Q. Kementári f. “Queen of the Earth”
One of the names of Yavanna, a compound of cemen “earth” and tári “queen”, that is: “Queen of the Earth” (S/28). Normally, the [k]-sound in Quenya is written with a “c”, but Tolkien consistently wrote this name with a “k”, as he did with the names Melkor and Tulkas.
Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, Yavanna’s second name was ᴱQ. Palúrien¹ (LT1/66), glossed “Wide World” and given as a derivative of the root ᴱ√PALA “flatness” in the Qenya Lexicon from the 1910s (LT1A/Palúrien, QL/71). The name ᴹQ. Palúrien “Bosom of the Earth, Lady of the Wide Earth” also appeared in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/78, LR/205), and in The Etymologies it was given as a compound of palúre “surface, bosom” and the feminine suffix -ien¹ (Ety/PAL).
In Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s, Tolkien replaced this name with Kementári (MR/157, 202). This was a partial restoration of one of her earliest names in the legendarium: ᴱQ. Kémi “Earth-lady, Mother Earth” (LT1/79, GL26), which may also be the reason for its unusual spelling.
References ✧ LT1/79; LT1I; MR/157, 202; MRI/Kementári, Palúrien; S/28; SA/kemen, tar; SI; WJI/Kementári, Palúrien
Glosses
Elements
| cemen | “the earth; earth” | ✧ SA/kemen (kemen) |
| tári | “queen” | ✧ SA/tar |
ᴹQ. Palúrien f. “Lady of the Wide Earth, Bosom of the Earth”
References ✧ Ety/PAL; LR/205; LRI; MR/145, 157, 202; MRI/Kementári, Palúrien; SM/78; SMI; WJI/Kementári, Palúrien
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Elements
| palúre | “surface, bosom, bosom of Earth, (Old English) folde” | ✧ Ety/PAL |
| -ien¹ | “daughter” |
ᴱQ. Kémi f. “Earth-lady, Mother Earth”
A very early name of Yavanna, glossed “Earth-lady” (LT1/79) and “Mother Earth” (GL/18). It is derived from the root ᴱ√KEME “soil” (QL/46).
See Q. Kementári for further discussion.
References ✧ GL/18, 26; LT1/79; LT1A/Kémi; LT1I; PE14/14
Glosses
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Elements
| kemi | “earth, soil, land” | ✧ LT1A/Kémi |
Element In
Cognates
ᴱQ. Palúrien¹ f. “Wide World”
References ✧ GL/18, 22; LBI/Belaurin, Palúrien; LT1/79; LT1A/Palúrien; LT1I/Palúrien; LT2/281; LT2I/Belaurin, Palúrien; PE13/138; PE14/14; QL/71, 105; SM/12; SMI/Belaurin
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Changes
Element In
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Derivations