Sindarin 

gilthoniel

feminine name. Star-kindler

A title of Elbereth (LotR/238) translated “Star-kindler” (RGEO/64, Let/278), the equivalent of Q. Tintallë (MR/388). This name is a combination of gil “star”, a derivative of the root √THAN “kindle” and the feminine suffix -iel (PE17/22-3, MR/388).

Conceptual Development: The name N. Gilthoniel appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s with essentially the same derivation as the one given above, except that the middle element was from the root ᴹ√TAN “make, fashion”, and the gloss was “Star-maker” (Ety/GIL, TAN). When this name first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, it was Gilthonieth, a form that also appeared in The Etymologies, but it was soon revised to Gilthoniel (RS/68). In some notes from the 1950s, Tolkien considered the possibility that the final element thoniel was a special past-tense agental formation meaning “kindler (in the past)” (PE17/82).

Cognates

Element in

Elements

WordGloss
gil“star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light”
THAN“kindle, set light to, fire, light”
-iel“daughter; feminine suffix”

Variations

  • gilthoniel ✧ LB/354
  • Gil-thoniel ✧ RGEO/64
Sindarin [LB/354; Let/278; LotR/0238; LotR/0729; LotRI/Elbereth; LotRI/Gilthoniel; MR/388; MRI/Gilthoniel; PE17/022; PE17/023; PE17/082; RGEO/63; RGEO/64; RGEO/65] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Adûnaic

gimilnitîr

feminine name. Star-kindler

A title of the goddess Avradî (Q. Varda) translated “Star-kindler” (SD/428), and therefore the Adûnaic equivalent of S. Gilthoniel. The first element gimil means “stars”, and the second is an agental-formation for the verb nitir- “to kindle” (SD/427-8).

Cognates

Elements

WordGloss
gimil“(all) stars; ?silver”
nitir-“to kindle”

Variations

  • Gimilnitīr ✧ SD/428
Adûnaic [SD/428; SDI2/Gimilnitîr] Group: Eldamo. Published by