Q. Eärendil m. “Lover of the Sea”

Q. Eärendil, `V`C7R2%j m. “Lover of the Sea”

The great mariner who took the Silmaril of Beren to Valinórë, thereby instigating the Valar’s liberation of Beleriand and the final defeat of Morgoth (S/246). His name was a compound of ëar “sea” and the suffix -(n)dil “-friend, -lover” (SA/ëar, (n)dil).

Conceptual Development: This was one of the oldest and most important names in Tolkien’s legendarium. Tolkien admitted that the name was inspired by the Anglo-Saxon word éarendel “ray of light” (Let/150, 385). In fact, the first form of this name in the Lost Tales was ᴱQ. Earendel (LT1/13), often spelt Earendl in Tolkien’s early linguistic notes (QL/34, PE13/99). At this stage the name seems to derive from ᴱQ. earen (earend-) “eagle, eyrie” (QL/34), though the “dialectical form” Yarendl was archaically used for “mariner” (QL/105).

The name remained ᴹQ. Earendel in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/326) and up through Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (RS/215, TI/99, WR/223 note #29). The name’s association with the Sea did not emerge until Tolkien wrote the (unfinished) “Notion Club Papers” story in the mid-1940s, at which point its form changed to ᴹQ. Earendil (SM/237, 241) and so remained thereafter.

References ✧ LBI/Eärendel; Let/150, 282, 385-386; LotR/720; LotRI; LRI/Eärendel; LT1I/Eärendel; LT2I/Eärendel; MRI/Eärendel; NM/16, 20, 281; PE17/19, 27, 90, 152; PM/348, 363, 373; PMI/Azrubêl, Eärendil; RGEO/65; SA/ëar, (n)dil; SI; SMI/Eärendel; TII/Eärendel; UTI; WJI

Glosses

Variations

Related

Elements

ëar “sea, great sea” ✧ PE17/27; PM/363 (Eär); RGEO/65; SA/ëar
-(n)dil “-friend, -lover; devotion, disinterested love” ✧ PE17/152 (ndil); SA/(n)dil
AY(AR) “sea” ✧ Let/386 (AYAR)
N(D)IL “to love (as a friend or equal), be devoted to” ✧ Let/386 ((N)DIL); NM/16 (ndil); NM/20 (ndil)

Element In

Cognates


ᴹQ. Earendil m. “Friend of the Sea”

See Q. Eärendil for discussion.

References ✧ SD/237, 241, 305, 359; SDI2/Azrubêl, Eärendil

Glosses

Variations

Elements

ear “(open) sea; water” ✧ SD/241 (ëare); SD/305 (eäre)
ᴹ√N(D)IL “friend; love, devotion” ✧ SD/241 (ndil); SD/305 (ndil)

Cognates


ᴹQ. Earendel m.

@@@ dual and plural forms representative of nouns in the same class

See Q. Eärendil for further discussion.

References ✧ LRI/Eärendel; PE21/33-34; PE22/20, 41; PMI/Eärendil; RSI/Eärendel; SDI2/Eärendil; SMI/Eärendel; TI/102; TII/Eärendel; WJI/Eärendil; WR/223; WRI

Variations

Changes

Inflections

[Earend]ello ablative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]illo ablative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elullut ablative dual ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]illut ablative dual; assimilated ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ela accusative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]illi accusative plural ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elta allative; assimilated ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elunta allative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]eluntau allative dual ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]iltau allative dual; assimilated ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ilintan allative plural ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elen dative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]illir dative plural ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elo genitive ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ilion genitive plural ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]illion genitive plural ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ilmen instrumental ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elúment instrumental dual; prosodic-lengthening ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ilmet instrumental dual ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elesse locative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elusset locative dual ✧ PE21/34
Earendel nominative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elunt nominative dual ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]illin nominative plural ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elwa possessive ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ilwa possessive ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]eldon similative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]elundon similative ✧ PE21/34
[Earend]ildon similative ✧ PE21/34

Element In

Cognates

Derivations


ᴱQ. Earendel m.

See Q. Eärendil for discussion.

References ✧ GL/51; LBI/Eärendel; Let/8; LT1A/Eärendel; LT1I/Eärendel; LT2I/Eärendel; MC/216; PE12/25; PE13/99, 103-104; PE15/7, 22, 29; PE16/100, 104; PME/35; QL/34, 105

Variations

Related

Changes

Elements

earen “eyrie, (young) eagle” ✧ LT1A/Eärendel; PE12/25; QL/34

Element In

Cognates


ᴱQ. Yarendl m.

See Q. Eärendil for discussion.

Reference ✧ QL/105 ✧ Y̯arendl

Related

Element In