altáriel

feminine name. Galadriel

The Quenya name of Galadriel, an adaptation of the Telerin name Alatáriel (UT/266, PM/347). See the entry on Galadriel for further discussion of this name’s history, and ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle for a discussion of the conceptual development of its etymology.

Changes

• Altariel(le) → Kaltariel(le) “woman crowned with radiance” ✧ PE17/050
• altáriel → kaltáriel ✧ PE17/050

Cognates

• T. Alatáriel “Galadriel” ✧ NM/353; PM/347; UT/266
• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/169; PM/347; PMI/Galadriel; SA/kal; MR/182; NM/346

Derivations

• T. Alatáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PM/347
  • ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ NM/353; NM/353; PE17/060
• ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ MR/182; PE17/050; PE17/050

Derivatives

• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ PM/347

Element in

• Q. Altariello nainië Lóriendesse “Galadriel’s lament in Lórien” ✧ RGEO/58

Elements

Word	Gloss
alata	“radiance, glittering reflection”
riel(lë)	“garlanded maiden, maiden crowned with a festive garland”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶galata-rīg-elle > Altariellë	[galatarīgelle] > [galtarīgelle] > [ɣaltarīɣelle] > [altarielle]	✧ MR/182
✶galatā-rigellē̆ > altáriel	[galatarīgelle] > [ɣalatārīgell] > [galtārīgell] > [ɣaltārīɣell] > [altāriell] > [altāriel]	✧ PE17/050
✶alatā-rigellē̆ > Altariel(le)	[galatārīgelle] > [galtārīgelle] > [ɣaltārīɣelle] > [altārielle]	✧ PE17/050
✶alatā-rigellē̆ > altáriel	[galatārīgelle] > [ɣaltārīɣelle] > [ɣaltārīɣelle] > [altārielle]	✧ PE17/050

Variations

• Altariellë ✧ MR/182; MRI/Altariellë
• Alatáriel ✧ NM/346
• Altariel(le) ✧ PE17/050 (Altariel(le)); PE17/050; PE17/169
• altáriel ✧ PE17/050 (altáriel); PE17/050
• Altariel ✧ PM/347; PMI/Galadriel
• Al(a)táriel ✧ SA/kal; UTI/Al(a)táriel

naltariel

feminine name. Galadriel

What the Quenya name of Altáriel (S. Galadriel) would have been if it had been coined in Quenya instead of adapted from Telerin (PM/347). This name is a compound of nalta “radiance, glittering reflection” and riel(lë) “garlanded maiden”. See S. Galadriel and ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle for further discussion.

Cognates

• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ PE17/059; PE17/060
• T. Alatáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PE17/060

Derivations

• ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ PE17/060

Elements

Word	Gloss
nalta	“radiance, glittering reflection”
riel(lë)	“garlanded maiden, maiden crowned with a festive garland”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ñgal(a)tā-rig-el- > Ñaltariel	[ŋgalatārīgel] > [ŋgaltārīgel] > [ŋgaltārīɣel] > [ŋaltārīɣel] > [ŋaltāriel] > [naltāriel]	✧ PE17/060

Variations

• Naldariel(lle) ✧ PE17/059
• Ñaltariel ✧ PE17/060; PM/347

Altariel

galadriel

Altariel fem. name "Galadriel", "maiden crowned with a radiant garland" (SA:kal; the form Alatáriel is Telerin; see PM:347) Stem Altariell- seen in the genitive Altariello, occurring in the superscript of the Tengwar transcription of Namárië in RGEO.

Galadriel

noun. lady, crowned with a radiant garland

galad (“light, radiance”) + rî (“crown”) + iell (“daughter” [Etym. SEL-D] traditional ending for women’s names) Sindarin equivalent of Tel. Alatâriel(lë))

galadriel

feminine name. Glittering-garland

A Noldorin lady and only daughter of Finarfin, Galadriel was the ruler of Lórien at the end of the Third Age (LotR/353). Her name is a compound of galad “radiance, glittering reflection” and -riel “crowned maiden”. Its full meaning is “maiden crowned with a garland of bright radiance” (PM/347), but for the sake of brevity this entry uses the less literal translation “Glittering-garland” (Let/423).

Etymology: The history of Galadriel’s name is quite complex. Her birth names were Q. Nerwen and Q. Artanis, but her mother Eärwen was Telerin. Later in life Galadriel adopted the Telerin name T. Alatáriel, which in Quenya was Q. Altáriel (PM/346). This new name may have been due to the Telerin influence of her mother, or it may have been given to Galadriel by her husband, who may or may not have been a Telerin elf (see Celeborn for discussion). She was given this name because of her long golden hair (Let/428). Like her older brothers, Galadriel journeyed to Beleriand to aid in the war against Morgoth, where her name Altáriel was adapted into Sindarin as Galadriel (PM/347, PE17/60).

Many years later, when Galadriel became ruler of Lórien, her Silvan-elf subjects associated her name with Nan. galad “tree”. Sometimes her Sindarin name was altered to Galadhriel (S. galadh “tree”) to reflect this association (UT/267), but properly speaking her name had nothing to do with trees.

Conceptual Development: See the entry for the primitive form of her name, ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle, for a discussion of the conceptual developments in this name’s etymology, and N. Galadhrien for a discussion of earlier forms of this name.

Cognates

• Q. Altáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PE17/050; PE17/169; PM/347; PMI/Galadriel; SA/kal; MR/182; NM/346
• Q. Caltáriel “woman crowned with glory, radiance” ✧ PE17/050
• Q. Naltariel “Galadriel” ✧ PE17/059; PE17/060
• T. Alatáriel “Galadriel” ✧ NM/349; NM/352; PM/346; PMI/Galadriel

Derivations

• ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ MR/182; MR/470; NM/353; PE17/050; PE17/050; PE17/060
• Q. Altáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PM/347
  • T. Alatáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PM/347
  • ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ NM/353; NM/353; PE17/060
  • ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ MR/182; PE17/050; PE17/050

Elements

Word	Gloss
galad	“radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss, radiance, glittering reflection; light, fire, brightness, shining; bliss; [ᴱN.] dawn”
-riel	“crowned maiden”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶galata-rīg-elle > Galadriel	[galatarīgelle] > [galatarīɣelle] > [galatarīɣell] > [galadarīɣell] > [galadarīell] > [galadrīell] > [galadriel]	✧ MR/182
✶galata-rĭg-elle > Galadriel	[galatarigelle] > [galatariɣelle] > [galatariɣell] > [galadariɣell] > [galadariell] > [galadriell] > [galadriel]	✧ MR/470
✶ñalata-riʒelle > Galadriel	[ŋalatariɣelle] > [ŋgalatariɣelle] > [galatariɣelle] > [galatariɣell] > [galadariɣell] > [galadariell] > [galadriell] > [galadriel]	✧ NM/353
✶galatā-rigellē̆ > Galadriel	[galatarigelle] > [galatariɣelle] > [galatariɣell] > [galadariɣell] > [galadariell] > [galadriell] > [galadriel]	✧ PE17/050
✶Kalatā-rigelle > Caladriel	[calatarigelle] > [calatariɣelle] > [calatariɣell] > [caladariɣell] > [caladariell] > [caladriell] > [caladriel]	✧ PE17/050
✶ñgal(a)tā-rig-el- > Galadriel	[ŋalatarigel] > [ŋgalatarigel] > [galatarigel] > [galatariɣel] > [galadariɣel] > [galadariel] > [galadriel]	✧ PE17/060

Variations

• Galaðriel ✧ NM/350; WJ/035; WJI/Galadriel
• Caladriel ✧ PE17/050 (Caladriel); PE17/050
• Galadhriel ✧ SA/kal; UT/267

Galadriel

Galadriel

Galadriel is a Sindarin name translated by Tolkien as "glittering garland", "Maiden crowned with gleaming hair", and "maiden crowned with a radiant garland". It has been suggested that Galadriel consists of galad ("light, radiance") + rî ("crown") + iell ("daughter"). Tolkien notes that the element galad had no relation to Sindarin galadh ("tree", or Silvan galad "tree"), but that such a connexion often was made and her name then became Galadhriel.

alatáriel

feminine name. Galadriel

Cognates

• Q. Altáriel “Galadriel” ✧ NM/353; PM/347; UT/266
• Q. Naltariel “Galadriel” ✧ PE17/060
• S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ NM/349; NM/352; PM/346; PMI/Galadriel

Derivations

• ✶Ñ(g)alatā-rigelle “maiden crowned with a garland of radiance” ✧ NM/353; NM/353; PE17/060

Derivatives

• Q. Altáriel “Galadriel” ✧ PM/347
  • S. Galadriel “Glittering-garland” ✧ PM/347

Elements

Word	Gloss
alata	“radiance, glittering reflection”
rielle	“maiden crowned with a festive garland”

Variations

• Altarielle ✧ PE17/060
• Alatāriel(lë) ✧ PM/347
• Alatáriel(lë) ✧ PMI/Galadriel

galadriel

feminine name. Galadriel

Elements

Word	Gloss
galadh	“tree”
-iel	“daughter; feminine suffix”