maglor

masculine name. *Forging Gold

Second son of Fëanor (S/60), his name is phonetic conversion of his mother-name Q. Macalaurë “Forging Gold” (PM/353), which in proper Sindarin would have been Magalor (VT41/10).

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, his name was G. Maglor (LT2/241). It remained N. Maglor in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/88, LR/223). In The Etymologies, it was translated “Gold-cleaver”, a combination of the root ᴹ√MAK “cleave” and the suffixal form -lor of glaur “gold” (Ety/MAG). In “The Lay of Leithian Recommenced” from the 1950s, Tolkien revised the name to Maelor (LB/353), a form that also appears as a late change in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (MR/182 note §41), but when Tolkien devised the derivation given above in The Shibboleth of Fëanor from the late 1960s, he reverted back to Maglor.

Changes

• Maelor → Maglor ✧ PMI/Maglor

Cognates

• Q. Macalaurë “Forging Gold” ✧ PM/352; PMI/Maglor

Derivations

• Q. Macalaurë “Forging Gold” ✧ VT41/10
• ✶maka-glawar ✧ VT41/10

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶maka-glaur- > magalor-	[makaglaur] > [makaɣlaur] > [magaɣlaur] > [magalaur] > [magalor]	✧ VT41/10

Variations

• Maelor ✧ LB/353; LBI/Maelor; MRI/Maglor; PMI/Maglor
• maglor ✧ VT41/10
• magalor- ✧ VT41/10

Maglor

Gold-cleaver

His father-name was Canafinwë, a name which in Quenya means "Strong-voiced [of] Finwë". It is derived from cáno, a noun which means "commander", added to the name of his grandfather. His mother-name was Makalaurë. In The Etymologies it is interpreted as "Gold-cleaver". A possible explanation for this translation is given in The Shibboleth of Feanor, where it is stated that the name might be a reference to his skill in harping, whose sound was golden.