nand

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nan, Nanduhirion

nand

noun. wide grassland, land at foot of hills with many streams

nand

noun. valley

nan

vale

_ n. _vale. >> nand, Nanduhirion

nan

noun. wide grassland, land at foot of hills with many streams

nan

noun. valley

nan(d)

noun. vale, valley, vale, valley, [ᴱN.] dale; [N.] wide grassland; [G.] field acre

A word for “valley” or “vale” appearing as an element in many names, mostly referring to wide valleys as opposed to imlad for narrow valleys. As an element in compounds or before another word in names it generally took the form nan as in Mornan “Dark Valley” and Nan Dungortheb “Valley of Dreadful Death”. As an independent word it had the form nand: “In Sindarin this gave nand which as other words ending in nd remained in stressed monosyllables but > nann > nan in compounds” (NM/351). It was a derivative of the root √NAD (NM/351; Ety/NAD).

Conceptual Development: The first appearance of this word was as G. nand or nann “a field acre” where it was probably a derivative of the early root ᴱ√NAŘA [NAÐA] as suggested by Christopher Tolkien (GL/59; LT1A/Nandini). Its use in early names like G. Nan Dumgorthin “Land of the Dark Idols” (LT2/35) and G. Nan Tathrin “Land of Willows” (GL/67; LT2A/Nantathrin) indicates the actual meaning was closer to “land”. The word reappeared as ᴱN. nann or nand “dale” in Early Noldorin Word-lists of the 1920s (PE13/150), consistent with the new gloss “Valley of Willows” for ᴱN. Nan Tathrin in Silmarillion drafts from the late 1920s (SM/35).

The word N. nand or nann “wide grassland” appeared in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√NAD (Ety/NAD), and the word nan(d) “valley” or “vale” was mentioned a number of times in Tolkien’s later notes (PE17/37, 83; RC/269). In notes from the late 1960s it was derived from primitived ✶nandē based on the root √NAD meaning “hollow of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides”. In these notes Tolkien said this word was:

> ... originally used only of not very large areas the sides of which were part of their own configuration. Vales or valleys of great extent, plains at the feet of mountains, etc. had other names. As also had the very steep-sided valleys in the mountains such as Rivendell (NM/351).

This note confirms that imlad was the proper word for a steep and narrow valley, but the notion that nand was not used for “valleys of great extent” contradicts its 1930s gloss “wide grassland” (Ety/NAD), as well as its use in names like Nan Dungortheb which were the extensive plains south of Ered Gorgoroth, or in the name Nan-tathren which had no particular boundaries.

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would ignore Tolkien’s late 1960s notion that this word was not used for large valleys, and apply it to wide valleys and even extensive grasslands between or below mountains, using imlad for narrow valleys and tum for deep (and round) valleys surrounded on all sides.

Cognates

• Q. nan(do) “(wide) valley, vale, (wide) valley, vale; [ᴹQ.] water-mead, watered plain; [ᴱQ.] woodland” ✧ NM/351

Derivations

• √NAD “hollow (of structures or natural features more or less concave with rising sides)” ✧ NM/351

Element in

• S. Glornan “Valley of Gold(en Light)”
• S. Mornan “Dark Valley”
• S. Nan Curunír “Valley of Saruman”
• S. Nanduhirion “Dimrill Dale, (lit.) Vale of (the Region of) Dim Streams” ✧ PE17/037; RC/269; SA/sîr
• S. Nan Dungortheb “Valley of Dreadful Death” ✧ SA/nan(d)
• S. Nan Elmoth “*Valley of Starry Dusk” ✧ SA/nan(d)
• S. Nan Gondresgion “Stonewain Valley”
• S. Nan Laur “Valley of Gold(en Light)” ✧ UT/253
• S. Nan-tathren “Land of Willows, (lit.) Willow-vale” ✧ SA/nan(d)

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
√NAD > nand	[nando] > [nand]	✧ NM/351
√NAD > nann > nan	[-nando] > [-nand] > [-nann] > [-nan]	✧ NM/351

Variations

• nand ✧ NM/351
• nan ✧ NM/351
• Nan ✧ UT/253

dôr

noun. land, land, [N.] region where certain people live, [ᴱN.] country; [G.] people of the land

Cognates

• Q. -ndor “land, country” ✧ SA/dôr

Derivations

• ✶ndorē “land” ✧ PE17/164; SA/dôr; WJ/413
  • √NDOR “land; hard, firm; [ᴹ√] dwell, stay, rest, abide” ✧ PE17/106; PE17/107
  • √DOR “hard, tough, dried up, unyielding”
  • √DOR “hard, tough, dried up, unyielding” ✧ WJ/413

Element in

• S. Arnor “Royal Land”
• S. Balannor “Land of the Valar”
• S. bardor “home land, native land” ✧ PE17/164
• S. Berennyr “Brown Lands”
• S. Dor Caranthir “Land of Caranthir”
• S. Dor-Cúarthol “Land of Bow and Helm”
• S. Dor Daedeloth “Land of Great Dread; Land of Shadow of Horror”
• S. Dor Dínen “Silent Land” ✧ S/121
• S. Dor-en-Ernil “Land of the Prince” ✧ UT/245
• S. Dor Firn-i-Guinar “Land of the Dead that Live” ✧ S/188
• S. dorgannas “shapes of the lands, *geography” ✧ WJ/192
• ᴺS. dorgant “landscape, scene, *(lit.) land-shape”
• S. Dor Gyrth i Chuinar “Land of the Dead that Live” ✧ Let/417
• S. Dor Haeron
• S. Doriath “Land of the Fence” ✧ SA/dôr; SI/Doriath; UTI/Doriath; WJ/370
• S. Dor-i-Ndainn “*Land of the Nandor”
• S. Dor i Thuin
• north S. Dor-lómin “*Echoing-land”
• S. Dorloven “*Echoing Land” ✧ PE17/133
• S. Dor-na-Daerachas “Land of Great Dread”
• S. Dor-nu-Fauglith “Land under Choking Ash”
• S. Dor-Rodyn “*Land of the Valar” ✧ MR/200
• S. Dorthonion “Land of Pines” ✧ RC/384; SA/dôr
• S. Dorwinion “Young-land country, land of Gwinion”
• S. Eglador “Land of the Eglir (Forsaken)”
• S. Elennor “*Elf-land”
• S. Eriador “Lonely Land” ✧ SA/dôr
• S. Gondor “Stone-land” ✧ SA/dôr
• S. Mildor “Wine-land”
• S. Mordor “Black Land” ✧ Let/427; SA/dôr
• S. Pelennor “Fenced Land”
• S. Thonador

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶ndor > -dor	[-ndorē] > [-ndore] > [-ndor] > [-dor]	✧ PE17/164
✶ndor > dôr	[ndorē] > [ndore] > [dore] > [dor] > [dōr]	✧ SA/dôr
✶ndorē > dôr	[ndorē] > [ndore] > [dore] > [dor] > [dōr]	✧ WJ/413
✶ndorē > -ndor > -nor/-nnor	[-ndorē] > [-ndore] > [-ndor] > [-nnor]	✧ WJ/413

Variations

• Dor ✧ Let/417; MR/200; PE17/133; S/121; S/188; SI/Doriath; UT/245; UTI/Doriath; WJ/192
• dor ✧ Let/427; RC/384
• -dor ✧ PE17/164
• Dôr ✧ WJ/370

imlad

noun. deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides (but a flat habitable bottom)

imrad

noun. a path or pass (between mountains, hills or trackless forest)

dor

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

talf

noun. flat field, flat land

dôr

noun. land, dwelling-place, region where certain people live

The form dor in the Etymologies is a misreading, see VT/45. In composition and in toponyms, the word is nevertheless reduced to Dor

parth

noun. field, enclosed grassland, sward

im

noun. valley, valley; [N.] dell, deep vale

An archaic element meaning “valley” that survived only in compounds, a derivation of ✶imbi “between” (VT47/14). The basic sense “valley” was transferred to its more elaborate form imlad as in Imladris “Rivendell”, and †im “valley” fell out of use due to its conflicted with other words like the reflexive pronoun im.

Conceptual Development: N. imm “dell, deep vale” was mentioned in The Etymologies of the 1930s as a derivative of the root ᴹ√IMBE, alongside its elaboration N. imlad of the same meaning (Ety/IMBE).

Derivations

• ✶imbi “between” ✧ VT47/14
  • √MI/IMI “in, within, [ᴹ√] inside” ✧ PE17/092; VT47/11; VT47/30

Element in

• S. imlad “deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, deep valley, narrow valley with steep sides, gap, gully, [N.] dell, glen” ✧ VT47/14
• S. Imloth Melui “Lovely or Sweet Flower-valley” ✧ VT42/18
• S. imrad “path or pass between mountains or trackless forest, *(lit.) valley path” ✧ VT47/14
• S. imrath “long narrow valley with road or watercourse running through it lengthwise, *(lit.) valley course”

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶imbi > imm > im	[imbi] > [imbe] > [imb] > [imm] > [imm] > [im]	✧ VT47/14

Variations

• im ✧ VT42/18; VT47/14

imrath

noun. long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise

tum

noun. deep valley, under or among hills

imloth

noun. flower-valley, flowery vale

This word only occurs in the place name Imloth Melui, a vale where roses grew

nand

wide grassland

(construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36);

nand

valley

1) nand (construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36), 2) lâd (lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid, 3) (long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith).

nand

valley

(construct nan) (wide grassland, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath **(VT45:36)

nand

grassland

(construct nan) (valley, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. **nannath** (VT45:36)

nand

wide grassland

(land at the foot of hills with many streams) nand (construct nan) (valley), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36);

bâr

land

(dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dôr

land

1) dôr (i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413), 2) bâr (dwelling, house, home, family; earth) (i mâr, o mbâr, construct bar), pl. bair (i mbair). Also -bar, -mar at the end of compounds.

dôr

land

(i nôr, construct dor) (dwelling place, region), pl. dŷr (i ndŷr), coll. pl. dorath (WJ:413)

sant

field

(i hant, o sant) (garden, yard, or other privately owned place), pl. saint (i saint) (VT42:20) 

parth

grassland

: 1) (enclosed grassland) parth (i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth), 2) (wide grassland) nand (construct nan) (valley, land at the foot of hills with many streams), pl. naind, coll. pl. nannath (VT45:36)

parth

grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth)

lâd

valley

(lowland, plain), construct lad, pl. laid

parth

enclosed grassland

(i barth, o pharth) (field, sward), pl. perth (i pherth);

rîdh

sown field

(acre);  no distinct pl. form except possibly with article (idh rîdh)

talath

dal

Dirnen or ”Guarded Plain” mentioned in the Silmarillion.

im

vale

(deep vale) im (dell), no distinct pl. form (though the pl. article in will mark the word as pl. when definite). The word typically occurs, not by itself, but in compounds like imlad, imloth, imrath, imrad (VT45:18, VT47:19)

im

vale

(dell), no distinct pl. form (though the pl. article in will mark the word as pl. when definite). The word typically occurs, not by itself, but in compounds like imlad, imloth, imrath, imrad *(VT45:18, VT47:19)***

talf

field

(i dalf, o thalf), pl. telf (i thelf), coll. pl. talvath. (Names:195). Note: a homophone means ”palm”.

parth

field

1) parth (i barth, o pharth) (sward, enclosed grassland), pl. perth (i pherth), 2) (low, flat field, or wetland) talf (i dalf, o thalf), pl. telf (i thelf), coll. pl. talvath. _(Names:195). Note: a homophone means ”palm”. 3) sant (i hant, o sant) (garden, yard, or other privately owned place), pl. saint (i saint) (VT42:20)_

parth

field

(i barth, o pharth) (sward, enclosed grassland), pl. perth (i pherth)

imloth

flowering valley

(pl. imlyth) (VT42:18).

imrath

valley

(long narrow valley with a road or watercourse running through it lengthwise) imrath (pl. imraith)

talath

wide valley

(i** dalath, o thalath) (flat surface, plane, flatlands, plain), pl. telaith (i** thelaith). *Tolkien changed this word from ”Noldorin” dalath, LR:353 s.v.*