The Book of Lost Tales, Part One

by J. R. R. Tolkien

  Ilverin Elvish name of Littleheart son of Bronweg. The rejected name Elwenildo (p. 52) contains the word elwen ‘heart’ given in QL; GL gives the word ilf ‘heart (especially used of feelings)’, and several names (Ilfin(g), Ilfiniol, Ilfrith) corresponding to Qenya Ilwerin.

  Ilwë In QL the word ilu is glossed ‘ether, the slender airs among the stars’, while in GL the Gnomish name Ilon of Illúvatar is said to="Qenya" Ilu. In QL ilwë was first glossed ‘sky, heavens’, with a later addition ‘the blue air that is about the stars, the middle layers’ to this in Gnomish corresponds ilwint—concerning which it is explained in GL that the true form ilwi or ilwin was perverted to ilwint through association with gwint ‘face’, as if it meant ‘face of God’. Other words found in Gnomish are Ilbar, Ilbaroth ‘heaven, the uttermost region beyond the world’ Ilador, Ilathon=Ilúvatar; ilbrant ‘rainbow’ (see Ilweran).

  Ilweran QL gives Ilweran, Ilweranta ‘rainbow’ (another word for the rainbow in Qenya is Iluqinga, in which qinga means ‘bow’ qingi-twang, of strings, harp’). In Gnomish the corresponding forms are Ilbrant or Ilvrant, which are said in GL to be falsely associated with brant ‘bow (for shooting)’ the second element is related rather to rantha ‘arch, bridge’, as Q. Ilweran(ta) shows.

  Ingil In GL the Gnomish names of Inwë’s son are Gilweth and Githilma; Gil is the star Sirius, and is said to be the name of Gilweth after he rose into the heavens and ‘in the likeness of a great bee bearing honey of flame followed Daimord [Telimektar, Orion]’ see entries Nielluin, Telimektar. No explanation of these names is given, but Gil(weth) is clearly connected with gil- ‘gleam’, gilm ‘moonlight’, giltha ‘white metal’ (see Ilsaluntë). For Githilma see Isil.

  Inwë In QL this, the name of ‘the ancient king of the fairies who led them to the world’, is a derivative of a root INI ‘small’, whence also the adjective inya and the names Inwilis, Inwinórë ‘Faëry’ and ‘England’ (the latter struck out). Tol Eressëa was here said to have been named Inwinórë after Inwë, but this was changed to say that it was named Ingilnórë after his son Ingil. These entries relate to a very early conception (see Alalminórë, Eldamar). For other names of Inwë see Inwithiel, Isil.

  Inwir See Inwë. In GL the ‘noble clan of the Tilthin’ (Teleri) are called Imrim, singular Im (see Inwithiel).

  Inwithiel In the texts Inwithiel, Gnomish name of King Inwë, is an emendation from (Gim) Githil (p. 22, 131). In GL these names Inwithiel, Githil are given as additional to his proper names Inweg or Im. See Isil.

  Isil In the tale of The Coming of the Elves (p. 115) Inwë is called Isil Inwë, and in GL the Gnomish form corresponding to Isil is Githil (to the name of his son Githilma corresponds Qenya Isilmo). In QL is a root ISI (iska ‘pale’, is ‘light snow’), of which the Gnomish equivalent is given as ith- or gith-; GL has a word ith ‘fine snow’.

  Kalaventë See Galmir, Glorvent.

  Kalormë This appears in QL among the derivatives of root KALA (see Galmir), with the meaning ‘hill-crest over which the Sun rises’. ormë="summit," crest’, from a root ORO with apparently a base sense of ‘rise’: or ‘on’, oro ‘hill’, oro- ‘rise’, orto- ‘raise’, oronta ‘steep’, orosta ‘ascension’, etc.; Gnomish or ‘on, onto, on top’, orod, ort ‘mountain’, orm ‘hill-top’, oros, orost- ‘rising’. Cf. Oromë, Orossi, Tavrobel.

  Kapalinda (The source of the river in the place of the banishment of the Noldoli in Valinor, p. 157.) QL has kapalinda ‘spring of water’ among derivatives of root KAPA ‘leap, spring’ linda is obscure.

  Kaukareldar Under the root KAWA ‘stoop’ in QL are derivations kauka ‘crooked, bent, humped’, kauko ‘humpback’, kawin ‘I bow’, kaurë ‘fear’, kaurëa ‘timid’.

  Kelusindi (The river in the place of the banishment of the Noldoli in Valinor, p. 157; in the text called Sirnúmen.) In QL under root KELE, KELU ‘flow, trickle, ooze’ are given many derivatives including kelusindi ‘a river’, also kelu, kelumë ‘stream’, kektelë ‘fountain’ (also in the form ektelë), etc. For -sindi see Sirion.

  Kémi QL gives kemi ‘earth, soil, land’ and kemen ‘soil’, from root KEME. The Gnomish name is Címir, which="Q." Kémi ‘Mother Earth’. There is also a Gnomish word grosgen ‘soil’ in which -gen is said to="Q." kémi.

  Koivië-néni ‘Waters of Awakening.’ In QL under root KOYO ‘have life’ are derivatives koi, koirë ‘life’, koitë ‘living being’, koina, koirëa ‘alive’, koiva ‘awake’, koivië ‘awakening’. In GL are cuil ‘life’, cuith ‘life, living body’, etc.; cwiv- ‘be awake’, cwivra- ‘awaken’, cuivros ‘awakening’: Nenin a Gwivros ‘Waters of Awakening’. For -néni, Nenin see Neni Erúmëar.

  Kópas QL has kópa ‘harbour’, the only word given under root KOPO ‘keep, guard’. GL has gobos ‘haven’, with a reference to Q. kópa, kópas; also gob ‘hollow of hand’, gobli ‘dell’.

  Kôr In QL this name is given under the root KORO ‘revere?’, with the note ‘the ancient town built above the rocks of Eldamar, whence the fairies marched into the world’ also placed here are korda ‘temple’, kordon ‘idol’. The Gnomish form is here given as Côr, but in GL Côr (‘the hill of the fairies and the town thereon near the shores of the Bay of Faëry’) was replaced by Gwâr, Goros ‘="Q." Kôr the town on the round hill’. This interpretation of the name Kôr clearly replaces that in QL, which belongs with the earliest layer of entries. See further under korin.

  korin See Kôr. In QL there is a second root KORO (i.e. distinct from that which gave Kôr); this has the meaning ‘be round, roll’, and has such derivatives as korima ‘round’, kornë ‘loaf’, also korin ‘a circular enclosure, especially on a hill-top’. At the same time as Côr was replaced by Gwâr, Goros in GL the word gorin (gwarin) ‘circle of trees, ="=Q." korin’ was entered, and all these forms derive from the same root (gwas- or gor- < guor="Q." kor-), which would seem to signify ‘roundness’ so in the tale of The Coming of the Elves ‘the Gods named that hill Kôr by reason of its roundness and its smoothness’ (p. 122).

  Koromas A separate and early entry in QL defines Kormas (the form in the text before emendation to Koromas, p. 22) thus: ‘the new capital of the fairies after their retreat from the hostile world to Tol Eressëa, now Inwinórë. It was named in memory of Kôr and because of its great tower was called also Kortirion.’ For -mas see Eldamar.

  Kortirion The word tirion ‘a mighty tower, a city on a hill’ is given in QL under root TIRI ‘stick up’, with tinda ‘spike’, tirin ‘tall tower’, tirios ‘a town with walls and towers’. There is also another root TIRI, differing in the nature of the medial consonant, with meaning ‘watch, guard, keep; look at, observe’, whence tiris ‘watch, vigil’, etc. In GL are tir- ‘look out for, await’, tirin (poetic form tirion) ‘watch-tower, turret’, Tirimbrithla ‘the Tower of Pearl’ (see Silmarilli).

  Kosomot Son of Melko (see p. 93). With a different second element, Kosomoko, this name is found in QL under root MOKO ‘hate’ (mokir ‘I hate’), and the corresponding Gnomish form is there said to be Gothmog. The first element is from root KOSO ‘strive’, in Gnomish goth ‘war, strife’, with many derivative words.

  Kulullin This name is not among the derivatives of KULU ‘gold’ in QL, nor does it appear with the Gnomish words (mostly names of the Sun) containing culu in GL. For the meaning of culu in Gnomish see Ilsaluntë.

  Laisi See Tári-Laisi.

  Laurelin QL has laurë ‘gold (much the same as kulu)’, laurina ‘golden’. laurë is the final l of tilkal (p. 100, where it is said to be the ‘magic’ name of gold, as ilsa of silver). The Gnomish words are glôr ‘gold’, glôrin, glôriol ‘golden’, but GL gives no names of the Golden Tree. Cf. Bráglorin, Glorvent.

  limpë limpë ‘drink of the fairies’ is given in QL under root LIPI, with lipte- ‘to drip’, liptë ‘a little drop’, lipil ‘little glass’. Corresponding forms in GL are limp or limpelis ‘the drink of the fairies’, lib- ‘to drip’, lib ‘a drop’, libli ‘small glass’.

  Lindeloks
ë At one occurrence in the texts an emendation from Lindeloktë and itself emended to Lindelos (p. 22), at others an emendation from Lindelótë and itself allowed to stand (p. 79, 131). See Lindelos.

  Lindelos Linde- is one of many derivatives from the root LIRI ‘sing’, as lin ‘melody’, lindelë ‘song, music’, lindelëa ‘melodious’, lirit ‘poem’, lirilla ‘lay, song’ (cf. Rúmil’s tirípti lirilla, p. 47), and the name of the Vala Lirillo. GL has lir- ‘sing’ and glîr ‘song, poem’. Lindelos is not given in QL, which has the name rejected in the text Lindeloktë (p. 22), here translated ‘singing cluster, laburnum’.

  Loktë ‘blossom (of flowers in bunches or clusters)’ is derived from a root LOHO, with lokta- ‘sprout, put forth leaves or flowers’. This is said to be an extended form of root OLO ‘tip’, whence olë ‘three’, olma ‘nine’, ólemë ‘elbow’. Another extended form of this root is LO’O, from which are derived lótë ‘a flower’ (and -lot ‘the common form in compounds’) and many other words; cf. Lindelótë, another rejected name of the Golden Tree (p. 79, 131), Wingilot. For Gnomish words see Gar Lossion. No Gnomish name of the Golden Tree is found in GL, but it was in fact Glingol (which originally appeared in the text, see p. 22); GL has glin ‘sound, voice, utterance’ (also lin ‘sound’), with the note that -glin, -grin is a suffix in the names of languages, as Goldogrin Gnomish.

  Lirillo (A name of Salmar-Noldorin, p. 144.) See Lindelos.

  Lómëarni (A name of the Dark Elves, p. 244 note 6.) See Hisilómë.

  Lomendánar ‘Days of Gloaming’ (p. 69). See Hisilómë, Danuin.

  Lórien A derivative of the root LORO ‘slumber’, with lor- ‘to slumber’, lorda ‘drowsy, slumbrous’ also olor, olórë ‘dream’, olórëa ‘dreamy’. (For much later formulation of words from this root, including Olórin (Gandalf), see Unfinished Tales p. 396.) In GL are given lûr ‘slumber’, Lúriel changed to Lúrin="Qenya" Lúrien, and also olm, oloth, olor ‘dream, apparition, vision’, oltha ‘appear as an apparition’. Cf. Eriol, Olofantur, Olórë Mallë.

  Lúmin (Rejected name for Aluin ‘Time’, p. 222.) GL has lûm ‘time’, luin ‘gone, past’, lu ‘occasion, time’, lûtha ‘pass (of time), come to pass’. Aluin perhaps belongs here also.

  Luvier I have translated this word on the ‘World-Ship’ drawing as ‘Clouds’ (p. 85) on the basis of words in QL derived from the root LUVU: luvu- ‘lower, brood’, lumbo ‘dark lowering cloud’, lúrë ‘dark weather’, lúrëa ‘dark, overcast’. GL has lum ‘cloud’, lumbri ‘foul weather’, lumbrin, lumba ‘overcast’, lur- ‘hang, lower, of clouds’.

  Makar Given in QL (‘God of battle’) under root MAKA, with mak- ‘slay’, makil ‘sword’. His Gnomish name is Magron or Magorn, with related words mactha- ‘slay’, macha ‘slaughter, battle’, magli ‘a great sword’. See Meássë.

  In the Valar name-list Makar is called also Ramandor. This was the original name of the King of the Eagles in The Fall of Gondolin, replaced by Sorontur. In QL under root RAMA (rama- ‘to shout’, rambë ‘a shout’, ran ‘noise’) Ramandor is translated ‘the Shouter, ="Makar$$$rsquo###."

  Mandos This name is defined in QL as ‘the halls of Vê and Fui (hell)’, and a comparison made with -mandu in Angamandu ‘Hells of Iron’. In GL is the following entry: ‘Bandoth [later changed to Bannoth] (cf. Angband)="Mandos" (1) the region of the waiting souls of the dead (2) the God who judged the dead Elves and Gnomes (3) improperly used exclusively of his hall, properly called Gwê [changed to Gwî] or Ingwi’. For this distinction between the region Mandos, in which dwelt the death-gods, and their halls Vê and Fui, see p. 76, 89–90.

  Mánir Not in QL; but GL has ‘móna or móni: the spirits of the air, children of Manweg’. Further relations are indicated in the following entry: ‘manos (plural manossin): a spirit that has gone to the Valar or to Erumáni (Edhofon). Cf. móna, Q. mánë.’ See Eruman and p. 91 ff. Other words are mani ‘good (of men and character only), holy’ (QL manë ‘good (moral)’), mandra ‘noble’, and Manweg (Q. Manwë).

  Manwë See Mánir. The Gnomish names are Man and Manweg (for-weg see Bronweg).

  Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva For Mar see Eldamar, and for Vanwa see Qalvanda. Tyalië ‘play, game’ is an isolated entry in QL under root TYALA.

  Meássë A late, hasty entry in QL adds Meássë ‘sister of Makar, Amazon with bloody arms’ to the root MEHE ‘ooze?’, whence mear ‘gore’. In GL she is Mechos and Mechothli (mechor ‘gore’), and is also called Magrintha ‘the red-handed’ (magru=macha ‘slaughter, battle’, magrusaig ‘bloodthirsty’). In the Valar name-list she is called Rávë or Ravenni; in QL the root RAVA has many derivatives, as rauta- ‘to hunt’, raust ‘hunting, preying’, Raustar a name of Oromë, rau (plural rávi) ‘lion’, ravennë ‘she-lion’, Rávi a name of Meássë. Very similar forms are given in GL: rau ‘lion’, rausta ‘to hunt’, raust ‘hunt’.

  Melko The name is entered in QL but without etymological affinity. In GL the corresponding name is Belca, changed to Belcha, with a note referring to Qenya velka ‘flame’. In the Valar name-list he is called Yelur (root DYELE, whence Qenya yelwa ‘cold’, Yelin ‘winter’); the Gnomish form is Geluim, Gieluim, ‘name of Belcha when exercising his opposite functions of extreme cold, Q. Yeloimu’, cf. Gilim ‘winter’. Melko is also called in the name-list Ulban(d), which is found in QL glossed ‘monster’, under the negative prefix UL-; his son Kosomot (Gothmog) was ‘by Ulbandi’ (p. 93). Other names for him in Gnomish are Uduvrin (see Utumna) and Angainos (see Angaino).

  Meril-i-Turinqi Meril is not in QL, but turinqi ‘queen’ is given with a great many other derivatives of the root TURU ‘be strong’, including Turambar (Turumarto), and tur ‘king’. In GL are tur- ‘can, have power to’, tûr ‘king’, turwin ‘queen’, turm ‘authority, rule; strength’. turinthi ‘princess, especially title of Gwidhil’. Cf. Sorontur, Valatúru. Tuor.

  There are also these later additions in GL: ‘Gwidhil-i-Durinthi= Meril-i-Turinqi Queen of Flowers’ gwethra ‘bloom, flourish’ and the stem gwedh- is here compared to Qenya mer-, which is not in QL.

  Minethlos GL min ‘one, single’, mindon ‘tower, properly an isolated turret or peak’, mineth ‘island’, Minethlos ‘Argent Isle (Moon)’—the same translation is given in the text, p. 192. Under root MI QL has mir ‘one’, minqë ‘eleven’ and under root MINI mindon ‘turret’. The second element of Minethlos must in fact be lôs ‘flower’ (see Gar Lossion).

  Miruvor QL miruvórë ‘nectar, drink of the Valar’ (see p. 161), with miru ‘wine’ GL mirofor (or gurmir) ‘drink of the Gods’, mîr, miros ‘wine’.

  Moritarnon ‘Door of Night’ (see Mornië). GL gives tarn ‘gate’, tarnon ‘porter’. Cf. Tarn Fui.

  Mornië Not in QL, but one of the many derivatives of root MORO, as moru- ‘to hide’, mori ‘night’, morna, morqa ‘black’, morion ‘son of the dark’. (A curious item is Morwen ‘daughter of the dark’, Jupiter. In the original tale of Túrin his mother was not named Morwen.) The Gnomish name of the death-ship is Mornir, a later addition to original entries morn ‘dark, black’, morth ‘darkness’, mortha ‘dim’, with the note ‘the black ship that plies between Mandos and Erumáni, Q. Mornië (Black Grief)’. The second element is therefore nîr ‘grief’ (
  Móru GL in a later addition gives Muru ‘a name of the primeval Night personified as Gwerlum or Gungliont’, hence my reading in the text Móru rather than Morn (p. 156). Among the original entries in GL is múri ‘darkness, night’. See Mornië.

  Morwinyon This name of the star Arcturus is translated in the text (p. 182) as ‘the glint at dusk’, and QL, giving it under root MORO (see Mornië), renders it ‘glint in the dark’. QL has a root GWINI with derivative word wintil ‘a glint’.

  The Gnomish name is Morwinthi; presumably connected are gwim, gwinc ‘spark, flash’, gwimla ‘wink, twinkle’.

  Murmenalda Translated in the text as ‘Vale of Sleep’, ‘the Slumbrous Dal
e’ (pp. 233, 235). QL under root MURU gives muru- ‘to slumber’, murmë ‘slumber’, murmëa ‘slumbrous’. The second element is from a root NLDL, of which the derivatives in QL are nal(lë) ‘dale, dell’ and nalda ‘valley’ used as an adjective. In Gnomish occur nal ‘dale, vale’, nal ‘down, downwards’, nalos ‘sinking, setting, slope’, Nalosaura ‘sunset’, etc. Cf. Murmuran.

  Murmuran See Murmenalda. GL gives the Gnomish form corresponding to Qenya Murmuran as Mormaurien ‘abode of Lúriel’, but this seems to be of different etymology: cf. Malmaurien="Olórë" Mallë, the Path of Dreams, maur ‘dream, vision’.

  Nandini On an isolated paper that gives a list of the different clans of ‘fays’ the Nandini are ‘fays of the valleys’. QL gives a root NARA with derivatives nan(d) ‘woodland’, nandin ‘dryad’ GL has nandir ‘fay of the country, Q. nandin’, together with nand ‘field, acre’ (plural nandin ‘country’), nandor ‘farmer’, etc.

  Nauglath GL gives the following words: naug and naugli ‘dwarf’, naugla ‘of gives the dwarves’ nauglafel ‘dwarf-natured, i.e. mean, avaricious’ (see p. 236). QL has nothing corresponding, but in GL the Qenya equivalent of naug is said to be nauka.

  Neni Erúmëar (On the ‘World-Ship’ drawing, where I have translated it ‘Outermost Waters’, p. 85.) QL under root NENE ‘flow’ has nen ‘river, water’, and the same form occurs in Gnomish. Erúmëa ‘outer, outermost’ is given in AL as a derivative of ERE ‘out’, as in Eruman. Cf. Koivië-néni.

  Nermir In the list of fays referred to under Nandini the Nermir are ‘fays of the meads’. QL has an isolated entry Nermi ‘a field-spirit’, and GL has Nermil ‘a fay that haunts meadows and river-banks.’.

  Nessa This name does not appear in the dictionaries.—In the Valar name-list she is called Helinyetillë and Melesta. In QL, among the very early entries, helin is the name of the violet or pansy, and Helinyetillë is glossed ‘Eyes of Heartsease’ (that being a name of the pansy); cf, y´ta ‘look at’. But in QL this is a name of Erinti. There was clearly much early shifting among the goddesses of Spring, the ascription of names and rôles (see Erinti). Melesta is doubtless from root MELE ‘love’ (meles(së) ‘love’, melwa ‘lovely’, etc.; Gnomish mel- ‘to love’, meleth ‘love’, melon, meltha ‘beloved’, etc.).