Kibil-nâla

From Tolkien Gateway
Main article: Celebrant

Kibil-nâla was the Dwarvish name for the river that ran through Lothlórien, known to the Elves as Celebrant and to Men as the Silverlode.[1]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

  • kibil ("silver") + nâla (?"channel; path; rivercourse")

The river's name seems to come originally from the workings of the Dwarves, as they seem to have discovered silver in the river.[2]

Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]

In the earliest drafts of Appendix A, the river's name was given as Zigil-nâd.[3] Considering the meaning of zigil, Edouard Kloczko has proposed that Kibil-nâla is not the name of the actual river, but only of "the reappearance of the river". He connects kibil to Adûnaic khibil, "spring".[4] This seems unlikely, as Tolkien explicitly stated: "Silverlode dwarfish [sic] Kibilnâla".[5]

References