Q. Moriquendi coll. “Elves of the Darkness, (lit.) Dark Elves”
Originally, this term was used for the Elves who never saw the light of the Two Trees of Valinor (S/51, WJ/361). Later, the meaning of this term was modified to exclude the Sindar, and so became more or less equivalent to Avari (WJ/373, SI/Moriquendi). It is a compound of morë (mori-) “darkness” and the plural of Quendë “Elf”.
Conceptual Development: One of the earliest name for the Dark Elves may have been ᴱQ. Hisildi “Twilight People” (LT1/232). The term ᴹQ. Moriqendi first appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/197). It also appeared in The Etymologies, with the same derivation as given above (Ety/MOR). In this earlier period, Tolkien also used the terms ᴹQ. Moreldar and ᴹQ. Morimor for “Dark-elves” (LR/197, 405; Ety/MOR).
A singular form, Moriq(u)en, appeared in linguistic notes from the 1930s and 1940s (PE19/59; PE21/69), as an illustration of the loss of short final vowels in trisyllabic or longer words. A longer singular form Moriquende, reformed from the independent word Quendë, also appeared (PE19/59).
References ✧ LT2I/Moriqendi; MRI; PE17/141; PE18/74; S/53; SA/mor, quen; SI/Dark Elves, Moriquendi; WJ/361, 373, 376; WJI/Morben, Moriquendi
Glosses
Variations
Elements
| morë | “dark, black; darkness, night” | ||
| Quendë | “Elf, (lit.) One That Speaks” | plural | ✧ SA/quen (Quendi); WJ/361 |
| √MOR | “black, dark, darkness” | ✧ SA/mor | |
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ✶mori-kwendī > Moriquendi | [morikwendī] > [morikwendi] | ✧ WJ/373 |
ᴹQ. Moreldar coll. “Dark-elves”
References ✧ LR/405; LRI
Glosses
Elements
| more | “black, dark” | |
| Elda | “Elf” | plural |
ᴹQ. Morimor coll. “Dark Elves, *(lit.) Dark-ones”
References ✧ Ety/MOR; LR/197; LRI
Glosses
Elements
| more | “black, dark” | ✧ Ety/MOR |
| #-mo | “agental suffix” |
ᴹQ. Moriqendi coll. “Dark-elves”
References ✧ Ety/MOR; LR/197; LRI; PE18/24; PE19/57, 59; PE21/69
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| Moriquen | singular | ✧ PE19/59 | |
| moriqen | singular | ✧ PE21/69 | |
| móri-kwèn(ǝ)dĕ | singular | “Dark-elf” | ✧ PE19/57 |
Elements
| more | “black, dark” | ✧ Ety/MOR | |
| Qende | “Elf” | plural |
Cognates
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶móri-kwenedḕ > móri-kwèn(ǝ)dĕ | [morikwenedē] > [morikwendē] > [morikwende] | ✧ PE19/57 |
| ᴹ✶móri-kwènedḗ > móri-kwènǝdĕ > móri-kwèndĕ > móri-kwèn(d) > Moriquen | [morikwenedē] > [morikwendē] > [morikwende] > [morikwend] > [morikwen] | ✧ PE19/59 |
| ᴹ✶mŏrĭkwĕndĕ > moriqen | [morikwende] > [morikwend] > [morikwen] | ✧ PE21/69 |
ᴱQ. Hisildi coll. “Twilight People, Dark Elves”
Name of the Dark Elves that chose not to journey to Valinor in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/232), apparently an elaboration on híse “dusk” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Hisilómë). Tolkien considered and rejected a number of alternate names, including: Humarni, Kaliondi, Lómear (LT1/244) and Úvalear (LT1/237). Of these rejected terms, only Lómear has a clear etymology.
See Q. Moriquendi for further discussion.
References ✧ LT1/232, 244; LT1A/Hisildi; LT1I/Hisildi, Humarni, Kaliondi, Úvalear
Glosses
Variations
Elements
| híse | “dusk, mist, haze; bleared” | ✧ LT1A/Hisilómë |
ᴱQ. Lómear (Lómearn-) pn. “Child of Gloom”
A name of the Dark Elves in drafts of the earliest Lost Tales, appearing in its plural form Lómearni (LT1/244). In the Qenya Lexicon, the name was glossed “Child of Gloom”, a combination of ᴱQ. lóme “gloom” (QL/55) and ᴱQ. ar¹ “child”.
See ᴱQ. Hisildi for further discussion.
References ✧ LT1/244; LT1A/Hisilómë; LT1I/Lómëarni; PME/55; QL/55
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Inflections
| Lómëarni | plural | ✧ LT1A/Hisilómë | |
| Lómëarni | plural | “Dark Elves” | ✧ LT1I/Lómëarni |
Elements
| lóme | “dusk, gloom, darkness; shadow, cloud” | ✧ QL/55 (Lōme) |
| ar¹ | “child” |
Derivations