gilgalad

noun. 'Starlight'

prop. n. 'Starlight'. >> gil-

gil-galad

masculine name. Starlight, (lit.) Star of Radiance

Last high-king of the Noldor and leader of the elves in the Last Alliance against Sauron at the end of the Second Age (LotR/52). His name is a compound of S. gil “star” and S. galad “radiance, glittering reflection”, the latter also an element in the name S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” (RGEO/65, Let/425). In The Lord of the Rings his name was translated “Starlight” (LotR/191) but elsewhere Tolkien translated this name in various ways all roughly with the meaning: “Star of Radiance” (PM/347), which was the translation used by Christopher Tolkien in The Silmarillion index (SI/Gil-galad).

Conceptual Development: This name appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as N. Gil-galad “Starlight” (Ety/GIL). At this stage, the final element was probably the lenited form of N. calad “light” (PE17/50), though N. galad also appeared in The Etymologies with the gloss “light” (EtyAC/GAL).

Derivations

• ✶Gillingalati “radiant stars, Gil-galad” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/152

Elements

Word	Gloss
gil	“star; (bright) spark, silver glint, twinkle of light”
galad	“radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn”

Variations

• Gilgalad ✧ PE17/084; PE17/152; WJI/Gilgalad

glingal

proper name. Hanging Flame

A Sindarin name for Q. Laurelin (S/126) translated “Hanging Flame” (LR/210). It is a combination of the verb [N.] gling- “to hang” and the root √KAL (Ety/LING, KAL).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales this name appeared as G. Glingol “Singing Gold”, a more direct equivalent of ᴱQ. Laurelin (LT2/216). The form N. Glingal appeared in late changes to the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/80), and Tolkien revised its derivation and translation to the ones given above in The Etymologies from the 1930s (Ety/LING, KAL).

Elements

Word	Gloss
gling-	“to hang, dangle”
KAL	“light; shine, be bright, light; shine, be bright, [ᴱ√] shine golden”

gilgalad

starlight

1) gilgalad (i ngilgalad = i ñilgalad, o n**gilgalad, pl. gilgelaid (in gilgelaid = i ñgilgelaid) if there is a plural form. 2) gilith (also used = Quenya Ilmen, the region of stars) (i ngilith = i ñilith, o n**gilith) _These mutations presupposed that the root is Ñ, as in MR:388, rather than _ as in the Etymologies (LR:358).

gilgalad

starlight

(i ngilgalad = i ñilgalad, o n’gilgalad, pl. gilgelaid (in gilgelaid = i ñgilgelaid) if there is a plural form.

gilith

starlight

(also used = Quenya Ilmen, the region of stars) (i ngilith = i ñilith, o n’gilith) These mutations presupposed that the root is