gorth

noun. a dead person

gorth

noun. horror

gorth

noun. horror

gorth

noun. dead (person)

A noun for a “dead [person]” appearing its plural form in the phrase Dor Gyrth i Chuinar “Land of the Dead that Live” (Let/417) and its mutated class-plural form in the phrase Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” (RC/526). It is clearly based on the root √ÑGUR “death”.

Derivations

• √ÑGUR “death; to die”

Element in

• S. Dor Gyrth i Chuinar “Land of the Dead that Live” ✧ Let/417
• N. Gyrth-i-Guinar “Dead that Live”
• S. Dúnad in Gyrth “Descent of the Dead” ✧ NM/364
• S. Fui ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” ✧ RC/526
• S. Raith ’Ngorthrim “Paths of the Dead” ✧ RC/526 (Raith ’Ngorthrim)
• S. gorthad “wraith, spirit of Dead”

goroth

noun. horror, dread

Derivations

• √ÑGOR “dread, terror, fear, horror” ✧ WJ/415

Element in

• S. Gorgoroth “Valley of Terror” ✧ SA/gor
• S. gorthob “horrible” ✧ WJ/415

Elements

Word	Gloss
gor	“horror, dread, fear”
-oth	“augmentative suffix”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NGUR > gorth	[ŋgurotʰo] > [ŋguroθo] > [guroθo] > [goroθo] > [goroθ]	✧ WJ/415

Variations

• gorth ✧ WJ/415

gurth

noun. death

gurth

noun. death

The usual Sindarin word for “death”, derived from the root √ÑGUR of similar meaning (UT/39; Ety/ÑGUR).

Conceptual Development: This word dates all the way back to the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/43), anchored by well established names like Gurthang or Gurtholf(in), the name of Túrin’s sword. Tolkien experimented with various alternate forms over the years, such as G. urthu (GG/14), G. gurthu (GL/43), ᴱN. gurdh (PE13/146) and N. guruth (Ety/ÑGUR), but kept coming back to gurth as the basic form.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would use this word for death in general and especially violent death, as opposed to the more euphemistic [N.] gwanath or gwanu “death”, more literally “departure”.

Cognates

• Q. urtu “death”

Derivations

• √ÑGUR “death; to die”

Element in

• S. Belegurth “Great Death”
• S. Gurthang “Iron of Death” ✧ SA/gurth
• S. gurth an Glamhoth “Death to the din-horde” ✧ UT/039

Variations

• Gurth ✧ UT/039

gorthrim

noun. the dead

gorog

noun. horror

gorog

noun. horror

Derivations

• ✶(ñ)guruk “horror” ✧ WJ/415

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶guruk > gorog	[guruk] > [gorok] > [gorog]	✧ WJ/415

gorgor

noun. extreme horror, terror, haunting fear

guru

noun. death

_ n. _death. guru << gûru.

guru

noun. death, death (abstract)

A Sindarin word for “death” derived from primitive ✶ñgurū (PE17/87), unusual in that its primitive ancient vowel u did not vanish. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had variant forms [N.] gûr and gurw “death” marked with a “?”, both derived from Old Noldorin nguru and indicating some uncertainty on the exact phonetic developments (EtyAC/ÑGUR). Elsewhere in The Etymologies Tolkien said that [N.] guru was “Death as state or abstract”, as opposed to [N.] gwanw or gwanath for the “act of dying” (Ety/GWAN).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would assume guru was for death as an abstraction or principle, and for the death of individuals I would use either gurth or gwanu/gwanath; see those entries for discussion.

Changes

• gûru → guru ✧ PE17/087

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nuru “death, death [abstract]”

Derivations

• ✶ñgurū “death” ✧ PE17/087
  • √ÑGUR “death; to die”

Element in

• S. guruthos “dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death, dread of death, death-horror, shadow of death, [N.] fear of death” ✧ PE17/087

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ngurū > guru	[ŋgurū] > [ŋguru] > [guru] > [guru] > [guru]	✧ PE17/087

Variations

• gûru ✧ PE17/087 (gûru)

Nûrnen

place name. Death

_ topon. _Death, dead water. >> guru

dael

noun. horror

_ n. _horror.

dael

noun. horror

Derivations

• √NDAY “dreadful, abominable, detestable” ✧ PE17/151

Element in

• S. daedelos “horrible fear” ✧ PE17/151

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NDAY > dael	[ndaila] > [daila] > [dail] > [dael]	✧ PE17/151

del

noun. horror

Element in

• S. Deldúwath “Deadly Nightshade, (lit.) Horror of Night-shadow” ✧ SA/del
• S. deloth “abhorrence, abhorrence, [N.] detestation, loathing” ✧ SA/del

fern

noun/adjective. dead, dead person; [N.] dead (of mortals)

An adjective in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “dead (of mortals)” under the root ᴹ√PHIR “die of natural causes”, used as a plural noun in the name Dor Firn i Guinar “Land of the Dead that Live” (Ety/PHIR). Christopher Tolkien choose to include the name Dor Firn-i-Guinar in the published version of The Silmarillion (S/188), and most Sindarin writers accept its ongoing validity.

Derivations

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

Element in

• S. Dor Firn-i-Guinar “Land of the Dead that Live” ✧ S/188

gwanu

noun. death (act of dying, not death as a state or abstract)

gorth

dead

(adj.) 1) gorth (lenited ngorth; pl. gyrth), also fern, pl. firn. These adjectives may also be used as nouns ”dead person(s)”. According to LR:381 s.v. _

gorth

dread

(i ngorth = i ñorth, o n’gorth = o ñgorth) (horror), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). (WJ:415) Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”.

gorth

horror

(i ngorth = i ñorth, o n’gorth = o ñgorth) (dread), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). (WJ:415) Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”

gorth

dead person

gorth (i ngorth = i ñorth, o n**gorth = o ñgorth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth), coll. pl. Gorthrim**, the dead as a group (RC:526). Note: a homophone means ”dread, horror”.

goroth

dread

(i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n’goroth = o ñgoroth) (horror), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. ✱göryth.

goroth

horror

(i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n’goroth = o ñgoroth) (dread), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryth.

gurth

death

(i ngurth = i ñurth, o n’gurth = o ñgurth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth)

girith

horror

(i ’irith) (shuddering), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngirith = i ñirith)

guruth

death

(i nguruth = i ñuruth, o n’guruth = o ñguruth), pl. gyryth (in gyryth = i ñgyryth)

gost

dread

(i ngost = i ñost, o n’gost = o ñgost) (terror), pl. gyst (in gyst = i ñgyst).

guruthos

dread of death

(i nguruthos = i ñuruthos, o n’guruthos = o ñguruthos) (death-horror), pl. (if there is a pl.) either guruthys (in guruthys = i ñguruthys) or gyrythys (in gyrythys = i ñgyrythys) with umlaut throughtout the word. Coll. pl. guruthossath.

gorog

horror

(i ngorog = i ñorog, o n’gorog = o ñgorog), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryg.

gôr

dread

(i ngôr = i ñôr, o n’gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, horror), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour”, but has different mutations.

gôr

horror

(i ngôr = i ñôr, o n’gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, dread), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour” but has different mutations.

gwanath

death

1) (act of dying) gwanath (i **wanath), pl. gwenaith (in gwenaith), 2) (act of dying, especially the ”death” of Elves by fading or weariness) gwanu (i **wanu), analogical pl. gweny (in gweny). Archaic gwanw (LR:397 s.v. WAN), hence coll. pl. ?gwanwath. Other words (rather referring to Death as a state or abstract): 3) gûr (i ngûr = i ñûr, o n**gûr = o ñgûr, construct gur), pl. guir (in guir = i ñguir), 4) gurth (i ngurth = i ñurth, o n**gurth = o ñgurth), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth), 5) guruth (i nguruth = i ñuruth, o n**guruth = o ñguruth), pl. gyryth (in gyryth** = i ñgyryth)

gwanath

death

(i ’wanath), pl. gwenaith (in gwenaith)

goss

dread

(i ’oss, constuct gos) (horror), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).

goss

horror

(i ’oss, construct gos) (dread), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).

angos

horror

1) angos (pl. engys) (VT45:15), 2) dêl (i dhêl, construct del) (disgust, fear, loathing), pl. dîl (i nîl), 3) delos (i dhelos) (fear, abhorrence, dread, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys). 4) girith (i **irith) (shuddering), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngirith = i ñirith), 5) gôr (i ngôr = i ñôr, o n**gôr = o ñgôr, construct gor) (fear, dread), pl. gŷr (in gŷr = i ñgŷr). Note: a homophone means ”vigour” but has different mutations. 6) gorog (i ngorog = i ñorog, o n**gorog = o ñgorog), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryg. 7) goroth (i ngoroth = i ñoroth, o n**goroth = o ñgoroth) (dread), pl. geryg (in geryg = i ñgeryg) (WJ:415). Archaic pl. göryth. 8) gorth (i ngorth = i ñorth, o n**gorth = o ñgorth) (dread), pl. gyrth (in gyrth = i ñgyrth). _(WJ:415) _Note: a homophone means ”dead; dead person”, 9) goss (i **oss, construct gos) (dread), pl. gyss (i ngyss = i ñyss).

angos

horror

(pl. engys) (VT45:15)

gwanu

death

(i ’wanu), analogical pl. gweny (in gweny). Archaic gwanw (LR:397 s.v. WAN), hence coll. pl. ?gwanwath. Other words (rather referring to Death as a state or abstract):

gûr

death

(i ngûr = i ñûr, o n’gûr = o ñgûr, construct gur), pl. guir (in guir = i ñguir)

daedhelos

great dread

(i naedhelos, o ndaedhelos), pl. daedhelys (i ndaedhelys). Coll. pl. daedhelossath. A side-form ends in -oth instead of -os. The word appears in the mutated form "ndaedelos" in LotR Appendix F, but since the second element must be delos "abhorrence" and it would surely be lenited following a vowel, this would seem to be one of the cases where Tolkien wrote d even though dh would be technically correct.

delos

horror

(i dhelos) (fear, abhorrence, dread, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys).

dêl

horror

(i dhêl, construct del) (disgust, fear, loathing), pl. dîl (i nîl)

gae

dread

(i ’ae), no distinct pl. form except with article (i ngae = i ñae)

achas

dread

(fear), pl. echais. It is possible that the word is lenited in the source, and that it should have an initial g-; if so read gachas (i ’achas), pl. gechais (i ngechais = i ñechais), coll. pl. achassath.

delos

dread

(i dhelos) (fear, horror, abhorrence, detestation, loathing), pl. delys (i nelys), coll. pl. delossath. A side-form ends in -oth (pl. -yth) instead of -os (-ys).