Father-name

From Tolkien Gateway

The father-name[note 1] was the name given to an Elf at or near birth by his or her father, and was considered one of his or her 'true names'. It is one of the anessi, or given names, of High Elves, along with the amilessë ("mother-name") and epessë ("after-name" or honorific). The father-name was a public name, announced in a ceremony called Essecarmë ("name-making").[1] It was often the primary name of an Elf until he or she chose to adopt an epessë given to them.[2]

An example is Finrod Felagund, whose father-name was Findaráto ("[Golden-]Haired Champion")[3] and epessë was Felagund ("Hewer of Caves").[4] The name Finrod is the Sindarin version of his father-name.

Notes

  1. There is no attested Quenya term for this name, but we can conjecture it is ataressë.

References

  1. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Three. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: (II) The Second Phase: Laws and Customs among the Eldar, Of Naming", p. 214-5
  2. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "Note on Mother-names", p. 339
  3. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The names of Finwë's descendants", p. 346
  4. J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Peoples of Middle-earth, "XI. The Shibboleth of Fëanor", "The Dwarvish origin of the name Felagund", p. 351