-ien

suffix. -land

Element in

• Q. Arvernien “Land(s) beside the Verna” ✧ PE17/071
• Q. Hildórien “*Land of the Followers”
• Q. Lórien “*Dream Lands”

Variations

• -ien ✧ PE17/071 (-ien)

-iand

a suffix in names of regions

_ suff. a suffix in names of regions. Reduced in -ian.Tolkien proposed but finally rejected a borrowing to the Q. gen. pl1. -ion_. >> -ian, -ianda

-iand

regional ending

pl1. -iend _ suff. _regional ending. -ien(d) was often used of a single varied region (e.g.Anórien, Ithilien). >> -and, -ian, -ion

-ianda

a suffix in names of regions

_ suff. a suffix in names of regions. Reduced in -ian.Tolkien proposed but finally rejected a borrowing to the Q. gen. pl1. -ion_. >> -ian, -iand

-ian

a suffix in names of regions

_ suff. a suffix in names of regions. Reduced from -iand(a). Tolkien proposed but finally rejected a borrowing to the Q. gen. pl1. -ion_. >> -iand, -ianda

-ian

regional ending

pl1. -ien _ suff. _regional ending. -ien was often used of a single varied region (e.g.Anórien, Ithilien). Such words were still pl. with article (in Anórien). >> -iand, -ion

-ian(d)

suffix. -land, country

A suffix meaning “-land” or “country” appearing often in the names of regions and countries along with its plural variant -ien(d) “-lands”, mentioned in a number of places in Tolkien’s later writings (Let/383; UT/318). In notes from the late 1950s Tolkien derived it from primitive ✶yandē “a wide region or country” from the root √YAN “wide”, which replaced another root √YON of similar meaning (PE17/42-43). In notes having to do with “large & small” words, probably from the late 1960s, Tolkien connected it instead to an apparent adjective S. iand “wide”, still derived from √YAN (PE17/115).

Conceptual Development: This suffix seems to have first appeared in ᴱN. Broseliand in the Lays of Beleriand of the 1920s, precursor to the name S. Beleriand and almost certainly inspired by the legendary medieval French forest Brocéliande. Tolkien used this suffix widely in names starting with Lord of the Rings drafts, but it seems he did not develop a clear etymology for the suffix until quite late. Tolkien himself mentioned the connection between this suffix and the French name Brocéliande in a 1967 letter (Let/383). It is thus an interesting case study in how Tolkien would gradually integrate elements inspired by real-world languages into his Elvish corpus.

Derivations

• ✶yandē “a wide region or country” ✧ PE17/042
  • √YAN “wide, extensive, large, vast, huge; extend” ✧ PE17/042

Element in

• S. Anórien “Sunlending, *(lit.) Sun-lands” ✧ PE17/042; PE17/042
• S. Beleriand “Country of Balar” ✧ PE17/029; PE17/037; PE17/042; PE17/042
• S. Cardolan “?Red Hill Land”
• S. Eryd-wethion “Mountains of the Region of Shadows” ✧ PE17/042
• S. Garthúrian “Hidden Realm”
• S. Ithilien “Land of the Moon” ✧ PE17/042; PE17/042; UT/318
• S. Lórien “*Golden Lands”
• S. Ossiriand “Land of Seven Rivers”
• S. Rochand “Rohan, Horse-country” ✧ Let/382; UT/318
• S. Rohan “Riddermark, (lit.) Horse-country”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶yandē > -iand	[-jandē] > [-jande] > [-iande] > [-iand] > [-iann] > [-ian]	✧ PE17/042
✶yandē > iend	[-jandī] > [-jandi] > [-iandi] > [-iendi] > [-iend] > [-ienn] > [-ien]	✧ PE17/042

Variations

• -and ✧ Let/382; Let/383; UT/318
• an ✧ Let/383
• -ian ✧ PE17/037; PE17/042; PE17/043
• -iand(a) ✧ PE17/037 (-iand(a))
• -iand ✧ PE17/042
• -iann ✧ PE17/115
• (i)and ✧ PE17/170

-iend

a suffix in names of regions

_ suff. a suffix in names of regions. Reduced in -ien. Tolkien proposed but finally rejected a borrowing to the Q. gen. pl1. -ion_. >> -ien, -iende

-iende

a suffix in names of regions

_ suff. a suffix in names of regions. Reduced in -ien. Tolkien proposed but finally rejected a borrowing to the Q. gen. pl1. -ion_. >> -ien, -iend

-ien

a suffix in names of regions

_ suff. a suffix in names of regions. Reduced from -iend(e). Tolkien proposed but finally rejected a borrowing to the Q. gen. pl1. -ion_. >> -iend, -iende

-ion

suffix. regional ending

_ suff. _regional ending. In older names, it usually applied only to a single feature (e.g.Sirion 'the Great Stream'). It was esp. applied to topographical features of large extent, esp. long, wide river, long (and wide) ranges. It was mostly used in post-Exilic times and so was probably partly due to Quenya influences. >> -on, Eregion, Nanduhirion, Sirion

-ian(d)

suffix. -land

Element in

• N. Anórien
• N. Beleriand
• N. Brethilian(d) “Forest of Brethil”
• N. Geleidhien “Land of the Gnomes”
• N. Ithilien “*Moon Lands”
• N. Ossiriand “Land of Seven Rivers”