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So, are we going to follow Bolt I and change Gnomes to Ņoldor, or can Gnomes mean elves too?
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There's no question that "Gnomes" refers to, and refers exclusively to, the Noldor. The point that Jallanite was making in the bit you quoted was this: in the original text, Tolkien sometimes used "Gnomes" and sometimes used "Noldor", even though they are synonyms. Rather like "worms", "serpents", "drakes", and "dragons" all being used. There is something artistic about the variation "Gnomes" vs. "Noldor", and to lose that distinction (even though they're really the same thing) would be to lose something from the text - just as we would lose something if we changed every instance of "drake" to "dragon". So Jallanite's solution (which I agree with) was to convert "Gnomes" to "Elves" in all cases but those in which it referred specifically to the Gnomes/Noldor as opposed to the other kindreds of Elves. So something like "the brave Gnome" would become "the brave Elf", but something like "the exiled Gnomes" would become "the exiled Noldor".
The present point falls, I think, into the latter category. However, I notice that in the emended text posted in the private forum, it was made "Elves". It should certainly not be this.
A cursory scan over that text reveals another spot with the same problem: "Now their leader was Rog, strongest of the {Gnomes} [Elves]". This should certainly be "Noldor", since that is the extent of the claim made by the text.
There very well may be other similar cases; a careful look at the text is clearly needed.
[ February 01, 2003: Message edited by: Aiwendil ]