S. †Eglan pn. “Forsaken (Elf)”

S. †Eglan, pn. “Forsaken (Elf)”

A name the Sindar used for themselves, mostly used in the plural forms Eglath, Eglain or Egladhrim (S/58, MR/170, WJ/365). It was often applied more specifically to the people of Círdan (WJ/380, PM/392 note #35). This name is derived from the adjective eglan “forsaken” < ✶heklanā, whereas the prefixal form Egla- (surviving only in names) was derived from the primitive noun form ✶hek(e)lā “a waif or outcast” (WJ/365). Tolkien experimented with a large variety of similar forms in Notes on Names from 1957, including eglon (PE17/140-142); see that entry for details.

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, the word G. Egla was given as the Gnomish name for all Elves, meaning “a being from outside” and related to the word G. edh “outside” (which took the form eg before l) and ᴱQ. Elda (GL/32; LT1A/Eldar, Eglamar). Its class-plural Eglath also appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/50, entry idhrin). When Tolkien revised the phonology of the Noldorin language, he switched the language of this word to Ilk. Egla “Elf”, equivalent of ᴹQ. Elda and N. Eledh (Ety/ELED).

After Tolkien abandoned the Ilkorin language, he revised the meaning of this name to “The Forsaken”, a name the Sindar gave themselves after they were left in Beleriand (S/58). In this new sense, the class-plural S. Eglath “Forsaken” first appeared in a chart of the divisions of the Elves from the early 1950s, where it was equated to (and possibly replaced) Q. Ecelli of the same meaning (MR/170). The singular form Eglan appeared in his Quendi and Eldar essay from 1959-60, equated to Q. Hekel and with the etymology discussed above (WJ/365).

References ✧ MR/170; MRI/Eglath; PE18/77; PMI/Eglain; S/58; SI/Eglath, Forsaken Elves; WJ/365, 379; WJI/Egladhrim, Eglath

Glosses

Variations

Related

Inflections

Egladhrim class-plural   ✧ WJ/365; WJ/379
Egladhrim class-plural “Forsaken” ✧ WJI/Egladhrim
Eglath class-plural “Forsaken” ✧ MR/170; PE18/77; WJI/Eglath
Eglath class-plural “Forsaken People” ✧ MRI/Eglath; S/58; SI/Eglath
Eglath class-plural “Forsaken Elves” ✧ SI/Forsaken Elves
Eglain plural   ✧ PMI/Eglain; WJ/365; WJ/379; WJI/Egladhrim
Eglim plural   ✧ WJI/Eglath
Eglir plural   ✧ WJI/Eglath
Egla- prefix “Forsaken” ✧ WJ/365: older shorter form

Elements

eglan “forsaken” ✧ WJ/365

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

hekla/heklā > Egla- [ɣekla-] > [ekla-] > [egla-] ✧ WJ/365

S. Eglon pn.

Tolkien experimented with a variety of similar terms the Sindar appeared on the back page of Notes on Names (NN) from 1957, including egl, egel, egel, egleðel and eglon (PE17/140-142). These also several atypical plural forms, resulting from developments from ✶eklō/etlō via syllabification of -l > -ol:

Tolkien eventually replaced all these variations with S. Eglan (WJ/365), whose (class) plural form Eglath was used in The Silmarillion as published (S/58).

References ✧ PE17/140-142

Glosses

Variations

Related

Changes

Inflections

eglona ? ✧ PE17/141
eglarim class-plural ✧ PE17/141
eglath class-plural ✧ PE17/140
eglathrim class-plural ✧ PE17/140
eglawaith class-plural ✧ PE17/140
egleth fem ✧ PE17/140
eglon masc ✧ PE17/140
Eglir plural ✧ PE17/141
Igli plural ✧ PE17/141
egil plural ✧ PE17/142
eglin plural ✧ PE17/142
eglir plural ✧ PE17/140
igil plural ✧ PE17/140; PE17/142; PE17/142
igli plural ✧ PE17/142
iglin plural ✧ PE17/142

Element In

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

Etlōi > Igli [etlōi] > [etlī] > [etli] > [itlī] > [idli] > [igli] ✧ PE17/141
etlō > eglon [etlondo] > [etlond] > [edlond] > [edlonn] > [edlon] > [eglon] ✧ PE17/141

Ilk. Egla n. “Star-folk, Elf” (Category: Elf, Fairy)

A Doriathrin word for “Elf” (Ety/ELED), also attested in its class plural form Eglath which was marked as both Doriathrin (Ety/ELED) and Ilkorin (Ety/GAT(H), LED). This word developed from the inverted primitive form ᴹ✶edel[a] of the root ᴹ√ELED (Ety/ELED). First the middle [e] was lost because of the Ilkorin syncope, after which the resulting [dl] became [gl].

This word was a frequent element in Ilkorin names. As noted by Helge Fauskanger (AL-Doriathrin/Eglador), ordinarily the primitive final [a] would be lost in Ilkorin. Perhaps it was preserved in Ilk. Egla by analogy with the various names where it appeared, or perhaps Egla was actually the genitival form (of unattested *Egol as Ilk. legol) with the suffix -a(n).

Conceptual Development: In the Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s, G. Egla was the Gnomish word for “Elf”. In The Etymologies from the 1930s, Tolkien first wrote Ilk. Eld for “Elf”, derived from the uninverted form of the root. This was rejected in favor of Ilk. Egla, perhaps an attempt to preserve the earlier Gnomish form.

See S. †Eglan for further discussion.

References ✧ Ety/ELED, GAT(H), LED

Glosses

Variations

Related

Inflections

Dor. Eglath class-plural   ✧ Ety/ELED
Eglath class-plural “Eldar” ✧ Ety/GAT(H)
Eglath class-plural “Eldar, Ilkorians” ✧ Ety/LED

Elements

ᴹ√ELED “Star-Folk, Elves” ✧ Ety/LED (ÉLED)

Element In

Cognates

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ᴹ✶edel- > Egla [edela] > [edla] > [egla] ✧ Ety/ELED

G. Egla n. “fairy, (lit.) being from outside” (Category: Elf, Fairy)

See S. †Eglan for discussion.

References ✧ GG/9, 13; GL/32; LT1A/Eldamar, Eldar; LT2A/Eglamar, Idril; PE14/9; PE15/23; WJI

Glosses

Variations

Related

Changes

Inflections

in·egla definite “the fairy” ✧ GG/9
Eglon genitive   ✧ PE15/23
Eglathon genitive plural   ✧ PE15/23
Eglath plural   ✧ LT2A/Idril
Eglath plural “Elves or fairies” ✧ PE14/9

Elements

edh “outside, near borders of, near, hard by, beside” ✧ GL/32 (eg³)
eg² “far away, wide, distant, far off” ✧ LT1A/Eldar

Element In

Cognates