Post by Varda on Oct 13, 2014 14:12:45 GMT
So you have a wonderful Elven character and you just can't find out how to name your character in Elvish? Well hopefully after reading this post, you'll know all the basics of naming Elves!
First and foremost, when naming Elves, you should always be aware that as a language-loving race, the names they pick are often chosen because of how beautiful they sound. And if you say the names Galadriel, Celeborn, Nerdanel, Fëanor, Elrond, Tauriel, Legolas and so on over and over in your best Elven accent, you'll see how smoothly they roll off your tongue and the nice ring they have to it.
And so rule [HASH]1 of Elven names is make sure they sound nice! Meaning is also very important but be sure when you find a name it doesn't look as though someone passed out on their keyboard.
Secondly, Elven names have meaning that is unique to the Elf and Elven names can say a lot about an Elf:
- Names can be indicative of the Elf's parentage. Eg. Thranduilion means 'son of Thranduil'
- Names can be indicative of an Elf's appearance Eg. Glorfindel means 'Golden locks'
- Names can be indicative of an Elf's personality Eg. Fëanor means 'Spirit of fire'
- Names can be indicative of an Elf's occupation Eg. Celebrimbor means 'Silver Smith'
- Names could also relate to important places/events in an Elf's life. Eg. Elrond means 'Starry Cave' which is where he was found.
So as you can see Elves often have names that reveal quite a bit about them and so they are quite personal. Which leads me onto my Rule [HASH]2: Do not name Elves after other Elves! An Elf's name is part of their identity and is personal. Naming Elves after other Elves is very very rarely practised so please try and avoid it- especially famous Elves!
Thirdly, Elves are very close to the 'gods' (known as Valar) of Middle Earth and even more so to the creator of the Universe and everything within it: Eru Ilúvatar. And so in any Elven name, they follow Rule[HASH]3: Never mention the Valar or Eru in a name! By Elven standards, this is basically seen as blasphemy.
And last of all, it is always best to note in mind that there are different languages that Elves speak and hundreds more dialects! The three main ones you need to know are: Sindarin, Quenya and Silvan.
-Sindarin is the most common of Elven languages and is spoken by just about every Elf in Middle Earth. This is what most Elves will be named in.
- Quenya was the language spoken by the Noldor in the First Age, however now the language is largely extinct in Middle Earth after it was banned in Doriath and many of the Noldor left Middle Earth.
- Silvan is what the Woodelves speak. It is similar to Sindarin as the Sindarin Elves have heavily influenced the Woodelves over the Ages. This is the language used if your character is from Mirkwood or Lothlorien.
And so Rule[HASH]4 states that you should be careful what language you name your Elf in.
Thank you for reading!
And so rule [HASH]1 of Elven names is make sure they sound nice! Meaning is also very important but be sure when you find a name it doesn't look as though someone passed out on their keyboard.
Secondly, Elven names have meaning that is unique to the Elf and Elven names can say a lot about an Elf:
- Names can be indicative of the Elf's parentage. Eg. Thranduilion means 'son of Thranduil'
- Names can be indicative of an Elf's appearance Eg. Glorfindel means 'Golden locks'
- Names can be indicative of an Elf's personality Eg. Fëanor means 'Spirit of fire'
- Names can be indicative of an Elf's occupation Eg. Celebrimbor means 'Silver Smith'
- Names could also relate to important places/events in an Elf's life. Eg. Elrond means 'Starry Cave' which is where he was found.
So as you can see Elves often have names that reveal quite a bit about them and so they are quite personal. Which leads me onto my Rule [HASH]2: Do not name Elves after other Elves! An Elf's name is part of their identity and is personal. Naming Elves after other Elves is very very rarely practised so please try and avoid it- especially famous Elves!
Thirdly, Elves are very close to the 'gods' (known as Valar) of Middle Earth and even more so to the creator of the Universe and everything within it: Eru Ilúvatar. And so in any Elven name, they follow Rule[HASH]3: Never mention the Valar or Eru in a name! By Elven standards, this is basically seen as blasphemy.
And last of all, it is always best to note in mind that there are different languages that Elves speak and hundreds more dialects! The three main ones you need to know are: Sindarin, Quenya and Silvan.
-Sindarin is the most common of Elven languages and is spoken by just about every Elf in Middle Earth. This is what most Elves will be named in.
- Quenya was the language spoken by the Noldor in the First Age, however now the language is largely extinct in Middle Earth after it was banned in Doriath and many of the Noldor left Middle Earth.
- Silvan is what the Woodelves speak. It is similar to Sindarin as the Sindarin Elves have heavily influenced the Woodelves over the Ages. This is the language used if your character is from Mirkwood or Lothlorien.
And so Rule[HASH]4 states that you should be careful what language you name your Elf in.
Thank you for reading!
