Menel

heavens

Menel noun "heavens" (Markirya, SA), "the heavens, the firmament" (SD:401), "the apparent dome in the sky" (MR:387). Menel Cemenyë ("k") "Heaven and Earth" (VT47:30). Found in names like Meneldil "Heaven-friend" = astronomer (Appendix A; Letters:386), Meneldur masc. name, "Heaven-servant" (Appendix A, Tar-Menelduras a Númenórean King, UT:210); menelluin "sky-blue", used as noun = "cornflower" (J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator p. 193). Menelmacar "Swordsman of the Sky", the Orion constellation (also called Telumehtar, Appendix E, first footnote); the older name was Menelmacil "Heaven-sword" (WJ:411); Meneltarma "Pillar of Heaven", name of the great central mountain of Númenor (SA:tar, VT42:21).Menelya fifth day of the Eldarin six-day week, dedicated to the heavens (Appendix D) Locative meneldë "in heaven"; abandoned forms menellë, menelzë (VT43:12, 16). Adj. meneldëa "(being) in heaven", evidently based on a locative form meneldë "in heaven"; abandoned forms menelzëa, menellëa, menelessëa (VT43:13, VT44:16; the last of these forms would suggest the locative form #menelessë).

ilwë

sky, heavens

ilwë noun "sky, heavens" (LT1:255), "the middle air among the stars" (LT1:273). VT49:51, 53 also mentions an obscure prononominal element ilwë.

menelya

noun. *Wednesday, Heavens-day

hellë

sky

hellë noun "sky" (3EL; a distinct word hellë "frost" was struck out, see KHEL.)

telluma

dome, copula

telluma noun "dome, copula", especially the "Dome of Varda" over Valinor, but also applied to the domes of the mansion of Manwë and Varda upon Taniquetil. Adopted from Valarin _delgūmā under the influence of pure Quenya telumë (WJ:399, 411). Pl. tellumar is attested (Nam, RGEO:66)_.

telumë

dome, roof, canopy

telumë noun "dome, roof, canopy" (TEL/TELU, WJ:411 cf. 399; see also telluma); "firmament" (MC:214), inflected telumen in MC:221 (the latter is "Qenya"). Telumehtar "warrior of the sky", older name of Menelmacar = Orion (Appendix E, TEL/TELU, WJ:411); Telumendil *"Sky-friend", name of a constellation (Silm)

menel

root. heavens, firmament, heavens, firmament, [ᴹ√] sky

This root was first mentioned in notes on the Adûnaic language from the 1940s with the meaning “heavens, sky” (SD/414), and √MENEL appeared in Common Eldarin: Noun Structure from the early 1950s with the gloss “heavens, firmament” (PE21/84). Both Q. and S. menel appear quite regularly in Tolkien’s writings from the 1940s forward.

In the 1940s conception, √MENEL was ancient enough that it was able to influence the Adûnaic language indirectly via Avari, producing Ad. minal or minil (SD/414). However, in the 1950s Tolkien said “thus it is reported that √MENEL ‘heavens, firmament’ was devised by Quennar of Túna in ancient days while both Noldor and Vanyar dwelt in Tirion, and so is part of the Vanyarin (Quenya) speech and of Noldorin, but not of Telerin” (PE21/84). In notes from The Road Goes Ever On published in 1967 Tolkien said of menel: “The word was a Q. invention from men (direction, region) + el (the basis of many star words)” (RGEO/64). Thus it seems his later idea was that it is was originally a Quenya-only word, later borrowed into Sindarin.

Note, though, that Ad. minal remained in later writings as well, as an element in the city name Arminalêth (PM/145). These two competing conceptions can be reconciled if Ad. minil is likewise a loan word from Quenya in the First Age, adapted in a period where ancient Adûnaic did not have short e, and then later altered to minal. This was, in fact, an alternate scenario that Tolkien considered in the 1940s, though in that period he considered it more likely that √Ad. MINIL was more ancient than that (SD/414).

rondō

noun. vaulted roof or chamber; cave; †heavens

rond

noun. (vaulted or arched) roof; vaulted chamber or cavern; heavens [as a roof of the world]

A noun for a vaulted or arched roof, as well as chambers with such a roof, both constructed and natural. Tolkien’s most complete description of this word appeared in the Quendi and Eldar essay:

> S rond, Q rondo are from ✱rono “arch over, roof in”. This could be applied both to natural and to artificial structures, but its view was always from below and from the inside ... CE ✱rondo meant “a vaulted or arched roof, as seen from below (and usually not visible from outside)”, or “a (large) hall or chamber so roofed”. It was still often applied pictorially to the heavens after the Elves had obtained much greater knowledge of star-lore. Cf. the name Elrond “Star-dome“ (WJ/414).

Thus this word was sometimes also applied (metaphorically) to describe the dome of heaven. This definition of rond as both a roof and a cavern appeared elsewhere in Tolkien’s writings as well (RC/421; EtyAC/ROD).

Conceptual Development: Perhaps the earliest precursor to this word was G. grûd(a) “cavern” (archaic †rûda) from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, derived from the early root ᴱ√roto “hollow” (GL/42, 45, 66; QL/80). This was followed by a word ᴱN. gorod “cave” in the Early Noldorin Grammar of the 1920s (PE13/123), and ᴱN. gronn (archaic †grond) in contemporaneous Early Noldorin Word-lists with glosses like “cave” (PE13/145) or “cavern” (PE13/162).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s it was N. rhonn (archaic †rhond) “roof, cave” from the root ᴹ√ROD of the same meaning (Ety/ROD). In The Etymologies as published in The Lost Road Christopher Tolkien gave the gloss “cave” (LR/384), but in their Addenda and Corrigenda to the Etymologies, Carl Hostetter and Patrick Wynne corrected this to “roof, cave” (EtyAC/ROD). In this document it was already the basis of N. Elrond = “Starry-dome” (Ety/EL). In the Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, Tolkien seems to have kept the basic definition from The Etymologies of the 1930s but updated its form and etymology, deriving it from a new root √RON “arch over”.

Neo-Eldarin: For purposes of Neo-Eldarin, I prefer the earlier root form ᴹ√ROD as this lets us retain more of the 1930s forms.

Menel

noun. the heavens

_n. _the heavens, the apparent dome of the sky. Probably a Quenya word introduced into Sindarin. It was a 'pictorial' word, as the lore of the Eldar and the Númenoreans know much astronomy.

ormenel

noun. *Heavens-day, Wednesday

@@@ per Elaran, a “false compound”, originally an apositional genitive Aur Menel, which explains the lack of mutation

Menel

noun. sky, high heaven, firmament, the region of the stars

telu

dome

telu (i delu, o thelu) (high roof), pl. tely (i thely)

telu

dome

(i delu, o thelu) (high roof), pl. tely (i thely)

arvenel

noun. *Heavens-day

ell

noun. sky

An element meaning “sky” in several names from The Etymologies of the 1930s: N. Elfaron “Sky-hunter” (Ety/SPAR) and N. Elthoron “Eagle of the Sky” (Ety/THOR). It was derived from the root ᴹ√ƷEL “sky” which had an Old Noldorin form: ON. elle (Ety/ƷEL). However, Tolkien said “In Noldorin and Telerin this is confused with EL star”, implying that the word was not used in modern language; an earlier but rejected version of this entry had archaic N. †ell, el “sky” (EtyAC/ƷEL).

Neo-Sindarin: Despite the above statements, ell is probably the best attested option for “sky” in Neo-Sindarin, and I would use it as such, since it is in fact distinct from S. êl “star”, a word that is itself archaic/poetic versus more common S. gil.

telu

noun. dome, high roof