laurelin

proper name. Song of Gold, Singing Gold

Name of the Golden Tree of Valinor, the one of the Two Trees which shone with golden light (S/38). It is a compound of laurë “gold” and lin(dë) “singing, song” (SA/laurë, lin²), variously translated as “Song of Gold” (MR/155) or “Singing Gold (PE17/80)”.

Conceptual Development: In the earliest Lost Tales, the tree was first named ᴱQ. Lindelokte “Singing Cluster” with numerous variations (LT1/22, LTA/Lindelos). Towards the end of Tolkien’s work on the Lost Tales, he introduced the name ᴱQ. {Lindelaure >>} Laurelin “Singing-gold” (LT2/216), and used this as the name thereafter.

The name ᴹQ. Laurelin was translated “Song of Gold” in Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (LR/210). This translation also appeared in The Etymologies (Laurelind-, Ety/LIN²), but there Tolkien considered a variant, co-existing translation “Hanging Flame” (Laureling-, EtyAC/LING). This variant was retained in the later Sindarin name of the tree: S. Glingal.

Cognates

• S. Glewellin “Song of Gold” ✧ MR/155; PE17/061

Element in

• Q. Laurelindórenan “(Land of the) Valley of Singing Gold” ✧ PE17/080; PE17/080

Elements

Word	Gloss
laurë	“gold (light or colour)”
lindë	“singing, song, musical sound, singing, song, musical sound; [ᴹQ.] air, tune”

Variations

• laurelindë ✧ PE17/080
• laurelin ✧ PE17/080