Sindarin 

feir

noun. mortal

Sindarin [Ety/381, WJ/387, X/EI] Q firya. Group: SINDICT. Published by

feir

noun. Mortal, Mortal, [N.] mortal man

A term used for Men meaning “Mortal”, appearing in the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, cognate to Q. Firya of the same meaning, both derived from √PHIR which was the basis of words for natural death (WJ/387). According to Tolkien this word was borrowed from Quenya, since the Noldor had pre-knowledge of the nature of Men having learned of them from the Valar. The plural form of Feir was Fîr and its class plural Firiath, the latter also appearing in contemporaneous Silmarillion drafts (WJ/219 footnote). It is unclear why this word did not become ✱Fair, since ei became ai in Sindarin monosyllables. Perhaps it remained Feir because it was an adaptation from Quenya, or it could be a conceptual remnant of its Noldorin form (see below).

Conceptual Development: Probably the first precursor to this word was ᴱN. fion “man, human being” from Index of Names for The Lay of the Children of Húrin compiled in the early 1920s (PE15/62), also appearing with the gloss “mortal man” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the same period (PE13/143). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien gaven N. {fîr “man, mortal” >>} feir pl. fîr “mortals” under the root ᴹ√PHIR (Ety/PHIR; EtyAC/PHIR), hence with basically the same form, meaning and etymology as it had in later Sindarin.

Cognates

  • Q. Firya “Mortal” ✧ WJ/219; WJI/Feir; WJ/219

Derivations

  • Q. Firya “Mortal” ✧ WJ/387
    • PHIR “exhale, expire, breathe out, exhale, expire, breathe out; [ᴹ√] die of natural causes” ✧ WJ/387

Element in

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
Q. Firya > Feir[firja] > [ferja] > [feria] > [feri] > [feir]✧ WJ/387
Q. Firya > Fîr[firji] > [firi] > [fir]✧ WJ/387
Sindarin [WJ/219; WJ/387; WJI/Feir] Group: Eldamo. Published by

feir

adjective. quick

_adj. _quick, ready, prompt. >> fair

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:181] < _pheryā _< PHERE. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

fair

noun. mortal

Sindarin [Ety/381, WJ/387, X/EI] Q firya. Group: SINDICT. Published by

fair

noun. right (hand)

Sindarin [Ety/382, VT/46:10] Group: SINDICT. Published by

fair

adjective. quick

_adj. _quick, ready, prompt. >> feir

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:181] < _pheryā _< PHERE. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

firin

adjective. mortal

adj. mortal. >> firen

Sindarin [(PE17 Sindarin Corpus) PE17:101] -. Group: Parma Eldalamberon 17 Sindarin Corpus. Published by

firion

noun. mortal man

Sindarin [WJ/387] Group: SINDICT. Published by

fíreb

adjective. mortal

Sindarin [WJ/387] fair+-eb. Group: SINDICT. Published by

fíreb

noun. Mortal

Cognates

  • Q. Fírima “Mortal, (lit.) One Apt to Die” ✧ WJ/387
Sindarin [WJ/387; WJI/Fíreb] Group: Eldamo. Published by

fíreb

adjective. mortal

An adjective meaning “mortal”, more literally “those apt to die”, a Sindarin adaptation of Q. fírima of the same meaning, both based on the root √PHIR having to do with natural death (WJ/387). It was also used as Fíreb to refer to Mortal Men, a variant of Feir of similar meaning. Tolkien said “Fíreb as compared with Fírima shows the use of a different suffix, since the S equivalent of Q -ima (✱-ef) was not current” (WJ/387).

Derivations

  • PHIR “exhale, expire, breathe out, exhale, expire, breathe out; [ᴹ√] die of natural causes” ✧ WJ/387

Element in

  • S. Fíreb “Mortal” ✧ WJ/387

Elements

WordGloss
fir-“to fade, *die”
-eb“adjective suffix”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
PHIRI > Fíreb[pʰīrikwā] > [pʰīripā] > [pʰīripa] > [ɸīripa] > [ɸīrepa] > [fīrepa] > [fīrep] > [fīreb]✧ WJ/387

Variations

  • Fíreb ✧ WJ/387

Fíriel

noun. mortal maid

Sindarin [Ety/382, PM/195, PM/232] Group: SINDICT. Published by

firiath

noun. mortals, human beings

Sindarin [WJ/219, WJ/387] Group: SINDICT. Published by

firieth

noun. mortal woman

Sindarin [WJ/387] fair+-eth (PHIR). Group: SINDICT. Published by

forn

noun. right, north

Sindarin [Ety/382, UT/426, S/431] Group: SINDICT. Published by

forvo

noun. right hand

Sindarin [VT/47:6] for-vaw, fôr+maw. Group: SINDICT. Published by

forvo

noun. right side

Sindarin [VT/47:6] for-vaw, fôr+maw. Group: SINDICT. Published by

mab-

noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)

Sindarin [Ety/371, VT/45:32, VT/47:6-7] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mâb

noun. a hand-full, complete hand (with all five fingers)

Sindarin [Ety/371, VT/45:32, VT/47:6-7] Group: SINDICT. Published by

mâb

noun. hand, hand, [N.] grasp

The typical Sindarin word for “hand” (VT47/7, 20), usable in almost any context. It is most notable as an element in the name Mablung “Heavy Hand” (VT47/8). See below for a discussion of its etymology.

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where G. mab “hand” appeared as a derivative of the early root ᴱ√MAPA “seize” (GL/55). Tolkien then revised the gloss to “hands”, saying instead it was an irregular dual of G. “hand”. The word reverted to singular ᴱN. mab “hand” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/149). These early versions of the word were already an element of Mablung “Heavy Hand(ed)” (LT2/38; LB/311), but also of Ermabwed “One-handed” (LT2/34; LB/119).

In the 1930s it seems Tolkien decided Ilk. mâb “hand” was primarily an Ilkorin word, and the usual word for “hand” in Noldorin was N. cam. Compare Ilkorin Ermabuin “One-handed” and Mablosgen “Empty-handed” with Noldorin Erchamion and Camlost of the same meaning. In The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had N. mab “grasp” under the root ᴹ√MAPA “seize”, but the version of the entry with that word was overwritten (EtyAC/MAP), leaving only the Ilkorin form mâb. In this period, Mablung may also have been an Ilkorin name.

After Tolkien abandoned Ilkorin in the 1950s, he kept S. Erchamion and Camlost based on cam, but also kept Mablung “Heavy Hand” which must have become Sindarin. In his later writings Tolkien again revisited the etymology of S. mâb “hand”. In a note from Jan-Feb 1968, he wrote:

> It [Q. = “hand”] did not survive in Telerin and Sindarin as an independent word, but was replaced by the similar-sounding but unconnected C.E. makwā, Q. maqua, T. mapa, S. mab, of uncertain origin, but probably originally an adjectival formation from MAK “strike” ... (VT47/19).

This sentence was struck through, however. In drafts of notes on Elvish Hands, Fingers and Numerals written in or after 1968, Tolkien again derived mâb from √MAP (VT47/20 note #13), but in the final version of these notes he made the remarkable decision to discard this root despite it being a stable part of Elvish for nearly 50 years, declaring it was used only in Telerin and not Quenya or Sindarin (VT47/7). He coined a new etymology for S. mâb “hand” based on ✶makwā “handful” = ✶ + ✶kwā (VT47/6-7), a variation on the above etymology from √MAK.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I prefer to ignore Tolkien’s 1968 removal of √MAP “seize”, and so would continue to derive S. mâb “hand” from that root. However, its ancient meaning may have been “✱grasp”, and its eventual use as “hand” might have been influenced by ancient ✶makwā “handful”.

Cognates

  • Q. maqua “hand-full, group of five (similar) things; hand (colloquial); closing or closed [hand] (facing down) for taking” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/19; VT47/20

Derivations

  • makwā “a hand-full, complete hand with all five fingers” ✧ VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/19
    • MAK “cut, hew with a sharp edge; kill, slay; forge metal, cut, hew with a sharp edge, [ᴹ√] cleave; sword, fight (with a sword); ️[√] forge metal; kill, slay” ✧ VT47/19
  • MAP “take away, take hold of, grasp, take away, take hold of, grasp, [ᴹ√] lay hold of with hand, seize” ✧ VT47/20

Element in

  • ᴺS. mablanthos “sycamore”
  • S. Mablung “Heavy Hand” ✧ VT47/07
  • ᴺS. mabren “handed, having hands, dextrous”

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
makwā > mâb[makwā] > [mapā] > [mapa] > [map] > [mab] > [māb]✧ VT47/06
makwā > mâb[makwā] > [mapā] > [mapa] > [map] > [mab] > [māb]✧ VT47/07
makwā > mâb[makwā] > [mapā] > [mapa] > [map] > [mab] > [māb]✧ VT47/19
MAP > măpo > mâb[mapo] > [map] > [mab] > [māb]✧ VT47/20
Sindarin [VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/19; VT47/20] Group: Eldamo. Published by

cam

noun. hand

Sindarin [Ety/361, Ety/371, S/429] Group: SINDICT. Published by

cam

hand

1) cam (i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath; 2) mâb (i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib). 3) Archaic †maw (i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 4) (fist) dond (i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).

cam

hand

(i gam, o cham), pl. caim (i chaim), coll. pl. cammath

camm

noun. hand

dond

hand

(i dhond; construct don), pl. dynd (i nynd), coll. pl. donnath (VT47:23).

maw

noun. hand

Sindarin [VT/47:6] Group: SINDICT. Published by

maw

noun. hand

The Sindarin equivalent of Q. , likewise derived from the root √MAH or √MAƷ “hand; handle, wield” (PE17/162; VT47/6). However, in Sindarin this word was archaic, used only in poetry, having been replaced in ordinary speech by other words like S. mâb and (less often) cam. Other remnants of this word can be seen in compounds like molif “wrist, (orig.) hand link” and directional words like forvo and harvo for left and right hand side.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, G. from the early root ᴱ√MAHA was the normal word for “hand”, replacing mab “hand” (< ᴱ√MAHA) which in this document Tolkien decided was instead an irregular dual form of (GL/55). It had also had an irregular plural mabin based on this dual, replacing an older plural †maith. In the Gnomish Grammar, its archaic form was †, with the usual Gnomish sound change of ā to ō (GG/14), as opposed to later Sindarin/Noldorin ā to au, spelt -aw when final. Tolkien seems to have abandoned as a non-archaic word for “hand” early on, preferring ᴱN. mab “hand” by the 1920s and introducing N. cam “hand” in the 1930s.

Cognates

  • Q. “hand” ✧ PE17/162; VT47/06
  • T. “hand” ✧ VT47/18

Derivations

  • MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE17/162
  • “hand” ✧ VT47/06
    • maha “hand, the manager” ✧ PE19/074; PE19/102; VT47/06; VT47/07; VT47/35
    • MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ VT47/18; VT47/18
    • MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
    • MAH “handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use, handle, manage, control, wield; serve, be of use; [ᴹ√] hand; [ᴱ√] grasp” ✧ PE21/70
    • MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18
  • MAG “good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state, good (physically); to thrive, be in a good state; [ᴹ√] use, handle” ✧ VT47/18

Element in

  • S. forvo “right hand, right side” ✧ VT47/06
  • S. harvo “left hand, left side” ✧ VT47/06
  • S. maed “handy, skillful, handy, skillful, [N.] skilled” ✧ VT47/06
  • ᴺS. mawedh “glove”
  • S. molif “wrist, (lit.) hand-link” ✧ VT47/06

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
MAƷ > maw[mā] > [mǭ] > [mau]✧ PE17/162
> maw[mā] > [mǭ] > [mau]✧ VT47/06
mag > maw[mā] > [mǭ] > [mau]✧ VT47/18
Sindarin [PE17/162; VT47/06; VT47/18] Group: Eldamo. Published by

maw

hand

(i vaw), pl. moe (i moe). A homophone means ”soil, stain”. (VT47:6) 

mâb

hand

(i vâb; construct mab), pl. maib (i maib).

fair

mortal man

(human) fair (fír-), pl. fîr, coll. pl. firiath. Archaic sg. feir (WJ:387). Wheareas the above-mentioned terms are apparently gender-neutral, the following are gender-specific:

fair

mortal man

(fír-), pl. fîr, coll. pl. firiath. Archaic sg. feir (WJ:387). Wheareas the above-mentioned terms are apparently gender-neutral, the following are gender-specific:

fair

adjective. right (hand)

Sindarin Group: Eldamo - neologism/adaptations. Published by

fuir

right

1) (adj, of direction), also used as noun "right hand": fuir (north), pl. fŷr (VT42:20). In ”Noldorin” the word appeared as (”foeir” =) föir, feir (LR:382 s.v. PHOR). 2) (direction, not "correct") fôr (north), pl. fŷr. 3) (straight) tîr (lenited dîr, no distinct pl. form) Note: a homophone means ”looking, view, glance” (noun).

fuir

right

(north), pl. fŷr (VT42:20). In ”Noldorin” the word appeared as (”foeir” =) föir, feir (LR:382 s.v. PHOR).

fuir

right hand

pl. fŷr. Also used as adj. "right, north" (VT42:20). In ”Noldorin” the word appeared as (”foeir” =) föir, feir (LR:382 s.v. PHOR).

firin

mortal

?firin. No distinct pl. form.

firin

mortal

. No distinct pl. form.

firion

mortal man

firion (pl. firyn).

firion

mortal man

firion (pl. firyn) and

fíreb

mortal

(adj. and noun) fíreb (pl. fírib), coll. pl. firebrim. The literal meaning is "apt to die" (WJ:387).

fíreb

mortal

(pl. fírib), coll. pl. firebrim. The literal meaning is "apt to die" (WJ:387).

firieth

mortal woman

(pl. firith).

fôr

right

(north), pl. fŷr.

tîr

right

(lenited dîr, no distinct pl. form) Note: a homophone means ”looking, view, glance” (noun).

forgam

right-handed

(pl. fergaim, for archaic förgeim)

camlann

of the hand

(i gamlann, o chamlann), pl. cemlain (i chemlain).

brêg

quick

brêg (sudden, lively), lenited vrêg, pl. brîg

brêg

quick

(sudden, lively), lenited vrêg, pl. brîg

crûm

left hand

(i grûm, o chrûm, construct crum), pl. cruim (i chruim), coll. pl. crummath. Also ✱hair (i chair), no distinct pl. form (not even with article). Note: hair is also used = ”left” as adjective. Cited in archaic form heir (LR:365 s.v. KHYAR).