avradî

feminine name. *Varda

An Adûnaic name for a goddess with the title Gimilnitîr “Star-kindler” (SD/428). Though Tolkien never made it explicit, it is clearly the Adûnaic name of Varda (S. Elbereth). This name is curious, since [v] is not one of the phonemes used in Adûnaic (SD/418). Most likely it is pronounced [awradī]. Tolkien said that to represent the sound [w], he sometimes “used ‘v’ in the Anglicanizing of Adunaic names” (SD/434). Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne suggested (AAD/12) that it may be a derivative of Primitive Elvish ✶Baradā.

Cognates

• Q. Varda “Exalted, Lofty, Sublime”
• ᴹQ. Varda “Lofty, Sublime” ✧ SDI2/Avradî

Derivations

• ✶Baradā “Varda”
  • √BARAD “lofty, high, height combined with strength/size/majesty” ✧ PE17/022
  • √BAR “[ᴹ√] raise; uplift, save, rescue(?)”

Variations

• Avradī ✧ SD/428