glaur

noun/adjective. gold [light or colour]

A noun for “gold (light or colour)”, appearing as either glaur or glawar, derivatives of the root √(G)LAWAR of the same meaning (NM/351; PE17/17, 159; VT41/10). As Tolkien described it:

> The application to gold of this stem was poetic and referred to colour primarily (as especially of laburnum) not to material ([which was instead Q.] malta) (PE17/159).

The distinction between the two forms glaur and glawar is not entirely clear. In The Etymologies of the 1930s Tolkien had N. glaur “gold” and N. glawar “sunlight, radiance of Laurelin” as derivatives of distinct forms of the root: ᴹ√GLAW(-R) and ᴹ√(G)LAWAR, with the first of these being rejected (Ety/GLAW(-R); LÁWAR). In notes from the late 1960s, Tolkien said:

> [Q.] Makalaure was converted simply phonetically to S. maglaur > maglor. Its pure Sindarin [development] would have been {maka-glawar >>} maka-glaur-. [In] S. glaware > glawar = Q. laure but as second element in compound glaware > glaur (VT41/10).

This note seems to imply that glawar is the normal form, and glaur is just a reduced form in compounds. However, glaur does appear as independent word in Tolkien’s later writings, for example in its mutated form ’laur in Nan Laur “Valley of Gold(en Light)” (UT/253). Conversely, longer glawar appears in a few compounds, such as Glewellin “Song of Gold” (MR/155) and Lothlewerian(d), the “pure Sindarin” form of Lothlórien (PE17/48). These glawar forms in compounds seem to have resisted reduction because they first underwent i-affection to glewer.

The vast majority of compounds with this word show a further reduction to either glór or glor, where au became o in polysyllables as was usually the case in Sindarin. The reduced form is always -glor as the second element of a compound (Maglor), but is glór- as an initial element if followed by a vowel (Glóredhel), or glor- if followed by a consonant cluster (Glorfindel).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would treat glaur and glawar as variants of the same word, both functioning as a noun meaning “gold (light or colour)”. However when “golden light, sunlight” is the intended meaning, I would tend to use glawar. Furthermore, I think glaur can also be used adjectivally = “golden [colour]”, as in Nan Laur where the mutation of the second element indicates an adjective rather than a noun.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s had G. glôr “gold” as a cognate to ᴱQ. laure (GL/40), and hence probably derived from the early root ᴱ√LOU̯RI (QL/51) since ou became ō in Gnomish of the 1910s. ᴱN. glór “gold” appeared Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/144). Its most notable use in the early period was in the name G. Glorfindel which meant “Golden Hair” throughout Tolkien’s life.

The Etymologies of the 1930s had {ᴹ√GLAW(-R) > N. glaur “gold”} revised to ᴹ√(G)LAWAR > N. glawar “sunlight, radiance of Laurelin” as noted above (Ety/GLAW(-R); LÁWAR). Possible precursors to N. glawar “sunlight, radiance” include G. galwen “brilliance” from the 1910s (PE13/114) and ᴱN. gladwen “radiance, sunshine” (PE13/123, 144). From the 1930s forward Tolkien had both glaur and glawar, as discussed above.

Glaurung

noun. Tolkien notes "Alter Glaurung > Angruin"

prop. n. Tolkien notes "Alter Glaurung > Angruin". FAngruin

glaurung

masculine name. Gold-worm

The first dragon (S/116), also called the “Gold-worm” (UT/75). The initial element of his name is clearly glaur “gold”, but the meaning of the second element is unclear.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, his name was G. Glorund (LT2/19), appearing in the Gnomish Lexicon as Glorunn, a combination of G. glôr “gold” and an untranslated word gunn (GL/40). The word gunn does not appear elsewhere in the Gnomish Lexicon, but gund appears with the gloss “dragon” in Early Noldorin word lists as an element in the name Glorund (PE13/144, 145, 162).

The name Glorund was revised to Glómund in Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s (LB/208), and kept this form in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/32, LR/255). The name Glaurung emerged in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/46, 121). In these later forms of the name, the meaning of the final element is unclear.

glaur-

prefix. golden colour of sunshine or golden-flowers

_ pref. _golden colour of sunshine or golden-flowers. The application to gold of the stem was poetic and referred primarily to colour (as esp. of laburnum) not to material (Q. malta).

túrin turambar dagnir glaurunga

Túrin Turambar, Glaurung’s Bane

glaur

golden light

glaur (i **laur), pl. gloer (in gloer**)

glaur

golden light

glaur (i **laur), pl. gloer (in gloer**).

glaur

golden light

(i ’laur), pl. gloer (in gloer).

glaur

golden light

(i ’laur), pl. gloer (in gloer)

glawar

sunlight

(i ’lawar) (gold, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) if there is a pl. (VT41:10)

malt

noun. gold, gold (as metal)

A noun for “gold” based on the root √MALAT. The Etymologies of the 1930s specified that N. malt was “gold (as metal)” derived from the root ᴹ√SMAL “yellow” (Ety/SMAL). This is consistent with Tolkien’s later notes in which Q. malta was “gold (metal)”, as opposed to Q. laurë/S. glaur which was “gold (colour or light)” (PE17/51, 159). Note that in The Etymologies the form was revised to (h)malt indicating an archaic voiceless hm that was the result of ancient sm (EtyAC/SMAL), but this would no longer be the case after the root became √MALAT.

calad

gerund noun. light

calad

noun. light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> galad

galad

noun. light, radiance, glittering, reflection (from jewels, glass or polished metal, or water)

galad

light

_ n. _light, fire, brightness, shining. >> calad, Caras Galadon

glân

adjective. bright, shining white

The word is deduced from its mutated form, but it is worth mentioning that a stem GALÁN "bright", with glan "daylight" (and later "clear") as derivative, is listed in the Etymologies (not included in the published text, but see VT/45:13). Most of the words meaning "white" in the Indo-Eureopean languages come from the original notion of "brightness", e.g. Greek leukós "white" is cognate with Latin lucere "to shine", lux "light". This association of sense is also found in Gnomish, PE/11:39 (glan "clean, pure", from "bright" originally) and in Early Noldorin (PE/13:144, glann "clean"). The similarity with Welsh glan (where the vowel, incidentally, is also long, though this is concealed by Welsh orthographic convention) is also striking

calad

light

_(noun) _1) calad (i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i **aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i **âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

calad

light

(i galad, o chalad), pl. celaid (i chelaid), 2) gaul (i ’aul), pl. goel (i ngoel = i ñoel), coll. pl. golath. Note: A homophone means "wolf-howl", but has different mutations. 3) (bright light) galad (i ngalad = i ñalad), (sunlight, brilliance, radiance, glittering reflection), pl. gelaid (in gelaid = i ñgelaid). 4) gâl (gal-, -al in compounds, with article i ’âl), pl. gail (i ngail = i ñail).

gail

bright

gail (light), lenited ngail; no distinct pl. form (VT45:18). The adj. calen etymologically means "bright", but is used = "green" (q.v.).

gail

bright

(light), lenited ngail; no distinct pl. form (VT45:18). The adj. calen etymologically means "bright", but is used = "green" (q.v.).

gail

light

(adjective) 1) gail (bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18), 2) lim (clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

gail

light

(bright), lenited ngail, no distinct pl. form (VT45:18)

glóren

shining with golden light

(glórin-) (golden), lenited ’lóren; pl. glórin

gîl

bright spark

(i ngîl = i ñîl, construct gil) (star, silver glint), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gîl = i ñgîl), coll. pl. *giliath** (RGEO, MR:388)*

lim

light

(clear, sparkling), no distinct pl. form. Note: a homophone means ”fish”.

malad

gold

(as metal) 1) malad (i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl. 2) malt (i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i **lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair**) (VT41:10) GOLD (COLOUR?) *mall (i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malad

gold

(i valad), pl. melaid (i melaid) if there is a pl.

mall

gold

(i vall), pl. mail (i mail) if there is a pl. – Suggested Sindarin form of ”Noldorin” malt.

malt

gold

(i valt), pl. melt (i melt) if there is a pl. (VT42:27). ”Gold” in extended senses: glawar (i ’lawar) (sunlight, radiance of the Golden Tree Laurelin), pl. glewair (in glewair) (VT41:10)