Ainulindalenya

A translation of Tolkien's Ainulindalë into Quenya, from nemertea. Includes master text, sentence-by-sentence breakdowns of the translation and all associated art and calligraphy for the final project. Additionally, all of my other Quenya compositions and...

[ohgodsalazarwhy]

Which Is It: Prescription Drug or Tolkien Elf?

Can you spot the prescription drug names among Elf names from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium? Test your Elven race IQ with this HowStuffWorks quiz.

Holy shit… please…take this quiz…

[thaxted]

My mom is a pharmacist and got 16 out of 30. SHE’S SO MAD.

[note-a-bear]

HAH! I got 18. Barely. But I think one I got wrong by accident (like the screen was still loading when I pressed the answer but still, 18 isn’t bad?)

[linguisticparadox]

Here’s an updated link:

Which Is It: Prescription Drug or Tolkien Elf?

Can you spot the prescription drug names among Elf names from J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium? Test your Elven race IQ with this HowStuffWorks

[ainulindalenya]

From the dates on posts I’m going to assume this blog is dead but I want to ask anyway- may your translations be used in fic (with credit of course)?

yep. Have fun! Send me a link. :)

[cochart]

Feanor bullying Duolingo owl.

[ainulindalenya]

Sky Burial

Vilyassë Fairë Queletsoron, á hilya nyë amba: nas i rancunen amillenya collë nyë antara (vë mai vë lertanes, tenna lá polles), nas ristaina léra hroaryallo sí, túcina

oar rómaryallo, oar hwestaryallo, írë lyë, Queletsoron, tenta

rámalya antaina endaryanna, ninna —  racuvalvë leperiryar maxënna, racuvalvë i má

panta, á undutulë, lirin, ilya quetta panta i vilya, i fanyar nauvar nyárnë – talumë nes má & silumë nas ráma, talumë nes cemen & silumë nas vista, talumë nes matso & silumë nas aiwë, talumë nes

ortaina & silumë nas vanwa --

Sky Burial After Lucille Clifton

Vulture, follow me up: here is the arm my mother held me aloft with (as

well as she could, until she couldn’t), it is cut free of her body now, pulled

away from her shoulder, away from her breath, as you, Vulture, point

your wing toward her offered heart, toward me —  let’s pound her fingers into paste, pound the hand

open, come down, I chant, each word opens the sky, the clouds need to be warned — once

she was hand & now she is wing, once she was dirt & now she is air, she was food & now she is bird, she was

lifted & now she is gone.

- Nick Flynn

[ainulindalenya]

The Road Goes Ever On

For @fealiniel - my requests are open, so please do harass me

I tië oioleyla póna ar póna, Penda i andollo yestaryo. Sí vahaia i tië elennië, Ar merin hilya, qui polin, Roitala sa mínë talenten Tenna ótulis hoa tëanna Yassë rimbë tier ar vandar carir yomenienta Ar yassë tá? Uan lerta quetë.

I tië oioleyla póna ar póna, Penda i andollo yestaryo. Sí vahaia i tië elennië, Á lavë exi hilyar i polin! Á lavë ten lenda vinya mina, Mal métimavë lumbë talenten Queruvan i fainaina coanna, Sérenya andúnëo ar húmë carë

The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with eager feet, Until it joins some larger way Where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on  Out from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, Let others follow it who can! Let them a journey new begin, But I at last with weary feet Will turn towards the lighted inn, My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

[ainulindalenya]

Things my lovers should call me

1. Telperincë lit. ‘little silver,’ an affectionate diminutive 2. Telpenya lit. 'my silver,’ an affectionate possessive 3. Dead, shot with arrows and then mounted on a pike to discomfit my friends and allies.

[ainulindalenya]

Lee, did you really give Celebrimbor a pet name based on the mother name of his estranged father?

Yes, yes I absolutely did because I fully expect some incredibly toxic-ass relationship dynamics from FUCKING SAURON.

Lord of Gifts, if we interpret 'gifts' to mean 'pointing out where old wounds lie and then ruthlessly ripping them open to make the comfort you offer seem the greater, they don't call me The Abhorred for nothing'

[ainulindalenya]

Things my lovers should call me 1. Telperincë lit. 'little silver,' an affectionate diminutive 2. Telpenya lit. 'my silver,' an affectionate possessive 3. Dead, shot with arrows and then mounted on a pike to discomfit my friends and allies.

[ainulindalenya]

Celebrimbor, desperate, himself withstood Sauron on the steps of the great door of the Mírdain; but he was grappled and taken captive, and the House was ransacked. There Sauron took the Nine Rings and other lesser works of the Mírdain; but the Seven and the Three he could not find. Then Celebrimbor was put to torment, and Sauron learned from him where the Seven were bestowed. This Celebrimbor revealed, because neither the Seven nor the Nine did he value as he valued the Three; the Seven and the Nine were made with Sauron's aid, whereas the Three were made by Celebrimbor alone, with a different power and purpose. Concerning the Three Rings Sauron could learn nothing from Celebrimbor; and he had him put to death. But he guessed the truth, that the Three had been committed to Elvish guardians: and that must mean to Galadriel and Gil-galad.

In black anger he turned back to battle; and bearing as a banner Celebrimbor's body hung upon a pole, shot through with Orc-arrows, he turned upon the forces of Elrond.

*** Telperinquar, nirna, immo tyultanë Þauronna i ambalissen i andono Míretanoron, mal anes mapaina ar mól carna, ar i Coa né amaptaina. Tassë Þauron mapanë i Cormar Nertë ar exë nimpi tanwi Míretanor; mal i Otso ar i Neldë úmes hirë. Tá Telperinquar né nwalyaina, ar Þauron parnë sen yassë i Otso ner mandossë. Sina Telperinquar pantanë, an lá i Otso hya i Nertë namnes vë namnes i Neldë; i Otso ar i Nertë ner carnë i mánanen Þaurono, mal i Neldë ner carnë Telperinquárnen eressë, cévë túrenen ar telmanen. Cormaron Neldë, Þauron hanyanë munta Telperinquárello; ar nahtaneryes. Mal intyanes i anwanna, i Neldë ner antainë tirnoin Eldaliëo, ar sië Altariellen ar Artanáron.

Morë rúþessë lendes ohtanna; ar cólala vë tulwerya hroa Telperinquáro panyaina vandildë, quátina pilindinen urquion, quernes i hossenna Elerondo.

[ainulindalenya]

Requests?

I really want to get my Quenya muscles back in working order, so ... any translation requests?

[ainulindalenya]

Ring Poem Tengwar

Some grammatical and housekeeping fixes - I put firyar into the dative (firyain), fixed the spelling of Heruin, deleted the unnecessary ‘ilyë’ after hiritantë and moved ‘avaleryatantë’ to after ‘i morniessë’ to improve the meter and match the original word order

[ainulindalenya]

Do you feel like it's ever weird to live in Fourth Age Gondor? "Oh yes, that dead patch? Nothing will ever grow there until the end of time because someone once set a pterodactyl on fire. The dead horse was great fertilizer, though."

[ainulindalenya]

Ring Poem

Despite living in the Country of Extreme Sauron Bullshit for literally over a decade, I somehow never got around to this? IDK.

Cormar neldë i aranin Eldaron undu vilya Otso i heruin Naucaron hrótantassen ondova Nertë fírimë firyain qualmen martë Er Heru Mornan morna mahalmaryassë I Nóressë Mordoron yassë i huini lumnar Er Corma turitantë ilyë, Er Corma hiritantë Er Corma hostatantë ilyë, ar i morniessë avaleryatantë I Nóressë Mordoron yassë i huini lumnar

[ainulindalenya]

The power of the King was very great; but Sauron had the mastery

This still needs some polish, but it’s serviceable. 

Lirnes lindë curuvarwa, Nastiéo, latiéo, úvórimarëo, Pantiéo, paliéo, vartiéo. Epeta Findaráto tassë soltola, Lirnë lindenen paniéo, Seliéo, mahtiéo túrenna, Fóli muinëon,  túrëo vë mindo, Ar estel alarácina, eterúnamëo, uswëo; Ahiéo ar quaptiéo venwë, Remmar cennëon, rácinë neumaron, I mando latyala, i limil ya hatë. Pontinna ar pónanna cúnanë lindenta. Taltala quélala, vë vor ampoldavë I lirië tiunë, Findaráto mahtanë, Ar ilya ingolë ar túrë colles Eldamaro minna quettaryar. Mussivë i yarussë hlarnentë i aiwi Lindala vahaia Ostossë Findaráto, I cenië i ëaro ava, I númenya Palurin pella, litsessë, Litsessë marillava Eldamaressë. Tá i umbaressë hostaina; huinë túlala Valinoressë, i carnë sercë sírala  Ara i ëar, yassë Ñoldor nahtaner Falmari, ar mápala tuncer Ninqui ciryantar ninqui lanníva Londellon calyainë calmainen. I þúrë rama, I ráca carë naulë. I alataquácor ramyar. I helcë nurru i antossen i ëaro. I móli nainala Angamandossë nyerë. Raumo lamya, i nári urya – Ar Findaráto ataltanë epë i mahalma.

He chanted a song of wizardry, Of piercing, opening, of treachery, Revealing, uncovering, betraying. Then sudden Felagund there swaying, Sang in a song of staying, Resisting, battling against power, Of secrets kept, strength like a tower, And trust unbroken, freedom, escape; Of changing and shifting shape, Of snares eluded, broken traps, The prison opening, the chain that snaps. Backwards and forwards swayed their song. Reeling foundering, as ever more strong The chanting swelled, Felagund fought, And all the magic and might he brought Of Elvenesse into his words. Softly in the gloom they heard the birds Singing afar in Nargothrond, The sighting of the Sea beyond, Beyond the western world, on sand, On sand of pearls on Elvenland. Then in the doom gathered; darkness growing In Valinor, the red blood flowing Beside the Sea, where the Noldor slew The Foamriders, and stealing drew Their white ships with their white sails From lamplit havens. The wind wails, The wolf howls. The ravens flee. The ice mutters in the mouths of the Sea. The captives sad in Angband mourn. Thunder rumbles, the fires burn- And Finrod fell before the throne.

[ainulindalenya]

Is there a canonical Quenya name of Nargothrond? I need it for, uh, reasons.

[ainulindalenya]

I need all of you to know that I just called these paragraphs "Queer Eye for the Númenorean Guy," thank you, that's all.

[ainulindalenya]

Song of Eldamar

At @snailbird ‘s request. Please ignore some, uh, tiny errors in the tengwar that I posted.

Lirnen lassion, lassion laureva, ar lassi laureva lohtanë: Þúrio lirnen, þúrë túlë ar i olvassen þúnë. Anar pella, Isil pella, i winga né i airessë, Ar ara i falassë Ilmarino tuianë laurë’ alda. Undu i eleni Oioþinyëo Eldamaressë calles, Eldamaressë ara i rambar Tirionwa Eldaron. Tanomë andë i laurië lassi arahtier loassen pantala, Sinomë i ëari hátala pella sí lantëar Eldaníri. A Lórien! I hrívë tulë, i helda ar úlassëa aurë; I lassi lantëar i sirildë, i sirya oar sirë. A Lórien! Andavë amárien Entarda sinassë Ar ríessë fifírula irícien i laurëa elanor. Mal qui ciryaron sí merin linda, mana cirya tuluva nin, Mana cirya atacoluva inyë olla ta palla ëar?

I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew: Of wind I sang, a wind there came and in the branches blew. Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the Sea, And by the strand of Ilmarin there grew a golden Tree. Beneath the stars of Ever-eve in Eldamar it shone, In Eldamar beside the walls of Elven Tirion. There long the golden leaves have grown upon the branching years, While here beyond the Sundering Seas now fall the Elven-tears. O Lórien! The Winter comes, the bare and leafless Day; The leaves are falling in the stream, the River flows away. O Lórien! Too long I have dwelt upon this Hither Shore And in a fading crown have twined the golden elanor. But if of ships I now should sing, what ship would come to me, What ship would bear me ever back across so wide a Sea?

Lirnen lassion, lassion laureva, ar lassi laureva lohtanë: Lirnen: past tense of lir- (to sing), lirnë, + first person singular ending (-n) - I sang lassion: plural genitive of lassë (leaf) – about leaves lassion: plural genitive of lassë (leaf) – about leaves laureva: singular possessive of laurë (gold – indicating color or light, not the metal)  - made of gold ar: conjunction – and lassi: nominative plural of lassë (leaf) – leaves laureva: singular possessive of laurë (gold – indicating color or light, not the metal)  - made of gold lohtanë: past tense of lohta- (to sprout, to put forth leaves or flowers) – sprouted I sang about leaves, about leaves made of gold, and leaves made of gold sprouted

Þúrio lirnen, þúrë túlë ar i olvassen þúnë. Þúrio: singular genitive of þúrë (wind) – about wind lirnen: past tense of lir- (to sing), lirnë, + first person singular ending (-n) - I sang þúrë: nominative singular of þúrë – wind túlë: past tense of tul- (to come) – came ar: conjunction – and i: definite article – the olvassen: locative plural of olva (branch) – in branches þúnë: past tens of þúya- (to breathe) – breathed About wind I sang, wind came and in the branches breathed.

Anar pella, Isil pella, i winga né i airessë, Anar: nominative singular proper noun – The Sun pella: postposition – beyond Isil: nominative singular proper noun – The Moon pella: postposition – beyond i: definite article – the winga: nominative singular noun – foam or spray né: past tense of na (to be) – was i: definite article  - the airesse: locative singular of airë (sea) – on sea Beyond the Sun, beyond the Moon, the foam was on the sea,

Ar ara i falassë Ilmarino tuianë laurë’ alda. Ar: conjunction – and ara: preposition - beside i: definite article  - the falassë: nominative singular noun – shore or beach Ilmarino: genitive singular of proper noun Ilmarin – of Ilmarin tuianë: past tense of tuia- (to sprout or spring) – sprouted laurë’: singular adjective laurëa (golden), elided due to following vowel - golden alda: singular nominative noun – tree And beside the shore of Ilmarin sprouted (a) golden tree.

Undu i eleni Oioþinyëo Eldamaressë calles, Undu: preposition – under i: definite article  - the eleni: nominative plural of elen (star) – stars Oioþinyëo: genitive singular compound noun, prefix oio- (ever) and þinyë (evening) – of Ever-Evening Eldamaressë: locative singular of proper noun Eldamar – in Eldamar calles: past tense of cal- (to shine), callë + third person singular ending (-s) – it shone Under the stars of Ever-Evening in Eldamar it shone,

Eldamaressë ara i rambar Tirionwa Eldaron. Eldamaressë: locative singular of proper noun Eldamar – in Eldamar ara: preposition – beside i: definite article  - the rambar: nominative plural of ramba (wall) – walls Tirionwa: possessive singular of proper noun Tirion  - belonging to Tirion Eldaron: genitive plural of Elda (elf) – of the Elves In Eldamar beside the walls of Tirion of the Elves.

Tanomë andë i laurië lassi arahtier loassen pantala, Tanomë: adverb – in that place andë: plural of adjective anda (long) – long i: definite article – the laurië: plural of adjective laurëa (golden) – golden lassi: nominative plural of noun lassë (leaf) – leaves arahtier: perfect tense of rahta- (to stretch out, to reach) – have stretched loassen: locative plural  noun loa (year) – in years pantala: active participle of panta- (to spread out, to open) – spreading In that place long the golden leaves have stretched in spreading years,

Sinomë i ëari hátala pella sí lantëar Eldaníri. Sinomë: adverb – in this place i: definite article – the ëari: plural nominative of noun ëar (sea) – seas hátala: active participle of hat- (to break asunder) – sundering pella: postposition  - beyond sí: adverb  - now lantëar: present tense of lanta- (to fall), lantëa + plural ending (-r): are falling Eldaníri: nominative plural compound noun, Elda (Elf) + nírë (tear): Elf-tears In this place beyond the sundering seas now are falling Elf-tears.

A Lórien! I hrívë tulë, i helda ar úlassëa aurë; A: vocative particle – O Lórien: nominative singular noun – Lórien I: definite article – the hrívë: nominative singular noun  - winter tulë: aorist of tul- (to come): comes i: definite article – the helda: adjective – stripped bare ar: conjunction – and úlassëa: singular adjective derived from lillassëa (having many leaves) by substituting the prefix lil- (more) for ú- (denying presence or possession of a thing or quality) – leafless aurë: nominative singular noun – day O Lórien! The winter comes, the bare and leafless day;

I lassi lantëar i sirildë, i sirya oar sirë. I: definite article – the lassi: nominative plural of lassë (leaf) – leaves lantëar: present tense of lanta- (to fall), lantëa + plural ending (-r): are falling i: definite article – the sirildë: locative singular of siril (rivulet) – in rivulet i: definite article – the sirya: nominative singular noun – river oar: adverb – away sirë: aorist of sir- (to flow) – flows The leaves are falling in the rivulet, the river flows away.

A Lórien! Andavë amárien Entarda sinassë A: vocative particle – O Lórien: nominative singular noun – Lórien Andavë: adverb - long, at great length amárien: perfect tense of mar- (to abide), amárië + first person singular ending (-n)- I have abided Entarda: undeclined proper noun (rule of the last declinable word moves its locative declension to the following adjective) - Thither Land (A Valinorean term for Middle Earth) sinassë: demonstrative adjective (this), with locative declension per rule of last declinable word: in this O Lórien! Very long I have abided in this Thither Land

Ar ríessë fifírula irícien i laurëa elanor. Ar: conjunction – and ríessë: locative of ríë (crown)  - in (a) crown fifírula: active participle of fifíru- (to slowly fade) – fading irícien: perfect tense of ric- (to twist) irícië + first person singular ending (-n) – I have twisted i: definite article – the laurëa: singular adjective – golden elanor: nominative singular noun – elanor And in a fading crown I have twisted the golden elanor.

Mal qui ciryaron sí merin linda, mana cirya tuluva nin, Mal: conjunction – but qui: conjunction  - if ciryaron: genitive plural of noun cirya (ship) – about ships sí: adverb  - now merin: aorist of mer- (to wish, desire, want) merë (stem meri-) + first person singular ending (-n) – I wish linda: infinitive of linda- (to sing) – to sing mana: interrogative – what cirya: nominative singular noun – ship tuluva: future of tul- (to come) – will come nin: dative of independent first-person pronoun, ni - for me But if now about ships I wish to sing, what ship will come for me,

Mana cirya atacoluva inyë olla ta palla ëar? mana: interrogative – what cirya: nominative singular noun – ship atacoluva: compound verb from prefix ata- (again, a second time) and the future tense of col- (to bear or to carry), coluva – will carry again inyë: emphatic first-person pronoun (possibly invalid, but I had to use something) – even me, even I olla: preposition – over, beyond ta: adverb – so palla: singular adjective – wide, expansive ëar: nominative singular noun – sea What ship will carry even me again beyond so wide (a) sea?

[ainulindalenya]

Sad songs, but make them gay