / or obeyed” ✧ NM/239
- Q. Eldacar “Elfhelm”
- ᴺQ. eldafindë “maidenhair fern, (lit.) elf tress”
- Q. Elda-lambë “Language of the Eldar” ✧ WJ/369
- Q. Eldalië “People of the Elves, Elven-folk, People of the Eldar, Elven-folk, [ᴹQ.] Elf-folk” ✧ WJ/374
- Q. Eldalondë “Haven of the Eldar”
- Q. Eldalótë “Elven-flower” ✧ PM/346
- Q. Eldamar “Elvenhome”
- Q. Eldameldor “Elf-friends, Elf-lovers”
- Q. Eldandil “Elf-friend”
- Q. Eldanna “*Elf-wards” ✧ UTI/Eldanna
- Q. Eldanor “Elvenland”
- Q. Eldanyárë “History of the Elves”
- Q. eldar ataformaiti “the Elves were ambidexters” ✧ VT49/08
- Q. Eldarin “of the Eldar; Elvish (language)”
- Q. Eldarion “*Son of the Eldar”
- Q. Eldar oronter “the Elves arose” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Eldar Sindar “Grey Elves” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Eldar sindaron “Grey Elves’” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Eldavehtë “a habitation, haunt or place occupied by Eldar” ✧ PE17/189
- Q. Elendil “Elf-friend, Star-lover”
- Q. Hecel “Elf who stayed in Beleriand”
- Q. i arani Eldaive “The kings of the Eldar” ✧ WJ/369
- Q. i arani Eldaron “The kings of the Eldar” ✧ WJ/369
- Q. lambe Eldaiva “the language of the Eldar” ✧ WJ/369
- Q. lambe Eldaron “the language of the Eldar” ✧ WJ/368
- Q. mana i coimas Eldaron? “What is the ‘coimas’ of the Eldar?” ✧ PM/395
- Q. mana i·coimas in·Eldaron? “What is the ‘coimas’ of the Eldar?” ✧ PM/403
- Q. Oärel “Elf who left Middle-earth for Aman”
- Q. Pereldar “Half-elven”
- Q. Sinda Eldō “a Grey Elf’s” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Sindar Eldar “Grey Elves” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Sindar Eldaron “Grey Elves’” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Sindar i Eldar Malariando “Grey are the Elves of Beleriand” ✧ PE21/77
- Q. Sindel “Grey-elf”
- Q. Tareldar “High-elves” ✧ SI/Eldar
- Q. tas cennen nótimë eldali “I saw a few elves there” ✧ PE22/155
- Q. vanimelda “beautiful and beloved, elven-fair” ✧ PE17/056; PE17/057
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶eledā/elenā > Elda [eledā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ Let/281 ✶elenā > Elda [elenā] > [elnā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ PE17/139 ✶edelā > Elda [edelā] > [edlā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ PE17/139 ✶eledā > elda [eledā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ PE17/141 ✶edelā > elda [edelā] > [edlā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ PE17/151 ✶elenā > elda [elenā] > [elnā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ PE17/152 ✶edelā > eledā > elda [edelā] > [eledā] > [eldā] > [elda] ✧ PE17/152 ✶elda > Elda [elda] ✧ SA/êl ✶eldā > Elda [eldā] > [elda] ✧ WJ/360 Variations
- elda ✧ PE17/045; PE17/056; PE17/057; PE17/141; PE17/141; PE17/151; PE17/152; PE17/152
The most common Quenya word for “Elf”. Its literal meaning is “one of the Star-folk” (WJ/374), a name given to them by Oromë (S/49) and derived from the same primitive root √EL as Q. elen “star”. Strictly speaking, this term excludes the Avari who chose not to journey to Valinor, so that the proper term for all of Elvenkind is Q. Quendë “one of the Elven race”. The Elves of the West rarely encountered the Avari, however, so that term Elda was ordinarily broad enough to describe all Elves.
Conceptual Development: This word dates back to the earliest stages of Tolkien’s languages. At its first appearance, ᴱQ. Elda was glossed “a beach-fay” (QL/35), but was soon extended to describe all Elves (LT1/113). In Tolkien’s earliest writings the word was not given a clear etymology. In the Lhammas “Account of Tongues” from the 1930s (LR/168-180), Tolkien gave ᴹQ. Elda the sense of “one who departed” (LR/169), as opposed to the ᴹQ. Lembi “Lingerers” who remained behind (precursors of the Avari). With this sense, Elda was derived from ᴹ√LED “go, fare, travel” (Ety/LED).
Tolkien soon revised the etymology of Elda so that it was derived instead from ᴹ√ELED “star-folk” (Ety/ELED). In some later writings, he considered both etymologies of this word to be valid, so that Elda was blending of both “star-folk” (from √EL) and Q. Eldo “marcher” (from √LED or √DEL), as discussed in the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60 and elsewhere (WJ/362-3, PE17/139). However, the sense “star-folk” is probably better known.
In some notes from 1957, Tolkien considered deriving this word from a variant root √DEL “fair” so that its meaning would be “the fair” (PE17/151), but this seems to have been a transient idea.