Names in Middle-Earth, Quick Guide

[Berephon]

Elves are interesting in that they're hatched as full adults from their eggs, but they only live at most a few days after that, their only purpose to frentically reproduce then die.

Oops, I think that's mayflies, sorry. As far as we know from Tolkien's writings on the subject, physically, Elves seem to have extended pre-adulthoods compared to Men, apparently reaching a kind of adolescence at fifty, and not completely ceasing to mature until their hundredth year.

Mentally though, they mature much faster than Men.

Similarly, hobbits don't fully mature until 30ish.

[Locklear93]

Mentally though, they mature much faster than Men.

Mentally, anything matures much faster than men. Just ask any man's wife. >_>

[klyth]

So, Elrond means "Star with an arched roof?"

I knew something weird was up with that guy.

[BIGeyedBUG]

Similarly, hobbits don't fully mature until 30ish.

I've always thought of that as just reflecting a later social rather than physical adulthood, though admittedly, I can't think of any evidence from Tolkien's writings precluding the possibility of it being both. Any ideas?

[Galahadur]

I made a Captain and i wanted to name him Master of Light.

I came up with Gal (light) + Hir (Master).. So would that be Galhir or Galchir?

I think its Galchir and named him accordingly. Is this correct?

[Arasilion]

So, Elrond means "Star with an arched roof?"

I knew something weird was up with that guy.

I heard it translated as "Elf of the Cave" because he was found playing in a cave. From Encyclopedia of Arda:

In a letter of 1958, Tolkien gives a very detailed derivation of Elrond. When the Sons of Fëanor attacked the Exiles of Gondolin, Elrond and his brother Elros (both at that time small children) were carried off, but later found near a waterfall; Elrond was discovered in a cave behind the fall - hence 'Elf of the Cave'. However, in a much later letter (1972), Tolkien interprets the name 'Vault of Stars', and Christopher Tolkien gives the similar 'Star-dome' in his Appendix to The Silmarillion. Whether it was Tolkien's intention to change the derivation of Elrond, or whether the older story simply slipped his mind, cannot now be known.

[Berephon]

So, Elrond means "Star with an arched roof?"

I knew something weird was up with that guy.

Actually, it's star-cave (your translation of rond is accurate, but cave is more common, as in Nargothrond.)

[Berephon]

I heard it translated as "Elf of the Cave" because he was found playing in a cave. From Encyclopedia of Arda:

This too. El is short for Elen.

[Berephon]

I made a Captain and i wanted to name him Master of Light.

I came up with Gal (light) + Hir (Master).. So would that be Galhir or Galchir?

I think its Galchir and named him accordingly. Is this correct?

Nope. The h becomes ch only after -r or a vowel. It would be Galhir.

[Fornost]

Similarly, hobbits don't fully mature until 30ish.

I've always thought of that as just reflecting a later social rather than physical adulthood, though admittedly, I can't think of any evidence from Tolkien's writings precluding the possibility of it being both. Any ideas?

I agree with you BIGeyedBUG. I always thought of Hobbits as the stand-ins for modern Brits, with emphasis on the modern. Think about people in Western countries today, how people go to school longer and get married later and so on than people would have a few hundred (much less a few thousand) years ago. That is the impression I have about the Hobbits too, even if they reach physical maturity at around the same time their closest relatives, the Race of Man, do.

[Moondog548]

Awesome thanks! You are an invaluable asset to this game's awesome ;-} Good thing I have a lot of options now since I don't reckon that first name is a terribly innovative concept.

Wow. You want a complicated one.

Lang is one of four words for sword, hathel is blade. Gwên is girl (or virgin), iell and sell are also girl. There is no dress. Taur and acharn are correct.

The definition construct would end up being "Girl of the Blade(sword) of the Vengeance of the Forest" or as you shortened it, "Blade-girl of the Forest-vengeance."

The first part could be: Hathelwen, Hatheliel, Hathelsel, Langwen, Langiel, Langsel, Cristwen, Cristiel, Crissel, Magolwen, Magoliel, Magolsel, Megilwen, Megiliel, Megilsel

The second part would be: Torachar

In order to get the full definition it would inlcude en or uin (of the) between the parts (i.e., Langwen en Torachar or Langwen uin Torachar. However, for a name I would drop it and just use one as a first name and the other as the surname, as I'm sure you were intending.

Or you could make it Torachallangwen.

[Bopbopaluie]

This thread needs to be stickied! Great thread!

[Silverlocket]

I have wondered about the name "Amdir:" what does that mean?


SL

[Cleitanious]

I have wondered about the name "Amdir:" what does that mean?


SL

Amdir: Hope, based on reason.

[Silverlocket]

Amdir: Hope, based on reason.

Oh, now that is just ridiculously cool. I might have to have a son so I can name him Amdir.


SL

[gcpate]

Anyone know the Sindarin for 'weather?' I looked on-line but couldn't find it. I got rain, wind, dew, etc. but I was hoping for the more generic term.

[Thanatos]

A really simple resource is available here:
http://elffetish.com/SindaFrame1.php
...But I don't think it gets all the letter mutations right. It would be nice to have a list of rules to check when a letter or letter combination is supposed to change in certain conditions, but I don't know of any such resource.

Recently I was talking to a friend* about the game and he asked me to come up with a name for an elven hunter. I suggested Faronthor, but there are usually bugs in my attempts at Sindarin.

*Actually it was the same friend who originally made up the name "Keovar" for me... we had lost touch for about 20 years, but Facebook actually worked! Interestingly, a few days before I tried looking him up, I got a message from someone on MySpace for whom "Keovar" is his real name. He's only 17, so my friend made it up first, but his parents got it as a combination of Kenneth and Levar.

[Berephon]

Recently I was talking to a friend* about the game and he asked me to come up with a name for an elven hunter. I suggested Faronthor, but there are usually bugs in my attempts at Sindarin.

If you were going for Thôr (swooping) + Faron (hunter) it would be Thorfaron.

If you were going for Thôr (eagle) + Faron (hunter), it could be done two ways.

Eagle of the Hunter or Hunter-like Eagle (Hunter-eagle) would be Faronthor.

Hunter of the Eagle or Eagle-like Hunter (Eagle-hunter) would be Thorfaron.

[TheOneRinger]

If you were going for Thôr (swooping) + Faron (hunter) it would be Thorfaron.

If you were going for Thôr (eagle) + Faron (hunter), it could be done two ways.

Eagle of the Hunter or Hunter-like Eagle (Hunter-eagle) would be Faronthor.

Hunter of the Eagle or Eagle-like Hunter (Eagle-hunter) would be Thorfaron.

Oooh, now I know what to name my pet eagle, when I finally get it.

[Thanatos]

If you were going for Thôr (swooping) + Faron (hunter) it would be Thorfaron.

If you were going for Thôr (eagle) + Faron (hunter), it could be done two ways.

Eagle of the Hunter or Hunter-like Eagle (Hunter-eagle) would be Faronthor.

Hunter of the Eagle or Eagle-like Hunter (Eagle-hunter) would be Thorfaron.

Both ways sound good to me, but I was going more for Hunter-Eagle or hunting eagle.
Thank you once again.

[Lockdreadz]

/Bump!

This should be mandatory reading before people go naming their toons things like "Stool".

Also way handier than carrying around a LOTR set and digging through appendices.

[brasswire12]

Very cool thread. I have a question, I have a female Elf that I named "Belaerwing", I like the sound of it and it sounds authentic-Elvish enough to my untrained ears, but I'm curious if there is perhaps any actual meaning to this name? If so what is it? and if not, is there anything close? Thanks.

[Thanatos]

/Bump!

This should be mandatory reading before people go naming their toons things like "Stool".

Also way handier than carrying around a LOTR set and digging through appendices.

One of my favorite Tolkien quotes:

But Orcs and Trolls spoke as they would, without love of words or things; and their language was actually more degraded and filthy than I have shown it. I do not suppose that any will wish for a closer rendering, though models are easy to find. Much the same sort of talk can still be heard among the orc-minded; dreary and repetitive with hatred and contempt, too long removed from good to retain even verbal vigour, save in the ears of those to whom only the squalid sounds strong. - J.R.R. Tolkien

Whether it's stupid names, profanity, or net-speak, some people will never care, or indeed will intentionally use ugly language because they mistake stupidity for strength. You can't help the orc-minded.

As I've suggested many times before, give us an option to hide the floating names of those on our ignore lists. If I really need to see who they are, I'll target them. I don't want to turn off all player names because many are well-crafted, but if I want to ignore someone's text input, that should include their name.

[gcpate]

Anyone know the Sindarin for 'weather?' I looked on-line but couldn't find it. I got rain, wind, dew, etc. but I was hoping for the more generic term.

So, Berephon, no word for weather? You were my last hope.

[Berephon]

So, Berephon, no word for weather? You were my last hope.

Not specifically, no. There is Alagos (storm of wind), but that's about it.