nuru

noun. death, death [abstract]

A word for “death” in The Etymologies of the 1930s under the root ᴹ√ÑGUR, where Tolkien said its personification was Mandos (Ety/ÑGUR). Tolkien also use this word as “death” in the phrase ᴹQ. núruhuine méne lumna “death-shadow on-us is-heavy” (LR/47, 56; SD/310).

Conceptual Development: A possible precursor to this word is ᴱQ. urdu “death” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√GWṚÐṚ “die” (QL/104), given as a cognate to G. gurthu in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon (GL/43). A variant of this form seems to have been briefly restored in Quenya prayers from the 1950s as incomplete urtulm..., probably Q. urtu with a possessive suffix, but this was quickly replaced by Q. fírië “death” (VT43/27, 34).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I would use the word nuru for death as an abstract force or concept (Death), as opposed to the death of individuals which would be fírie (if natural or peaceful) or [ᴹQ.] qualme (if undesired or painful). This is the way its cognate [N.] guru was used (Ety/WAN).

nurufantur

masculine name. Lord of Death-cloud

A surname of Mandos as lord of the dead in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/207). In The Etymologies it was given as a compound of nuru “death” and Fantur “Lord of Cloud”, the latter of which also appeared in the surname of his brother, Olofantur (Ety/ÑGUR, SPAN).

Conceptual Development: The first form of this name in the earliest Lost Tales was ᴱQ. Vefántur “Fantur of Death”, where the initial element ᴱQ. Vê was another name of Mandos (LT1/76; QL/37, 100). In early Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s this became ᴹQ. Nefantur (SM/166) and finally Nurufantur (LR/207). This name disappeared from Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, but the term Q. Fëanturi was still used to collectively describe Mandos and Lórien.

nur-

verb. to grow/be dark

A verb for “grow, be dark” in the Quenya Verbal System for the 1940s from a root ᴹ√NDUR of the same meaning (PE22/103). In The Etymologies of the 1930s the root ᴹ√N(D)UR meant “bow down, serve”, but the sense “grow dark” may be related to ᴹ√NDŪ “go down, sink, set (of Sun)” (Ety/NDŪ), as with the etymology of later S. dûr “dark” (PE17/152). Alternately, the sense “be dark” may be tied to the later (hypothetical) root ✱√DU that is the possible basis for darkness words like Q. lúmë “darkness” (MC/222) or Q. lúna “dark” (PE17/22).

Conceptual Development: A possible precursor is the verb ᴱQ. lur-, appearing only in 3rd-sg masculine form lurdon in the phrase ᴱQ. surussin lurdon lausto from one of the early drafts of Oilima Markirya poem written around 1930 (PE16/60). The phrase is untranslated, but Gilson, Welden and Hostetter suggested the verb might mean “to be dark” (of the wind), related to words like ᴱQ. lúre “dark weather”.

núruhuine méne lumna

death-shadow is heavy on us