Quenya 

Vala

power, god, angelic power

Vala (1) noun "Power, God, angelic power", pl. Valar or Vali (BAL, Appendix E, LT2:348), described as "angelic governors" or "angelic guardians" (Letters:354, 407). The Valar are a group of immensely powerful spirits guarding the world on behalf of its Creator; they are sometimes called Gods (as when Valacirca, q.v., is translated "Sickle of the Gods"), but this is strictly wrong according to Christian terminology: the Valar were created beings. The noun vala is also the name of tengwa #22 (Appendix E). Genitive plural Valion "of the Valar" (FS, MR:18); this form shows the pl. Vali, (irregular) alternative to Valar (the straightforward gen. pl. Valaron is also attested, PE17:175). Pl. allative valannar *"to/on the Valar" (LR:47, 56; SD:246). Feminine form Valië (Silm), in Tolkiens earlier material also Valdë; his early writings also list Valon or Valmo (q.v.) as specifically masc. forms. The gender-specific forms are not obligatory; thus in PE17:22 Varda is called a Vala (not a Valië), likewise Yavanna in PE17:93. Vala is properly or originally a verb "has power" (sc. over the matter of , the universe), also used as a noun "a Power" _(WJ:403). The verb vala- "rule, order", exclusively used with reference to the Valar, is only attested in the sentences á vala Manwë! "may Manwë order it!" and Valar valuvar "the will of the Valar will be done" (WJ:404). However, Tolkien did not originally intend the word Valar to signify "powers"; in his early conception it apparently meant "the happy ones", cf. valto, vald- (LT2:348)_. For various compounds including the word Vala(r), see below.

arauco

powerful, hostile, and terrible creature; demon

arauco ("k")noun "a powerful, hostile, and terrible creature; demon" (variant of rauco). Tolkien's earlier "Qenya" has araucë "demon" (WJ:415, LT1:250)

rauco

powerful, hostile, and terrible creature

rauco ("k") noun "a powerful, hostile, and terrible creature", "very terrible creature", especially in the compound Valarauco noun "Demon of Might" _(WJ:415, VT39:10, cf. SA:raukor. In the Etymologies, stem RUK, the gloss is "demon".)_ Longer variant arauco. The plural form Valaraucar "Balrogs" seems to contain the variant rauca.

Sindarin 

balan

noun. Vala, divine power, divinity

Sindarin [Ety/350, S/439, Letters/427, X/EI] Group: SINDICT. Published by

tûr

power

tûr (i dûr, o thûr, construct tur) (victory, mastery, control; master, victor, lord), pl. tuir (i thuir), coll. pl. túrath.

tûr

power

(i dûr, o thûr, construct tur) (victory, mastery, control; master, victor, lord), pl. t**uir (i th**uir), coll. pl. túrath.

bâl

divine power

construct bal, pl. bail (divinity). Note: the word can also be used as an adj. "divine".

Adûnaic

avalô

noun. Power, God

An Adûnaic noun translated as “God” or “Power” (SD/247, 305), the equivalent of (and possibly derived from) Q. Vala. It is probably pronounced [awalō], since the sound [w] in Adûnaic was sometime written “v” (SD/434). It frequently appeared in its plural or subjective plural forms Avalôi(m) “Powers, Gods”.

Conceptual Development: In early drafts of Adûnaic its plural was Avalâi with a long â instead of ô, perhaps indicating an earlier singular form Avalâ closer to Vala. Earlier still this word was given as plural Balāi, a more direct derivative of the Elvish root form ᴹ√BAL.

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Vala “Power, God” ✧ SDI2/Avalôi

Element in

Adûnaic [SD/241; SD/247; SD/305; SD/311; SD/344; SD/357; SD/387; SDI2/Avalâi; SDI2/Avalôi; SDI2/Avalôim; SDI2/Balâi] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

¤kurwē

noun. power, ability

Primitive elvish [PE 22:151] Group: Mellonath Daeron. Published by

Noldorin 

balan

noun. Vala, divine power, divinity

Noldorin [Ety/350, S/439, Letters/427, X/EI] Group: SINDICT. Published by

balan

noun. Power, God

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Vala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL; Ety/BAL

Derivations

  • On. Bala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
    • ᴹ✶balā “powerful; Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
    • ᴹ√BAL “*power” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹ√BAL “*power” ✧ Ety/KIRIK

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
On. Bala > Balan[Bala] > [Balan]✧ Ety/BAL
On. Bala > Belein > Belen[balani] > [beleni] > [belein] > [belen]✧ Ety/BAL
Noldorin [Ety/BAL; Ety/KIRIK; Ety/LEP] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Qenya 

vala

noun. Power, God

Cognates

  • ᴹT. Bala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • On. Bala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • N. Balan “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL; Ety/BAL
  • Ad. Avalô “Power, God” ✧ SDI2/Avalôi

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶balā “powerful; Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL; Ety/BAL
    • ᴹ√BAL “*power” ✧ Ety/BAL

Element in

  • ᴹQ. númessier “and he gave it into the hands of the Lords: they are in the West” ✧ LR/072
  • ᴹQ. Tar-Kalion ohtakáre Valannar “Tar-Kalion made war on the Powers” ✧ LR/047; LR/056; SD/246; SD/310
  • ᴹQ. Valakirka “Sickle of the Gods”
  • ᴹQ. valaina “of or belonging to the Valar, divine” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹQ. Valandur “*Servant of the Vala”
  • ᴹQ. Valarindi ✧ LR/110
  • ᴹQ. valasse “divinity” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹQ. Valatar “Vala-king” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹQ. Valatári “Vala-queen” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹQ. Valmar “City of the Gods”
  • ᴹQ. Valinor “Land of the Valar” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹQ. valya “having (divine) authority or power, having (divine) authority or power, *authorized, official”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶bálā > Vala[balā] > [βalā] > [βala] > [vala]✧ Ety/BAL
ᴹ✶bal-ī́ > Vali[balī] > [βalī] > [βali] > [vali]✧ Ety/BAL
Qenya [Ety/BAL; LR/047; LR/056; LR/072; LR/110; LR/161; LR/204; LRI/Valar; PE22/022; PE22/050; RSI/Valar; SD/246; SD/305; SD/310; SD/401; SDI2/Avalôi; SDI2/Valāi; SDI2/Valar; SM/078; SM/263; SMI/Valar; WRI/Valar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Old Noldorin 

bala

noun. Power, God

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Vala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶balā “powerful; Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
    • ᴹ√BAL “*power” ✧ Ety/BAL

Derivatives

  • N. Balan “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL

Element in

  • On. Balane “Power, God (f.)” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • On. Balano “Power, God (m.)” ✧ Ety/BAL

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴹ✶bálā > Bala[balā] > [bala]✧ Ety/BAL
Old Noldorin [Ety/BAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Primitive Elvish

balā

noun/adjective. powerful; Power, God

Derivations

  • ᴹ√BAL “*power” ✧ Ety/BAL

Derivatives

  • ᴹQ. Vala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL; Ety/BAL
  • On. Bala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
    • N. Balan “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
  • ᴹT. Bala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL

Element in

Variations

  • bálā ✧ Ety/BAL
  • bal-ī ✧ EtyAC/BAL
  • Balā́ ✧ PE19/059
Middle Primitive Elvish [Ety/BAL; EtyAC/BAL; PE19/059] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Middle Telerin

bala

noun. Power, God

Cognates

  • ᴹQ. Vala “Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL

Derivations

  • ᴹ✶balā “powerful; Power, God” ✧ Ety/BAL
    • ᴹ√BAL “*power” ✧ Ety/BAL
Middle Telerin [Ety/BAL] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Gnomish

taura

adjective. powerful

Gnomish [GL/69; GL/72] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Noldorin

bala

noun. round hump, hump, hillock

A noun in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s glossed “round hump, hump, hillock”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶balga (PE13/138).

Cognates

  • Eq. palla “paunch” ✧ PE13/138
  • Et. balga “hump” ✧ PE13/138

Derivations

  • ᴱ✶balga “*hump” ✧ PE13/138
Early Noldorin [PE13/138] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tûr

noun. power

Changes

  • túrtúr “king” ✧ PE13/154

Element in

Variations

  • túr ✧ PE13/154; PE13/154 (túr)
Early Noldorin [PE13/154] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Primitive Elvish

bala Reconstructed

root. BALA

Early Primitive Elvish Group: Eldamo. Published by

Early Quenya

valma

adjective. powerful

Derivations

  • ᴱ√WALA “fortune, happiness; *power”
Early Quenya [PE16/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

turwa

adjective. powerful

An adjective for “powerful” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√TURU “am strong” (QL/96).

Neo-Quenya: Since √TUR remains connected to power in Tolkien’s later writings, I’d retain this word for purposes of Neo-Quenya, but I’d use it for general or abstract forms of potency, as opposed to being physically powerful (turca or [ᴹQ.] poldórea) or politically powerful (túrëa). For example: turwa nus “a powerful smell” or turwa vangwe “a powerful storm”.

Derivations

  • ᴱ√TURU “am strong” ✧ QL/095

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
ᴱ√TURU > turwa[turwā] > [turwa]✧ QL/095
Early Quenya [QL/096] Group: Eldamo. Published by