Our Names
Kris Kowal
Saturday, 4 February, 2006 C.E.
Dear Friends,
This week I decided to look up the etymologies of the names of our
most frequent posters: Quenarth, Fíriel, and Legolas. I'll start with
Legolas, since it's soo established.
/Legolas/ is Sindarin for 'Green Leaf', from /leg/ 'green' and /las/
'leaf'. /Lassi/, the plural of /las/, appears in the Namárie.
/Quenarth/ is a different story. /Quén/ is the /Quen/ya word for
'person', and gives us the words /qendi/ 'the people', and /quenya/
'language of the people'. I couldn't find anything for 'arth' except
a Sindarin word, /amarth/, which means "doom". Thus, /Quenarth/
conceivably means, 'Fated-one'.
/Fíriel/ was the orignal name given to the mother of /Fëanor/
(/Fenaro/ in Quenya), using the suffix /-iel/ 'daughter of', or 'she
who', and /fír(a)/ which in this case seems to means 'to die' or 'to
sigh'. The name was later amended to /Míriel/ as it appears in all
major publications.
-- From the Quenya Corpus Wordlist
quén pl. queni (as final element in compounds: -quen) "one,
(some)body, person, individual, man or woman", pl. "persons", "(some)
people", "they" with the most general meaning (as in "they [= people
in general] say that..."). Combined with noun and adjective stems in
old compounds to denote habitual occupations or functions, or to
describe those having some notable (permanent) quality; examples
include roquen, ciryaquen, arquen, q.v. Also in aiquen, ilquen (WJ:361
cf. 360, 372)
-- From Fauskanger's http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/sindarin.htm
/úmarth/ "ill-fate"
-- From the Quenya Corpus Wordlist
Fíriel "She that sighed" or "She that died", later name of Míriel (MR:250)
-- From the Silmarillion
Míriel (1): The first wife of Finwë, mother of Fëanor; died after
Fëanor's birth. Called Serindë 'the Broideress', 63, 67-8, 75
"Míriel was the name of his mother, who was called Serindë, because of
her surpassing skill in weaving and needlework; for her hands were
more skilled to fineness than any hands even among the Noldor. The
love of Finwë and Míriel was great and glad, for it began in the
Blessed Realm in the Days of Bliss. But in the bearing of her son
Míriel was consumed in spirit and body; and after his birth she
yearned for release from the labours of living. Ana when she had named
him, she said to Finwë: 'Never again shall I bear child; for strength
that would have nourished the life of many has gone forth into
Fëanor.' "
Míriel (2): Daughter of Tar-Palantir, forced into marriage by
Ar-Pharazôn, and as his queen named Ar-Zimraphel; also called
Tar-Míriel. 345-6
"And it came to pass that Tar-Palantir grew weary of grief and died.
He had no son, but a daughter only, whom he named Míriel in the
Elven-tongue; and to her now by right and the laws of the Númenóreans
came the sceptre. But Pharazôn took her to wife against her will,
doing evil in this and evil also in that the laws of Númenor did not
permit the marriage, even in the royal house, of those more nearly
akin than cousins in the second degree. And when they were wedded, he
seized the sceptre into his own hand, taking the title of Ar-Pharazôn
(Tar-Calion in the Elven-tongue); and the name of his queen he changed
to Ar-Zimraphel."
-- From the Unfinished Tales
"Tar-Palantir married late and had no son, and his daughter he named
Míriel in the Elven-tongue. But when the King died she was taken to
wife by Pharazôn son of Gimilkhâd (who also was dead) against her
will, and against the law of Númenor since she was the child of his
father's brother. And he then seized the sceptre into his own hand,
taking the title of Ar-Pharazôn (Tar-Calion); and Míriel was named
Ar-Zimraphel."
"Tar Míriel (Ar-Zimraphel) She was born in the year 3117, and died in
the Downfall."
"As noted in Appendix A to The Lord of the Rings Míriel should have
been the fourth Ruling Queen."
Kris Kowal.
Ainaldo.
Firiel
took 3 tries!
Actually, I always thought of my "name" as Sindarin. Firiel meaning
mortal woman, and peredhel meaning halfelven, hence Mortal Halfelven,
friend of Elrond. I don't know anything about Sindarin, except what I
have read inthe books, so I am probably way off with the translation.
*sigh* So much to learn, so little time!
Quenarth
When I was *very* young (twelve) I was thrilled with Quenya and set
about fiddling and making up sounds I liked. I came up with 'Quenarth'
because of the same reasons you stated. Also because my name Anne means
so many things (Full of Grace, Goodness, Mercy and Truth) that I found
it a pain to create a translation I was happy with.
The tengwar is gorgeous!
Quenarth
tengwa? Maybe I'm wrong? *hopes for enlightenment and scourse*