Beware, older languages below! The languages below were invented during Tolkien's earlier period and should be used with caution. Remember to never, ever mix words from different languages!

Early Quenya

telu

noun. end (fate), close

Early Quenya [LT1A/Teleri; PME/091; QL/091] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tel

noun. roof

Early Quenya [LT1A/Telimektar; QL/090] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telumbe

noun. mushroom, (lit.) fairy-canopy

A word appearing as ᴱQ. telumbe “mushroom” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the root ᴱ√TELE “cover in”, along with a longer variant inwetelumbe where the initial element was ᴱQ. inwe “fairy” (QL/42), hence more properly “fairy-canopy” (QL/90).

Neo-Quenya: Since √TELU meant “roof in” in Tolkien’s later writings, I would retain ᴺQ. telumbë “mushroom” for purposes of Neo-Quenya.

Early Quenya [QL/090] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telumen tollanta naiko lunganar

the vault of heaven sagged upon the tops of the hills

The sixteenth phrase (lines 17-18) of the first version of the Oilima Markirya poem (MC/221). The first word is the nominative form of the noun telume “vault of heaven” followed by the allative of tolla “hill”, singular despite its English translation. It is followed by an adverb of unclear function naiko; this adverb is not reflected in the English translation, but in the Glossary Commentary accompanying the sixth draft, it is said to be the adverbial form of naika “stricken ill, sick” (PE16/75). The last word in the phrase is the aorist 3rd-singular masculine form of the verb lunga(na)- “sag, bend down”.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> telume-n tolla-nta naik-o lungana-r = “✱heavens-(nominative) hill-upon sick-ly sag-he”

Conceptual Development: This phrase appeared in the fourth draft of this poem, where Tolkien first considered an alternate form lungáro of the verb before switching to lunganar (OM1d: PE16/62). Aside from the variant Finnish-like spelling of the fifth draft (OM1e: PE16/72), the phrase remained the same thereafter.

Early Quenya [MC/221; PE16/062; PE16/072; PE16/074] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telume lungane

the heavens bending

The twenty third line of the Oilima Markirya poem (MC/214). The first word is the noun telume “heavens” followed by the “bare stem” infinitive form of the verb lunga(na)- “to bend”, as suggested by Gilson, Welden, and Hostetter (PE16/84, notes on line #10 and #11), apparently functioning as either an active-participle or a verbal object.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> telume lunga-ne = “✱heavens bend-ing”

Early Quenya [MC/214] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telu-

verb. to finish, end, close, complete; to cover, roof

Early Quenya [LT1A/Teleri; PE16/134; QL/091] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telume

noun. the heavens, (vault of) heaven, firmament

Early Quenya [MC/214; MC/221; PE16/062; PE16/065; PE16/072; PE16/074; PE16/075; PE16/142] Group: Eldamo. Published by

teluste

noun. extremity

Early Quenya [QL/091] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telumen

noun. finish, conclusion

telusta

adjective. outer, extreme, ultimate

Early Quenya [QL/091] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telúme

noun. finish, conclusion, (the great) end

Early Quenya [PE13/104; PME/091; QL/091] Group: Eldamo. Published by

inwetelumbe

noun. mushroom, (lit.) fairy-canopy

taitelúme

noun. firmament

An unglossed word in a draft of the Oilima Markirya poem from around 1930 given as taiteluume- “firmanent” (PE16/77), probably a combination of some derivative of ᴱ√TAHA “✱high” and ᴱQ. telume “firmanent, heavens”, as suggested by Gilson, Welden and Hostetter (PE16/79).

Early Quenya [PE16/077] Group: Eldamo. Published by

karnevaite úri kilde hísen níe nienaite

amid the red skies the Sun with wet eyes dropped tears of mist

The eighteenth phrase (the second part of line 20 and lines 21-22) of the first version of the Oilima Markirya poem (MC/221). Its English translation is quite liberal. The first Qenya word is a compound of karne “red” and an adjectival form vaite (“skied”) of vaiya “sky”, as indicated by the Glossary Commentary accompanying the sixth draft (PE16/75).

The subject úri is a variant form of Ûr “Sun” followed by the verb kilde, the aorist 3rd-singular feminine form of kili- “to see”. As indicated by the Glossary Commentary accompanying the sixth draft (PE16/75), the combination kili- nie (nienaite) is idiomatic Qenya meaning “have tears in the eyes”, more literally “see a dropping [(lit.) tearful] tear” (PE16/75).

In the middle of this phrase is the word hísen “of mist”, which superficially resembles a nominative but seems to function as a genitive, something supported by its translation in the Glossary Commentary as “misty”, it is possible, though that it is a distinct adjective.

Decomposition: Broken into its constituent elements, this phrase would be:

> karne-vaite úri kil-de híse-n níe nienaite = “✱red-skied Sun see-she mist-of tear tearful”

Conceptual Development: This phrase appeared in the fourth draft of this poem, where after experimenting with and rejecting some alternate wording, Tolkien settled on a phrase quite close to its final form, with the addition of the preposition ter “through” before nie “tear” (OM1d: PE16/62). This preposition was removed in the sixth draft (OM1f: PE16/74).

Early Quenya [MC/221; PE16/062; PE16/072; PE16/074] Group: Eldamo. Published by

telimektar

proper name. Orion, (lit.) Swordsman of Heaven

Early Quenya [GL/70; LT1A/Telimektar; LT1I/Telimektar; LT2/302; LT2I/Taimonto; LT2I/Telimektar; PE14/013; QL/088; QL/090; SMI/Telimektar] Group: Eldamo. Published by

ambarta

adjective. fated

Early Quenya [PE13/137; PE13/159] Group: Eldamo. Published by

oilima

adjective. last

Early Quenya [MC/213; MC/214; MC/221; PE16/062; PE16/066; PE16/067; PE16/072; PE16/073; PE16/074; PE16/075; PE16/076; PE16/077; PE16/080] Group: Eldamo. Published by

taime

noun. sky

A word for “the sky” in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, with variants Taime and Taimie from the early root ᴱ√TAHA [DAHA] (QL/87). ᴱQ. tea “sky” from Early Qenya Word-lists of the 1920s is probably related, as suggested by Patrick Wynne and Christopher Gilson (PE16/142).

Early Quenya [LT1A/Telimektar; PE16/142; QL/088] Group: Eldamo. Published by

taimie

noun. sky

talma

noun. end

Early Quenya [PE16/144] Group: Eldamo. Published by

tea

noun. sky

telúmea

adjective. final, conclusive, end; last; extreme

Early Quenya [QL/091] Group: Eldamo. Published by