Namárië
Encyclopedia
"Namárië" is a poem by J. R. R. Tolkien
written in Quenya
, a constructed language
, and published for the first time in The Lord of the Rings
(The Fellowship of the Ring
, Book 2, Chapter "Farewell to Lórien"). It has a subtitle
"Galadriel
's Lament in Lórien", in Quenya Altariello nainië Lóriendessë which appears only in another book by Tolkien The Road Goes Ever On.
The Quenya word namárië is a reduced form of á na márië, meaning literally "be well", an Elvish formula used for greeting
and for farewell.
"Namárië" is the longest Quenya
text in the The Lord of the Rings
and also one of the longest continuous texts in Quenya that has ever been written by Tolkien. It was rewritten many times by Tolkien before it reached the form that was published (see Older versions below). Many Tengwar
versions were made by Tolkien. An English translation is provided in the book.
Namárië was set to music by Donald Swann
with the help of Tolkien. The sheet music and an audio recording are part of the book The Road Goes Ever On
. In a recording Tolkien sings it in a Gregorian
manner.
pp. 284–285. The text is in Quenya, but Tolkien did not provide a translation and some of the words are unlike those used in the final poem. Many words can be found in The Etymologies.
Although there are words that can be recognized by consulting the appendices of The Silmarillion
, Unfinished Tales
and The Lost Road, the sentence structure and spellings marks this form as different from the Quenya Tolkien decided on. For example, there are many parts ending in the consonant n, while the Quenya in The Lord of the Rings and later works lack this ending, and there are many parts that are composed of several words linked together, while the Quenya in later works have more separate words. See the fanzine Tyalië Tyellelliéva #12 for a detailed discussion on the development of Namárië.
's "Ramble On
", on their album Led Zeppelin II
.
Argentinian folk-metal band Tengwar recorded a song using the Quenya text as a basis.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
written in Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
, a constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
, and published for the first time in The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
(The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
, Book 2, Chapter "Farewell to Lórien"). It has a subtitle
Subtitle (titling)
In books and other works, a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title. For example, Mary Shelley used a subtitle to give her most famous novel, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, an alternate title to give a hint of the theme. In library cataloging the subtitle does not include an...
"Galadriel
Galadriel
Galadriel is a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien, appearing in his Middle-earth legendarium. She appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales....
's Lament in Lórien", in Quenya Altariello nainië Lóriendessë which appears only in another book by Tolkien The Road Goes Ever On.
The Quenya word namárië is a reduced form of á na márië, meaning literally "be well", an Elvish formula used for greeting
Greeting
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship or social status between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other...
and for farewell.
"Namárië" is the longest Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
text in the The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and also one of the longest continuous texts in Quenya that has ever been written by Tolkien. It was rewritten many times by Tolkien before it reached the form that was published (see Older versions below). Many Tengwar
Tengwar
The Tengwar are an artificial script created by J. R. R. Tolkien. In his fictional universe of Middle-earth, the tengwar were invented by the Elf Fëanor, and used first to write the Elven tongues: Quenya, Telerin, and also Valarin. Later a great number of languages of Middle-earth were written...
versions were made by Tolkien. An English translation is provided in the book.
Namárië was set to music by Donald Swann
Donald Swann
Donald Ibrahím Swann was a British composer, musician and entertainer. He is best known to the general public for his partnership of writing and performing comic songs with Michael Flanders .-Life:...
with the help of Tolkien. The sheet music and an audio recording are part of the book The Road Goes Ever On
The Road Goes Ever On
The Road Goes Ever On is a song cycle that has been published as sheet music and as an audio recording. The music was written by Donald Swann, and the words are taken from poems in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings, especially The Lord of the Rings.The title of this opus is taken from "The...
. In a recording Tolkien sings it in a Gregorian
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
manner.
Early versions
The first version of "Namárië" was published in The Treason of IsengardThe History of The Lord of the Rings
The History of The Lord of the Rings is a 4-volume work by Christopher Tolkien that documents the process of J. R. R. Tolkien's writing of The Lord of the Rings. The History is also numbered as volumes 6 to 9 of The History of Middle-earth...
pp. 284–285. The text is in Quenya, but Tolkien did not provide a translation and some of the words are unlike those used in the final poem. Many words can be found in The Etymologies.
Although there are words that can be recognized by consulting the appendices of The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
, Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales
Unfinished Tales is a collection of stories and essays by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980.Unlike The Silmarillion, for which the narrative fragments were modified to connect into a consistent and...
and The Lost Road, the sentence structure and spellings marks this form as different from the Quenya Tolkien decided on. For example, there are many parts ending in the consonant n, while the Quenya in The Lord of the Rings and later works lack this ending, and there are many parts that are composed of several words linked together, while the Quenya in later works have more separate words. See the fanzine Tyalië Tyellelliéva #12 for a detailed discussion on the development of Namárië.
In popular culture
There are references to the poem in Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's "Ramble On
Ramble On
-Cover versions:Train did a cover of the song in early 2001 and released it as a single. Producer Brendan O'Brien heard Train's version and agreed to produce their second album, Drops of Jupiter...
", on their album Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin II
The finished tracks reflect the raw, evolving sound of the band and their ability as live performers. The album has been noted for featuring a further development of the lyrical themes established by Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin's debut album, creating a work which would become more widely...
.
Argentinian folk-metal band Tengwar recorded a song using the Quenya text as a basis.