A little translation help..

[igorus]

Originally Posted by Loslote

"lord" is the general term, used to describe any lord. The Lord is specific - it describes one lord in particular - and a single "i" is used to indicate "the" in Quenya. An example of this is "Narn i Hin Hurin", the tale of the Children of Hurin.

So, taking the "i Hin Hurin" part and replacing Hurin with Heru, you would get Children of the Lord". This makes total sense. So, how would I make this plural "Children" and make it a singular "child"?

[Loslote]

Originally Posted by igorus

So, taking the "i Hin Hurin" part and replacing Hurin with Heru, you would get Children of the Lord". This makes total sense. So, how would I make this plural "Children" and make it a singular "child"?

That's the bit I'm not certain about. Usually adding "i" to the end of a word makes it plural, but this has the plural as being "hin" not "hini"...I think the singular is "hin".

[igorus]

Originally Posted by Loslote

That's the bit I'm not certain about. Usually adding "i" to the end of a word makes it plural, but this has the plural as being "hin" not "hini"...I think the singular is "hin".

That is what I thought, because is the Silmarillion index it lists Children of Eru as Eruhini.. so hin would be the logical singular form.

Well, I think that just about covers it. Thank you so much for your help, Loslote!

[igorus]

Ah, by the way. It is actually called "Narn i Chîn Húrin" and it is Sindarin, I guess. That would be the source of our confusion I'm guessing.

[Loslote]

Originally Posted by igorus

Ah, by the way. It is actually called "Narn i Chîn Húrin" and it is Sindarin, I guess. That would be the source of our confusion I'm guessing.

Ah...I think I have a different version of the title than you do.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by igorus

It is actually called "Narn i Chîn Húrin" and it is Sindarin, I guess. That would be the source of our confusion I'm guessing.

But Narn i Hin/Chin Hurin is "The Tale of the Children of Hurin". Children, not child.

[Pitchwife]

Quenya:
singular hína "(a) child", i hína "the child"; plural híni "children", i híni "the children".
Sindarin:
singular hên "(a) child", i chên "the child"; plural hîn "children", i chîn "the children".

"Child of the Lord":
Quenya hína i heruo*, Sindarin hên i chîr.
*or heruhin, if you prefer to make it a compound - like 'Ring-Lord' rather than 'Lord of the Rings'.

[Nerwen]

Guys, you are indeed mixing Quenya with Sindarin. They have similar words for "child", but not the same. In Quenya it's "hína/híni", in Sindarin "hên/hîn" ("chên/chîn" after a vowel).

Igorus, I believe you were almost right the first time– in Quenya it should be "Héruhin", with an accent on the "e" (assuming you mean THE Lord, not A lord). Though "Eruhin" would have the same significance.

Meanwhile the Sindarin version could be "Hên i Chîr", "Hên i Cheron" or "Hên i Vrannon", but I'm not sure which of those, if any, would be the proper way to refer to THE Lord.

I think that's about as good an answer as you're going to get, but be aware that Tolkien's languages are incomplete, and that he kept revising them throughout his life– something to keep in mind before you rush to the tattoo parlour.

Edit:X'd with Pitch; fixed typo.

[Galin]

Eruhin is actually attested in Quendi And Eldar, where Eruhíni 'Children of Eru' is explained as a translation of a Valarin expression. The explanation goes on to say...

'Besides the form -hin, -híni only used in composition after a parental name, Q has hína 'child', and hina only used in the vocative addressing a (young) child, especially in hinya (< hinanya) 'my child'. S. has hên, pl. hîn, mostly used as a prefix in patronymics or metronymics: as Hîn Húrin 'The Children of Húrin.'

JRRT, Quendi And Eldar, The War of the Jewels

And according to Words, Phrases And Passages:

KHIN-, child, only plural hīn(i)

[deleted: hindo, hinde...]

So in general we have to wonder sometimes with respect to Tolkien changing his mind, and also there are matters like usage and idiom to consider.