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General Questions on Elvish translations

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Galadriel8891



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:40 pm    Post subject: General Questions on Elvish translations Reply with quote

Just a quick question: what exactly would the name "Narsil" translate to? I know that "nar-" is "fire" and "sil" is "shine"...so would "Firelight" be an appropriate translation?

I know that "Anduril" is "Flame of the West": "-ril" = "flame"; "du-" = "west"? (because dunedain is man of the west, and edain, as we all know, means man...)

Right, after that ramble...anyone have a suggestion? I'd also like to know if there is a website that has Elvish phrases that are accurate. Thank you all!

~Galadriel8891
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SpaceWeavil



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PostPosted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:08 pm    Post subject: Re: General Questions on Elvish translations Reply with quote

Galadriel8891 wrote:
Just a quick question: what exactly would the name "Narsil" translate to? I know that "nar-" is "fire" and "sil" is "shine"...so would "Firelight" be an appropriate translation?

I know that "Anduril" is "Flame of the West": "-ril" = "flame"; "du-" = "west"? (because dunedain is man of the west, and edain, as we all know, means man...)

Right, after that ramble...anyone have a suggestion? I'd also like to know if there is a website that has Elvish phrases that are accurate. Thank you all!

~Galadriel8891


In one of the reference books, Narsil is listed as 'Red and White flame', which comes from an explanation Tolkien gave in one of his letters. There he says Narsil is from Nar, meaning fire and Thil, meaning white light, the same roots as Anar and Ithil, the sun and moon, the enemies of Darkness.

In the same letter he also states that 'Anduril' means Flame of the West.

As for elvish phrases, I'm not sure about phrases, but if you google for Sindarin Dictionary, there is one with a Polish sounding name associated with it, and that is very good. You can download it in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format. I honestly can't remember where I got my Quenya dictionaries, but try Ardalambion (again, can never remember the URL, but google for Ardalambion) and they have resources there.

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NancyBrooke
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:00 am    Post subject: Re: General Questions on Elvish translations Reply with quote

Galadriel8891 wrote:
I'd also like to know if there is a website that has Elvish phrases that are accurate. Thank you all!

SpaceWeavil wrote:
As for elvish phrases, I'm not sure about phrases, but if you google for Sindarin Dictionary, there is one with a Polish sounding name associated with it, and that is very good. You can download it in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.

I think what the Weavil is referring to is this:
http://www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/sindar/df20.html

It also has a downloadable interactive version which I use.

But Dragon flame just gives you the pieces, though, it doesn't tell you how to use them. For grammar and construction I have other links ... Hang on ...

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SpaceWeavil



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

See, I downloaded all my references and didn't mark the sites, which is why I never have the URLs. Same with Ardalambion.

Of course, if you want to shell out some cash, a worthy investment is David Salo's book, A Gateway to Sindarin, which is available on Amazon for about £25 / $45. It's not exactly for the beginner in Sindarin, or indeed to language studies, however, but it does have an excellent dictionary and being penned by David Salo, you have the extra peace of mind of its being reliable.

(Between Thuriniel and myself, that man should be paying us for advertising and promotion Laughing ) But seriously, it is a very good book for people looking to further their understanding of Sindarin.

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NancyBrooke
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's Ardalambion, a comprehensive site re all ME Languages:
www.uib.no/PEOPLE/hnohf

A Sindarin course at TORN, particularly useful for lenition tables:
http://www.theonering.net/barlimans/elvish/

A summary of Sindarin Grammar - hard to wade through but very useful:
www.elvish.org/gwaith/sindarin_grammar.htm

Good Luck!

The word on Salo hadn't reached me yet, Space, I'll have to check that out!

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Also, Galadriel, skim through past posts on this forum. I know we've tackled questions like this before ... Hmmm
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Silvae



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi all!
Stumbled into this thread and thought I'd use the opportunity to ask the knowledgeable members (and not Quenya-challenged like some people I could mention...) what they think of the Quenya and Sindarin courses on Council of Elrond. Are they any good, or am I just wasting my time?
X,
Silvae

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SpaceWeavil



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think Thuriniel is probably better placed to answer about Council of Elrond than I am, because I have never used any courses. I'm self-taught in Quenya and Sindarin, just from grammar materials I downloaded and from the actual texts themselves.
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Silvae



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks anyway Space.
Maybe I'll just take a break from trying to stuff recalcitrant Quenya into my brain and go swimming... Rolling Eyes until Thuriniel drops by!
Cheers,
Silvae

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SpaceWeavil



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 9:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Silvae wrote:
Thanks anyway Space.
Maybe I'll just take a break from trying to stuff recalcitrant Quenya into my brain and go swimming... Rolling Eyes until Thuriniel drops by!
Cheers,
Silvae


I'm pretty sure she's either done the courses or is doing them at the moment.

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Alassante
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Silvae wrote:
Rolling Eyes until Thuriniel drops by!
Cheers,
Silvae


Sadly it will be awhile. Thu is on vacation so she won't be around for a couple of weeks. Cry

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Galadriel8891



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the links - they look most helpful. Although I do agree that all of us need Thuriniel's input on the topic.

~Galadriel8891
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SpaceWeavil



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Galadriel8891 wrote:
Thanks for the links - they look most helpful. Although I do agree that all of us need Thuriniel's input on the topic.

~Galadriel8891


Well, I suppose I have no formal qualifications in languages, other than home study through linguaphone in three and basic home study in my others, so maybe best not to take my word for anything. Laughing Probably better to come from Thur since she teaches language.

Must stop jumping in on these elvish questions. Rolling Eyes Is there such a thing as a Sindarin addict?

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Galadriel8891



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SpaceWeavil wrote:
: Is there such a thing as a Sindarin addict?


Haha - Well, I suppose that anyone who responds to this question could be considered so... Laughing

Random question (which is a bit off-topic): How and when would swords get named? (It may sound a bit odd, but I need some detail like that for my HP/LOTR crossover...My muse went on strike for the better part of three months which is why I haven't updated. But now the muse has returned Very Happy which makes me very happy.) Yes so...swords? I know that Bilbo named Sting in the tunnels under the Misty Mountains after a skrmish with goblins, but how do you suppose that the swords such as Narsil, Glamdring, and Orcrist were named? And by whom?

~Galadriel8891
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NancyBrooke
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Galadriel8891 wrote:
Random question (which is a bit off-topic): How and when would swords get named? (It may sound a bit odd, but I need some detail like that for my HP/LOTR crossover...My muse went on strike for the better part of three months which is why I haven't updated. But now the muse has returned Very Happy which makes me very happy.) Yes so...swords? I know that Bilbo named Sting in the tunnels under the Misty Mountains after a skrmish with goblins, but how do you suppose that the swords such as Narsil, Glamdring, and Orcrist were named? And by whom?

~Galadriel8891

I think these in particul were named by their makers, but I'm not in a place to verify this against the book. The Goblins gave Glamdring and Orchist their nicknames (Beater and Biter).

NB, compulsive question answerer

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