The Rivers and Beacon-hills of Gondor

1

My thanks to Mr. Bibire for providing me with a photocopy of this letter.

2

That it was two lines from a ‘poem attributed to Cynewulf, the Crist, that inspired Tolkien to create his mythology (cf. L:385, and Carpenter's Biography, pp. 72, 79), is an irony that no doubt keenly sharpened Tolkien's lament.

3

I.e., LR:1015.

4

No such corrected edition appeared in 1969, or during the remainder of Tolkien's life. For the corrected map that Tolkien refers to, and its fate, cf. UT:261-62 footnote, and 265.

5

I.e.,LR:962.

6

I.e.,LR:1088,entry for PH.

7

Cf. L:425: "Q. permitted, indeed favoured, the ‘dentals' n, l, r, s, t as final consonants: no other final consonants appear in the Q. lists" Tolkien's list here omits s, no doubt unintentionally.

8

Original p in most environments disappeared in Celtic.

9

Tolkien fell down stairs and injured his leg on June 17,1968, while he and Edith were preparing to move house from Oxford to Bournemouth. Cf. L:391ff., and Humphrey Carpenter's Biography, p. 251.

10

I.e., LR:267,365.

11

Altered on the typescript from glâna.

12

Comparing Q. lantalka ‘boundary post or mark’ (?= lan-talka) with S. glandagol ‘boundary mark" (?= glan-dagol) suggests the possibility of a common primitive element *takala ‘post, mark", realized as Q. *talka (with regular syncope of the second a and metathesis of the contact -kl- to -lk-), S. *tagol. Cf. TAK- ‘fix, make fast' (V:389).

13

The Telerin cognate glania- and the vowel mutation of a > et suggest that this form is perhaps to be corrected to gleinia-. However, Tolkien was exceedingly careful to correct errors in his citation of elements from his languages, so if gleina- here is an uncorrected error, it would be most unusual. Moreover, the phonological development of some of the Telerin and Sindarin ordinals originally ending in -ya discussed at the end of the appendix of this essay suggests that T. glania- and S. gleina- maybe plausible cognates: cf. T. nelya ‘third’, (archaic S.?) *neil(a), S. neil, nail.

14

I.e., LR:1040. Isen here is an editorial replacement for Gwathlo on the typescript since, as Christopher Tolkien notes, that river must be intended.

15

Cf. UT:416 s.v. Adorn.

16

Angast ‘Long Cape' appears to consist of an(n)- ‘long' and *cast ‘cape, headland', the latter evidently a derivative of KAS- ‘head' (V:362). Cf. English cape ‘promontory, headland', ultimately derived from Latin caput 'head'.

17

Older Q. waþar ‘veil' may also occur in the place-name Avathar, said in the later Quenta Silmarillion (of the late 19505) to mean ‘The Shadows" in "Ancient Quenya," referring to the land beneath the eastern feet of the Pelóri where "the shadows were deepest and thickest in the world" (X:284). Note, however, that in Quendi and Eldar (of 1959-60) Pengolodh says that Avathar was a name derived anciently from the language of the Valar, stating flatly: "This is not Elvish" (XI:404).

18

Cf. 8:359 s.v. gwath, wath. The form morchaint is analyzable as mar- ‘dark' + chaint ‘shapes', where the latter element presumably represents a spirantized form of underlying *caint ‘shapes', itself the plural of *cant ‘shape'. Cf. KAT- ‘shape' (V:362) and S. echant past tense verb ‘made' (literally, ‘shaped'), LR:297-98.

19

The figure in this sentence was altered on the typescript from "ăya > oe, ĭya > ei; ŭya > œ, e".

20

"enchui" is a replacement on the typescript for deleted "enegui".

21

A difficult note appears in the margin here, seemingly against and made at the same time as these deletions; it appears to read: "purely ui" and "revise". In connection with this, it is to be noted that the brief account of the phonological development of the Eldarin numerals given here differs in some respects from the much longer account arising later in this same essay, in the entry for Levnui: a further sign of the fluid nature of this composition.

22

The map of Middle-earth actually read Hithaiglin, prior to Christopher Tolkien's correction of the name to Hithaeglir when he redrew the map for Unfinished Tales. On the variation Aiglos vs. Aeglos (of the name of the spear of Gil-galad, LR:237), Christopher Tolkien notes that he substituted the latter for the former in Of the Rings of Power (S:294).

23

I.e., LR:221.

24

This was changed to "raime ‘network, lace'," then marked stet.

25

That is, in Quenya there are two homophonous and etymologically related

verbs raita: raita1 ‘to make a network or lace', synonymous with rea; and raita2 ‘to catch in a net'.

26

Cf. KAS-'head',V:362.

27

Altered from WAY. Cf. the base WEY- ‘wind, weave (V:398).

28

An initial, handwritten version of these last three typescript sentences reads: "Similar was √REB applied to actual nets (as for fishing or snaring). Q. rembe 'a hunter's or fisher's net', S. rem. Cp. remmirath ‘group of jewels caught in a net' = Pleiades."

29

I.e., LR:1089 n. 1.

30

Cf. RINGI- ‘cold', V:383.

31

I.e., mor- ‘dark' + nan 'valley'.

32

Cf. LR:1087, entry for F.

33

In other words, the name is pronounced Levnui, with the sound of English v, but is best spelt Lefnui in an English context.

34

This not uncommon phenomenon of place names is exemplified further in The Lord of the Rings by such forms as Bree-hill, bree being an anglicization of British *brigā (> Welsh bre ‘hill'); and Chetwood, containing an anglicization of British *kaito- (> Welsh coed ‘wood, forest'). Cf. XII:39 n., 81.

35

With then ‘short' cf. the verse-mode names Minlamad thent / estent *'short alliterating' (XI:311) and ann-thennath *'long-shorts'(LR:189); Lammasethen, the "shorter account of Pengolod" (V:192); and the base STINTĀ- ‘short' (V.388). Patrick Wynne and I discuss the interpretation of the two verse-names just given in our contribution, "Three Elvish Verse Modes", to the anthology Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-earth (Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2000).

36

The Etymologies has KHOP- *'haven, harbour' (V:364), and the deleted base KOP- (V:365) of the same meaning, but these would be expected to yield Sindarin forms in hôb, hob- and côb, cob-, respectively, not côf.

37

This was originally written as "Elvish settlement".

38

Tolkien provides a similar explanation for the initial element of the name Gondor itself: gond ‘stone'; cf. L:409-10. Tolkien (appropriately) adopted this element into his Elvish languages from ond, onn ‘stone', one of a very few words thought to have survived from the pre-Celtic languages of Britain; cf. L:410,VT30:10-14.

39

Minaþurie is an alteration from Mitaþurie. Ondonóre Nómesseron is clearly "the Place-names of Gondor", with nómesseron readily analyzable as name ‘place' (cf. sinome ‘in this place", LR:946) + esse ‘name' + r plural marker + -on genitive pl. suffix, 'of the". This leaves minaþurie to translate enquiry'. Noting that enquire is ultimately derived from Latin in ‘in, into' + quaerere ‘to seek', we can speculatively analyze minaþurie as *mina ‘in, into' + *þurie verbal noun ‘(the/an act of) seeking'. If so, mina is doubtless to be referred to the base MI- ‘inside', whence Q. mi ‘in, within, mir and minna ‘to the inside, into', and mitya adj. ‘interior'. See also the element mit- ‘in-' in Mittalmar ‘Inlands' (UT:165). þurie is a curious form, the substitution of s for þ everywhere being a distinctive feature of (specifically Noldorin) Quenya as spoken in Middle-earth (cf. XII:331-36, and VT41:7-8). The use of þ here is perhaps meant to convey the conventional use of the tengwa thúle (súle) in those words having s from original þ (cf. LR:1088, entry for TH; XII:332,338-39); and further to convey the antiquity of the work so titled. It is thus likely to be pronounced suríe. Noting the gerundial/infinitival ending -ie (UT:317 n. 43), we may further analyze þurie as

þur-ie ‘seek-ing’, with þur- (pronounced sur-) by this analysis being an otherwise unattested verbal root meaning *'seek’. But cf. THUR- ‘surround, fence, ward, hedge in, secrete’ (V:393). Cf. also kenta ‘enquiry’ (VT39:32-33).

40

Tolkien here deleted a parenthetical note that read: "(Many of those who actually gave the names were mariners and settlers [deleted: who did not speak Sindarin fluently >] who had only small knowledge of Quenya and whose Sindarin was imperfect.)"

41

I.e., LR:747,846.

42

S. lotheg '(single) flower' is formed from the collective loth- by the addition of a diminutive/singular ending -eg/-ig. Further examples of this ending include N. lhewig 'ear', singular, derived from lhaw ears (of one person)' (V:368 s.v. LAS2-); S. gwanunig ‘one of a pair of twins', from gwanūn ‘a pair of twins’ (XI:367); and S. Nogotheg ‘Dwarflet', from Nogoth ‘dwarf (XI:388, 413 n. 23). Note too N. fileg, pl. filig ‘small bird' (V:381 s.v. PHILIK-). Welsh also has a number of singular nouns derived from a plural form by the addition of a singular ending.

43

In Quenya, primitive medial s between vowels became z and then r, while in Sindarin it became h.

44

The base SAT would appear to explain the Quenya suffix -sta seen in the names of the Númenórean regions Forostar ‘Northlands', Andustar ‘Westlands’, etc. (UT:165). If so, this suffix, like Q. asta ‘month’, is derived from the base with suppression of the sundóma.

45

The words from "and Enedhwaith" to the end of this sentence entered as a handwritten note in the top margin. Cf. XII:328-29 n. 66.

46

Sward originally meant, and can still be used to mean, the skin of the body (esp. hair-covered skin, such as the scalp), or the rind of pork or bacon.

47

Fornarthan ‘North Beacon is probably to be analyzed as for(n)- ‘north’ + *narthan ‘beacon (cf. Forlindon *'North Lindon, LR:map; Fornost ‘Northern Fortress, Norbury', LR:971, UT:439). If so, the putative *narthan may be referred to NAR1- ‘flame, fire (V:374) and to √thăn / thān ‘kindle, set light to' (X:388). Cf. Nardol ‘Fire-hilltop’, also appearing in this essay (UT:319 n. 51).

48

The reference is to Gandalf ‘s words while placing the White Crown upon Aragorn, LR:946: "Now come the days of the King, and may they be blessed while the thrones of the Valar endure!"

49

I.e., LR,663. See also XII:312-14.

50

In this sentence, the name Baldor is (twice) an editorial replacement for Brego in the original. Tolkien has confused Brego, who completed the building of Meduseld, with his son Baldor, who passed beyond the Door of Dunharrow. See VIII:407, LR:770, 780; 1042, entry for 2512-70; and 1062, entry for 2570.

51

As first typed, this read "From 3 onwards".

52

Marginal notes against tol-ot show Tolkien experimenting with making the form tol-oth.

53

For the most part, this list of Common Eldarin numerical stems accords with the numeric system stipulated or implied by evidence in The Etymologies and The Lord of the Rings: cf. Etymologies entries ERE- ‘be alone, deprived', MINI- ‘stand alone, stick out’, AT(AT)- ‘again, back’, TATA-, TAT- *'two, double, NEL-, NÉL-ED- ‘three', KÁNAT- ‘four', LEP- (LEPEN, LEPEK) ‘five', ÉNEK- ‘six', OT- (OTOS, OTOK) ‘seven, TOL-OTH/OT 'eight', NÉTER- ‘nine', KAYAN-,

KAYAR- ‘ten', MINIK-W- *'eleven', RÁSAT- ‘twelve'. The two noteworthy exceptions are the stems for 10 (kwaya(m)) and 12 (yunuk(w)), but cf. KWAT-*'full' (V:366), and with yunuk(w) (yielding, presumably, Q. *yunque), cf. YŪ-‘two, both' (V:400).

54

As first typed, this sentence began "Less certain is it that".

55

As first typed, the special words included those for "twelve, eighteen, and the multiples of twelve, 24, 36-144" (i.e., it seems, the multiples of twelve occurring in the range from 36 through 144). A note written in the top margin of this sheet reads: "though for general purposes the numeral names were decimal in origin, special names were devised for multiples of 6".

56

As first typed, this parenthetical remark read: "(only completely carried out in Quenya)".

57

The ómataima is a vowel (óma) of the same quality as the sundóma or base-vowel that is added to a root or stern as an extension (taima). Cf. ómataina (of the same meaning), XI:371, 417; and the bases OM- *'voice' (V:379) and TAY-'extend, make long(er)' (V:391).

58

As first typed, the list of frequently reversed sequences was "pm, pn, pr, pl / tn, tr, tl / kn, kr, kl".

59

That is, the proper forms for 7th and 8th, which had base and stem vowels in o, historically ought to have ended in -oya.

60

The form toldea is an alteration on the typescript from toltea.

61

A prior, deleted version of the entry for 7 reads: "odo (later odog with g from eneg)".

62

Altered on the typescript from toloth.

63

Altered on the typescript from tolthui.

64

This is a typed alteration of otosya.

65

Altered on the typescript from tolotya.

66

As first typed, the latter part of this note read: "AT- ‘a second time, once more, again'; and in numerals signifying ‘squared, multiplied by itself'. Similarly NEL-, KAN-, etc."

67

The Oxford English Dictionary (1st ed.) relates all three of these words (with varying degrees of certainty) to Indo-European *penqe ‘five'.

68

A long syllable is one that contains either a long vowel (or diphthong), or, as in this case, a short vowel followed by two (or more) consonants.

69

The abbreviation "PQ" is nearly always used by Tolkien to indicate Primitive Quendian, but it cannot have that meaning here, since it would imply that the fronting of the accent took place in the primitive language, before the differentiations that led to the divisions resulting in the separate languages. Quenya, Telerin, and Sindarin; the fronting would in this case be expected to have the same consequence in all three languages, not just in Quenya. "PQ" is thus here perhaps to be expanded as "Prehistoric Quenya".

70

This surprising statement regarding the pronunciation of S. ll stands in stark contrast to Tolkien's earlier comment in Appendix E to The Lord of the Rings (LR:1089) that "consonants written twice, as tt, ll, ss, nn represent long, ‘double' consonants."