Almaren

blessedness

Almaren place-name, the first abode of the Valar in Arda, apparently related to almarë "blessedness" (Silm, LR:357)

Almáriel

blessedness

Almáriel fem. name, apparently containing almarë "blessedness" (GALA, VT45:5, 14)

almië

blessedness, 'blessings', good fortune, bliss

almië noun "blessedness, 'blessings', good fortune, bliss". In deleted entries in Etym, the glosses were "blessedness, prosperity, bliss" (GALA, VT45:5, 14)

vald-

blessedness, happiness

vald- noun "blessedness, happiness" (LT1:272 a final vowel would seem to be required). See valin regarding the dubious conceptual validity of this and related words.

lar

(good) fortune, prosperity, bliss

[lar (2) noun "(good) fortune, prosperity, Bliss" (VT45:26; the Qenya genitive form láren is also listed)]

lar

fat, riches

lar (1) noun "fat, riches" (VT45:26; Hostetter and Wynne suggest that the second gloss should perhaps read "richness" rather than "riches")

alma

good fortune, weal, wealth

alma (1) noun "good fortune, weal, wealth". In a deleted entry in Etym, the glosses were "riches, (good) fortune, blessedness"; in another deleted entry, Tolkien provided the glosses "growth" and maybe "increase" (reading uncertain), also "good fortune, riches" (GALA [ALAM], VT45:5, 13, 14)

almarë

blessedness, 'blessings', good fortune, bliss

almarë noun "blessedness, 'blessings', good fortune, bliss". In deleted entries in Etym, the glosses provided were "blessedness, prosperity, bliss" (GALA, VT45:5, 14)

umbar

noun. doom

doom

lárëa

fat, rich

lárëa (1) adj. "fat, rich" (VT45:26)

manar

doom, final end, fate, fortune

manar noun "doom, final end, fate, fortune" (usually = final bliss) (MANAD (under MAN), VT45:32)

mandë

doom, final end, fate, fortune

mandë (1) noun "doom, final end, fate, fortune" (usually = final bliss) (MANAD, under MAN)

galad

noun. radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn

A word for “radiance, glittering reflection” derived from primitive ✶ñ(g)alatā and the root √Ñ(G)AL “shine by reflection” (PM/347). Most notably it was an element in the names Galadriel and Gil-galad. In the latter name, since the ancient form began with ñg-, its mutated form was -galad rather than the more usual ’alad.

Conceptual Development: This word had a long and intricate history, and was intertwined with the shifting conceptions of various roots and names. It’s earliest iteration was G. {gâl(a) >>} gala “light, daylight” (GL/37), cognate to ᴱQ. kala of similar meaning, derived from the early root ᴱ√KALA “shine golden” (QL/44). Since ancient initial g- became k- in Early Qenya, is very likely the early root was actually ✱ᴱ√GALA. In early notes, Tolkien experimented with various alternate forms for this word such as gâl or gaul (GL/37; PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s Tolkien had the word ᴱN. galad with the gloss “dawn” (PE13/144).

By the 1930s, Tolkien had revised the phonology of Quenya so that primitive initial g became ʒ and then vanished, but he wished to retain the kal-/gal- variation in “light” words, and so introduced a Noldorin-only variant ᴹ√GAL of the root ᴹ√KAL “shine” (Ety/GAL). In The Etymologies, Tolkien had both N. calad (Ety/KAL) and N. galad (EtyAC/GAL) for “light”, the former appearing in its mutated form as an element in the name N. Gil-galad “Starlight” (Ety/GIL).

S. calad continued to be the basis for the second element of S. Gil-galad in some later writings (PE17/50), but Tolkien began to have problems with another name from The Lord of the Rings, that is Galadriel. When Tolkien first introduced her name, it basically meant “Tree-lady” (TI/249), but this was no longer suitable for her more elevated role in the Legendarium, and in any case the proper Sindarin word for “tree” was galadh. In 1955 notes Tolkien considered making the initial element of her name mean “blessed” or “bliss” instead (NM/346).

In notes from the late 1950s or early 1960s Tolkien connected the names Gil-galad and Galadriel as sharing a common element meaning “light” and experimented with various derivatives of the roots √KAL and √GAL (PE17/50), but couldn’t contrive a satisfactory solution since the shared word would be mutated in Gil-Galad but unmutated in Galadriel. Eventually Tolkien resolved this quandary by introducing a new root √Ñ(G)AL in various notes from the late 1960s (PE17/59-60; NM/353) whose primitive form in Sindarin was strengthened ✶ñgalatā that would produce the correct result for both names. Tolkien discussed this new word at length in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968:

> The name [Galadriel] was derived from the Common Eldarin stem ÑAL “shine by reflection”; ✱ñalatā “radiance, glittering reflection” (from jewels, glass or polished metals, or water) > Quenya ñalta, Telerin alata, Sindarin galad ... The whole = “maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance” was given in reference to Galadriel’s hair. Galad occurs also in the epesse of Ereinion (“scion of kings”) by which he was chiefly remembered in legend, Gil-galad “star of radiance” (PM/347).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume (ñ)galad refers to radiant, glittering and reflected light, as opposed to S. calad (lit. = “shining”) which refers to direct light and the sources of such light, such as lamps and flames.

Cognates

• Q. nalta “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ PM/347
• T. alata “radiance, glittering reflection” ✧ SA/kal

Derivations

• √GAL “light; shine, be bright” ✧ PE17/084
• ✶ñ(g)alatā “(reflected) radiance, glitter (of reflected light), glory” ✧ PM/347
  • √Ñ(G)AL “gleam, sheen, shine (by reflection)” ✧ NM/350; NM/353; PE17/059; PE17/169; PM/347
  • √GAL “light; shine, be bright” ✧ PE17/050
  • √KAL “light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden” ✧ PE17/050

Element in

• S. Caras Galadhon “City of the Trees” ✧ PE17/084
• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ Let/425; NM/346; PE17/084; PM/347
• S. Gil-galad “Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance” ✧ Let/425; PE17/084; PM/347
• S. Malgalad “?yellow radiance”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√GAL > galad	[galata] > [galat] > [galad]	✧ PE17/084
✶ñalatā > galad	[ŋalatā] > [ŋgalatā] > [ŋgalata] > [galata] > [galat] > [galad]	✧ PM/347

amarth

doom

(noun) 1) amarth (fate), pl. emerth; 2) band (i mand, o mband; construct ban) (custody, prison, safekeeping, duress, hell), pl. baind (i mbaind), coll. pl. bannath. 3) manadh (i vanadh) (final end, fate, fortune [usually = final bliss]), pl. menaidh (i menaidh)

amarth

doom

(fate), pl. emerth

manadh

doom

(i vanadh) (final end, fate, fortune [usually = final bliss]), pl. menaidh (i menaidh)

tûg

fat

tûg (lenited dûg, pl. tuig) (thick)

tûg

fat

(lenited dûg, pl. tuig) (thick)

elias

noun. blessedness

Elements

Word	Gloss
elia-	“to cause to prosper, bless (a work), help one”

band

doom

(i mand, o mband; construct ban) (custody, prison, safekeeping, duress, hell), pl. baind (i mbaind), coll. pl. bannath.

bartha

doom

(verb) bartha- (i martha, i mbarthar)

bartha

doom

(i martha, i mbarthar)

aphana Reconstructed

noun. ?bliss

An element of the name Aphanuzîr (SD/389), possibly meaning “bliss”; see the entry for that name for further discussion.

Element in

• Ad. Aphanuzîr “?Bliss-friend” ✧ SD/389

manadh

noun. final bliss

bartha-

verb. to doom

manadh

noun. doom, final end, fate, fortune

ammarth

noun. doom

doom