Sindarin
hên
noun. child
Cognates
Derivations
Element in
- S. Eruchîn “Children of Eru (God)”
- S. i chîn Húrin “*the children of Húrin” ✧ VT50/18
- S. i·Veleglind i eithro en estar i·Chîn Húrin “*the Great Song that is also called the Children of Húrin” ✧ VT50/12
- S. Narn i Chîn Húrin “Tale of the Children of Húrin” ✧ MR/373; S/198; SA/híni; UT/057; WJ/403
- S. Glaer nia Chîn Húrin “Tale of the Children of Húrin” ✧ WJ/160
- S. Sarch nia Chîn Húrin “Grave of the Children of Húrin” ✧ UT/140
Phonetic Developments
Development Stages Sources ✶khīnā/khinā > hên [kʰinā] > [kʰina] > [xina] > [xena] > [xen] > [hen] > [hēn] ✧ WJ/403 ✶khīnā/khinā > hîn [kʰinī] > [kʰini] > [xini] > [xin] > [hin] > [hīn] ✧ WJ/403
A word for “child” derived from the root √KHIN, more specifically from ✶khinā with short i which became e in Sindarin due to a-affection (WJ/403). It often appeared in its mutated plural form chîn in phrases like Narn i Chîn Húrin “Tale of the Children of Húrin” (WJ/160). This is pronounced with spirantal “ch” as in German Bach, not affricate “ch” as in English “church”.
Christopher Tolkien made the editorial decision to render this plural form as Hîn in The Silmarillion as published as well as in Unfinished Tales, where it “was improperly changed by me [Christopher Tolkien] to Narn i Hîn Húrin ... because I did not want Chîn to be pronounced like Modern English chin” (LR/322). It seems Tolkien himself had similar concerns, as he sometimes rendered its Quenya cognate as sén, which would have Sindarin forms ✱sên “child” and ✱i hîn “the children”. However, Tolkien’s motive was probably a desire to retain the early (originally Adûniac) form Ad. Eruhîn “Children of God”, which in Sindarin otherwise became Eruchîn (LB/354).