Words and Names in Tolkien's Work

[LadyBrooke]

Thanks, Galin, for the clarification of what Nimloth’s name means. Hmmm...I think my ponderings on why she would be named this can still stand, for when I think of a white blossom I do imagine a rather frail looking flower, that would still manage to survive by itself, as I have raised several types of flowers like that.

Originally Posted by Galin

More than two, regarding Celeborn's clan anyway; but Tolkien decided to publish that Celeborn was Sindarin in any case: once in The Return of the King, and again (in the next decade) in The Road Goes Ever On.

I must admit, one of the other reasons I prefer Celeborn to be a Sindar, and not one of the Teleri of Aman is that there is the added tragic element. If he is one of the Teleri, they meet before the kinslaying and are friends. However if he is one of the Sindar, they meet while she is a exile. Also, the Noldor seem to look down on the Sindar, as Morquendi, ignoring the fact that as kinslayers they are probably darker than the Avari, who have never slain their own kin.

I am still doing research for Elmo. Did you guys know there was a Catholic saint who was known as Elmo?

[Galin]

By the way, my apologies to Morthoron. While I stand by my earlier niggles, in reading the thread more closely it seems Morthoron's response was specifically to explain that the name Teleporno went with the concept of Celeborn being from Aman, as the context was in response to:

The thing I am more curious about is the fact that this name clearly invokes Teleperion, one of the two trees. However, this name would be largely incompatible with Tolkien’s history of Celeborn as set in LotR where Celeborn is clearly not from Valinor, if we assume that it is his original name. Therefore Celeborn must be an epesse, given to him by somebody who had seen the two trees - either Melian, Elwe, or one of the returning Noldor.

In other words, if one is going to take Teleporno and construct a theory on it that includes the history of the character, then the corresponding character is that of a Teler from Aman. One goes with the other.

That said, Tolkien imagined a character who had various names to begin with (Tar, Aran, Galdaran, Galathir, Arafain). He settled on Celeborn of course, and JRRT also seems to have had various ideas concerning him, inculding a possible Noldorin history (for this idea see Galadriel note 12, The Treason of Isengard). Celeborn 'Silver tree' keeps his name through subsequent conceptions. This form itself is the same as the name of the Tree of Tol Eressea, and in Appendix E to The History of Galadriel and Celeborn CJRT notes that the meaning was later abandoned for 'Silver tall'. This change is external, though no doubt the form could still be 'wrongly' interpreted 'Silver Tree' by characters within the mythology. Tolkien's note in UT (Appenix E again, as above) appears to want to incorporate this nice confusion, in that both rulers of Lórien appeared to have names that contained a tree word, according to some at least (see the full note).

Basically I think that Teleporno arose from the new history: if Celeborn was to become Telerin he would have a name in Telerin form. Whatever else Tolkien thought about this new name I don't know. Anyway it was a relatively late change and I'm not sure JRRT had remembered what he had already published about Celeborn. This whole concept might go the path of Beorian ros, a rejected later idea, and rejected after JRRT realized he had already published something.