The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Aluin See Lúmin.

  Amillo This appears in QL but with no indication of meaning; A million is Amillo’s month, February (one of the most ‘primitive’ entries).

  Angaino Together with angayassë ‘misery’, angaitya ‘torment’, Angaino is given in QL separately from the ‘iron’ words (see Angamandi) and was first defined as ‘a giant’, emended to ‘the great chain’. In GL Melko has a name Angainos, with a note: ‘Do not confuse Gnomish Angainos with Qenya Angaino (Gnomish Gainu), the great chain of tilkal.’ Under Gainu there is a later note: ‘popularly connected with ang “iron” but really = “tormentor”.’

  Angamandi QL has anga ‘iron’ (which is the a of tilkal, p. 100), angaina ‘of iron’, Angaron(ti) ‘Mountains of Iron’, and Angamandu or Eremandu ‘Hells of Iron’ (added later: ‘or Angamandi, plural’). The Gnomish forms are ang ‘iron’ (as in Angol, see under Eriol), angrin ‘of iron’, Angband—which, strangely, is said in GL to be ‘Melko’s great fortress after the battle of Countless Lamentation down to the battle of the Twilit Pool’ (when Tulkas finally overthrew Melko). See Mandos.

  Angol See Eriol.

  Arvalin See Eruman.

  Aryador This is said (p. 119) to be the name among Men of Hisilómë but according to GL it was a word of Ilkorin origin, meaning ‘land or place of shadow’ QL Arëandor, Arëanor ‘name of a mountainous district, the abode of the Shadow Folk’ (see p. 237). See Eruman.

  Asgon GL has Asgon ‘name of a lake in Dor Lómin (Hisilómë), Q. Aksanda’ QL has aksa ‘waterfall’, of which the Gnomish equivalent is given as acha of the same meaning. (No light is cast on the later name Mithrim in the dictionaries.)

  Aulë A word aulë ‘shaggy’ is given in QL as a derivative from a root owo (whence also oa ‘wool’, uë ‘fleece’), but without any indication that this is to be connected with the name of the Vala. The Gnomish form of his name is óla, changed to óli, without further information. In the Valar name-list Aulë is called also Tamar or Tamildo. These are given in QL without translation under root TAMA ‘smelt, forge’, with tambë ‘copper’ (the t of tilkal, p. 100), tambina ‘of copper’, tamin ‘forge’ Gnomish words are tam ‘copper’, tambin ‘of copper’, tambos ‘cauldron’. For other names of Aulë see Talka Marda.

  Aulenossë For nossë ‘kin, people’ see Valinor.

  Aur Gnomish name of the Sun; see Ûr.

  Balrog GL defines Balrog as ‘a kind of fire-demon; creatures and servants of Melko’. With the article the form is i’Malrog, plural i’Malraugin. Separate entries give bal ‘anguish’ (original initial consonant mb-), balc ‘cruel’ and graug ‘demon’. Qenya forms are mentioned: araukë and Malkaraukë. In QL Malkaraukë with other words such as malkanë ‘torture’ are given under a root MALA (MBALA) ‘(crush), hurt, damage’, but the relation of this to MALA ‘crush, squeeze’ (see Olórë Mallë) was apparently not decided. There are also Valkaraukë and Valkanë ‘torture’, but again the relationship is left obscure.

  Bráglorin Defined in the text (p. 187) as ‘the blazing vessel’, but translated in GL as ‘Golden Wain, a name of the Sun’, with a note: ‘also in analytical form i·Vreda ‘Loriol’ brada ‘waggon, wain’. For-glorin see Laurelin.

  Bronweg GL has Bronweg ‘(the constant one), name of a famous Gnome’, with related words as brod, bronn ‘steadfast’, bronweth ‘constancy’. In QL Voronwë (see p. 48) ‘the faithful’ is derived from the root VORO, with vor, voro ‘ever’, voronda ‘faithful’, vorima ‘everlasting’, etc. Cf. Vorotemnar.

  The common ending -weg is not given in GL, but cf. gweg ‘man’, plural gwaith.

  Cüm a Gumlaith ‘The Mound of the First Sorrow’, tomb of Bruithwir, p. 149. GL cûm ‘mound, especially burial-mound’ (also cum- ‘lie’, cumli ‘couch’); gumlaith ‘weariness of spirit, grief’ (blaith ‘spirit’).

  Cûm a Thegranaithos See preceding entry. GL thegra ‘first, foremost’, thegor ‘chief’ naitha- ‘lament, weep, wail for’, naithol ‘miserable’.

  Danuin GL has dana ‘day (24 hours)’, with reference to Qenya sana (not in QL); Dana was an earlier reading for Danuin (p. 222). The same element appears in Lomendánar ‘Days of Gloaming’.

  Dor Faidwen Gnomish dôr (< ndor-) ‘(inhabited) land, country, people of the land’ see Valinor.

  Dor Faidwen is translated in the text ‘Land of Release’ (p. 13); GL has faidwen ‘freedom’ and many related words, as fair ‘free’, faith ‘liberty’, etc. In QL under root FAYA appear faire ‘free’, fairië ‘freedom’, fainu- ‘release’.

  Dor Faidwen was the final Gnomish name of Tol Eressëa after many changes (p. 21), but little light can be cast on the earlier forms. Gar in Gar Eglos is a Gnomish word meaning ‘place, district’. Dor Us(g)wen: GL gives the stem us- ‘leave, depart’ (also uthwen ‘way out, exit’), and QL under root USU ‘escape’ has uswë ‘issue, escape’ and usin ‘he escapes’.

  Dor Lómin See Valinor, Hisilómë.

  Eärendel In an annotated list of names accompanying The Fall of Gondolin there is a suggestion, attributed to Littleheart son of Voronwë, that Eärendel had ‘some kinship to the Elfin ea and earen “eagle” and “eyrie”’, and in QL these words (both given the meaning ‘eagle’) are placed with Eärendel, though not explicitly connected. In the tale itself it is said that ‘there are many interpretations both among Elves and Men’ of the name Eärendel, with a suggestion that it was a word of ‘some secret tongue’ spoken by the people of Gondolin.

  GL has an entry: Ioringli ‘true Gnomish form of Eärendel’s name, though the Eldar-form has been also adopted and often is met in transition state as Iarendel, Iorendel’ (on the distinction between ‘Gnomish’ and ‘Eldar’ see p. 50). Gnomish words for ‘eagle’ are ior, ioroth.

  In QL is an entry Eärendilyon ‘son of Eärendel (used of any mariner)’ cf. p. 13.

  Eldamar For the first element see Eldar.—In QL the following words are given in a group: mar (mas-) ‘dwelling of men, the Earth, -land’, mardo ‘dweller’, masto ‘village’, and -mas equivalent to English -ton, -by in place-names (cf. Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva; Koromas; i·Talka Marda ‘Smith of the World’, Aulë). In GL are bar ‘home’ (< mbar-), and derivatives, as baros ‘hamlet’, also -bar as suffix ‘dweller’, or ‘home, -ham’.

  The Gnomish equivalent of Eldamar was Eglobar (Gnomish Egla = Qenya Elda): ‘Eglobar “Elfinesse” = Q. Eldamar, i.e. Elfhome; the land on the edge of Valinor where the fairies dwelt and built Côr. Also in forms Eglabar, Eglamar, Eglomar.’ In QL Eldamar is said, in a very early entry, to be ‘the rocky beach in western Inwinórë (Faëry)’ ‘upon this rock was the white town built called Kôr’.

  Eldar In QL Elda is given separately, without etymological connections, and defined as ‘a beach-fay or Solosimpë (shore-piper)’. This is a glimpse of an earlier conception than that found in the Lost Tales: the Eldar were originally the Sea-elves. GL has the entry Egla ‘“a being from outside”, name of the fairies given by the Valar and largely adopted by them, ="Q." Elda’ (see p. 235); also eg, êg ‘far away, distant’. The association of Eldar with the stars does not go back to the beginning.

  Erinti She appears in QL in an isolated, early entry (afterwards struck through). Nothing is ever told of Erinti in the Lost Tales, but in this note she is called the Vala of love, music, and beauty, also named Lotessë and Akairis (‘bride’), sister of Noldorin and Amillo. These three alone (i.e. of the Valar) have left Valinor, and dwell in Inwenórë (Tol Eressëa); she herself dwells in Alalminórë in a korin of elms guarded by the fairies. The second half of the month of avestalis (January) is called Erintion.

  There is no trace of this elsewhere; but clearly, when Erinti became the daughter of Manwë and Varda her dwelling in Alalminórë was taken over by Meril-i-Turinqi, the Lady of Tol Eressëa.

  In the Valar name-list Erinti is called also Kalainis; this word appears in QL with the meaning ‘May’, one of many derivatives from the root KALA (see Galmir).

  Eriol In The Cottage of Lost Play (p. 14) Eriol is translated ‘One w
ho dreams alone’. In QL the elements of this interpretation are given under the roots ERE ‘remain alone’ (see Tol Eressëa) and LORO ‘slumber’ (see Lórien). In GL appears the note cited on p. 24 that Gnomish Angol and Qenya Eriollo were the names of the region ‘between the seas’ whence Eriol came (="Angeln" in the Danish peninsula); and in an isolated note elsewhere Angol is derived from ang ‘iron’ and ôl ‘cliff’, while Eriol is said to mean the same—‘this being the name of the fairies for the parts [sic] of his home (ironcliffs)’. Meril refers to ‘the black coasts of your home’ (p. 96). In this note the interpretation ‘One who dreams alone’ is said to be a pun on Lindo’s part.

  For ang ‘iron’ see Angamandi. GL has ol, óla ‘cliff, seaward precipice’, with Qenya forms ollo, old. ere(n) ‘iron or steel’ is given in QL, and this element appears also in the alternative name Eremandu for Angamandu, ‘Hells of Iron’.

  Eruman The names of this region are as difficult as the original conception of the region itself (see p. 91 ff.). The form Erumáni (which occurs in the Tales as well as Eruman) appears in QL under ERE ‘out’ (cf. Neni Erúmëar) without further information. GL has a long entry under Edhofon, which="Q." Erumáni: it is a ‘dark land outside Valinor and to the south of the Bay of Faëry, that ran right up to the bases of the western side of the Mountains of Valinor; its farthest northern point touched upon the roots of Taniquetil, hence Edhofon < Eðusmn-, i.e. beyond the abode of the Mánir. Hence also the Q. title Afalinan or Arvalion, i.e. nigh Valinor.’ The implication of this seems to be that Taniquetil was ‘the abode of the Mánir’, as is comprehensible, since the Mánir were particularly associated with Manwë (the Gnomish words móna, móni are defined as ‘spirits of the air, children of Manwë’), and therefore Eruman was beyond (south of) their abode. See Mánir.

  GL also states that Edhofon was called Garioth; and Garioth is ‘the true Gnome form’ of the name Aryador (a word of Ilkorin origin) ‘land of shadow’, though applied not to Hisilómë but to Edhofon / Eruman.

  According to QL Harwalin ‘near the Valar’ contains har(e) ‘near’ the entries in GL are too confusing to cite, for the forms of Harwalin / Arvalin were changed over and over again. A late entry in GL gives a prefix ar- ‘beside, along with’. For Habbanan see Valar.

  Falassë Númëa Translated in the text (p. 124) as ‘Western Surf’ see Falman, Númë.

  Falman In QL the root FALA has derivatives falma ‘foam’, falmar ‘wave as it breaks’, falas(s) ‘shore, beach’, Falman="Ossë" cf. Falassë Númea, Falmaríni. GL has falm ‘breaker, wave’, falos ‘sea-marge, surf’, Falmon or Falathron ‘names of Otha [Ossë], ="Q." Falman and Falassar’.

  Falmaríni See Falman.

  Fanturi In QL fantur, without translation but with reference to Lórien and Mandos, is given under root FANA, with several derivatives all referring to visions, dreams, falling asleep. In GL (a late entry) the form is Fanthor, plural i·Fanthaurin ‘the name of each of the two brothers, of sleep, of death’.

  Fanuin GL has fann ‘a year’. For the rejected names Lathos, Lathweg (p. 222) see Gonlath.

  Faskala-númen, Faskalan Translated in the text (p. 187) as ‘Bath of the Setting Sun’. GL has fas- ‘wash’, fasc ‘clean’, fasca- ‘splash, sprinkle’, fôs ‘bath’. For—númen see Númë.

  Fëanor The only evidence for the meaning of this name is given under Fionwë-Úrion.

  Fingolma See Nólemë.

  Finwë As a proper name this is not in the dictionaries, but GL gives a common noun finweg ‘craftsman, man of skill’ (with fim ‘clever; right hand’ and other related words); for -weg see Bronweg. In QL derivatives of root FINI are finwa ‘sagacious’, finië, findë ‘cunning’. See Nólemë.

  Fionwë-úrion Fion ‘son’ is given separately in QL (a hurried later addition), with the note ‘especially Fion(wë) the Vala’. In Gnomish he is ‘Auros Fionweg, or Fionaur Fionor’. In a later entry in GL ‘Fionaur (Fionor)="Q." Fëanor (goblet-smith)’, and among the original entries is fion ‘bowl, goblet’. There is no indication that this refers to Fëanor the Gnome.

  For the second element (Úrion, Auros) see Ûr. In the Valar namelist Fionwë is called Kalmo; see Galmir.

  Fui In QL are hui ‘fog, dark, murk, night’ and huiva ‘murky’, and also ‘Fui (=hui) wife of Vê’. In Gnomish she is Fuil ‘Queen of the Dark’, and related words are fui ‘night’, fuin ‘secret, dark’.

  fumellar The ‘flowers of sleep’ (poppies) in Lórien’s gardens (p. 74). QL under root FUMU ‘sleep’ has fúmë ‘sleep’ (noun), fúmella, fúmellot ‘poppy’.

  Galmir Translated in the text (p. 187) as ‘the goldgleamer’ (a name of the Sun). This is a derivative of Gnomish gal- ‘shine’, which in Qenya is KALA ‘shine golden’, and of which a great many derivatives are given in QL, as kala- ‘shine’, kálë ‘morning’, kalma ‘daylight’, Kalainis ‘May’ (see Erinti), kalwa ‘beautiful’, etc. Cf. Kalormë, Kalaventë, and i·kal’ antúlien ‘Light bath returned’ (p. 184).

  Gar Lossion Translated in the text (p. 16) as ‘Place of Flowers’ (Gnomish name of Alalminórë). For Gar see Dor Faidwen. GL gives lost ‘blossom’ and lôs ‘flower’, but it is noted that they are probably unconnected and that lôs is more likely to be related to lass ‘leaf’, also used to mean ‘petal’. (QL has lassë ‘leaf’, lasselanta ‘the Fall, Autumn’.) See Lindelos.

  Glorvent For the element Glor- see Laurelin.—GL had Glorben(d) ‘ship of gold’, changed later to Glorvent ‘boat of gold’ benn ‘shape, cut, fashion’, benc, bent ‘small boat’. QL has the root VENE ‘shape, cut out, scoop’, with derivatives venië, venwë ‘shape, cut’ and venë ‘small boat, vessel, dish’. Cf. the title of the ‘World-Ship’ drawing, I Vene Kemen (see p. 85), and the Sun’s name i·Kalaventë (Kalavénë).

  Golfinweg See Nólemë, Finwë.

  Gondolin QL does not give this name, but ondo ‘stone’ appears under root ONO ‘hard’. In GL Gondolin is said to="Qenya" Ondolin (changed to Ondolinda) ‘singing stone’. There is also an entry gond ‘great stone, rock’ later this was changed to gonn, and a note added that Gondolin-Gonn Dolin, together with an entry dólin ‘song’. See Lindelos.

  Gong GL gives no other information beyond that cited on p. 245, note 10, but compares sithagong ‘dragonfly’ (sitha ‘fly’, Sithaloth or Sithaloctha (‘fly-cluster’), the Pleiades).

  Gonlath This is the name of the great rock on Taniquetil to which Fanuin’s cable was tied (p. 219); the second element must therefore be Gnomish lath ‘a year’, which appears also in the rejected names for Fanuin, Lathos and Lathweg (p. 222). For Gon- see Gondolin.

  Gwerlum This is given in GL with the translation ‘Gloomweaver’ gwer- ‘wind, turn, bend’, but also used in the sense of the root gwidh- ‘plait, weave’. QL has a root GWERE ‘whirl, twirl, twist’, but the name Wirilómë of the great Spider is placed under the root GWIDI, whence also windelë ‘loom’, winda ‘woof’, wistë ‘weft’. The name of the great eddy Wiruin (p. 167), not in the dictionaries, must belong here. For the element- lómë, -lum see Hisilómë.

  Haloisi Velikë (On the ‘World-Ship’ drawing, p. 84.) In QL haloisi ‘the sea (in storm)’ is given under a root HALA, with other derivatives haloitë ‘leaping’, halta- ‘to leap’.

  To Qenya velikë ‘great’ corresponds Gnomish beleg ‘mighty, great’ (as in Beleg the Bowman in the tale of Túrin).

  Helkar QL under root HELE has helkë ‘ice’, helka ‘ice-cold’, hilkin ‘it freezes’, halkin ‘frozen’. GL has helc, heleg ‘ice’, hel- ‘freeze’, heloth ‘frost’, etc., and helcor ‘arctic cold, utter frost’ this last was changed to read helchor ‘antarctic cold, utter frost of the South (the pillar of the Southern Lamp). Q. Helkar.’

  Helkaraksë See Helkar; Helkaraksë is not in either dictionary and the second element is obscure, unless it is to be connected with Q. aksa ‘waterfall’ (see Asgon).

  Heskil The root HESE ‘winter’ in QL has derivatives Heskil ‘winter one’, Hesin ‘winter’, hessa ‘dead, withered�
�, hesta- ‘wither’. In GL are Hess ‘winter, especially as name of Fuil’, and hesc ‘withered, dead; chill’. For another name of Fui Nienna see Vailimo.

  Hisildi See Hisilómë.

  Hisilómë Under the root HISI QL gives hísë, histë, ‘dusk’, Hisinan ‘Land of Twilight’. For the translation of Hisilómë as ‘Shadowy Twilights’ see p. 112.

  The root LOMO has many derivatives, as lómë ‘dusk, gloom, darkness’, lómëar ‘child of gloom’ (cf. Lómëarni), lómin ‘shade, shadow’, lomir ‘I hide’, lomba ‘secret’. Cf. Wirilómë. Gnomish words are lôm ‘gloom, shade’, lómin ‘shadowy, gloomy’ and noun ‘gloom’: so Dor Lómin. The same element occurs in Lomendánar ‘Days of Gloaming’.

  Ilinsor A late entry in GL gives Glinthos="Qenya" Ilinsor, Helmsman of the Moon. The first element is probably glint ‘crystal’. Ilinsor does not appear in QL.

  Ilkorin A negative prefix il- is given in both dictionaries; in GL it is said that il- ‘denotes the opposite, the reversal, i.e. more than the mere negation’. See Kôr.

  Ilsaluntë (Name of the Moon.) Ilsa is given in QL as ‘the mystic name of silver, as laurë of gold’ it is the i of tilkal, p. 100. For luntë ‘ship’ see Alqaluntë. The Gnomish name is Gilthalont; giltha ‘white metal’ is said to be properly the same as celeb ‘silver’ (Q. telpë), but now including gais ‘steel’, ladog ‘tin’, etc., as opposed to culu ‘gold’ and culu is said to be a poetic word for ‘gold’ but ‘also used mythically as a class name of all red and vellow metals, as giltha of white and grey’. See Telimpë.

  Ilterendi In the text the fetters are called Ilterendi ‘for they might not be filed or cleft’ (p. 101); but root TERE in QL has derivatives with a sense of ‘boring’ (tereva ‘piercing’, teret ‘auger, gimlet’).

  Ilúvatar There can be no doubt that the original meaning of Ilúvatar was ‘Sky-father’ (in QL is found atar ‘father’); see Ilwë.