Earliest name for S. Deldúwath appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the early 1930s, glossed “Deadly Nightshade” (SM/299). It is a combination of G. math “dusk”, N. fuin “night” and a variant form delos of deloth “abhorrence”.
Noldorin
taur-na-fuin
place name. Forest of Night
Changes
Dor-na-Fuin→ Taur-na-Fuin ✧ Ety/ÑGOROTH- Taur-na-Fuin → Taur-nu-Fuin ✧ LB/348
- Taur-na-Fuin → Taur-nu-Fuin ✧ LR/300
- Taur-na-Fuin → Taur-nu-Fuin “Forest of Night” ✧ LRI/Taur-na-Fuin
- Taur-na-Fuin → Taur-nu-Fuin ✧ WJ/126
- Taur-na-Fuin → Taur-nu-Fuin ✧ WJI/Taur-nu-Fuin
Cognates
- ᴹQ. Taure Huinéva “*Forest of Shadow” ✧ Ety/PHUY
Variations
- Taur na Fuin ✧ Ety/PHUY
- Dor-na-Fuin ✧ EtyAC/ÑGOROTH (
Dor-na-Fuin)- Taur na Phuin ✧ PE22/041
math-fuin-delos
place name. Deadly Nightshade
Changes
- Math-Fuin-delos → Gwath-Fuin-daidelos ✧ SM/311
- Math-Fuin-delos → Gwath-Fuin-daidelos ✧ SMI/Gwath-Fuin-daidelos
- Math-Fuin-delos → Gwath-Fuin-daidelos “Deadly Nightshade” ✧ SMI/Math-Fuin-delos
Elements
Word Gloss math “dusk” fuin “night, dead of night” deloth “abhorrence, detestation, loathing”
gwathfuin-daidelos
place name. Deadly Nightshade
An earlier name for S. Deldúwath appearing in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, glossed “Deadly Nightshade” (LR/133) or “Night of Dread’s Shadow” (LR/406). It is a combination of gwath “shade”, fuin “night” and Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear”.
Changes
- Gwathfuin-Daidelos → Deldúwath ✧ LR/147
Elements
Word Gloss gwath “shade” fuin “night, dead of night” Daedhelos “Shadow of Fear” Variations
- Fuin Daidelos ✧ LR/406; LRI/Fuin Daidelos
- Gwath-Fuin-daidelos ✧ SM/311; SMI/Gwath-Fuin-daidelos; SMI/Math-Fuin-delos
deldúwath
place name. Deadly Nightshade
Element in
- N. Taur-na-Delduath “*Forest of Deadly Nightshade”
Variations
- Deldú(w)ath ✧ Ety/DYEL
- Deldúath ✧ TII/Deldúath
Earlier name of S. Taur-nu-Fuin, this form of the name first appeared in The Lays of Beleriand (LB/34). Early in this period, Tolkien often translated this name as “Deadly Nightshade” (LB/34, SM/103, SM/299), but he eventually decided that this translation was actually a second name for the forest, whose Elvish form was N. Deldúwath.
In The Etymologies, Tolkien also posited that this name was a punning alteration of N. Dor-na-Thuin, the proper Noldorin form of Ilk. Dorthonion, the name of the region before it was corrupted by Morgoth (Ety/THŌN). When the Noldorin language became Sindarin, this development no longer made sense.