The form helta- in the Etymologies is a misreading according to VT/46:14
Noldorin
eru
noun. waste, desert
Eru
noun. waste, desert
heltha-
verb. to strip
min
fraction. one (first of a series)
min
cardinal. one
Quenya
Eru
the one
Eru divine name "the One" = God (VT43:32, VT44:16-17), "the One God" (Letters:387), a name reserved for the most solemn occasions (WJ:402). Often in the combination Eru Ilúvatar, "Eru Allfather" (cf. MR:112). Genitive Eruo (MR:329, VT43:28/32), dative Erun (VT44:32, 34). The adjectival form Eruva "divine" (Eruva lissëo "of divine grace", VT44:18) would be identical to the form appearing in the possessive case. Compound nouns: Eruhantalë "Thanksgiving to Eru", a Númenórean festival (UT:166, 436), Eruhin pl. Eruhíni "Children of Eru", Elves and Men (WJ:403; SA:híni, cf. _Eruhîn _in Letters:345), Eruion *"son of God" (or "God the Son"?) (VT44:16), Erukyermë "Prayer to Eru", a Númenórean festival (UT:166, 436), Erulaitalë "Praise of Eru", a Númenórean festival (UT:166, 436), Eruamillë "Mother of God" (in Tolkien's translation of the Hail Mary, VT43:32, see also VT44:7), Eruontari, Eruontarië other translations of "Mother (Begetter) of God" (VT44:7, 18), Erusén "the children of God" (RGEO:74; this is a strange form with no plural ending; contrast the synonym Eruhíni.) #Eruanna and #erulissë, various terms for "grace", literally "God-gift" and "God-sweetness", respectively (VT43:29; these words are attested in the genitive and instrumental case, respectively: Eruanno, erulissenen).
eru
noun. The One, God
eruhantalë
proper name. Thanksgiving of Eru
eruhin
proper name. Child of Eru (God)
A name for Elves and Men as children of Eru (God), frequently appearing in its plural form Eruhíni (Let/189, MR/320, WJ/403). It is a compound of Eru “God” and a suffixal form -hin of hína “child” (SA/híni).
Conceptual Development: This name first appeared in the tales of the Fall of Númenor from the 1940s as the Adûnaic word #Êruhin, attested only in its plural forms Êruhîn(im) (SD/247-8, 311). See that entry for further discussion of its early history.
erulaitalë
proper name. Praise of Eru
erukyermë
proper name. Prayer of Eru
eru fai, sî, euva
*Eru (was) before, (is) now, will be (after)
Eruva
eruva
Eruva, see Eru
er
one, alone
er cardinal "one, alone" (ERE, VT48:6, VT49:54), in an early source also adv. "only, but, still" (LT1:269); Eru er "one God" (VT44:17; er was here emended by Tolkien from erëa, which seems to be an adjectival form *"one, single".)
eru-indonen
by the will of God
oiencarmë Eruo
the one's [eru's] perpetual production
oiencarmë Eruo ("k") noun "the One's [Eru's] perpetual production", free rendering: "God's management of the Drama" (MR:471)
a aina fairë, eru órava (o)messë
God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us
The eighth line of Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Litany of Loreto prayer (VT44/12). The first word is the vocative a “O” followed by aina fairë = “holy spirit”. The fourth word Eru is Tolkien’s usual Quenya name for God. The phrase órava (o)messe “have mercy on us” is essentially the same as in the first line; see that entry for discussion.
Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:
> a Aina Fairë, Eru órava (o)me-sse = “✱o Holy Spirit, God have-mercy us-on”
Conceptual Development: As in the first line, Tolkien first used the dative ómen for “on us” before revising it to the locative (o)messe (VT44/12, notes on line 8).
a aina neldië eru er órava (o)messë
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us
The ninth line of Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Litany of Loreto prayer (VT44/12). The first word is the vocative a “O” followed by aina Neldië = “holy Trinity”. The fourth word Eru is Tolkien’s usual Quenya name for God. The fifth word is er “one”, emphasizing the one-ness of the Trinity. The phrase órava (o)messe “have mercy on us” was abbreviated o.o. in the original, but presumably was the same as in earlier lines of the prayer; see the entry for the first line for discussion.
Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:
> a Aina Neldië Eru Er órava (o)me-sse = “✱o Holy Trinity, God one have-mercy us-on”
Conceptual Development: Tolkien first wrote an adjectival form Erea before changing it to Er as a way of emphasizing the one-ness of the Trinity (VT44/17).
a eruion mardorunando, eru órava (o)messë
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
The seventh line of Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Litany of Loreto prayer (VT44/12). The first word is the vocative a “O” followed by Eruion, a name for Christ as the “Son of God”. The third word Mardorunando seems to be a translation of “Redeemer of the World”. The fourth word Eru is Tolkien’s usual Quenya name for God. The phrase órava (o)messe “have mercy on us” is essentially the same as in the first line; see that entry for discussion.
Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:
> a Eru-ion Mard-o-runando, Eru órava (o)me-sse = “✱o God-son world-of-redeemer, God have-mercy us-on”
Conceptual Development: Tolkien began two incomplete forms Io >> Yón before settling on Eruion. As in the first line, Tolkien first used the dative ómen for “on us” before revising it to the locative (o)messe (VT44/12, notes on line 7).
atar meneldëa eru órava (o)messë
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us
The sixth line of Tolkien’s Quenya translation of the Litany of Loreto prayer (VT44/12). The first word is the noun atar “father”. The second word meneldea is the assimilated locative form menelde of menel “heaven”, with an adjective suffix -a added to give the sense “of Heaven”; a similar construction was used in versions IIb-IV of the first line of the Átaremma prayer (VT43/10-11). The third word Eru is Tolkien’s usual Quenya name for God. The phrase órava (o)messe “have mercy on us” is essentially the same as in the first line of this prayer; see that entry for discussion.
Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:
> Atar menel-de-a Eru (o)me-sse = “✱Father heaven-in-of God have-mercy us-on”
Conceptual Development: As in the first line, Tolkien first used the dative ómen for “on us” before revising it to the locative (o)messe (VT44/12, notes on line 6).
i eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa
(the one/they) who; (that) which
i (2) relative pronoun "(the one/they) who; (that) which" (both article and relative pronoun in CO: i Eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa: the One who is above all thrones", i hárar "(they) who are sitting"); cf. also the phrase i hamil mára "(that) which you deem good" (VT42:33). Notice that before a verb, i means "the one who", or, in the case of a plural verb, "those who"; e.g. i carir quettar ómainen "those who form words with voices" (WJ:391). According to VT47:21, i as a relative pronoun is the personal plural form (corresponding to the personal sg. ye and the impersonal sg. ya). This agrees with the example i carir..., but as is evident from the other examples listed above, Tolkien in certain texts also used i as a singular relative pronoun, both personal (Eru i...) and impersonal (i hamil). In the sense of a plural personal relative pronoun, i is also attested in the genitive (ion) and ablative (illon) cases, demonstrating that unlike the indeclinable article i, the relative pronoun i can receive case endings. Both are translated "from whom": ion / illon camnelyes "from whom you received it" (referring to several persons) (VT47:21).
nai eru tye mánata
God bless you
ar i eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa tennoio
and of the One who is above all thrones for ever
Fourth phrase @@@
eruyána
noun. building for the worship of Eru (church, synagogue, mosque)
A neologism for a “building for the worship of Eru” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2025-05-25 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of Eru and yána “holy place”. I personally wouldn’t use this word since Tolkien said that the Elves and Men of Middle Earth did not worship Eru directly.
Eämbar
dispositions and will of eru, with regard to creation as a whole
Eämbar noun "dispositions and will of Eru, with regard to Creation as a whole" (PE17:105)
indómë
noun. settled character; will of Eru
hína
noun. child
A word for “child” derived from the root √KHIN (PE17/157; WJ/403), most notably an element in Eruhíni “Children of God”, a term for Elves and Men as the children of Eru. This word illustrates that hína has an abnormal plural form: híni rather than the expected ✱✱hínar. A variant hina with a short i was “only used in the vocative addressing a (young) child, especially in hinya (< hinanya) ‘my child’ (WJ/403)”.
Conceptual Development: The term Êruhîn “Children of God” first appeared as an Adûnaic word in the 1940s (SD/247-8, 358), later adapted as Quenya Eruhíni and Sindarin Eruchîn, which seems to be the source of Q. hína and S. hên “child”. At one point Tolkien coined masculine and feminine variants Q. hindo and Q. hindë, but they were deleted (PE17/157). Tolkien often used an alternate Quenya form sén (MR/423; UT/274; RGEO/66), perhaps out of a desire to have a Sindarin form Eruhîn that was closer to the original Adûnaic form. This variant continued to appear as late as 1969, where sén was written below Eruhíni as a variant form in Late Notes on Verbs (LVS: PE22/158).
-nna
to
-n (1) dative ending, originating as a reduced form of -nă "to", related to the allative ending -nna (VT49:14). Attested in nin, men, ten, enyalien, Erun, airefëan, tárin, yondon (q.v.) and also added to the English name Elaine (Elainen) in a book dedication to Elaine Griffiths (VT49:40). The longer dative ending -na is also attested in connection with some pronouns, such as sena, téna, véna (q.v.), also in the noun mariéna from márië "goodness" (PE17:59). Pl. -in (as in hínin, see hína), partitive pl. -lin, dual -nt (Plotz). The preposition ana (#1) is said to be used "when purely dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that it can replace the dative ending, e.g. *ana Eru instead of Erun for "to God". In some of Tolkiens earlier material, the ending -n (or -en) expressed genitive rather than dative, but he later decided that the genitive ending was to be -o (cf. such a revision as Yénië Valinóren becoming Yénië Valinórëo, MR:200).
Enu
the almighty creator who dwells without the world
Enu masc. name, "the Almighty Creator who dwells without the world" (LT2:343 - in Tolkien's later Quenya, the divine name appears as Eru instead)
Ilúvatar
all-father
Ilúvatar masc. name "All-father", God (SD:401, FS, IL; Ilúv-atar, ATA, Iluvatar with a short u, SD:346). Often in combination with the divine name as Eru Ilúvatar, "Eru Allfather", cf. MR:112. "Qenya" genitive Ilúvatáren "of Ilúvatar" in Fíriel's Song, LR:47 and SD:246, the genitive ending is -en instead of -o as in LotR-style Quenya. Cf. the later genitive Ilúvataro in the phrase Híni Ilúvataro (see "Children of Ilúvatar" in the Silmarillion Index)
axan
law, rule, commandment
axan noun "law, rule, commandment". Adopted and adapted from Valarin. (WJ:399) Pl. axani is attested (VT39:23, defined as "laws, rules, as primarily proceeding from Eru" in VT39:30). Apparently compounded in the name Axantur *"Commandment-lord" (= lord who respects and/or rules in accordance with God-given commandments?) (UT:210)
hína
child
hína noun "child", also hina used in the vocative to a (young) child (also hinya "my child", for hinanya) (WJ:403). Pl. híni (surprisingly not **hínar) in Híni Ilúvataro "Children of Ilúvatar" (Silmarillion Index); dative hínin in VT44:35. In compounds -hin pl. -híni (as in Eruhíni, "Children of Eru", SA:híni). According to one source, the word is hín(i) and solely plural (PE17:157), but this is obviously contradicted by some of the sources quoted above.
indómë
settled character
indómë noun "settled character", also used of the "will" of Eru (according to etymological notes written in 1957, referred to in VT43:16, presented in PE17:189). Indómelya "thy will" (VT43:16).
lye
thou/thee, you
lye pron. "thou/thee, you", 2nd person sg. formal/polite (corresponding to familiar/intimate tye, q.v.) (VT49:36) It seems the original stem-form was le (VT49:50), distinct from de as a plural "you", but when initial d became l and the forms threatened to fall together, le was apparently altered to lye by analogy with the ending -lyë and the emphatic pronoun elyë. Stressed lyé (VT49:51). For lye as object, cf. nai Eru lye mánata "God bless you" (VT49:39). Allative lyenna "to you, upon you" (VT49:40-41). Compare the reflexive pronoun imlë "yourself, thyself", q.v. (it did not have to be *imlyë, for the corresponding pl. pronoun indë "yourselves" is distinct anyhow).
nai
be it that
nai (1) imperative verb "be it that", used with a verb (usually in the future tense) to express a wish. The translation "maybe" in Tolkien's rendering of Namárië is somewhat misleading; he used "be it that" in the interlinear translation in RGEO:67. Apparently this is na as the imperative "be!" with a suffix -i "that", cf. i #3. It can be used with the future tense as an "expression of wish" (VT49:39). Nai hiruvalyë Valimar! Nai elyë hiruva! "May thou find Valimar. May even thou find it!" (Nam, VT49:39). Nai tiruvantes "be it that they will guard it" > "may they guard it" (CO). Nai elen siluva parma-restalyanna "may a star shine upon your book-fair" (VT49:38), nai elen siluva lyenna "may a star shine upon you" (VT49:40), nai elen atta siluvat aurenna veryanwesto "may two stars shine upon the day of your wedding" (VT49:42-45), nai laurë lantuva parmastanna lúmissen tengwiesto "may (a) golden light fall on your book at the times of your reading" (VT49:47). Nai may also be used with a present continuative verb if an ongoing situation is wished for: Nai Eru lye mánata "God bless you" (VT49:39) or literally "be it that God is (already) blessing you". The phrase nai amanyaonnalya "be it that your child [will be] blessed" omits any copula; Tolkien noted that "imper[ative] of wishes precedes adj." (VT49:41). VT49:28 has the form nái for "let it be that"; Patrick Wynne theorizes that nái is actually an etymological form underlying nai (VT49:36)
ëa
eä
ëa (1) (sometimes "eä")vb. "is" (CO), in a more absolute sense ("exists", VT39:7/VT49:28-29) than the copula ná. Eä "it is" (VT39:6) or "let it be". The verb is also used in connection with prepositional phrases denoting a position, as in the relative sentences i or ilyë mahalmar ëa "who is above all thrones" (CO) and i ëa han ëa "who is beyond [the universe of] Eä" (VT43:14). Eä is said to the be "pres[ent] & aorist" tense (VT49:29). The past tense of ëa is engë (VT43:38, VT49:29; Tolkien struck out the form ëanë, VT49:30), the historically correct perfect should be éyë, but the analogical form engië was more common; the future tense is euva (VT49:29). See also ëala. Eä is also used as a noun denoting "All Creation", the universe (WJ:402; Letters:284, footnote), but this term for the universe "was not held to include [souls?] and spirits" (VT39:20); contrast ilu. One version of Tolkien's Quenya Lord's Prayer includes the words i ëa han ëa, taken to mean "who is beyond Eä" (VT43:14). Tolkien noted that ëa "properly cannot be used of God since ëa refers only to all things created by Eru directly or mediately", hence he deleted the example Eru ëa "God exists" (VT49:28, 36). However, ëa is indeed used of Eru in CO (i Eru i or ilyë mahalmar ëa** "the One who is** above all thrones") as well as in various Átaremma versions (see VT49:36), so such a distinction may belong to the refined language of the "loremasters" rather than to everyday useage.
eä
Eä
Eä was the word spoken by Eru Ilúvatar by which he brought the universe into actuality.
sén
noun. child
-nna
to, at, upon
-nna "to, at, upon", allative ending, originating from -na "to" with fortified n, VT49:14. Attested in cilyanna, coraryanna, Endorenna, Elendilenna, númenórenna, parma-restalyanna, rénna, senna, tielyanna, q.v. If a noun ends in -n already, the ending -nna merges with it, as in Amanna, formenna, Elenna, númenna, rómenna as the allative forms of Aman, formen, elen, númen, rómen (q.v.). Plural -nnar in mannar, valannar, q.v.
Aino
god
Aino noun "god", within Tolkien's mythos a synonym of Ainu (but since Aino is basically only a personalized form of aina "holy", hence "holy one", it could be used as a general word for "god") (PE15:72)
a
cardinal. one
ana
to
ana (1) prep. "to" (VT49:35), "as preposition _ana _is used when purely _dative formula is required" (PE17:147), perhaps meaning that the preposition ana can be used instead of the dative ending -n (#1, q.v.) Also as prefix: ana- "to, towards" (NĀ1); an (q.v.) is used with this meaning in one source (PE17:127)_
erëa
cardinal. one
erëa adj.? "one" or *"single", apparently an adjectival form (see er) (VT44:17)
min
cardinal. one
min numeral "one", also minë (VT45:34, VT48:6)
min
cardinal. one, one, [ᴱQ.] one (in a series), the first
minë
cardinal. one
minë numeral "one", also min (MINI, VT45:34)
mir
cardinal. one
mir (2) cardinal "one" (LT1:260; in LotR-style Quenya rather minë)
mo
one, someone, anyone
mo, indefinite pronoun "one, someone, anyone" (VT42:34, VT49:19, 20, 26)
na
to, towards
na (2) prep. "to, towards", possibly obsoleted by #1 above; for clarity writers may use the synonym ana instead (NĀ1). Originally, Tolkien glossed na as "at, by, near"; the new meaning entered together with the synonyms an, ana (VT45:36).
nëa
once, at one time
nëa (1) "once, at one time" (in the past) (VT49:31). Also néya.
onna
noun. child, child, *offspring; [ᴹQ.] creature
A word for “child” appearing in various late notes and phrases (NM/31; PM/391; VT49/42), derived from the root √NŌ/ONO “beget, be born” and once appearing in a variant form onwe (PE17/170). Giving its derivation, its actual meaning may be closer to “✱offspring”, as first suggested to me by Tamas Ferencz.
Conceptual Development: In The Etymologies of the 1930s, ᴹQ. onna was instead glossed “creature”, though it was still derived from the root ᴹ√ONO “beget” (Ety/ONO).
onwë
child
onwë noun "child" (PE17:170)
onwë
noun. child
quén
one, (some)body, person, individual, man or woman
quén (quen-, as in pl. queni; as final element in compounds -quen) noun "one, (some)body, person, individual, man or woman", pl. queni = "persons", "(some) people", "they" with the most general meaning (as in "they [= people in general] say that..."). The element is combined with noun and adjective stems in old compounds to denote habitual occupations or functions, or to describe those having some notable (permanent) quality; examples include roquen, ciryaquen, arquen, q.v. Also in aiquen "whoever", ilquen "everybody" (WJ:361 cf. 360, 372).
selda
child
selda adj.?noun? (meaning not clear, related to seldë "child" (meaning changed by Tolkien from "daughter") and seldo "boy". Thus selda may be an adjective "childlike", since -a is a frequent adjectival ending. Alternatively, as suggested in VT46:13, selda may be a neuter noun "child", corresponding to masc. seldo "boy" and fem. seldë "girl" (before Tolkien changed the meaning of the latter to "child"). (SEL-D, cf. VT46:22-23)
seldo
child
seldo noun (meaning not quite clear, likely the masculine form of seldë "child", hence *"boy") (SEL-D, VT46:13, 22-23)
seldë
child
seldë noun "child" (meaning changed by Tolkien from "daughter"; in his later texts the Quenya word for "child" is rather hína, and the final status of seldë is uncertain. See also tindómerel.) (SEL-D, VT46:13, 22-23) In one late source, Tolkien reverts to the meaning "daughter", but this may have been replaced by anel, q.v.
aino
noun. god
Sindarin
eruchîn
collective name. Children of Eru (God)
The Sindarin equivalent of Q. Eruhíni “Children of God” (LB/354). This name is a combination of Q. Eru “God” and the lenitied plural chîn of hên “child”.
Conceptual Development: This name first appeared in the tales of the Fall of Númenor from the 1940s as the Adûnaic word #Êruhin, attested only in its plural forms Êruhîn(im) (SD/247-8, 311). In this period, the Adûnaic name was sometimes written with a short E: Eruhîn (SD/358). In the 1950s Tolkien introduced the Quenya form of the word, Eruhin (MR/320, WJ/403), but it occasionally still appeared as Eruhîn (MR/330, Let/345). It is unclear whether these later examples are Adûnaic, the Quenya plural without the final i, the Sindarin form without the soft mutation ch, or the Sindarin form of the Quenya variant Q. Erusēn (MR/423, RGEO/66). The only clear example of the Sindarin form Eruchîn appears in “The Lay of Leithian Recommenced” from the 1950s (LB/354).
Eruchîn
noun. children of Eru
Eru (God) + hîn (pl. of hên “child”)
Eru
the one
as a name of God: #Eru, isolated from CHILDREN OF THE ONE (Elves and Men) Eruchín** **(sg. *Eruchen)
Eru
god
(the One) #Eru, isolated from Eruchín** **"children of the One" (= Elves and Men; sg. *Eruchen).
Eru
waste
(noun) eru (pl. ery). Note: Eru is also a name of God, "the One".
eru
waste
(pl. ery). Note: Eru is also a name of God, "the One".
eru
god
isolated from Eruchín "children of the One" (= Elves and Men; sg. ✱Eruchen).
eru
noun. God
eru
the one
isolated from
eruchen
children of the one
)
aenor
noun. god
hên
child
hên (i chên), pl. hîn (i chîn); also -chen, pl. -chín at the end of compounds (e.g. Eruchín ”Children of Eru”). _(WJ:403) _CHILDREN OF THE ONE (Elves and Men as children of God) Eruchín** **(sg. *Eruchen)
hên
child
(i chên), pl. hîn (i chîn); also -chen, pl. -chín at the end of compounds (e.g. Eruchín ”Children of Eru”). (WJ:403)
hên
noun. child
A word for “child” derived from the root √KHIN, more specifically from ✶khinā with short i which became e in Sindarin due to a-affection (WJ/403). It often appeared in its mutated plural form chîn in phrases like Narn i Chîn Húrin “Tale of the Children of Húrin” (WJ/160). This is pronounced with spirantal “ch” as in German Bach, not affricate “ch” as in English “church”.
Christopher Tolkien made the editorial decision to render this plural form as Hîn in The Silmarillion as published as well as in Unfinished Tales, where it “was improperly changed by me [Christopher Tolkien] to Narn i Hîn Húrin ... because I did not want Chîn to be pronounced like Modern English chin” (LR/322).
In the Quendi and Eldar (Q&E) essay of 1959-60, Tolkien said “S has hên, pl. hîn, mostly used as a prefix in patronymics or metronymics”, meaning this word was often used to mean “child of” in reference to one’s parents, for example Túrin hen Húrin or Túrin hen Morwen.
an
preposition. to, towards, for
With suffixed article and elision in aglar'ni Pheriannath
an
to
_ prep. _to, for. naur an edraith ammen! 'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. aglar an|i Pheriannath 'glory to all the Halflings'.
hên
noun. child (mostly used as a prefix in patronymics or metronymics)
min
fraction. one (first of a series)
min
cardinal. one, one, [G.] single
mîn
fraction. one (first of a series)
na
to
e _ prep. _to, towards (of spacetime). n' before vowels. >> nan 2
na
preposition. to
prep. to Na-chaered palan-díriel lit. "To-distance (remote) after-gazing" >> na-chaered, nan 2
pen
pronoun. one, somebody, anybody
Usually enclitic and mutated as ben.2
an
to
(prep.) an (+ nasal mutation), with article ni "to the" (+ nasal mutation in plural).
an
to
(adverbial prefix) an-. 3)
lothren
waste
(adj.) lothren (wild), pl. lethrin for archaic löthrin (VT45:29)
lothren
waste
(wild), pl. lethrin for archaic löthrin (VT45:29)
min
cardinal. one
1) (number ”one” as the first in a series) min, mîn (VT48:6), Note: homophones include the noun ”peak” and the adjective ”isolated, first, towering”. 2) (number) êr, whence the adjectival prefix er- (alone, lone); 3)
min
one
mîn (VT48:6), Note: homophones include the noun ”peak” and the adjective ”isolated, first, towering”.
pen
cardinal. one
(indefinite pronoun) (= somebody, anybody) pen (WJ:376); lenited ben. According to one interpretation of the phrase caro den i innas lín from the Sindarin Lords Prayer (VT44:23), this could mean *”let one do your will”, with den (perhaps a lenited form of *ten) as the indefinite pronoun ”one”. However, others interpret den as the accusative form of the pronoun ”it”: ”Do it [, that is:] your will”.
pen
one
(WJ:376); lenited ben. According to one interpretation of the phrase caro den i innas lín from the Sindarin Lord’s Prayer (VT44:23), this could mean ✱”let one do your will”, with den (perhaps a lenited form of ✱ten) as the indefinite pronoun ”one”. However, others interpret den as the accusative form of the pronoun ”it”: ”Do it [, that is:] your will”.
êr
one
whence the adjectival prefix er- (alone, lone)
Telerin
er
cardinal. one
min
cardinal. one
Adûnaic
êru
masculine name. God (the Omnipotent)
The Adûnaic word for God (SD/432), the equivalent of Q. Eru, though Tolkien had not yet coined that name. In the conceptual development of this name, Tolkien first invented it as an Adûnaic word (SD/312), only later adding it to Quenya. In this revised scenario, it is likely that the Adûnaic word was a loan word from Elvish. See Ad. Amân for a similar development.
bârim an-adûn yurahtam dâira sâibêth-mâ êruvô
Lords of [the] West, they rent [the] Earth with assent from Eru
The 4th phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/247). One major conceptual change from earlier versions was that the subject of the sentence was plural Bârim an-Adûn (“Lords of the West”) instead of the earlier singular Bârun an-Adûn (“Lord of the West”). It seems that Tolkien decided that the drowning of Númenor was attributed to all of the Valar rather than just Manwë. A similar change from singular to plural was made in the corresponding Quenya sentence: herunūmen >> númeheruvi.
The subject Bârim of this sentence is the subjective plural of bâr “lord”. It is modified by the adjectival phrase an-Adûn “of the West”, with the genitive prefix an- “of” added to the noun adûn. The verb has the 3rd-plural suffix yu- “they”. In the grammatical rules of Lowdham’s Report this makes the subject emphatic, with a meaning more like “It was the Lords of the West who broke the Earth...” (SD/429).
The verb form rahtam is the aorist tense of rahat- “to break” with the verb plural suffix -m. The object of the sentence, dâira “Earth”, is in the normal-case.
The base sentence is modified by the prepositional phrase sâibêth-mâ Êruvô “with assent from Eru”. The combination sâibêth-mâ is the word sâibêth “assent” and the prepositional suffix -mâ “with”. The final word Êruvô is the name Êru and the prepositional suffix -ô “of”, with the usual glide-consonant [w] (which was sometimes written “v” as mentioned on SD/434) between the u and the following suffix.
êruhînim dubdam ugru-dalad
[the Children of Eru] fell under shadow
The 2nd phrase of the Lament of Akallabêth (SD/247). Tolkien did not interpret the name Êruhînim in any version of the text, but elsewhere it is glossed “Children of God (Eru)” (SD/248). Tolkien’s gloss was “‽ fell ‽shadow under/beneath”, with the translation of the last word differing slightly in the typescript (SD/247) and manuscript (VT24/12). In ordinary English the phrase might be “the Children of Eru fell under shadow”.
The subject Êruhînim of the sentence is the subjective plural form of #Êruhin. The verb dubdam seems to be in the aorist form of #dubud- “to fall”, glossed in past tense because it is in a narrative occurring in the past. The verb has the plural marker -m in agreement with the number of the subject. The word dalad “under, beneath” is suffixed to the noun it modifies, as is usual of Adûnaic prepositions.
The previous (second draft) version of this sentence (SD/312) differs only in its use of the verb form dubbudam (past tense) instead of the final version’s form dubdam (aorist). The first draft version used all the same words but differed in its grammar.
êru-bênî
collective name. Servants of God
êruhin
proper name. Child of God
A title for the race of men as the children of Êru “God” (SD/247). It is only attested in the plural Êruhîn (SD/311, 358) and subjective plural Êruhînim (SD/247-8) forms “Children of God”.
Conceptual Development: This name first appeared as Eruhil(di) (SD/341, 399), probably incorporating ᴹQ. hilde “men”. In these early appearances Tolkien may have conceived of this as a Quenya word before introducing its Adûnaic form Êruhîn. In its early appearances the latter name sometimes had a short initial E: Eruhîn (SD/358), possibly another transitional form resembling later Sindarin Eruchîn. In still later writings, Tolkien coined a Quenya word Q. Eruhin of the similar meaning, encompassing both Men and Elves.
Primitive elvish
khin
root. child
A root appearing in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 with the gloss “child” (PE17/157), and again in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60 with the same gloss (WJ/403). It was the basis for the words Q. hína and S. hên “child”, which were probably inspired by the Adûnaic patronymic suffix -hin that Tolkien introduced in the 1940s as part of Êruhin “Child of God” (SD/358), originally an Adûnaic word but later on used in Sindarin (Let/345; MR/330). This root might be a later iteration of the early root ᴱ√HILI from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s whose derivatives had to do with children (QL/40). As evidence of this, the Adûnaic word was first given as Eruhil (SD/341).
an
preposition. to
imin
masculine name. One
khīnā
noun. child
min
cardinal. one
Black Speech
ash
cardinal. one
ash
cardinal. one
u
preposition. to
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
eru
noun. The One God
númeheruvi arda sakkante lenéme ilúvatáren
the Lords of the West broke the world by leave of Ilúvatar
|1| 2 |3|4|5| |manwe|herunūmen|{herunūmen >>} Nūmekundo|númeheruvi| |ilu|{ilu >> eru >>}|arda| |terhante|{terhante >>} askante|sakkante| | |...|{... >>}|lenéme| | |Ilúvatáren|
ilu
noun. universe, world
aran
noun. child
This word first appeared as ᴱQ. ar (arn-) “child” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/32) and its stem form arn- appeared in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/32). The word reappeared in Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s (PE16/135), but in the Early Noldorin Dictionary the Qenya form was given as arne. In the Declension of Nouns from the early 1930s, the word appeared as ᴹQ. aran (arn-) “child” (PE21/19), but there is no sign of it from this point forward, probably displaced by Q. aran “king”.
min
cardinal. one
mine
cardinal. one
seldo
noun. child, child [m.], *boy
A word for a (male) child in The Etymologies of the 1930s added to its entry when the meaning of the root ᴹ√SEL-D was changed from “daughter” to “child” (Ety/SEL-D). It was written above its feminine equivalent ᴹQ. selde and an apparently neuter form ᴹQ. selda was written to the right, making seldo likely the masculine form as suggested by Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne (EtyAC/SEL-D), hence = “✱boy”.
Early Quenya
eru
adverb. once
eru
adverb. outward
ar
noun. child
arne
noun. child
el
adverb/adjective. one
hil(de)
noun. child
mir
cardinal. one
vala
noun. God
Gnomish
er
adjective. one
to
proper name. To
ain
noun. god
pui
noun. child
A noun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s glossed “child” (GL/64), probably derived from the early root ᴱ√PU(HU) “generate” (QL/75).
Doriathrin
er Reconstructed
cardinal. one
The Ilkorin word for “one” attested only in the name Ermabuin or Ermab(r)in “One-handed” (Ety/MAP).
Valarin
mānawenūz
masculine name. Blessed One, One (closest) in accord with Eru
Early Noldorin
arn
noun. child, child, [G.] son
A word appearing as G. arn “son” in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/20), also appearing with the same form and meaning in Gnomish Lexicon Slips modifying that document, but with a new plural form eirn (PE13/110). The word reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s but there its gloss was changed from “son” to “child” (PE13/137). In the Early Noldorin Dictionary of the 1920s its only gloss was “child” (PE13/160). There is no sign of this word thereafter.
Solosimpi
ar
noun. child
Middle Primitive Elvish
sel(d)
root. child, child; *daughter
A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s, initially glossed “daughter” but later “child” with derivatives ᴹQ. selde, ᴹQ. seldo, ᴹQ. selda = female, male and neuter “child” (Ety/SEL-D). In Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 Tolkien gave sel-de “daughter” (PE17/170), while S. sel(l) = “daughter” appeared in both the King’s Letter from the late 1940s (SD/129) as well as the Túrin Wrapper from the 1950s (VT50/5). The diminutive form for “daughter” appeared as Q. selyë in notes from the late 1960s (VT47/10).
Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer √YEL for “daughter” as a variant of ᴹ√SEL(D) under the influence of √YON “son”, mostly so I can still use the 1930s “child” words for other genders, at least in the Quenya branch. I would still use Q. seldë and S. sell for “daughter”, however, with a bit of semantic drift, with “girl” words becoming Q. nettë and S. neth.
A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “waste, desert”, the cognate of ᴹQ. erume and a derivative of the root ᴹ√ERE “be alone, deprived” (Ety/ERE).
Conceptual Development: N. eru is probably a later iteration of G. ermin “desert, waste” from Gnomish Lexicon Slips of the 1910s (PE13/113), itself replacing G. armin with the same gloss from the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/20). These 1910s forms are probably derived from the early root ᴱ√ARA “be dry” (QL/32), with G. ermin the result of i-affection.