Sunday, December 21, 2008

Gate, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for gate is ando. The word for great gate is andon (plural andondi).

The Sindarin word for gate (or great door) is annon. The plural, gates, is ennyn.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Gate, in my words

perat : gate

The Illunse word for gate is perat. Perat is a last name. Perat is the name of a town in Albania. There is Chateau Mont-Perat Bordeaux wine. Perat translates to rancid in Indonesian.

To come up with this word for gate, I mixed of the Old English word geat and the Latin word porta.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Eye, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for eye is hén or hen.

The Sindarin word for eye is hen.

Amon Hen (Sindarin for 'Hill of the Eye') is the name of a hill in Tolkien's Middle-earth.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Ice, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for ice is helcë.

The Sindarin word for ice is heleg.

Ice was a surprisingly straightforward word to translate. I'm used to finding multiple words in Quenya and Sindarin, with different shades of meaning, for English words. Maybe I should look at more words to talk about the weather.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Copper, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for the metal copper is tambë
The Sindarin word for the metal copper is rust

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Silver, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for the metal silver is telpe.
The Sindarin word for the metal silver is celeb.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Silver, in my words

selgar : silver

The Illunse word for silver is selgar. Selgar is an unusual last name. Selgar is a place in Afghanistan.

This new word is a mashup of the Old English word for silver which is seolfor and the Latin word for silver which is argentum.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Brother, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for brother are toron (older source) or háno (later source and possibly a replacement of toron). In addition the word otorno means sworn brother or associate.

The Sindarin word for brother is muindor. In addition the word gwador means sworn brother or associate.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Bow, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for bow (weapon) is quinga.
The Sindarin word for bow (weapon) is peng.

I was careful translating the word bow to elven. Bow is one of those English words with multiple, diverse meanings. In addition to being a piece of resilient wood with taut cord used to shoot arrows, a bow can be the forward part of a vessel, a bending of the body as a sign of respect or acknowledgement or submission, a decorative interlacing of ribbons, and something curved in shape.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Wolf, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya words for wolf are ráca and narmo.
The Sindarin words for wolf are draug and garaf.

There are apparently two words for wolf in these Elven languages, which is interesting. I don't know how each word is used, or quite how they differ.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Dagger, in J.R.R. Tolkien's words

The Quenya word for dagger (or knife) is sicil
The Sindarin word for dagger (or knife) is sigil

For this English word the Quenya and Sindarin words are quite close. You might ask, what's the difference between the Elven languages of Quenya and Sindarin?

At the time of The Lord of the Rings, Quenya was no longer a living language: most Elves spoke Sindarin, and Men mostly spoke Westron. Quenya was used as a formal language and for writing; Sindarin was the vernacular Elven language. Tolkien occasionally referred to Quenya as "Elven-Latin".