Unfinished Tales - J. R. R. Tolkien [164]
From these discussions it can be seen that the conception of the Númenórean harbour at the mouth of the Gwathló had been expanded since the time when ‘Concerning Galadriel and Celeborn’ was written, from ‘a small Númenórean harbour’ to Lond Daer, the Great Haven. It is of course the Vinyalondë or New Haven of ‘Aldarion and Erendis’(p. 228), though that name does not appear in the discussions just cited. It is said in ‘Aldarion and Erendis’ (p. 265) that the works that Aldarion began again at Vinyalondë after he became King ‘were never completed’. This probably means no more than that they were never completed by him; for the later history of Lond Daer presupposes that the haven was at length restored, and made secure from the assaults of the sea, and indeed the same passage in ‘Aldarion and Erendis’ goes on to say that Aldarion ‘laid the foundation for the achievement of Tar-Minastir long years after, in the first war with Sauron, and but for his works the fleets of Númenor could not have brought their power in time to the right place – as he foresaw’.
The statement in the discussion of Glanduin above that the port was called Lond Daer Enedh ‘the Great Middle Haven’, as being between the havens of Lindon in the North and Pelargir on the Anduin, must refer to a time long after the Númenórean intervention in the war against Sauron in Eriador; for according to the Tale of Years Pelargir was not built until the year 2350 of the Second Age, and became the chief haven of the Faithful Númenóreans.
APPENDIX E
THE NAMES OF CELEBORN AND GALADRIEL
It is said in an essay concerning the customs of name-giving among the Eldar in Valinor that they had two ‘given names’ (essi), of which the first was given at birth by the father; and this one usually recalled the father’s own name, resembling it in sense or form, or might even be actually the same as the father’s, to which some distinguishing prefix might be added later, when the child was full-grown. The second name was given later, sometimes much later but sometimes soon after the birth, by the mother; and these mother-names had great significance, for the mothers of the Eldar had insight into the characters and abilities of their children, and many also had the gift of prophetic foresight. In addition, any of the Eldar might acquire an epessë (‘after-name’), not necessarily given by their own kin, a nickname – mostly given as a title of admiration or honour; and an epessë might become the name generally used and recognised in later song and history (as was the case, for instance, with Ereinion, always known by his epessë Gil-galad).
Thus the name Alatáriel, which, according to the late version of the story of their relationship (p. 298), was given to Galadriel by Celeborn in Aman, was an epessë (for its etymology see the Appendix to The Silmarillion, entry kal-), which she chose to use in Middle-earth, rendered into Sindarin as Galadriel, rather than her ‘father-name’ Artanis, or her ‘mother-name’ Nerwen.
It is only of course in the late version that Celeborn appears with a High-elven, rather than Sindarin, name: Teleporno. This is stated to be actually Telerin in form; the ancient stem of the Elvish word for ‘silver’ was kyelep-, becoming celeb in Sindarin, telep-, telpe in Telerin, and tyelep-, tyelpe in Quenya. But in Quenya the form telpe became usual, through the influence of Telerin; for the Teleri prized silver above gold, and their skill as silversmiths was esteemed even by the Noldor. Thus Telperion was more commonly used than Tyelperion as the name of the White Tree of Valinor. (Alatáriel was also Telerin; its Quenya form was Altáriel. )
The name Celeborn when first devised was intended to mean ‘Silver Tree’; it was also the name of the Tree of Tol Eressëa (The Silmarillion p. 59). Celeborn’s close kin had ‘tree-names’ (p. 301): Galadhon his father, Galathil his brother, and Nimloth his niece, who bore the same name as the White Tree of Númenor. In my father’s latest philological writings, however, the meaning