Gnome or Elf?

[Galin]

Originally Posted by Lindale

Galin, your first link does not work.

Ach, Elvish.org is temporarily unavailable. I assume the links will work again when the site is back up. If not, just search for Elvish.org, or the Elvish Linguistic Fellowship.

Originally Posted by Anárion Cúthalion

Sort of solves the issue. I'm just used to Gnomes being a separate race from either Elves or Dwarves, but similar to Dwarves in that they skilled in the arts of metal and stone but otherwise distinct from Dwarves (other than stature).

It seems, more or less, that was Tolkien's original thought on the matter.

Very early on it seems that Tolkien equated gnomes with goblins.

And the inclusion of the word noldar 'mole' perhaps suggested a general sense of 'earth-dweller' too (compare the Paracelsian meaning given in The Book of Lost Tales). Interesting entries in the Qenya Lexicon include: noldorinwa 'goblin' (adj.), or noldomar 'goblin land', and ÑOLDO 'gnome'.

Later the root ÑOL- 'to know' was added, a change that now associated the gloss 'gnome' with knowledge (compare the Greek for 'thought, intelligence', as already mentioned).