S. mithril n. “Moria-silver, true-silver” (Category: Silver)
The name of the magical metal of Moria, variously translated “Moria-silver” or “true-silver” (LotR/317). It is a combination of mith “grey” and √ril “brilliance” (PE17/47), so its original meaning was “*grey-brilliance”.
Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts of the 1940s Tolkien considered erceleb, ithil and thilevril as names of mithril (RS/465; TI/184). Another possible precursor is the Early Qenya word ᴱQ. ilsa for the “mystic name of silver” from the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s (QL/42).
References ✧ LotR/317; LotRI/Mithril; PE17/47; PMI; RSI/Mithril; SA/ril; UTI
Glosses
Elements
| mith | “grey, light grey, pale grey” | ✧ PE17/47 |
| √RIL | “brilliant (light), brilliance” | ✧ PE17/47; SA/ril |
N. mithril n. “*true-silver” (Category: Silver)
References ✧ SDI1/mithril; TI/184; TII/Mithril; WRI
N. thilevril n. “*true-silver” (Category: Silver)
References ✧ TI/184; TII/Ithildin
Changes
N. erceleb n. “*true-silver”
References ✧ RS/465; RSI/Erceleb
Changes
Elements
| *er | “one, alone” |
| celeb | “silver” |