nírnaeth (“lamentation”) < nîr (“tear”) + naeth (“woe”), ar- (pref. “without”) + noediad (ger. of noedia-, nedia- “count”)
Sindarin
nirnaeth arnoediad
proper name. Tears Unnumbered
Variations
- Nirnaeth Arnediad ✧ WJ/071
- Nírnaeth Arnoediad ✧ WJI/Nírnaeth Arnoediad
Nírnaeth Arnoediad
noun. unnumbered tears
Nírnaeth Arnoediad
Nirnaeth Arnoediad
The tragic battle in which the forces of Morgoth defeated the Elves and Men of Beleriand, translated “Tears Unnumbered” (S/192) or “Unnumbered Tears” (WJ/165). This name is a combination of nirnaeth “lamentation” and the archaic form †arnoediad “unnumbered” (Ety/NOT).
Conceptual Development: Although translated “Unnumbered Tears” throughout Tolkien’s writing, the Elvish form of the name changed greatly over the years. In the earliest Lost Tales, this name first appeared as G. Nínin-Udathriol (LT2/84). In the Lays of Beleriand from the 1920s, the name was revised to ᴱN. Nínin Unothradin or Nirnaithos Unothradin (LB/21), then revised again to ᴱN. Nirnaith Únoth >> Nirnaith Ornoth (LB/79).
In the earliest Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s the name was changed to N. Nirnaith Irnoth >> Nirnaith Dirnoth (SM/312, LR/136), then again to N. Nirnaith Arnediad (LR/147), the last of these also appearing as a late revision in the Lays of Beleriand (LB/102). The form Nírnaeth Arnediad with a long í appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/NAY), along with the archaic form of its second element arnœdiad (Ety/NOT). In the Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s Tolkien switched to this archaic form in the main narratives (WJ/165), using S. Nirnaeth for earlier N. Nirnaith after his [[n|revision of [ai] to [ae]]].