gwaew

noun. storm; blow

A Sindarin word in notes from around 1957, derived from primitive ✶wagmē, the equivalent of Q. vangwë “storm” (NM/237). It is not entirely clear whether Tolkien intended the Sindarin word to have the same meaning, as elsewhere gwaew was typically glossed “wind”. But in the same paragraph, gwae also appeared (likewise unglossed), which is the more usual Sindarin word for “wind”, so I think gwaew = “storm” is a reasonable assumption. The same form and derivation of gwaew < ✶wagme appeared in Quenya Notes also from 1957, but there its Quenya equivalent (also vangwe) was glossed “blow”.

gwaew

wind

_ n. _wind. Tolkien also notes "WAKH in wagme > gwaew, gwae" (PE17:34). >> gwae

gwae

noun. wind

The normal Sindarin word for “wind”, usually appearing as gwae but sometimes as gwaew, most frequently derived from √WAY “blow” but also a bewildering variety of other roots (NM/237; PE17/33-34, 189); see the entry for √WĀ for further discussion.

Conceptual Development: The earliest form of this word was G. gwâ “wind” from both Gnomish Grammar and Gnomish Lexicon from the 1910s (GG/14; GL/43). The form ᴱN. gwá “wind” reappeared in Early Noldorin Word-lists from the 1920s (MC/217), but in the Nebrachar poem from circa 1930 the form was gwaew “wind” (MC/217). It was N. gwaew “wind” in The Etymologies of the 1930s from the root ᴹ√WAIWA (Ety/WĀ), and appeared a number of times in later writings as both gwae and (more rarely) gwaew, as noted above.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I prefer using only gwae for “wind”, reserving gwaew for “storm”.

gwae

wind

_ n. _wind. Tolkien also notes "WAKH in wagme > gwaew, gwae" (PE17:34). Q. vea. >> gwaew

gwaew

storm

1) gwaew (i **waew) (wind), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaew**), 2)

gwaew

storm

(i ’waew) (wind), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaew)

gwaew

wind

1) gwaew (i **waew) (storm), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaew), 2) sûl (i hûl), pl. suil (i suil**). Note: a homophone means ”goblet”.

gwaew

wind

(i ’waew) (storm), no distinct pl. form except with article (in gwaew)

gwaihir

masculine name. Windlord

Lord of the eagles, translated “Windlord” (LotR/261) or “Lord of the Storm” (LR/301). It is a combination of gwae “wind” and hîr “lord” (PE17/33). It appears that in this name, the older diphthong [ai] was preserved from the primitive ✶waiwa(y) > S. gwae.

Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Gwaewar (LR/301), and so appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/134), though in one place it appeared as Gwaiwar (TI/151). Tolkien eventually changed it to N. Gwaehir >> Gwaihir (TI/430), and it mostly kept this form thereafter, though it occasionally appeared as Gwaehir (MR/410), which would be more in keeping with the usual [[n|revision of [ai] to [ae]]].

sûl

noun. wind

sûl

noun. wind, [strong] wind, *gust

A noun for “wind” appearing in names like Amon Sûl, derived from the root √SŪ “blow, move with audible sound (of air)” (NM/237; PE17/124).

Conceptual Development: A precursor to this word is G. saul “great wind” from the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s (GL/67), derived from the early root ᴱ√SUHYU “air, breath, exhale, puff” as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (LT1A/Súlimo; QL/86).

Neo-Sindarin: Given its connection to the sound of wind, I think sûl would be used mostly for strong or noisy wind, including (but not limited to) gusts of wind, as opposed to more ordinary (and less noisy) gwae “wind”. This notion is supported by its Gnomish precursor G. saul “great wind”.

alagos

storm of wind

(pl. elegys, coll. pl. alagossath)

gwaeren

windy

(lenited ’waeren; pl. gwaerin)

sûl

wind

(i hûl), pl. suil (i suil). Note: a homophone means ”goblet”.