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”.

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)

ingolë

noun. lore, science, philosophy, lore, science, philosophy; [ᴹQ.] deep lore, magic

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]).

canya

adjective. wise

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).

isqua

wise

isqua ("q") adj. "wise" (LT2:339).

istima

adjective. wise, knowledgeable, v.well informed

iswa

wise

iswa adj. "wise" (LT2:339); rather saila in Tolkiens later Quenya.

nóla

wise, learned

nóla ("ñ") (1) adj. "wise, learned" (ÑGOL) (note that this and the next nóla would be spelt differently in Tengwar writing, and originally they were also pronounced differently, since nóla "wise, learned" was ñóla in First Age Quenya).

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.

saila

wise

#saila adj. "wise" (isolated from alasaila [q.v.] "unwise" in a late source)

saila

adjective. wise

saira

wise

saira adj. "wise" (SAY, VT46:12; a later source has the alternative formation #saila as above)

tára

wise

tára (2) ?"wise". (From tentative notes trying to explain Daur [unlenited *Taur] as Sindarin name of Frodo; the more normal word for "wise" seems to be saila/saira.)

tára

adjective. wise

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)

fingolfin

masculine name. Magical Skill

gollor

noun. magician

gollor

noun. magician

goll

adjective. wise

goll

adjective. wise

golw

noun. lore

golwen

adjective. wise, learned in deep arts

gûl

noun. perverted or evil knowledge, sorcery, necromancy

ist

noun. lore, knowledge

noen

adjective. wise, sensible

sail

adjective. wise

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.

gûl

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

ithildin

noun. magical alloy that glows in moonlight, (lit.) moon-star

The magic alloy from which the Moria-gate runes were made, a combination of S. Ithil “moon” and S. tîn “star” and hence “moon-star” (LotR/317; PE17/39, 66). In one place Tolkien considered the form ithildim (PE17/39). The term first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s (TI/180).

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)

gollor

magician

gollor (i ngollor = i ñollor, o n**gollor = o ñgollor), analogical pl. gellyr (in gellyr** = i ñgellyr). Archaic *gollr.

gollor

magician

(i ngollor = i ñollor, o n’gollor = o ñgollor), analogical pl. gellyr (in gellyr = i ñgellyr). Archaic ✱gollr.

angol

deep lore

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

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.

sael

adjective. wise

sael

adjective. wise

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.****

idhren

wise

idhren (pondering, thoughtful), pl. idhrin. 4) goll (lenited ngoll, pl. gyll). 5) golwen (learned in deep arts), lenited ngolwen, pl. gelwin (archaic *gölwin)

idhren

wise

(pondering, thoughtful), pl. idhrin. 4) goll (lenited ngoll, pl. gyll). 5) golwen (learned in deep arts), lenited ngolwen, pl. gelwin (archaic ✱gölwin)

ist

lore

ist (knowledge); no distinct pl. form.

ist

lore

(knowledge); no distinct pl. form.

noen

wise

(sensible). Pl. form (if any) uncertain. The archaic form of the word is given as nohen (VT46:7), which would have the pl. form nöhin. If the regular change of ö to e occured before the loss of h, the pl. form of noen could be nain for older nein.

sael

wise

1) sael (lenited hael; no distinct pl. form), 2) noen (sensible). Pl. form (if any) uncertain. The archaic form of the word is given as nohen (VT46:7), which would have the pl. form nöhin. If the regular change of ö to e occured before the loss of h, the pl. form of noen could be nain for older nein. 3)

sael

wise

(lenited hael; no distinct pl. form)

engole

noun. lore

nazg

noun. ring

nazg

noun. (finger-)ring

>> Nazgûl 'Ringwraiths'

dāra

adjective. wise