Aen

aen is a Sindarin word which probably means "should", "rather", "they" or generally a passive voice marker; its exact meaning, usage and etymology is unclear.

Etymology

The word is not easy to be analyzed. If its meaning is "should", there is a possibility that it is a cognate or related to the Quenya expression nai "may it be that".

Example

The word aen is seen in the phrase of The King's Letter

• i sennui "Panthael" estathar aen

This is translated as "who ought to be called 'Fullwise'" (referring to Samwise).

Syntax

aen follows the verb estathar which is future tense and means "they will name". It is not known if aen can follow verbs of other tenses. Likewise, it is not known if aen is the pronoun ("they should name him Fullwiise"); a marker of the passive voice ("He should be called Fullwise"); or an optative marker which expresses a wish ("Whom instead should call Fullwise").

Another riddle is the word sennui which is also of unknown meaning, with possibilities being "should" or "instead".

See also

• sennui
• nai