S. Gondolin loc. “Hidden Rock, (originally) Singing Stone”
The hidden city of the Noldor in Beleriand, translated “Hidden Rock”, an adaptation of its Quenya name Ondolindë “Rock of the Music of Water” (S/125). Tolkien stated that the name Gondolin was properly “neither Sindarin or Noldorin [Quenya]” (PE17/29), but the Sindarized name was reinterpretated as a combination of gond “stone” and dolen “hidden” (WJ/201).
Conceptual Development: The name G. Gondolin appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, but at this stage it was translated “Stone of Song” (LT2/158). This was the same meaning as its early Qenya name Ondolinda, with the second element being G. dólin “song” (GL/29, 41; LT1A/Gondolin). In The Etymologies from the 1930s, Tolkien revised the meaning of N. Gondolin to “heart of hidden rock” (Ety/DUL), setting the stage for the later derivation described above.
References ✧ LotR/1115; LotRI; MR/373; MRI; PE17/29, 133; PM/374; PMI; S/125; SA/gond; SI; UTI; WJ/201; WJI/Gondolin, Ondolindë
Glosses
Variations
Related
Elements
| gond | “stone, rock” | ✧ PE17/29 (gonn); SA/gond; SA/gond; WJ/201 | |
| dolen | “hidden” | ✧ WJ/201 | |
| ✶gondō | “stone, rock” | ✧ PM/374 (gon/gondo) | |
Element In
Cognates
Derivations
N. Gondolin loc. “Heart of Hidden Rock”
References ✧ Ety/DUL, GOND; EtyAC/DUL, GOND; LRI; PE22/34, 41; RSI; SDI1/Gondolin; SDI2/Gondolin; SMI; TII; WRI
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Elements
| gonn | “rock, stone (as a material)” | ✧ Ety/GOND | |
| doll | “obscure, dark, dusky, hidden, secret” | ✧ EtyAC/DUL | |
| ind | “inner thought, meaning, heart” | ||
| ᴹ√(N)DUL | “hide, conceal” | ✧ Ety/DUL (DUL); Ety/GOND (DUL) | |
| ᴹ√ID | “*desire, ?thought” | ✧ Ety/DUL | |
Element In
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| ᴹ✶Gond-dol-ind > Gondolin | [gondolind] > [gondolinn] > [gondolin] | ✧ EtyAC/DUL |
G. Gondolin loc. “Stone of Song”
References ✧ GL/41; LBI; LT1A/Gondolin; LT1I; LT2/158, 216; LT2I; PE13/99; PE15/26
Glosses
Variations
Elements
| gonn | “(great) stone, rock” | ✧ GL/41; LT1A/Gondolin; PE15/26 (gond) |
| dólin | “song” | ✧ LT1A/Gondolin |
Cognates