#vanyarin

The Vanyarin language is the language of the Vanyar elves, the high elves of Valinor under Ingwë. Their language has not been extensively published by Tolkien

According to the War of the Jewels and Tolkien’s linguistic journals, Vanyarin was considered a Quenya language and several of the known words have cognates in Quenya and/or Telerin

*the language of the Teleri of Valinor is much more closely related to Quenya than it is to the language of the Falathrim which is a Sindarin language

1. ezel(la) (adjective) green”

Source: The War of the Jewels

2. Lepenya (ordinal number) “fifth”

Source: Vinyar Tengwar

Notes: lempëa is Quenya for “fifth” and lepenya is the Telerin word

3. Nasar (adjective) “red”

Source: The War of the Jewels

4. Quendya (proper noun) “Quenya language”

Source: The War of the Jewels

5. thindë (adjective) “silver, grey, pale”

Source: The War of the Jewels

6. Tulka (adjective) “yellow”

This word is actually derived from the Valarin word tuluk-ha(n) meaning the same

Source: The War of the Jewels

7. Twílë (noun) “spring”

Cognates: tuilë from Quenya meaning the same

Source: Parma Eldalamberon

8. Ulban (adjective) “blue”

A Vanyarin lady.

© 2019 Antonia Alksnis

There are only eight known words in the Vanyarin language that Tolkien recorded himself.  Vanyarin was the language spoken by the Vanyar elves, also known as the High Elves, of Valinor. 

Amphibians becoming active again is one of my favorite signs of spring. I’m in the city now and I miss frogs, toads, salamanders and newts so much. I’m thinking of making some posts about amphibians of Arda if there’s any interest! Let me know of any locations you’d like to see for that!

Ulban from Vanyarin

Meaning: blue

Source: The War of the Jewels

Nasar from Vanyarin

Meaning “red”

thindë in the Vanyarin language

Meaning: gray, pale or silvery gray

Just a little observation I’ve made - just about every piece of fan art that depicts Oropher, Thranduil’s father, portrays him as a silver or white haired elf. I wonder if fans realize that there is a possibility that he actually had dark hair.

You see, Sindarin elves had dark and sometimes even silver hair. So it is entirely possible that, yes, he did indeed have silver hair. But the way the description is written makes me think that silver hair, even in Sindarin elves, was fairly rare. I know when I was really new to Tolkien’s works, I always assumed that Thranduil got his blonde hair from his father. 

However, the only elves who were documented to have blonde hair were the Vanyarin elves. Those with blonde hair, of course, didn’t have to be full-blood Vanyarin (Example: Galadriel), but that trait was strong enough that it only appeared in those elves that had Vanyarin blood in them.