Sophia, your name is really cool! It is an Ancient Greek name made from the word “Sophos – Skilled, Clever, Wise” and the feminine suffix -ia. It’s a truly ancient name that has changed very little from antiquity. We’ll translate it as “Skilled/Clever/Wise One.” Quenya Quenya separates the concepts of
Samantha, your name is so cool! Its past is really mysterious. It’s reportedly from Biblical Hebrew and is a feminine version of Samuel, but it doesn’t appear in the Bible and it can’t be understood in Hebrew. We don’t have records of the name until the 19th century, where it
Samuel, your name is really cool! It’s the name of a biblical figure and has been borrowed into many languages, wherever Abrahamic religions show up. It has two possible meanings. The first is Shmū’ēl “Name of El Elyon.” The second is based off the passage in the Torah describing why
John, your name is really cool! The Abrahamic religions imported it all over the place, meaning that many names that you never considered to be the same name might be yet another a version of Yohanan. The graphic represents only a tiny fraction of the variants of this name, not
The most common and incorrect assumption about Men is that Men of Arda are just like us. Like the Elves, their appearance and strength is based upon their genealogical past. Like the Elves, they have a beginning that is carefully planned out. Men share weaknesses with us, and some of
The Númenóreans love to name themselves after other people or Elves that they respect. They won’t take a name from someone who is living at the time because that could create misunderstandings and other such trouble. In Númenor and its followers: Gondor and Arnor, a king is given a new
If you haven’t read the essay on the Elven naming traditions of Valinor, go back and read it, then read this essay. The conclusions and terminology used in this essay will make more sense if you do so. Of the naming traditions of the Eldar who lived in Valinor, we
Hello folks! Today we have a few minor additions. “Help us!” phrases were added to the Sindarin phrasebook. Jael pointed out to me that during the short Elven marriage they still speak the names of Eru, Varda, and Manwë. I fixed the error in the Elven Wedding essay. I added