The War of the Jewels (68 page)

In the period of Exile the Noldor modified their use of these terms, which was offensive to the Sindar. Kalaquendi went out of use, except in written Noldorin lore. Moriquendi was now applied to all other Elves, except the Noldor and Sindar, that is to Avari or to any kind of Elves that at the time of the coming of the Noldor had not long dwelt in Beleriand and were not subjects of Elwe. It was never applied, however, to any but Elvish peoples. The old distinction, when made, was represented by the new terms Amanyar 'those of Aman', and Uamanyar or Umanyar 'those not of Aman', beside the longer forms Amaneldi and Umaneldi.

3. Quendya, in the Noldorin dialect Quenya. This word remained in ordinary use, but it was only used as a noun 'the Quendian language'. (Note 4, p. 407) This use of Quendya must have arisen in Aman, while Quendi still remained in general use. Historically, and in the more accurate use of the linguistic Loremasters, Quenya included the dialect of the Teleri, which though divergent (in some points from days before settlement in Aman, such as *kw > p), remained generally intelligible to the Vanyar and Noldor. But in ordinary use it was applied only to the dialects of the Vanyar and Noldor, the differences between which only appeared later, and remained, up to the period just before the Exile, of minor importance.

In the use of the Exiles Quenya naturally came to mean the language of the Noldor, developed in Aman, as distinct from other tongues, whether Elvish or not. But the Noldor did not forget its connexion with the old word Quendi, and still regarded the name as implying 'Elvish', that is the chief Elvish tongue, the noblest, and the one most nearly preserving the ancient character of Elvish speech. For a note on the Elvish words for 'language', especially among the Noldorin Loremasters, see Appendix D (p. 391).

4. Elda and Eldo. The original distinction between these forms as meaning 'one of the Star-folk, or Elves in general', and one of the 'Marchers', became obscured by the close approach of the forms. The form Eldo went out of use, and Elda remained the chief word for 'Elf' in Quenya. But it was not in accurate use held to include the Avari (when they were remembered or considered); i.e. it took on the sense of Eldo. It may, however, have been partly due to its older sense that in popular use it was the word ordinarily employed for any Elf, that is, as an equivalent of the Quende of the Loremasters. When one of the Elves of Aman spoke of the Eldalie, 'the Elven-folk', he meant vaguely all the race of Elves, though he was probably not thinking of the Avari.

For, of course, the special kinship of the Amanyar with those left in Beleriand (or Hekeldamar) was remembered, especially by the Teleri. When it was necessary to distinguish these two branches of the Eldar (or properly Eldor), those who had come to Aman were called the Odzeldi N Oareldi, for which another form (less used) was Auzeldi, N Aureldi; those who had remained behind were the Hekeldi. These terms naturally belonged rather to history than everyday speech, and in the period of the Exile they fell out of use, being unsuitable to the situation in Beleriand. The Exiles still claimed to be Amanyar, but in practice this term usually now meant those Elves remaining in Aman, while the Exiles called themselves Etyangoldi 'Exiled Noldor', or simply (since the great majority of their clan had come into exile) Noldor. All the subjects of Elwe they called Sindar or 'Grey-elves'.

Telerin.

1. The derivatives of *KWEN were more sparingly represented in the Telerin dialects, of Aman or Beleriand. This was in part due to the Common Telerin change of kw > p, (Note 5, p. 407) which caused *pen < *kwen to clash with the PQ stem

*PEN 'lack, be without', and also with some of the derivatives of

*PED 'slope, slant down' (e.g. *penda 'sloping'). Also the Teleri felt themselves to be a separate people, as compared with the Vanyar and Noldor, whom taken together they outnumbered.

This sentiment began before the Separation, and increased on the March and in Beleriand. In consequence they did not feel strongly the need for a general word embracing all Elves, until they came in contact with other non-Elvish Incarnates.

As a pronoun enclitic (e.g. in aipen, Q aiquen; ilpen, Q

ilquen) *kwen survived in Telerin; but few of the compounds with pen 'man' remained in ordinary use, except arpen 'noble (man)', and the derived adjective arpenia.

Pendi, the dialectal equivalent of Q Quendi, survived only as a learned word of the historians, used with reference to ancient days before the Separation; the adjective *Pendia (the equivalent of Quendya) had fallen out of use.. (Note 6, p. 408) The Teleri had little interest in linguistic lore, which they left to the Noldor. They did not regard their language as a 'dialect' of Quenya, but called it Lindarin or Lindalambe. Quenya they called Goldorin or Goldolambe; for they had few contacts with the Vanyar.

The old compounds in Telerin form Calapendi and Moripendi survived in historical use; but since the Teleri in Aman remained more conscious of their kinship with the Elves left in Beleriand, while Calapendi was used, as Kalaquendi in Quenya, to refer only to the Elves of Aman, Moripendi was not applied to the Elves of Telerin origin who had not reached Aman.

2. Ello and Ella. The history of the meanings of these words was almost identical with that of the corresponding Elda and Eldo in Quenya. In Telerin the -o form became preferred, so that generally T Ello was the equivalent of Q Elda. But Ella remained in use in quasi-adjectival function (e.g. as the first element in loose or genitival compounds): thus the equivalent of Q Eldalie was in T Ellalie.

In contrast to the Elloi left in Beleriand those in Aman were in histories called Audel, pl. Audelli. Those in Beleriand were the Hecelloi of Heculbar (or Hecellubar).

Sindarin.

1. Derivatives of *KWEN were limited to the sense: pronominal 'one, somebody, anybody', and to a few old compounds that survived. PQ *kwende, *kwendi disappeared altogether. The reasons for this were partly the linguistic changes already cited; and partly the circumstances in which the Sindar lived, until the return of the Noldor, and the coming of Men. The linguistic changes made the words unsuitable for survival; the circumstances removed all practical need for the term. The old unity of the Elves had been broken at the Separation. The Elves of Beleriand were isolated, without contact with any other people, Elvish or of other kind; and they were all of one clan and language: Telerin (or Lindarin). Their own language was the only one that they ever heard; and they needed no word to distinguish it, nor to distinguish themselves.

As a pronoun, usually enclitic, the form pen, mutated ben, survived. A few compounds survived, such as rochben 'rider'

(m. or f.), orodben 'a mountaineer' or 'one living in the mountains', arphen 'a noble'. Their plurals were made by i-affection, originally carried through the word: as roechbin, oerydbin, erphin, but the normal form of the first element was often restored when the nature of the composition remained evident: as rochbin, but always erphin. These words had no special association with Elves.

Associated with these compounds were the two old words Calben (Celbin) and Morben (Moerbin). On the formal relation of these to Quenya Kalaquendi and Moriquendi see p. 362.

They had no reference to Elves, except by accident of circumstance. Celbin retained what was, as has been said, probably its original meaning: all Elves other than the Avari; and it included the Sindar. It was in fact the equivalent (when one was needed) of the Quenya Eldar, Telerin Elloi. But it referred to Elves only because no other people qualified for the title. Moerbin was similarly an equivalent for Avari; but that it did not mean only

'Dark-elves' is seen by its ready application to other Incarnates, when they later became known. By the Sindar anyone dwelling outside Beleriand, or entering their realm from outside, was called a Morben. The first people of this kind to be met were the Nandor, who entered East Beleriand over the passes of the Mountains before the return of Morgoth; soon after his return came the first invasions of his Orcs from the North.(7) Somewhat later the Sindar became aware of Avari, who had crept in small and secret groups into Beleriand from the South. Later came the Men of the Three Houses, who were friendly; and later still Men of other kinds. All these were at first acquaintance called Moerbin. (Note 7, p. 408) But when the Nandor were recognized as kinsfolk of Lindarin origin and speech (as was still recognizable), they were received into the class of Celbin. The Men of the Three Houses were also soon removed from the class of Moerbin. (Note 8, p. 408) They were given their own name, Edain, and were seldom actually called Celbin, but they were recognized as belonging to this class, which became

. practically equivalent to 'peoples in alliance in the War against Morgoth'. The Avari thus remained the chief examples of Moerbin. Any individual Avar who joined with or was admitted among the Sindar (it rarely happened) became a Calben; but the Avari in general remained secretive, hostile to the Eldar, and untrustworthy; and they dwelt in hidden places in the deeper woods, or in caves. (Note 9, p. 408) Moerbin as applied to them is usually translated 'Dark-elves', partly because Moriquendi in the Quenya of the Exiled Noldor usually referred to them. But that no special reference to Elves was intended by the Sindarin word is shown by the fact that Moerbin was at once applied to the new bands of Men (Easterlings) that appeared before the Battle of the Nirnaeth. (Note 9, p. 408) If in Sindarin an Avar, as distinct from other kinds of Morben, was intended, he was called Mornedhel.

2. Edhel, pl. Edhil. In spite of its ultimate derivation (see p. 360) this was the general word for 'Elf, Elves'. In the earlier days it naturally referred only to the Eldarin Sindar, for no other kind was ever seen; but later it was freely applied to Elves of any kind that entered Beleriand. It was however only used in these two forms.

The masculine and feminine forms were Ellon m. and Elleth f.

and the class-plural was Eldrim, later Elrim, when this was not replaced by the more commonly used Eledhrim (see below). The form without the m. and f. suffixes was not in use, and survived only in some old compounds, especially personal names, in the form el, pl. il, as a final element.

The form Elen, pl. Elin was only used in histories or the works of the Loremasters, as a word to include all Elves (Eldar and Avari). But the class-plural Eledhrim was the usual word for 'all the Elvish race', whenever such an expression was needed.

All these words and forms, whatever their etymologies (see above), were applicable to any kind of Elf. In fact Edhel was properly applied only to Eldar; Ell- may have a mixed origin; and Elen was an ancient general word. (Note 10, p. 410) 3. The Sindar had no general name for themselves as distinct from other varieties of Elf, until other kinds entered Beleriand.

The descendant of the old clan name *Lindai (Q Lindar) had fallen out of normal use, being no longer needed in a situation were all the Edhil were of the same kind, and people were more aware of the growing differences in speech and other matters between those sections of the Elves that lived in widely sundered parts of a large and mostly pathless land. They were thus in ordinary speech all Edhil, but some belonged to one region and some to another: they were Falathrim from the sea-board of West Beleriand, or lathrim from Doriath (the land of the Fence, or iath), or Mithrim who had gone north from Beleriand and inhabited the regions about the great lake that afterwards bore their name. (Note 11, p. 410)

The old clan-name *Lindai survived in the compound Glinnel, pl. Glinnil, a word only known in historical lore, and the equivalent of Quenya Teleri or Lindar; see the Notes on the Clan-names below. All the Sindarin subjects of King Elu-Thingol, as distinguished from the incoming Noldor, were sometimes later called the Eluwaith. Dunedhil 'West-elves' (the reference being to the West of Middle-earth) was a term made to match Dunedain 'West-men' (applied only to the Men of the Three Houses). But with the growing amalgamation, outside Doriath, of the Noldor and Sindar into one people using the Sindarin tongue as their daily speech, this soon became applied to both Noldor and Sindar.

While the Noldor were still distinct, and whenever it was desired to recall their difference of origin, they were usually called Odhil (sg. Odhel). This as has been seen was originally a name for all the Elves that left Beleriand for Aman. These were also called by the Sindar Gwanwen, pl. Gwenwin (or Gwanwel, Gwenwil) 'the departed': cf. Q vanwa. This term, which could not suitably be applied to those who had come back, remained the usual Sindarin name for the Elves that remained in Aman.

Odhil thus became specially the name of the Exiled Noldor.

In this sense the form Godhel, pl. Godhil soon replaced the older form. It seems to have been due to the influence of the clan-name Golodh, pl. Goelydh; or rather to a deliberate blending of the two words. The old clan-name had not fallen out of memory (for the Noldor and the Sindar owing to the great friendship of Finwe and Elwe were closely associated during their sojourn in Beleriand before the Departure) and it had in consequence a genuine Sindarin form (< CE *ngolodo).