elen
elen (pl. eleni or eldi) means "star" in Quenya.[1]
The Edain, however, equated elen and elda ("Elf"), so in some situations elen translates as "Elf".
[edit] Etymology
It is said traditionally to come from the exclamation ele! "behold" being the first word the first Elves spoke at Cuiviénen, when they saw the stars.
[edit] Other forms
- elenna "to a star": allative, also a name for Númenor.[3]
- elelli "stars": partitive plural[4]
- elenion "of stars": pl. genitive[5]
- elenillor "from stars": pl. ablative[6]
[edit] Seen in
[edit] With the meaning "Elf"
[edit] Examples
- "Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo" ("a star shines on the hour of our meeting")[7]
[edit] Inspiration
El means "deity" in some Semitic languages, and is a common element in many Hebrew names, as happens with Elvish names. Dante Alighieri in his De vulgari eloquentia suggests that the word El was the first sound emitted by Adam: While the first utterance of humans after birth is a cry of pain, Dante assumed that Adam could only have made an exclamation of joy, which at the same time was addressing his Creator.[source?]
[edit] References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Silmarillion, "Appendix: Elements in Quenya and Sindarin Names", elen
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, "Part Three: The Etymologies", EL
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Unfinished Tales, Cirion and Eorl
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 127
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 297, (dated August 1967), p. 385
- ↑ The Monsters and the Critics, Markirya
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, "Three is Company"