ëalar

From Tolkien Gateway

ëalar is a Quenya word which referred to such spirits who did not require a body in order to be complete. Eälar are contrasted with fëar, which are the souls of beings whose natural state is to be incarnated in a body.[1]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The word is the plural of Quenya ëala ("being"),[1] and seems to be related to the Quenya verb ëa ("be, exist").

It has been suggested that -la is the present participle ending of verbs (cf. "-ing"; but Quenya -la only forms adjectival participles).[2]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), Morgoth's Ring, "Part Three. The Later Quenta Silmarillion: (I) The First Phase: 3. Of the Coming of the Elves", p. 165 (commentary on §18)
  2. Helge Fauskanger, "The Markirya Poem" (accessed 4 March 2011)