Valinor

the land (or people) of the valar

Valinor place-name "the land (or people) of the Valar", *"Vali-land" (Vali = Valar), land of the Gods in the West (BAL, NDOR); cf. Valandor. Full form Valinórë (BAL; Vali-nórëunder NDOR).Said to be "the true Eldarin name of Aman", the latter name being explained as a borrowing from Valarin in some versions of the linguistic scenario (VT49:26). In the early "Qenya Lexicon", Valinor, Valinórë is glossed "Asgard", the name of the city of the gods in Norse mythology (LT1:272). It seems that in such more restricted use, Valinor is not the entire Blessed Realm but rather the specific region beyond the Pelóri where (most of) the Valar dwelt, with Val(i)mar as the chief city. Thus it is said of Eärendil that he "went into Valinor and to the halls of Valimar" only after he had already left his ship and ventured as far as Tirion (Silmarillion, chapter 24). Possessive Valinóreva in Nurtalë Valinóreva, the "Hiding of Valinor", the possessive case here assuming the function of object genitive (Silm); genitive Valinórëo in Yénië Valinórëo "Annals of Valinor" (MR:200; the last word was changed from Valinóren, Tolkien revising the genitive ending from -n to -o)

Valarauco

demon of might

Valarauco ("k") noun "Demon of Might" (here vala- assumes its basic meaning "power, might"), Sindarin balrog(WJ:415). Pl. Valaraucar (sic, not -or) "Balrogs", apparently containing rauca (q.v.) as an alternative form of rauco "demon" (SA:val-, SA:rauco). Earlier forms from the "Qenya Lexicon" are Valcaraucë, Malcaraucë (q.v.), apparently abandoned in LotR-style Quenya.

Ainu

holy one, angelic spirit

Ainu noun "holy one, angelic spirit"; fem. Aini (AYAN, LT1:248); "one of the 'order' of the Valar and Maiar, made before Eä"; pl. Ainur is attested. Adopted and adapted from Valarin ayanūz(WJ:399). In the early "Qenya Lexicon", ainu was glossed "a pagan god", and aini was similarly "a pagan goddess", but as Christopher Tolkien notes, "Of course no one within the context of the mythology can call the Ainur 'pagan' " (LT1:248). Ainulindalë noun "Music of the Ainur" (SA:lin #2), the First History (WJ:406), the Song of Creation (AYAN)

corin

circular enclosure

corin ("k")noun "circular enclosure" (KOR). In the early "Qenya Lexicon", this word was defined as "a circular enclosure, especially on a hill-top" (LT1:257). (Con-)alcorin ("k") *"blessed garth (in the centre)" (VT27:20, 23, 24)

nelcë

tooth

nelcë ("k")noun "tooth", also nelet (VT46:3)

nelet

tooth

nelet, also nelcë ("k")noun "tooth", pl. nelci ("k") suggesting a stem-form nelc- (NÉL-EK)

miruvor

mead

miruvor, full form miruvórë noun "mead", "a special wine or cordial"; possessive miruvóreva "of mead" (Nam, RGEO:66; WJ:399).In the "Qenya Lexicon", miruvórë was defined "nectar, drink of the Valar" (LT1:261).

cormë

circular enclosure, garth

cormë ("k")noun "circular enclosure, garth", or possibly mound" (VT27:20, 24, 25)

carca

tooth

carca noun "tooth" (KARAK) or "fang" (SA:carak-). In a deleted version of the entry in question, the glosses were "tooth, spike, peak" (VT45:19). When referring to a normal tooth, not necessarily sharp, the word nelet is probably to be preferred. Cf. also pl. carcar _("karkar") _in Markirya, there translated "rocks", evidently referring to sharp rocks. Already the early "Qenya Lexicon" has carca ("k")"fang, tooth, tusk" (LT2:344). Collective carcanë, q.v.

carch

noun. tooth, fang

naes

tooth

(no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36).

nagol

tooth

1) *nagol (analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath*; possibly the analogical form nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested. 2) naes (no distinct pl. form) (VT45:36). 3) nêl (note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig). 4) (fang) carch (i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch**).

nagol

tooth

(analogical pl. negyl, coll. pl. naglath; possibly the analogical form ✱nagolath would also be acceptable). Only the coll. pl. naglath is attested.

cerin

circular enclosure

cerin (i gerin, o cherin) (circular raised mound), no distinct pl. form except with article (i cherin).:

nêl

tooth

(note: a homophone means ”three”), stem neleg-, whence pl. nelig. Also simply neleg (pl. nelig).

carch

tooth

(i garch, o charch), pl. cerch (i cherch).

nelek

root. tooth

Derivatives

• At. nele “tooth” ✧ PE21/71

Variations

• nelek ✧ PE21/71

naes

noun. tooth

Derivations

• ᴹ✶nakse “tooth” ✧ EtyAC/NAK
  • ᴹ√NAK “bite” ✧ EtyAC/NAK

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
ᴹ✶nakse > naes	[nakse] > [naksa] > [naxsa] > [naisa] > [nais] > [naes]	✧ EtyAC/NAK

nagol

noun. tooth

nagol

noun. tooth

Tolkien used various “teeth” words related to the root √NAK “bite” throughout his life. The earliest of these was G. naith “a tooth” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s, where its connection to the early root ᴱ√NAKA “bite” was made more clear by its archaic plural form nacthin (GL/59). In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. naes derived from primitive ᴹ✶nakse under the root ᴹ√NAK “bite” (EtyAC/NAK). As suggested by David Salo (GL/275), another variant ✱nagol “tooth” is suggested by the class plural naglath in the names from Lord of the Rings drafts of 1940s: Naglath Morn “Teeth of Mordor” (WR/122) and Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” (WR/137), neither of which made it into the published version.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d recommend using N. nêl or N. neleg for “tooth” words. Primitive ᴹ✶nakse would likely produce ✱nach rather than naes under Sindarin’s phonetic rules; compare S. ach “neck” < ✶aks[e] (PE17/92). As for N. nagol, it was also likely abandoned.

Derivations

• ᴹ√NAK “bite”

Element in

• N. Kirith Naglath “Cleft of the Teeth” ✧ WR/137
• N. Naglath Morn “Teeth of Mordor” ✧ WR/122 (Naglath Morn)

neleg

noun. tooth

neleg

noun. tooth

The most common word for “tooth”, appearing in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK). See variant N. nêl “tooth” for further discussion.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nelet “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

Derivations

• On. nele “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK
  • ᴹ√NELEK “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK; PE21/56

Element in

• N. Neleglos “White Tooth” ✧ WR/106
• N. Neleg Thilim “Gleaming Tooth” ✧ WR/106
• N. Nelig Myrn “Teeth of Mordor” ✧ WR/113

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. neleki > neleg	[nelek] > [neleg]	✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

Variations

• Neleg ✧ WR/106

naglath

noun. the teeth

nêl

noun. tooth

nêl

noun. tooth

A word appearing as N. nêl “tooth” in The Etymologies of the 1930s derived from the root ᴹ√NELEK of the same meaning (Ety/NÉL-EK). It was one of a rare set of primitive words with final k, which was lost in very early stages of the language, to produce ON. nele (PE21/56). Its ON. plural was neleki, which produced nelig in the modern form of the language. Since the plural preserved the stop lost in the simplex, an alternate form N. neleg was restored from the plural.

This longer form neleg appeared as an element in a number of names from Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s: {N. Neleg Thilim “Gleaming Tooth” >>} N. Neleglos “White Tooth” (WR/106) and N. Nelig Myrn “Teeth of Mordor” (WR/113). None of these names made it into the published version. However, primitive √nelek “tooth” was mentioned as the basis for Ancient Telerin nele “tooth” in notes from the early 1950s, again with loss of final k and plural neleki (PE21/71-72).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I’d use neleg as the ordinary word for “tooth”, and limit nêl to the final element of compounds.

Cognates

• ᴹQ. nelet “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

Derivations

• On. nele “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK
  • ᴹ√NELEK “tooth” ✧ Ety/NÉL-EK; PE21/56

Element in

• ᴺS. molnel “molar”
• ᴺS. nagnel “incisor (tooth)”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
On. nele > nêl	[nele] > [nel] > [nēl]	✧ Ety/NÉL-EK

carch

noun. tooth, fang