Alalminórë

From Tolkien Gateway
Alalminórë
Region
General Information
Other namesDor Lalmin, Gar Lossion (G)
Warwickshire (E)
LocationTol Eressëa
TypeRegion
Major settlementsKortirion
People and History
InhabitantsElves
After the Faring Forth, Men
EventsWanderings of Eriol

Alalminórë was the central region of the island of Tol Eressëa, according to the early version of the legendarium in The Book of Lost Tales.[1]

The region was regarded as the fairest part of the island, where many towns and villages of the Elves were located. It was also where Kortirion, the chief city of Tol Eressëa was situated in,[1] on the banks of the Gliding Water.[2]

History[edit | edit source]

After the March of Liberation and the defeat of Melko, many of the exiled Elves and Gnomes moved to Alalminórë, led by Ingil son of Inwë. There, they built the city of Koromas, later known as Kortirion due to the great tower that Ingil built there at the topmost part of the city.[1]

It was also where the Cottage of Lost Play could be found, which Eriol, the Mannish mariner, visited on his sojourn in Tol Eressëa.[1] Another place in the city that he visited was the home of Meril-i-Turinqi[note 1][3], the Lady of Tol Eressëa, at the foot of Ingil's tower in a korin of elms.[4] A famous half-fay minstrel, Tinfang, loved to visit Alalminórë above all the other parts of the island.[5]

Sometime during the 5th century AD, following the disastrous Faring Forth and the dragging of Tol Eressëa across the Ocean to be anchored off the coast of the Great Lands, Men invaded the island, along with other evil creatures, such as Orcs and Trolls, which resulted in the displacement and eventual fading of the Elves on the island.[6]

However, not all Men were hostile to the Elves, and these became the ancestors of the English. One of them was Hengest son of Eriol, who invaded Kortirion, and made it his capital, afterwards known as Warwíc and eventually as Warwick - with Alalminórë, the region surrounding Warwick, becoming known as Warwickshire.[7][8]

Etymology and names[edit | edit source]

The name Alalminórë is in Qenya, meaning the "Land of Elms". It consists of the elements alalmë ("elm") + nórë ("land").[9] Its Gnomish cognate is Dor Lalmin,[10] with earlier forms of the name being Lalmindor and Dor na Lalmion.[11]

It was also called Gar Lossion in Gnomish, meaning the "Place of Flowers", from gar(th) ("place, district") + lossion, a plural of lôs ("flower").[12] The earlier forms of the name were Losgar[13], Lothrod[11] and Losior[14].

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

Early legendarium[edit | edit source]

In some of the outlines for the continuation of The Book of Lost Tales, Tolkien decided to completely change the nature of the framework of the tales. In that reimagining of the legendarium, Tol Eressëa ceased to be identified with England/British Isles - instead, it became a completely different island, and Great Britain became the island of Luthany, while the mariner that came there was called Ælfwine, an Englishman sailing from England.[15]

So, as opposed to the previous conception, where the Elves of the Great Lands sailed directly to Tol Eressëa following the defeat of Melko in the March of Liberation, the Elves now sailed to Luthany instead.

There, they built many cities and settlements - and, after their eventual return to Tol Eressëa, named many places there after the ones in Luthany. For example, the city of Kortirion (the New) in Tol Eressëa was named after Kortirion the Old (i.e. Warwick) in Luthany.[16]

In one text from c. 1920, called Ælfwine of England, Alalminórë (Warwickshire) is mentioned as the region surrounding the town of Kortirion (the Old) ruled by Óswine, the Prince of Gwar, who was friendly to the Elves that still lived on the island, many of whom congregated in Alalminórë.[17]

Later legendarium[edit | edit source]

In the later legendarium, there appears the Quenya name Alalvinórë, glossed as the "Land of Many Elms".[18] It consists of the elements alalvëa ("having many elms") + nórë ("land, country").

Since this name was never used in any narrative, however, it is unclear how it would have been applied in the post-The Lord of the Rings mythology.

The name itself was changed from the earlier forms Alalminórë and Alalbinórë.[19]

The place (identified there with Warwickshire) was also called Alalminor in the poem The Trees of Kortirion from c. 1962.[20]

Inspiration[edit | edit source]

Alalminórë was inspired by Warwickshire, a region of England in which the town of Warwick (which served as the inspiration for the city of Kortirion) is situated in.[21]

Notes

  1. According to one rejected text, the Vala Erinti also dwelt in Alalminórë after the arrival of Elves to Tol Eressëa. She served as a literary precursor to Meril-i-Turinqi.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "I. The Cottage of Lost Play", p. 16
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "I. The Cottage of Lost Play", Kortirion among the Trees (pre-1937), p. 33
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Qenyaqetsa: The Qenya Phonology and Lexicon", in Parma Eldalamberon XII (edited by Carl F. Hostetter, Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, and Patrick H. Wynne), p. 36
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "IV. The Chaining of Melko", p. 95
  5. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "IV. The Chaining of Melko", p. 94
  6. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "I. The Cottage of Lost Play": "Notes and Commentary", p. 26
  7. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "VI. The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales", p. 293
  8. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "I. The Cottage of Lost Play": "Notes and Commentary", p. 25
  9. Paul Strack, "ᴱQ. Alalminóre loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 29 April 2022)
  10. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Sí Qente Feanor and Other Elvish Writings", in Parma Eldalamberon XV (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Patrick H. Wynne, and Bill Welden), "Names and Required Alterations", p. 7
  11. 11.0 11.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, "I-Lam na-Ngoldathon: The Grammar and Lexicon of the Gnomish Tongue", in Parma Eldalamberon XI (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, and Patrick H. Wynne), p. 52
  12. Paul Strack, "G. Gar Lossion loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 29 April 2022)
  13. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Sí Qente Feanor and Other Elvish Writings", in Parma Eldalamberon XV (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, Patrick H. Wynne, and Bill Welden), "Names and Required Alterations", p. 5
  14. J.R.R. Tolkien, "I-Lam na-Ngoldathon: The Grammar and Lexicon of the Gnomish Tongue", in Parma Eldalamberon XI (edited by Christopher Gilson, Arden R. Smith, and Patrick H. Wynne), p. 54
  15. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "VI. The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales", pp. 300-1
  16. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "VI. The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales", outline 27, pp. 307-8
  17. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part Two, "VI. The History of Eriol or Ælfwine and the End of the Tales": "Ælfwine of England", pp. 313, 324
  18. 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. 153
  19. Paul Strack, "Q. Alalvinóre loc.", Eldamo - An Elvish Lexicon (accessed 29 April 2022)
  20. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "I. The Cottage of Lost Play", The Trees of Kortirion, p. 40
  21. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Book of Lost Tales Part One, "I. The Cottage of Lost Play": "Notes and Commentary", pp. 24-5