Noldor

noun. those that have knowledge

those that have knowledge

noldo

one of the people of the noldor

noldo (ñ) noun "one of the people of the Noldor", "one of the wise folk, Gnome". Cf. the gloss "Gnome" in early "Qenya" (LT1:262). Also name of tengwa #19, that is used for the initial n of noldo in Tengwar spelling. Originally pronounced ngoldo (also spelt ñoldo by Tolkien, ÑGOLOD); initial ng had become n in Third Age pronunciation (Appendix E). Pl. Noldor ("Ñoldor"), "the Wise", name of the second clan of the Eldar (WJ:380, 381); gen. pl. Noldoron "of the Noldor" is attested (VT39:16)

noldo

noun. Noldo

Noldo, Gnome

noldo

proper name. one of the wise folk, Gnome

An Elf of the second tribe, known as “The Wise” (WJ/383). Their name developed from the primitive root √ÑGOL having to do with wisdom (PM/360, WJ/383).

Conceptual Development: The name ᴱQ. Noldo dates back to the earliest Lost Tales, and in the Qenya Lexicon from the 1910s, where it already had the derivation given above (QL/67). In Tolkien’s earlier writings, he often translated this name as “Gnome”, in the sense of the Greek origin of this word (having to do with thought and wisdom) rather than that of a dwarf-like creature. This translation of ᴹQ. Noldo continued to appear in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/201), but became less common in Tolkien’s later writings, and was not used in the published version of The Silmarillion.

In Tolkien’s earliest writings, the plural form of this word was usually ᴱQ. Noldoli (LT1/21), but by the 1930s this had been replaced by ᴹQ. Noldor (LR/119), the form that was used thereafter.

In notes from the 1950s, Tolkien considered an alternate etymology of this name from the root √ÑGOL “dark-hued, dark-brown” referring to their dark hair (PE17/125), just as the tribal name of the Vanya referred to their fair hair. Presumably he considered this alternate origin because the newly-awakened Noldor would not yet have been known for their wisdom, but there is no evidence that this alternate etymology was anything other than a transient idea.

noldorin

proper name. of the Noldo; the Noldor language

Term for the Quenya dialect of the Noldor, as well as a general adjective for that tribe (WJ/373), a combination of their tribal name with the language/adjective suffix -rin.

Conceptual Development: In earlier writings from the 1920s-40s, ᴹQ. Noldorin referred to a completely different language, the Welsh-like language of the second tribe (LR/177, 193), but Tolkien later changed that language to Sindarin and decided that the Noldor spoke a dialect of Quenya.

Noldóran

king of the noldor

Noldóran ("ñ")noun "King of the Noldor" (PM:343; evidently noldo + aran).

Noldorinwa

gnomish

Noldorinwa (ñ) adj. *"Gnomish", "Noldorin", "of the Noldor" (LT1:262, VT39:16); lower-case noldorinwa in Narqelion.

mólanoldorin

the language of the noldor enslaved by morgoth

mólanoldorin noun "the language of the Noldor enslaved by Morgoth" _(MŌ)_(Changed by Tolkien from múlanoldorin.)

múlanoldorin

the language of the noldor enslaved by morgoth

[múlanoldorin] noun "the language of the Noldor enslaved by Morgoth" (MŌ)(Changed by Tolkien to mólanoldorin.)

quenta noldorinwa

proper name. the History of the Noldor

Another title for the Quenta Silmarillion (WJ/27). It is a combination of quenta “tale” and the possessive form of Noldorin. As Noldorin is itself already an adjective, this name is best understood as the “Tale of the Noldorin (People)”.

Conceptual Development: The name ᴹQ. Qenta Noldorinwa was Tolkien’s original title of the cycle of tales that eventually became The Silmarillion (SM/77). Later, Tolkien introduced the name ᴹQ. Qenta Silmarillion which became the full title of the tales, while Quenta Noldorinwa became an alternate title (LR/202).

In later writings, this name appeared with a number of variations. In some cases its final element was the genitive plural of Noldo: Noldoron (VT39/16) or Noldorion (PM/30). Sometimes its initial element was quentalë “history” (VT39/16). This entry uses Quenta Noldorinwa for consistency with its earlier form.

ingolondë

place name. Country of the Noldor

An ancient name for the kingdom of the Noldor in Beleriand (LR/253), derived from a primitive word Ṇ̃golondē where the initial ñ- became syllabic and was therefore not lost (PE19/77). The meaning of the suffix -ndë is unclear, but a similar formation appears in the name Elendë “Elfland”; some of Tolkien’s notes from the 1930s indicate it may have been the result of ancient nasal-infixion (PE18/40).

Conceptual Development: This name was not used in the published version of The Silmarillion, but ᴹQ. Ingolonde appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/108, LR/253), where it was translated “Kingdom of the Gnomes” (LR/253). The name appeared in The Etymologies as a derivative of the root ᴹ√ÑGOLOD, where it is translated as “Land of the Gnomes” (Ety/ÑGOLOD). Its more detailed derivation (as noted above) appeared in the Tolkien’s writing on Quenya Phonology (PE19), in both the first version from the 1930s (PE19/36) and in the later version from the 1950s (PE19/77).

A possible early precursor to this name, ᴱQ. Noldomar “Gnomeland” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon (QL/67); see that entry for discussion.

Etyangoldi

exiled noldor

Etyangoldi ("ñ")noun "Exiled Noldor" _(WJ:374). _Sg. probably *Etyangol* (with stem Etyangold**-).

Noldolantë

the fall of the noldor

Noldolantë (ñ) noun "the Fall of the Noldor" (name of a song) (Silm)

etya

exiled noldor

#etya adj. initial element of Etyangoldor "Exiled Noldor", literal meaning likely something like "outer" or "outside" as adjective; compare preposition et.

etyangoldi

collective name. Exiled Noldor

A term for the Noldor as exiles (WJ/374). It is a compound of the adjective etya “exiled” and an archaic plural ✶Ñgoldi of Noldo.

noldolantë

proper name. Fall of the Noldor

A lament for the sins of the Noldor at the kinslaying in Alqualondë (S/87). It is a compound of the words Noldo and lantë “fall”.

tatyar

collective name. Seconds (original clan name of the Noldor)

An ancient name for the Noldor as the second tribe of Elves (WJ/380). It is simply the archaic adjective †tatya “second” used as a plural noun.

noldo-quentasta ingoldova

Ingoldo’s History of the Noldor

nolya

adjective. dark-haired, dark-haired, *brown-haired

A word for “dark-haired”, part of a paradigm in which the Elvish tribe names were derived from their predominant hair color, in notes perhaps from around 1959-60:

> √ÑGOL = dark-hued, dark-brown. OQ ñolda, dark-haired; but after special association with Clan, this was not much used; the colour word taking form ñolya (cf. vanya [= blonde > Vanyar]). The predominant colour of Noldorin hair was very dark brown; no Elf had absolute black hair (PE17/125).

In earlier iterations of this concept, Tolkien instead had Q. {losca, loksa “brown of hair” >> hrúva >>} hróva “dark, dark brown (of hair)”, but Tolkien then added ñolda as an alternative before marking the entire note as rejected (PE17/154-155).

Neo-Quenya: In this paradigm, Tolkien (temporarily) rejected the notion that √ÑGOL referred to wisdom, but this meaning was restored later (e.g. on PM/340 from 1968). However, I still think nolya might be used for “brown-haired” by way of a reversal of the association, where it referred to hair like the Noldor rather than being the basis of the tribe name.

quentalë

account, history

quentalë ("q") noun "account, history" (KWET), "narration, History" as abstract, but the word may also be used with a particular reference, as in quentalë Noldoron or quentalë Noldorinwa "the history of the Noldor", referring to the real events rather than an account of them: "that part of [universal] History which concerned the Noldor". (VT39:16; in this source the spelling really is "quentale" rather than "qentale")

telpë

silver

telpë noun "silver" (in one example with generalized meaning "money", PE14:54), telep- in some compounds like Teleporno; assimilated telem- in Telemnar and the adj. telemna (KYELEP/TELEP, SA:celeb, LT1:255, 268; also tyelpë, telep-, UT:266). The true Quenya descendant of primitive ¤kyelepē is tyelpë, but the Telerin form telpë was more common, "for the Teleri prized silver above gold, and their skill as silversmiths was esteemed even by the Noldor" (UT:266). In various names: Telperion the White Tree of Valinor; Telperien ("Telperiën"), fem. name including telp- "silver" (Appendix A); Telperinquar "Silver-fist, Celebrimbor" (SA:celeb - also Tyelperinquar); Telporno, Teleporno "Silver-high" = Sindarin _Celeborn(Letters:347, UT:266). _It seems that Teleporno is properly Telerin, Quenyarized as Telporno. Compare adjectives telemna, telpina, telepsa, telepta (q.v.)

telpë

noun. silver, silver; [ᴱQ.] money

This was the Quenya word for “silver” throughout Tolkien’s life. The word was derived from the root √KYELEP, which became †tyelpë in Quenya and S. celeb in Sindarin. However, the Quenya form of the word was influenced by Telerin telpë “because the Teleri in their lands, to the north of the Noldor, found a great wealth of silver, and became the chief silversmiths among the Eldar” (Let/426). The archaic Quenya form †tyelpë was retained for the name of the palatal series of tengwar consonants, the tyelpetéma (LotR/1120), but in ordinary use (and most names) the forms telpë or telep- (in compounds) were used.

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had ᴱQ. telpe based on the early root ᴱ√TELEPE, but its Gnomish cognate was G. celeb (QL/91). Tolkien did not explain this difference in these early documents from the 1910s. In Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s he had ᴱQ. telqe and ᴱN. celeb “silver” derived from primitive ᴱ✶kelekwé, explaining initial t in the Qenya form as the result of dissimilation away the kw (PE13/140).

In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien introduced a root ᴹ√KYELEP “silver” as an alternate to ᴹ√TELEP, with derivatives ᴹQ. telpe or tyelpe, N. celeb and ᴹT. telpe (Ety/KYELEP). He then said “Q telpe may be Telerin form (Teleri specially fond of silver, as Lindar of gold), in which case all forms may refer to KYELEP”. It seems that he stuck with this idea thereafter and abandoned ᴹ√TELEP.

Note that in the Early Qenya Grammar of the 1920s Tolkien used ᴱQ. telpe for “money” (PE14/54), and I would give telpë this meaning for purposes of Neo-Quenya as well, much like the French word argent means both “silver” and “money”.

tyelpë

silver

tyelpë noun "silver" (KYELEP/TELEP), etymology also in Letters:426 and UT:266. Tyelpë is the true Quenya descendant of primitive ¤kyelepē, but the Telerin form telpë was more common, "for the Teleri prized silver above gold, and their skill as silversmiths was esteemed even by the Noldor" (UT:266). In the Etymologies, tyelpë is also the name of Tengwa #1 with overposed dots, this symbol having the value ty (VT45:25). Cf. tyelpetéma as the name of the entire palatal series of the Tengwar system.

ñolda

dark-haired

†ñolda adj. "dark-haired" (PE17:125), associated with Noldor and hence not much used. Cf. nolya.

Quende#

noun. Elf

Elf

nolya

dark-haired

nolya ("ñ")adj. "dark-haired" (PE17:125), i.e. very dark brown

nyáre#

noun. account

account

quendë

elf

quendë noun "Elf", the little-used analogical sg. of Quendi, q.v. (KWEN(ED), WJ:361)

quenta#

noun. account

account

silma

silver, shining white

silma adj. "silver, shining white" (SIL), "crystal (white)" (PE17:23)

telempë

silver

telempë noun "silver" (LT1:268; in Tolkien's later Quenya telpë, which is actually also found in early "Qenya")

telepta

silver

telepta adj. "silver" (as adj.: silvery) (LT2:347), used as noun in the phrase mi telepta of someone clad "in silver", where the context (involving other colour-words) shows that this adj. describes something of silver colour(PE17:71). Compare telemna, telepsa, telpina.

telepta

adjective. silver, silver, *silver-coloured

An adjective for “silver” appearing in the phrase Sanome tarne Olórin, Arakorno, Eomer, Imrahil, mi mīse, mi telepta yo morna, mi laiqua yo ninque, mi luini, ta Gimli mi losseä “There stood Gandalf, Aragorn, Eomer and Imrahil in grey, in silver and black, in green and white, and in blue, and also Gimli in white” in notes from the mid-1960s (PE17/71).

Conceptual Development: The Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s had unglossed ᴱQ. telepta under the early root ᴱ√TELEPE whose derivatives had to do with silver (QL/91). A similar form ᴹQ. telepsa “of silver” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√KYELEP “silver”, which Tolkien equated to ᴹQ. telpina (Ety/KYELEP). This form telepsa may reflect the 1930s sound change whereby pt became ps; compare ᴹQ. lepse “finger” from ᴹ√LEPET (Ety/LEPET). Tolkien revised the entry for ᴹ√KYELEP, replacing telepsa with (unglossed) ᴹQ. telemna (Ety/KYELEP). The adjective telepta “silver” was restored in the 1960s (see above) after Tolkien abandoned the ps > pt sound change.

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya I would use this word primarily for silver as a color.

tyelpë

noun. silver