Elen
From Tolkien Gateway
elen (pl. eleni or eldi) means "star" in Quenya.
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.[1]
- elelli "stars": partitive plural[2]
- elenion "of stars": pl. genitive[3]
- elenillor "from stars": pl. ablative[4]
[edit] Seen in
[edit] With the meaning "Elf"
[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.
