Quenya 

óla-

to dream

óla- vb. "to dream" (said to be "impersonal", probably meaning that the dreamer is mentioned in the dative rather than the nominative) (UT:396)

óla-

verb. to dream (impersonal)

An impersonal verb for “to dream” based on the root √OLO-S, so that presumably the purported subject would be in the dative: óla nin “[it] dreams to me = I dream”. This verb says something interesting about Elvish psychology, in that dreams are seen as things that happen to a dreamer rather than an action of the dreamer themselves. This may be related to the Elvish experience of receiving telepathic visions through dreams, from other Elves or from greater powers.

Conceptual Development: The Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s has a verb G. oltha- that could likewise be used in an impersonal construction with the dative to mean “I dream” (GL/62).

Derivations

  • OLOS “dream, vision, fantasy, dream, vision, fantasy; [ᴹ√] sleep” ✧ UT/396

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
olo-s > ōla-[ōla-]✧ UT/396

Variations

  • ōla- ✧ UT/396