súlë

spirit, breath

súlë (þ) noun "spirit, breath", also name of tengwa #9; originally thúlë (þúlë), before the shift th > s that occurred shortly before the rebellion of the Noldor (Appendix E, THŪ). Its gloss, "blowing forth", was metaphorically used as "the emission of power (of will or desire) from a spirit" (PE17:124). If the element súlë appears in Súlimë and Súlimo (q.v.), the stem-form may seem to be súli-.

þúlë

noun. spirit

hó

spirit, shadow

hó noun "spirit, shadow" (PE17:86)

hroa

hröa

hroa (sometimes spelt "hröa")noun "body" (changed by Tolkien from hrondo, in turn changed from hrón). The word hroa comes from earlier ¤srawa(VT47:35). Pl. hroar is attested (MR:304, VT39:30). In MR:330, Tolkien notes that hroa is "roughly but not exactly equivalent to 'body' " (as opposed to "soul"). The Incarnates live by necessary union of hroa (body) and fëa (soul) (WJ:405). Hroafelmë "body-impulse" (impulses provided by the body, e.g. physical fear, hunger, thirst, sexual desire) (VT41:19 cf. 13)

fëa

spirit

fëa noun "spirit" (pl. fëar attested, MR:363). The Incarnates are said to live by necessary union of hroa (body) and fëa (WJ:405). In Airëfëa noun "the Holy Spirit", Fëanáro masc. name "Spirit of Fire" (Quenya-Sindarin hybrid form: Fëanor), Fëanturi noun "Masters of Spirits", name of the two Valar Mandos and Lórien (SA:tur), fëafelmë noun "spirit-impulse" (impulses originating with the spirit, e.g. love, pity, anger, hate) (VT41:19 cf. 13, VT43:37). In one source it is said to mean specifically a "spirit indwelling a body", i.e. "soul" (PE17:124), which contradicts such uses as Airefëa or Fëanturi. Cf. fairë.

vilissë

spirit

vilissë noun "spirit" (GL:23)

fëa

noun. (indwelling or incarnate) spirit, soul

Cognates

• S. fae “incarnate spirit, incarnate spirit, *soul” ✧ MR/165

Derivations

• ✶phayā “soul, indwelling spirit” ✧ MR/349; MR/470; NM/237; PE17/124; PE19/104; VT41/14
  • √PHAY “spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light” ✧ NM/237
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237
• √PHAY “spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light” ✧ PM/352
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237

Element in

• Q. Airefëa “Holy Spirit”
• Q. fëafelmë “*spirit-impulse”
• Q. Fëanáro “Spirit of Fire”
• Q. Fëanturi “Masters of Spirits” ✧ SA/fëa
• S. Fëanor “Spirit of Fire” ✧ SA/fëa

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶phăya > fëa	[pʰaja] > [ɸaja] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ MR/349
✶phăya > fëa	[pʰaja] > [ɸaja] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ MR/470
✶phắyā > fëa	[pʰajā] > [ɸajā] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ NM/237
✶fáyā > fëa	[pʰajā] > [ɸajā] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ PE17/124
✶phayā > făyā > fea	[pʰajā] > [ɸajā] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ PE19/104
√PHAYA > fëa	[pʰaja] > [ɸaja] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ PM/352
✶phayā > fea	[pʰajā] > [ɸajā] > [ɸea] > [fea]	✧ VT41/14

Variations

• fea ✧ PE19/104; VT41/14

fae

noun. incarnate spirit, incarnate spirit, *soul

Cognates

• Q. fëa “(indwelling or incarnate) spirit, soul” ✧ MR/165

Derivations

• ✶phayā “soul, indwelling spirit”
  • √PHAY “spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light” ✧ NM/237
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237

Element in

• ᴺS. faefelf “soul-feeling, *emotion”
• S. Faenor “Spirit of Fire”
• ᴺS. faergol “depression, grief, (lit.) spirit-burden”

hû

spirit

_ n. _spirit, shadow.

faer

noun. spirit

fae

soul

fae (spirit, radiance). No distinct pl. form.: No general word for ”sound” is attested, but there are the following terms:

fae

soul

(spirit, radiance). No distinct pl. form.

hûr

fiery spirit

(i chûr, o chûr, construct hur) (readiness for action, vigour), pl. huir (i chuir) if there is a pl.

fae

spirit

1) fae (soul, radiance). No distinct pl. form. 2) faer (radiance). No distinct pl. form. (MR:349)

fae

spirit

(soul, radiance). No distinct pl. form.

faer

spirit

(radiance). No distinct pl. form. (MR:349)

manô

noun. spirit

A noun translated “spirit” and fully declined as an example of a Weak II noun (SD/438). It appeared with both a short a (SD/424) and long â (SD/438). Given its ending -ô, it might be a masculine-noun, but it seems unlikely that spirits would only be male. This entry assumes it is a common-noun instead. It is probably related to ᴹQ. manu “departed spirit” as suggested by various authors (AAD/19, AL/Adûnaic, EotAL/MAN).

Cognates

• ᴹQ. manu “departed spirit”

Derivations

• ✶Ad. manaw “spirit” ✧ SD/424; SD/424

Phonetic Developments

Development	Stages	Sources
✶Ad. manaw- > manau > manō	[manaw] > [manau] > [manō]	✧ SD/424
✶Ad. manaw+yi > manau+yi > manōyi > manôi	[manawji] > [manauji] > [manōji] > [manōi]	✧ SD/424

Variations

• manō ✧ SD/424
• mānō ✧ SD/438

phayā

noun. soul, indwelling spirit

Derivations

• √PHAY “spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light” ✧ NM/237
  • √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237

Derivatives

• Q. fëa “(indwelling or incarnate) spirit, soul” ✧ MR/349; MR/470; NM/237; PE17/124; PE19/104; VT41/14
• S. fae “incarnate spirit, incarnate spirit, *soul”

Element in

• ✶Phayanāro “Spirit of Fire” ✧ PE17/039

Variations

• phăya ✧ MR/349; MR/470
• phắyā ✧ NM/237
• phaya ✧ PE17/039
• fáyā ✧ PE17/124

phay

root. spirit, spirit; [ᴹ√] radiate, send out rays of light

When this root first appeared in The Etymologies (Ety/PHAY), it was glossed “radiate, send out rays of light” and its derivatives were consistent with this definition, most notably in N. Feanor “Radiant Sun”. In later writings, this root was instead glossed “spirit” (PM/352), which is the connotation of most of its later derivatives. For example, the later meaning of S. Fëanor was changed to “Spirit of Fire”.

The earlier sense “radiate” probably also survived in Tolkien’s later conception, however. On MR/250, the word Q. fairë “spirit” is said to originally have had the sense “radiance”, which is precisely the meaning that ᴹQ. faire had in The Etymologies. There is also a primitive monosyllable ✶phāy “flame, ray of light” in the Outline of Phonology from the early 1950s (OP2: PE19/102). If the root meaning “radiate” remains valid, then the word S. ✱fael “gleam of the sun”, an element of S. Faelivrin “gleam of the sun on the pools of Ivrin” (the second name of Finduilas), might be a derivative of this root.

Derivations

• √PHA “exhalations (as mists upon water or steams and the like)” ✧ NM/237

Derivatives

• ✶phaini “vapour” ✧ NM/237
  • S. faen “vapour; [disembodied] spirit” ✧ NM/237
• ✶phairi “spirit (general)” ✧ NM/237
  • Q. fairë “spirit (disembodied), phantom; †radiance” ✧ NM/237
  • S. faer “spirit (in general)”
• ✶phanā “veil, cloud” ✧ NM/237
  • Q. fana “raiment, veil; (bright) shape or figure; bodily form of an angelic spirit” ✧ PE17/173; PE17/174
  • S. fân “(white) cloud; veil, curtain; form or vision of a spiritual being; spirit [embodied]” ✧ PE17/173; PE17/174
• ✶phāy “flame, ray of light”
  • Q. fá “*ray of light, flame” ✧ PE19/104
• ✶phayā “soul, indwelling spirit” ✧ NM/237
  • Q. fëa “(indwelling or incarnate) spirit, soul” ✧ MR/349; MR/470; NM/237; PE17/124; PE19/104; VT41/14
  • S. fae “incarnate spirit, incarnate spirit, *soul”
• Q. faila “fair-minded, just, generous” ✧ PM/352
• Q. fëa “(indwelling or incarnate) spirit, soul” ✧ PM/352
• S. fael “gleam of the sun; *gleaming”
• S. fael “fair-minded, just, generous” ✧ PM/352

Variations

• phay ✧ NM/237; NM/237
• PHAYA ✧ PM/352

mân

noun. departed spirit