firë

mortal man

firë noun "mortal man" (PHIR), pl. firi given (the latter is not clearly glossed and may also be the archaic form from which firë is derived, since word-final short i became e in Quenya but since we would rather expect the spelling phiri if it were an archaic form, it is best taken as the pl. of firë.)

sá

fire

sá noun "fire" (LT1:265; "Qenya" spelling sâ. Rather nárë in LotR-style Quenya.)

uru

fire

uru noun "fire" (LT1:271)

úr

fire

úr noun "fire" (UR)This stem was struck out in Etym, but a word that must be derived from it occurs in LotR, so it seems that Tolkien restored it. Early "Qenya" also has Ûr, noun "the Sun" (also Úri, Úrinci ("k"), Urwen) (LT1:271). Cf. Úri.

aicanáro

masculine name. Fell Fire; Sharp Flame

The mother-name of Aegnor, from which his Sindarin name was derived (PM/346-7). Tolkien gave two distinct interpretations of this name: “Sharp Flame” (MR/323) and “Fell Fire” (PM/347). In both cases, the second element of the name was nár “fire, flame”, but the interpretation of the initial element aica shifted between “sharp” and “fell”. It is hard to say which of these two interpretations was preferred by J.R.R. Tolkien himself and Christopher Tolkien included both translations in the published version of The Silmarillion. See the entry for S. Aegnor for one possible interpretation.

Conceptual Development: In some late notes (VT41/14), J.R.R. Tolkien wrote this name as Ekyanāro “sharp flame” (S. Eignor). As suggested by Carl Hostetter (VT41/19, note #19), Tolkien seems to have (temporarily) shifted aica “sharp” (from the root ᴹ√AYAK) to ekya “sharp” (from the root ᴹ√EK), from which ᴹQ. ehte “spear” was also derived. This was perhaps a reversion to the earlier name N. Egnor (also derived from ᴹ√EK). However, Tolkien apparently abandoned these changes.

artanáro

masculine name. *Noble Fire

The Quenya name of Gil-galad in some late notes of Tolkien (PM/350). This name is a compound of the prefixal form arta- of arata “noble” and nár “fire”. In earlier versions of these notes, this was the Quenya name of his father Orodreth, but that Quenya name was eventually revised to Artaher.

fëanáro

masculine name. Spirit of Fire

The mother-name of Fëanor by which he was usually known, and from which his Sindarin name was derived (MR/217, PM/343). His name contains the elements fëa “spirit” and nár “fire”, but the name is actually an old compound, developed from ancient ✶Phayanāro (PE17/39, Ety/PHAY).

Conceptual Development: Curiously, in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, ᴱQ. Feanor was marked as Qenya (GL/35), corresponding to G. Fionor “Goblet Smith”, but it seems unlikely that this was a lasting idea. In the earliest Lost Tales, Feanor was probably so named in his own language, Gnomish (LT1/128). His later Quenya name ᴹQ. Feanáro first appeared in The Etymologies, where it is translated as “Radiant Sun” (Ety/PHAY). The interpretation as “Spirit of Fire” appears in texts from the 1950s and 1960s, as noted above (MR/217, PM/343).

narmacil

masculine name. *Fire-sword

The 17th and 29th kings of Gondor (LotR/1038). This name seems to be a compound of nár “fire” and macil “sword”.

narya

proper name. (Ring) of Fire

One of the three Elvish rings of power, the Ring of Fire (S/288). It is a combination of nár “fire” and the adjectival suffix -ya.

nár

noun. fire (as an element), fire (as an element); [ᴹQ.] flame

The basic Quenya word for “fire” derived from the root √NAR of the same meaning (PE17/29, 38), more specifically “fire as an element” or as a force or abstract concept (PE17/183), versus ruinë “a fire, a blaze” which is an individual fire or blaze in the physical world. In The Etymologies of the 1930s it appeared as ᴹQ. nár or náre “flame” derived from the root ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” (Ety/NAR¹).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had as a derivative of the root ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” the word ᴱQ. Sā “Fire, especially in temples, etc. A mystic name identified with Holy Ghost” (QL/81), and this “mystic name” was also mentioned in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/81). Thus it seems ᴱQ. sá was “mystic fire”, as opposed to ᴱQ. uru which was ordinary “fire” (QL/98).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use this word as [ᴹQ.] náre as an independent word, and use nár or nar in compounds only. This helps keep it distinct from nár the plural of ná- “to be”.

telemnar

masculine name. *Silver Fire

The Quenya name of Ar-Gimilzôr, 23rd ruler of Númenor (UT/223), and also the name of the 26th king of Gondor (LotR/1038). This name seems to be a compound of an assimilated form of telpë (telep-) “silver” and element nár “fire”.

(apa)ruivë

noun. wild fire, fire as conflagration

A word appearing as ruive “wild fire - fire as conflagration” in etymological notes from around 1964 (DD), along with a longer variant aparuive (PE17/183). The short form ruive is derived from the root √RUYU “blaze (red)”, but it is not clear what the apa- prefix means in the longer form.

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s there was a noun ᴱQ. (uru)purnie “conflagration”, an elaboration of ᴱQ. pur (purn-) “a fire” with an (optional) prefix of ᴱQ. uru “fire” (QL/75), so perhaps “✱(lit.) fiery fireness”.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I’d use ruive for a basic “wild fire”, and augmented aparuivë for a massive conflagration.

Aicanáro

sharp flame, fell fire

Aicanáro ("k") masc. name "Sharp Flame, Fell Fire"; Sindarized as Aegnor. (So in SA:nár and PM:345; MR:323 has Aicanár. VT41:14, 19 instead gives Ecyanáro_ as the Q form of Aegnor.)_

Fëanáro

spirit of fire

Fëanáro masc. name "Spirit of Fire", in Sindarized form Fëanor(SA:nár, PHAY, MR:206). The word apparently includes the masculine ending -o. Compare fëa, nár.

Narquelion

fire-fading, autumn

Narquelion ("q")noun "fire-fading, autumn" (FS, Narqelion, KWEL, (LAS1), "nar-qelion", VT45:24); simply translated "Fading" in LR:72. The word also heads a section of the poem The Trees of Kortirion(LT1:41).

aparuivë

wild fire,

aparuivë, also just ruivë, noun "wild fire, "fire as conflagration" (PE17:183)

ruinë

fire, a blaze

ruinë noun "a fire, a blaze" (PE17:183). Compare nárë.

ruinë

noun. fire, blaze, blaze, fire

A noun glossed “a fire, a blaze” in etymological notes from around 1964 (DD), derived from the root √RUYU “blaze (red)” (PE17/184). This word is for an individual fire in the physical world, as opposed to Q. nár for elemental fire, fire as a force or as an abstract concept.

ruivë

wild fire

ruivë, also aparuivë, noun "wild fire", fire as conflagration (PE17:183)

urulócë

fire-dragon

urulócë ("k") noun "fire-dragon" (LOK), pl. Urulóci ("k")(SA:ur-). In the Silmarillion, the word Urulóci is both singular (as when Glaurung is called "the first of the Urulóki", Silm:138) and plural (as when Glaurung is called "the Urulóki", Silm:255).

urwa

on fire

urwa adj. "on fire" (LT1:271)

narvinyë

noun. January, *New-fire

nárië

noun. June, *Fire-ness

ruivë

noun. wild fire

urulócë

noun. fire-serpent, fire-drake, fire-serpent, fire-drake, [ᴹQ.] fire-dragon

náreluhtyuma

noun. fire extinguisher

A neologism coined during Opahtielva posted on 2024-08-22 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of nár(e) “fire” and [ᴺQ.] luhtya- “extinguish”, with the instrumental suffix -ma.

urulanya

noun. wick, (lit.) fire-thread

A neologism for “wick” coined by Helge Fauskanger in his NQNT (NQNT), a combination of a variant of [ᴹQ.] úr “fire” and lanya “thread”.

ussar

noun. sulphur, (lit.) fire-stone

A neologism for “sulphur” coined by Helge Fauskanger for his NQNT (NQNT) as a combination of [ᴹQ.] úr “fire” and sar (sard-) “stone”, hence literally “fire stone”.

soronáro

noun. phoenix, (lit.) eagle of fire

A mythical bird of fire oft described as similar to an eagle or heron (en.wikipedia.org).

This noun draws its construction from the name Fëanáro, lit. Spirit of Fire (www.elfdict.com). Using the word soron for eagle and nár for fire as an element, a similar combination noun can be formed.

Using the nominative form of soron (ungwe.net) and the genitive form of nár (ungwe.net) results in soronáro, lit. Eagle of Fire or, colloquially, phoenix.

uswen

noun. emergency exit, fire exit

A neologism for “fire exit, emergency exit” coined by Luinyelle posted on 2024-10-04 in the Vinyë Lambengolmor Discord Server (VLDS), a combination of [ᴺQ.] us- [uþ-] “escape” and men “way”; compare G. uthwen “escape, exit”.

úruva

adjective. fiery, [ᴱQ.] like fire

ruimenya

adjective. fireside, by the fire

urwa

adjective. on fire, afire

naur

noun. fire, fire, [N.] flame

The basic Sindarin word for “fire”, derived from the root √NAR of the same meaning (LotR/942; PE17/38) and very well attested. It is derived from primitive ✱nār- since primitive long *ā* became *au* in Sindarin. It appeared as N. naur “flame” in The Etymologies of the 1930s with the same derivation (Ety/NAR). As a suffix it usually reduces to -nor, since *au* usually becomes *o* in polysyllables. As a prefix, though, it is often Nar- before consonant clusters, no doubt because the ancient long ā was shortened before it could become au.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, the word for “fire” was G. sâ with archaic form †sai (GL/66) clearly based on the early root ᴱ√SAH(Y)A “be hot” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Sári; QL/81). In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s, the word for “fire” was ᴱN. byr or buir from primitive ᴱ✶ [mburyē] (PE13/139). Tolkien introduced naur in The Etymologies of the 1930s and stuck with it thereafter.

-ruin

suffix. fire

suff. #fire. Q. ruine. >> Angruin

naur

fire

_ n. fire. naur an edraith ammen! _'fire [be] for rescue/saving for us'. Q. nár. >> Sammath Naur

naur

noun. fire

sammath naur

place name. Chambers of Fire

The heart of Mount Doom, translated “Chambers of Fire” (LotR/942), a combination of the class-plural of sam “chamber” and the noun naur “fire”.

aegnor

masculine name. Fell Fire, Sharp Flame

Fourth son of Finarfin (S/61), variously translated “Fell Fire” and “Sharp Flame”. His name is an adaption of his Quenya mother name Aicanáro (PM/346). This name seems to be a compound of aeg “point” and the suffixal form -nor of naur “fire” (SA/nár).

Possible Etymology: His Quenya name was translated “Fell Fire”, from the element Q. aica “fell”, but Tolkien said that Aegnor was not a true Sindarin name, since there was no Sindarin word ✱✱aeg meaning “fell” (PM/347). Rather, a true translation of his name would be Goenor (PM/363).

There is, however, a Sindarin word aeg meaning “point; sharp, pointed, piercing”, attested in the name Aeglos “Snow-point” and in the word aeglir “range of mountain peaks” as in Hithaeglir “Misty Mountains”. Thus “Sharp Flame” might be a false etymology for this name. This alternate translation appeared in the Silmarillion Appendix (SA/nár) and some early writings from the 1950s (MR/323), but it may be that this was simply an earlier, rejected translation rather then a false etymology.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, his name was N. Egnor (SM/15, 88; LR/116, 223), and at this stage the initial element of his name was N. êg “thorn” from the root ᴹ√EK “spear” (Ety/EK, NAR¹). In draft notes associated with The Shibboleth of Fëanor, Tolkien considered changing this name to S. Eignor (VT41/19 note #19), but this seems to have been a transient idea.

baranor

masculine name. ?Eager Fire

A man of Gondor and the father of Beregond. The name also appeared in an genealogy chart of the House of Bëor, where Baranor was the younger son of Baran (WJ/230). The meaning of the name is unclear, as is its language. The name is Sindarin in form, but it could be Bëorian like other ambiguous names such as Baragund. If it is Sindarin, it might be a combination of [N.] bara “eager” and the suffixal form of naur “fire” (as suggested by David Salo, GS/343).

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this character was first named Turgon, but the name was shortly change to N. Baranor (WR/282, 288).

faenor

masculine name. Spirit of Fire

The proper form of Fëanor if it were a true Sindarin name (MR/217, PM/343). This name is a combination of fae “spirit” and the suffixal form -nor of naur “fire”.

fëanor

masculine name. Spirit of Fire

Greatest of the Noldor and crafter of the Silmarils (LotR/657). His Sindarin name is a partial adaptation of his mother-name Q. Fëanáro “Spirit of Fire”, as opposed to a pure Sindarin translation, which would have been Faenor (MR/217, PM/343). As such, it is a combination of Q. fëa “spirit” and the suffixal form -nor of S. naur “fire”.

Conceptual Development: The earliest mention of this name is in the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, where ᴱQ. Feanor is explicitly marked Qenya, with a cognate G. Fionor (< Fionaur) “Goblet Smith” in Gnomish (GL/35). The language of the name Feanor in earliest Lost Tales is not specified, but it is probable that Tolkien re-imagined the name as Gnomish at an early stage, since both Feanor and his father Bruithwir were of the Noldoli (LT1/128, 145).

In the Silmarillion drafts and The Etymologies from the 1930s, the name N. Feanor is explicitly marked as Noldorin, with a Qenya equivalent ᴹQ. Feanáro, both developed from primitive ᴹ✶Phayanāro “Radiant Sun” (Ety/PHAY). However, the phonetic developments leading from ᴹ✶Phaya- to N. Fea- are obscure, and the combination [ea] does not occur in any other Noldorin word. This is likely the reason Tolkien developed the mix-language derivation discussed above, which appears in notes associated with the Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s.

goenor

masculine name. Fell Fire

The literal Sindarin translation of Q. Aicanáro, as opposed to the form he actually used: Aegnor. It is a combination of goe “terror, great fear” and naur “fire” (PM/363).

nardol

place name. Fire-hilltop

One of the beacon hills of Gondor (LotR/747), translated “Fire-hilltop” (UT/319, note #51), a combination of naur “fire” and dol(l) “head, hill” (SA/dol).

Conceptual Development: When it first appeared Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name was already N. Nardol (WR/233).

naur dan i ngaurhoth

*fire [be] against the wolf-horde

@@@ for gloss, compare to naur an edraith ammen “fire [be] for rescue/saving us” (PE17/38).

orodruin

place name. Mountain of Fire

A name of Mount Doon translated “Fire-mountain” (LotR/61) or “Mountain of Fire” (LotR/899). This name is a combination of orod “mountain” (Ety/ÓROT) and ruin “red flame” (SA/orod, ruin).

Conceptual Development: When it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this name was already N. Orodruin “Fire-Mountain” (TI/28), though Tolkien did consider the form Orodnaur (TI/39).

Angruin

noun. 'Iron Fire'

prop. n. 'Iron Fire'. Tolkien notes "Alter Glaurung > Angruin".

Egnor

noun. fire thorn

êg (“thorn”) + naur (“fire”)

Sammath Naur

noun. chambers of fire

sam(b) (“chamber, room”) + ath (collective plural suffix), naur (“fire”)

calad

noun. light, fire, brightness, shining, light, brightness, shining, fire

A noun for “light” derived from the root √KAL of similar meaning (PE17/50, 84), and appearing in the phrase Lacho __calad__! Drego morn! “Flame light! Flee night!” (UT/65). In one place it was glossed “light, fire, brightness, shining” (PE17/84), so it seems it could refer to any shining thing or source of light. For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would only use it in reference to “fire” as a source of illumination, not as a flame.

Conceptual Development: N. calad “light” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s, already with the derivation given above (Ety/KAL). In this document it was the basis for the final element of the name N. Gil-galad, and this was true in some later writings as well (PE17/50), but Tolkien eventually decided the second element of Gil-galad was (ñ)galad “radiance”, an element also seen in the name of Galadriel (PM/347).

narwain

noun. January, *(lit.) New Fire

naur an edraith ammen

fire [be] for saving of us

Orodruin

noun. mountain of blazing fire

orod (“mountain”) + ruin (“fiery red”)

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:

angruin

masculine name. Iron Fire

A proposed alternate name of Glaurung, but the change was rejected (PE17/183). This name is a combination of ang “iron” and ruin “fiery red”.

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.

narthan

noun. beacon, signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy

ûr Reconstructed

noun. fire, fire; [ᴱN.] sun

A word for “fire” attested in later writings only as an element in names, such as S. Úrui “August, ✱Hot-one” (LotR/1110). It appeared as N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but this and related words were deleted when Tolkien changed the sense of the root to “wide, large, great” (Ety/UR). However, √UR “heat” was restored in later writings (PE17/148; PE22/160), and primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s, though Tolkien did mark it with a “?” (PE21/71 and note #8).

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the first precursor to this word was G. †Uril, an archaic word for the Sun in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s appearing beside its modern form G. Aur (GL/75) and clearly a derivative of the early root ᴱ√URU as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Ûr; QL/098). In Gnomish Lexicon Slips revising this document, it became {ŷr >>} hŷr “sun” (PE13/114), and in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s it became ᴱN. {húr >>} úr “sun”, derived from primitive ᴱ✶ourū̆ (PE13/155).

This in turn became N. ûr “fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under ᴹ√UR “be hot”, but as noted above the meaning of this root was changed in that document (Ety/UR). Although the root √UR “heat” was later restored, it isn’t clear whether Tolkien also restored ûr “fire”, though there is some secondary evidence of it: primitive ✶ūr “a fire (on hearth)” appeared in notes from the early 1950s, as also noted above (PE21/71).

Neo-Sindarin: If S. naur is (like its Quenya cognate Q. nár) more representative of an elemental or abstract notion of fire, then ûr might be used for an individual physical fire such as one in a fireplace.

naur

fire

1. naur (in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath; 2) ûr (heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

naur

fire

(in compounds nar-, -nor) (flame, sun), pl. noer, coll. pl. norath

ûr

fire

(heat), pl. uir. Notice the homophone ûr ”wide”.

Aegnor

Fell Fire

Aegnor's mother-name was Aikanáro, meaning "Fell Fire" in Quenya (from aica = "fell, dire", nár = "fire", and -o = pronominal suffix).

Like many mother-names, his name was prophetic, a reference to his valiance in battle. His father-name was Ambaráto, meaning "Champion of Doom" (from ambar = "doom" and aráto = "champion"). Aegnor is the Sindarin version of his mother-name.

Fëanor

Spirit of Fire

Fëanor's father-name was Curufinwë, "Skillful Finwë", by adding curu, the Quenya noun for "skill", to his father's name . He later gave his favorite son Curufin the same father-name. His mother-name was Fëanáro, which translates as "Spirit of Fire", being formed by adding fëa, a Quenya noun for "spirit" and nár, "flame". Apparently, the masculine ending -o is also present. The name Fëanor is the Sindarin version of his mother-name.

tund

noun. log for the fire, *firewood, fuel

balrog

fire-demon

balrog (i valrog), pl. balroeg (i malroeg). Coll. pl. balrogath is attested. Archaic form *balraug. (MR:79, WJ:415). The etymological meaning is rather ”power-demon”.

balrog

fire-demon

balrog (i valrog), pl. balroeg (i malroeg), coll. pl. balrogath (MR:79). Archaic form *balraug.

balrog

fire-demon

(i valrog), pl. balroeg (i malroeg). Coll. pl. balrogath is attested. Archaic form ✱balraug. (MR:79, WJ:415). The etymological meaning is rather ”power-demon”.

narthan

fire-sign

(= beacon) narthan, pl. nerthain (VT45:20)

narthan

fire-sign

(= beacon) narthan, pl. nerthain (VT45:20).

narthan

fire-sign

pl. **nerthain** (VT45:20)

ruin

blazing fire

ruin (no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (red flame). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin_; PM:366)_(final bliss), see FORTUNE

ruin

blazing fire

ruin (no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (red flame). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

ruin

blazing fire

(no distinct pl. form except with article: idh ruin) (red flame). Also used as an adj. ”fiery red, burning”. (Silm app, entry ruin; PM:366)

bregedúr

wildfire

(i vregedúr), pl. bregedýr (i mregedýr)

firion

mortal man

firion (pl. firyn).

firion

mortal man

firion (pl. firyn) and

nar

root. fire, fire, [ᴹ√] flame

A root for “fire” first appearing as ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s along with derivatives like ᴹQ. nár(e)/N. naur “flame” (Ety/NAR¹). There was also an augmented variant ᴹ√ANÁR that served as the basis for “Sun” words: ᴹQ. Anar and N. Anor (Ety/ANÁR). These roots and the various derivatives continued to appear in Tolkien’s later writings in the 1950s and 60s (PE17/38; Let/425), and in one place Tolkien specified that nār- was “fire as an element” as opposed to √RUYU for an actual blaze.

nāro

noun. fire

than

root. kindle, set light to, fire, light

Tolkien used this root primarily to explain the name S. Gilthoniel “Star-kindler”. In a 1955 letter to David Masson, Tolkien gave √THAN “kindle” as the basis for the perfect participle S. thoniel “kindler”, in contrast to S. thôn < ✶stŏna (PE17/82). In Words, Phrases and Passages in the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien gave {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN as the basis for the same name, but with the suffix S. -iel being a feminine suffix (PE17/23; MR/388).

The root √THAN from the 1950s might be a restoration of the unglossed root ᴱ√tan- from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s with derivatives like G. tan “firewood” and G. tantha- “set light to, kindle” (GL/69), along with other forms like G. tôn “fire (on a hearth)” and G. tortha- “scorch” (GL/71). This may be reflected in the deleted forms in the aforementioned note: {√TON >> √TÁN >>} √THĂN/THĀN.

aika-nār-

masculine name. Fell Fire

phayanāro

masculine name. Spirit of Fire

ūr

noun. a fire (on hearth)

ruy

root. blaze (red)

The root ᴹ√ROY “ruddy, red” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s with Noldorin variant ᴹ√GROJ and derivatives ᴹQ. roina/N. gruin “ruddy” (Ety/ROY²). The latter seems to be an element in the names N. Dunruin “Red Valley” and N. Ruinnel “Redway” from Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (RS/464; TI/114). These names eventually became S. Nanduhirion “Dimrill Dale” and S. Celebrant “Silverlode” (LotR/283; LotR/341).

A similar root √RUYU “blaze (red)” appeared in 1964 notes on Dalath Dirnen (DD), with derivatives like Q. ruinë “fire, blaze” and Q. ruimen/S. ruist “fireplace, hearth”. In this note Tolkien contrasted Q. ruine “fire, blaze” with nār- “fire as an element”. The note seems to be inspired by a proposed alternate name S. Angruin “Iron Fire” for S. Glaurung; this alternate name was rejected with an “X”, but the rest of the note was allowed to stand. It’s probable the element -ruin is the same one seen in S. Orodruin “Mountain of Fire” (LotR/899), a name that dates back to Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s.

The word ruin in turn was connected to the root √RUN “red, glowing” in notes associated with The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968, having derivatives Q. runya/S. ruin “fiery red” (PM/365-6 note #61). Thus we tentatively have the conceptual development: 1930s ᴹ√ROY² “ruddy, red” >> 1964 √RUY “blaze (red)” >> 1968 √RUN “red, glowing”.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I’d stick with 1964 √RUY “blaze (red)” as the version of the root having the largest and must useful set of derivatives.

rhuin

noun. fire

ûr

noun. fire

naur

noun. fire

bregedur

noun. wild fire

A noun appearing as N. {bregedúr >>} bregedur “wild fire” in The Etymologies of the 1930s, a combination of N. breged “suddenness” and N. ûr “fire”, from ᴹ√BEREK and ᴹ√UR “be hot” respectively (Ety/BERÉK, UR; EtyAC/MERÉK). It was also an element in the name N. Dagor Vregedúr “Battle of Sudden Fire” (Ety/BERÉK; LR/280) which in later writings became S. Dagor Bragollach “Battle of Sudden Flame” (S/151; WJ/52).

Neo-Sindarin: Despite this name change, I think bregedur “wild fire” might still be valid, given other late names like S. Bregalad “Quickbeam” and the continued use of the root √UR. In fact, I prefer this over using bragollach “sudden flame”, since bragol “sudden” has no other similar forms on Tolkien’s writings: it is breg- everywhere else.

dagor húr-breged

proper name. Battle of Sudden Fire

Earliest name of S. Dagor Bragollach (SM/311, LR/132), a combination of dagor “battle”, ûr “fire” and breged “sudden”, later replaced by Dagor Vregedúr (LR/147).

dagor vregedúr

proper name. Battle of Sudden Fire

Earlier name of S. Dagor Bragollach (LR/280), a combination of dagor “battle” and the lenited form of bregedur “wild fire” (Ety/BERÉK, UR).

nartha-

verb. to kindle, to kindle, *ignite, inflame, set fire to

A verb in The Etymologies of the 1930s for “kindle” given in the Noldorin-style infinitive form nartho and derived from the root ᴹ√NARTA of the same meaning (EtyAC/NARTA). This root is probably just a causative verb formation from ᴹ√NAR “flame, fire”, and thus more literally “✱make fire”. Hence I think this verb can be used in the general sense of “✱ignite, inflame, set fire to”, etc.

naur ad i gaurhoth

*fire [be] against the wolf-horde

orodruin

place name. Mountain of Fire

ûr

noun. fire, heat

bregedur

noun. wild-fire

ghâsh

noun. fire

uruš/rušur

noun. fire

zôr Reconstructed

noun. ?fire, ?foam

An element in the names Gimilzôr and Imrazôr. Imrazôr is difficult to translate, but Gimilzôr is equated to two different Quenya names at different periods of Tolkien’s writing: Elros “Star-foam” in the unfinished “Notion Club Papers” story from 1946 (SD/380), and Telemnar in the list of Adûnaic kings in The Lord of the Rings (LotR/1035). The name Telemnar is unglossed, but a likely translation would be “✱Silver-fire”. Assuming the element zôr has the same meaning as its Quenya equivalents, could mean either “foam” or “fire”. There is a different Adûnaic word for foam: rôth or roth in Rothinzil “Foam-flower”, so perhaps “fire” is a more useful interpretation, albeit quite speculative.