nerdanel

feminine name. Nerdanel

The wife of Fëanor (S/64; PM/353, 368). The meaning of this name is obscure, though the initial element might be nér “man” referring to her masculine strength of will. This element also appears in Nerwen, the mother-name of her niece Galadriel.

Conceptual Development: Her name was first written as (rejected) Istarnië (MR/273).

Elements

Word	Gloss
nér	“man, male person, man, male person; [ᴹQ.] adult male; [ᴱQ.] husband; warrior”
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Nerdanel

Nerdanel (name)

The name Nerdanel is given no clear meaning or etymology in the published writings of Tolkien. The original (rejected) version of her name was Istarnië.

Editor and linguist Patrick H. Wynne has suggested that the element nerd- in Nerdanel perhaps derives from nerdo ("large, strong man"), noting that the name "might refer to her strength of body and mind, and her pursuits of crafts more commonly practiced by men." Wynne also suggests that Istarnië derives from Quenya ista- ("know"), apparently "_referring to her 'desire for knowledge".

Nerdanel

Nerdanel

The name Nerdanel is given no clear meaning or etymology in the published writings of Tolkien. The original (rejected) version of her name was Istarnië. Editor and linguist Patrick H. Wynne has suggested that the element nerd- in Nerdanel perhaps derives from nerdo ("large, strong man"), noting that the name "might refer to her strength of body and mind, and her pursuits of crafts more commonly practiced by men." Wynne also suggests that Istarnië derives from Quenya ista- ("know"), apparently "referring to her 'desire for knowledge'".