Q. #Lestanórë loc. “Doriath, *(lit.) Land of the Girdle”

Q. #Lestanórë, loc. “Doriath, *(lit.) Land of the Girdle”

Given as the Quenya name of Doriath in the essay Quendi and Eldar from 1959-60, attested only in its genitive form Lestanórëo in the phrase Elwe, Aran Lestanórëo “Elwe, King of Doriath” (WJ/369). Its final element is certainly nórë “land”. Its initial element lesta resembles S. lest “girdle” in the name S. Lest Melian “Girdle of Melian” and may have a similar meaning. In the earlier poem Fíriel’s Song from the 1930s, the instrumental form lestanen of ᴹQ. lesta was translated “in measure” (LR/72), though it isn’t clear whether the meaning “measure” remained valid when Quendi and Eldar was written.

Conceptual Development: The name ᴱQ. Artanor was given as the equivalent to the precursor of Doriath: G. Dor Athro “Land Beyond” (LT2A/Artanor).

References ✧ WJ/369

Related

Inflections

Lestanórëo genitive “of Doriath” ✧ WJ/369

Elements

#lesta “*girdle” ✧ WJ/369 (#Lesta)
nórë “land, country; †people, race, tribe” ✧ WJ/369 (#nórëo)

Element In

Cognates


ᴱQ. Artanor loc. “Land Beyond”

The Qenya equivalent to the precursor of Doriath: G. Dor Athro “Land Beyond” (LT1/196, LT2A/Artanor). It is a compound of arta “across” and nóre “land”.

See Q. #Lestanórë for further discussion.

References ✧ LBI; LT1/196; LT1I; LT2/9; LT2A/Artanor; LT2I; SMI

Glosses

Changes

Elements

arta “across, athwart” ✧ LT2A/Artanor
nóre “(native) land, nation, family, country”

Cognates