sairina

magic

sairina adj.? "magic" (evidently adj. rather than noun) (GL:72)

curu

noun. skill, skill; [ᴱQ.] magic, wizardry

In Tolkien’s later writing, this word mostly functions as a reduced form of Q. curwë “skill” used as an element in some Quenya names such as Q. Curufinwë and Q. Curumo.

Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon and Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa of the 1910s ᴱQ. kuru was glossed “magic, wizardry”, and Tolkien further specified that it was used “of the good magic” (QL/49; PME/49). See S. curu for a discussion of the applicability of this word to “magic”.

felu

bad magic

felu noun "bad magic" (QL:38)

vírin

magic glassy substance of great lucency used in fashioning the moon. used of things of great and pure transparency.

vírin noun "a magic glassy substance of great lucency used in fashioning the Moon. Used of things of great and pure transparency." (LT2:339)

luhtu

noun. magic, spell

sairina

adjective. magic, *magical

Ingolë

science/philosophy

Ingolë noun "Science/Philosophy" as a whole (PM:360; WJ:383 has ingolë_ ["iñgole"], glossed "lore". In the Etymologies, stem ÑGOL, the word _ingolë was marked as archaic or poetic and is glossed "deep lore, magic").

curu

skill

curu noun "skill" in names like Curufinwë (q.v.) and Sindarin Curufin, Curunir. (SA; possibly the same as curo, curu- above but there was a word curu ["k"] in Tolkien's early "Qenya", glossed "magic, wizardry" [LT1:269]).

corma

ring

#corma noun "ring", isolated from #cormacolindo "Ring-bearer", pl. cormacolindor (LotR3:VI ch. 4, translated in Letters:308); Cormarë "Ringday", a festival held on Yavannië 30 in honour of Frodo Baggins (Appendix D)

corma

noun. ring

A word for “ring” appearing as an element in Q. Cormacolindor “Ring-bearers” (LotR/953), clearly derived from the root √KOR “round”. It also appeared in a translation of the title of The Lord of the Rings that Tolkien included in a 1973 letter to Phillip Brown: i Túrin i Cormaron.

Conceptual Development: Another translation of “Lord of the Rings” is known from an exhibit of Tolkien manuscripts: Heru imillion, where presumably the element millë means “ring” (DTS/54). In a deleted entry from The Etymologies of the 1930s, Tolkien had ᴹQ. kolma “ring ([?on] finger)” [or possibly “or finger”] derived from a deleted root ᴹ√KOL (EtyAC/KOL).

fairë

phantom, disembodied spirit, when seen as a pale shape

fairë(1) noun "phantom, disembodied spirit, when seen as a pale shape" (pl. fairi in Markirya); compare ausa. The noun fairë was also used = "spirit (in general)", as a kind of being (MR:349, PE17:124). In VT43:37 and VT44:17, fairë refers to the Holy Spirit (fairë aista or Aina Fairë)

nólemë

deep lore, wisdom

nólemë (ñ) noun "deep lore, wisdom" (LT1:263). Perhaps replaced by Nolmë in Tolkien's later Quenya.

núlë

black arts, secrecy

núlë ("ñ")noun "black arts, secrecy" (PE17:125)

risil

ring

*risil (þ) noun "ring" (on the ground) in Rithil-Anamo, q.v.

gûl

noun. magic

angol

noun. deep lore, magic

angol

noun. deep lore, magic

gûl

noun. magic lore, long study (being used mostly of secret knowledge, especially such as possessed by artificers who made wonderful things)

golw

noun. lore

gûl

noun. perverted or evil knowledge, sorcery, necromancy

ist

noun. lore, knowledge

lhûth

noun. spell, charm

curu

noun. skill (of the hand), craft, magic, skill (of the hand), craft, magic; [N.] cunning

This word had a long history and various different meanings in Sindarin. In notes associated with The Shibboleth of Fëanor from 1968 Tolkien said that S. curu was the equivalent of Q. curwë “skill of the hand” (VT41/10), and in Notes on Names (NN) from 1957 Tolkien glossed S. curu as “craft”, though he clarified that it “applied to all cunning or (?wily) things especially when intended as mysterious or secret” (PE17/83). In Late Notes on Verb Structure (LVS) from 1969 Tolkien said it derived from ✶kurwē “power, ability”, and explain it this way:

> S curu in curunír “wizard”, us[ually] applied to exceptional powers espec. of mind, ability to make one’s will effective. It thus approaches some uses of our “magic”, esp. when applied to powers not understood by the speaker, but it does not even then (except perhaps when the word was used by Men) connote any alteration or disturbance of the “natural order”, which to the Eldar were either “miracles” performed by agents of the One or counterfeits by delusion or by means other than miraculous which impressed the un­instructed as supernatural (PE22/151).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s N. curu was simply glossed “cunning” (Ety/KUR; EtyAC/KUR), whereas in Tolkien’s writings of the 1910s-20s G. curu/ᴱN. curw was glossed “magic” (GL/28). Its use in S. Curunír (Sindarin name of Saruman) is instructive: this name was variously translated as “Man of Skill” (UT/390), “Man of Craft” (UT/390), “one of cunning devices” (RC/389), and “a man of craft, wizard” (EtyAC/KUR).

It seems that curu thus applies to craft of hand and mind which allows its user to perform remarkable feats of skill not part of common knowledge. This included feats of power and mind that were natural to the Elves but seemed like magic to Men. It was not “true” magic however, which was limited to the miracles of higher beings likely the Valar. Thus strictly speaking curu did not apply to the supernatural, at least as the Elves perceived it.

Dol Guldur

noun. hill of dark magic

(n-)dol (“hill”), (n-)gûl (“magic”) + dûr (“dark”)

Imlad Morgul

noun. valley of black magic

im (“between, within”) + lad (“plain, valley”), morn (“dark, black”) + (n-)gûl (“magic, necromancy”) In L:427, Tolkien explains that … “the triconsonantal group (rng) then being reduced to rg”.

Minas Morgu

noun. tower of black magic

minas (“tower, fort”), morn (“dark, black”) + (n-)gûl (“magic, necromancy”) As for the lenition inside the second word, in L:427, Tolkien explains that “…the triconsonantal group (rng) then being reduced to rg”.

Morgulduin

noun. black magic river

morn (“dark, black”) + (n-)gûl (“magic, necromancy”) + duin (“long and large river”)

gûl

noun. black arts, sorcery, (evil) knowledge, black arts, sorcery, (evil) knowledge, [N.] magic; [ᴱN.] wisdom

gûl

noun. magic lore, long study (being used mostly of secret knowledge, especially such as possessed by artificers who made wonderful things)

gûl

magic

1. gûl (i ngûl = i ñûl, o n**gûl = o ñgûl, construct gul) (sorcery, necromancy, evil knowledge), pl. guil (in guil = i ñguil) (Silm:App, MR:250, WJ:383), 2) angol (deep lore), pl. engyl**. Note: a homophone means "stench". DARK MAGIC, see .

angol

magic

(deep lore), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

gûl

magic

(i ngûl = i ñûl, o n’gûl = o ñgûl, construct gul) (sorcery, necromancy, evil knowledge), pl. guil (in guil = i ñguil) (Silm:App, MR:250, WJ:383)

lûth

noun. spell, charm, [ᴱN.] magic

@@@ David Salo proposed luith: compare to nuitha- and gruitha-, the form lûth requires a variant (Doriathrin?) phonetic evolution

angoldor

noun. Brother of Magic

angol

deep lore

angol (magic), pl. engyl. Note: a homophone means "stench".

Dol Guldur

Dol Guldur

topon. -. >> dol, doll

gûl

noun. perverted or evil knowledge, sorcery, necromancy

gûl

noun. black arts

n. black arts, sorcery. Q. ñúle, B.S. gûl 'wraith' is probably derived from Sindarin.

lûth

noun. spell, charm

curu

skill

curu (i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry). Archaic *curw, hence the coll. pl. is likely curwath. (VT45:24)

curu

skill

(i guru, o churu) (cunning, cunning device, craft), pl. cyry (i chyry). Archaic ✱curw, hence the coll. pl. is likely curwath. (VT45:24)

echor

ring

(outer ring or circle) echor (pl. echyr). It is unclear what the Sindarin word for an ornamental ring is; the cognate of Quenya corma would be *corf (i gorf, o chorf; pl. cyrf, i chyrf, coll. pl. corvath).

echor

ring

(pl. echyr). It is unclear what the Sindarin word for an ornamental ring is; the cognate of Quenya corma would be ✱corf (i gorf, o chorf; pl. cyrf, i chyrf, coll. pl. corvath).

golu

secret lore

(i ngolu = i ñolu, o n’golu = o ñgolu), analogical pl. gely (in gely = i ñgely) if there is a pl. Archaic golw, hence golwath as the likely coll. pl.****

ist

lore

ist (knowledge); no distinct pl. form.

ist

lore

(knowledge); no distinct pl. form.

luith

spell

*luith (no distinct pl. form). Only attested in Doriathrin form lûth.

luith

spell

(no distinct pl. form). Only attested in Doriathrin form lûth.

engole

noun. lore

nazg

noun. ring

nazg

noun. (finger-)ring

>> Nazgûl 'Ringwraiths'