Sigelwara Land
Encyclopedia
Sigelwara Land is the title of an essay in two parts by J. R. R. Tolkien
, appeared in Medium Aevum
Vol. 1, No. 3. December 1932 and Medium Aevum Vol. 3, No. 2. June 1934. It treats the etymology of the Old English
word for Ethiopia
ns, Sigelhearwan. Tolkien concluded that, while the meaning of the first element was evidently sigel
"Sun", the meaning of the second element hearwan was not recoverable:
The phrase Sigelwara land appears in a free translation of the book Exodus (Codex Junius 11):
The mysterious hearwan, adapted to modern English phonology, may be an inspiration of some placenames in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
, viz. Dunharrow
, and, less prominently, Underharrow, a placename in Rohan
. However, harrow is less mysterious and meant "place for sacrifice", see its cognate Horgr
.
The main thrust of Tolkien's argument in this two-part paper seems to have been that "Sigelwara" was a corruption of "Sigelhearwa", and had come to mean something different in its later form than it had in its original. He begins by pointing out that Ethiopians in the earliest writings are presented in a very positive light, but by the time they written of as "Sigelwarans", the perception has become the opposite. He does not speculate why, but instead demonstrates a clear relationship between "sigelwara" and "sigelhearwa" and shows how discovering the original meaning of the word "Sigelhearwa" is almost impossible; that trying to do so must be "for the joy of the hunt rather than the hope of a final kill".
The word sigel as a conflation of two words, the inherited word for Sun
, the feminine sigel and an Old English neuter sigle or sygle for "jewel, necklace", loaned from Latin sigilla.
Suggesting a connection of hearwa with Gothic hauri "coal", Old Norse hyr-r "fire", Old English heorþ "to roast", heorð "hearth
", Tolkien tentatively concludes that in the Sigelhearwan we may be looking at "rather the sons of Muspel than of Ham
", an ancient class of demons "with red-hot eyes that emitted sparks and faces black as soot", English equivalent of the Norse fire giants ruled by Surtr
,
that had been forgotten even before the composition of Exodus.
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,...
, appeared in Medium Aevum
Vol. 1, No. 3. December 1932 and Medium Aevum Vol. 3, No. 2. June 1934. It treats the etymology of the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
word for Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
ns, Sigelhearwan. Tolkien concluded that, while the meaning of the first element was evidently sigel
Sigel
Sigel may refer to:* Siȝel, the Old English for "Sun", see Sól ** the Old English name of the s-rune, see Sowilo rune-Surname:*Franz Sigel , Union general in the American Civil War...
"Sun", the meaning of the second element hearwan was not recoverable:
- "a symbol ... of that large part of ancient English language and lore which has now vanished beyond recall, swa hit no wæreThe Wanderer (poem)The Wanderer is an Old English poem preserved only in an anthology known as the Exeter Book, a manuscript dating from the late 10th century. It counts 115 lines of alliterative verse...
."
The phrase Sigelwara land appears in a free translation of the book Exodus (Codex Junius 11):
- .. be suðan Sigelwara land, forbærned burhhleoðu, brune leode, hatum heofoncolum.
- "... southward lay the Ethiop's land, parched hill-slopes and a race burned brown by the heat of the sun ..."
The mysterious hearwan, adapted to modern English phonology, may be an inspiration of some placenames in Tolkien's 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...
, viz. Dunharrow
Dunharrow
Dunharrow is a fictional place from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. Aldor established it as a refuge of the Rohirrim hidden in the White Mountains and fortified against attack...
, and, less prominently, Underharrow, a placename in Rohan
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
. However, harrow is less mysterious and meant "place for sacrifice", see its cognate Horgr
Hörgr
A hörgr or hearg was a type of religious building or altar possibly consisting of a heap of stones, used in Norse paganism...
.
The main thrust of Tolkien's argument in this two-part paper seems to have been that "Sigelwara" was a corruption of "Sigelhearwa", and had come to mean something different in its later form than it had in its original. He begins by pointing out that Ethiopians in the earliest writings are presented in a very positive light, but by the time they written of as "Sigelwarans", the perception has become the opposite. He does not speculate why, but instead demonstrates a clear relationship between "sigelwara" and "sigelhearwa" and shows how discovering the original meaning of the word "Sigelhearwa" is almost impossible; that trying to do so must be "for the joy of the hunt rather than the hope of a final kill".
The word sigel as a conflation of two words, the inherited word for Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, the feminine sigel and an Old English neuter sigle or sygle for "jewel, necklace", loaned from Latin sigilla.
Suggesting a connection of hearwa with Gothic hauri "coal", Old Norse hyr-r "fire", Old English heorþ "to roast", heorð "hearth
Hearth
In common historic and modern usage, a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven often used for cooking and/or heating. For centuries, the hearth was considered an integral part of a home, often its central or most important feature...
", Tolkien tentatively concludes that in the Sigelhearwan we may be looking at "rather the sons of Muspel than of Ham
Hamitic
Hamitic is an historical term for the peoples supposedly descended from Noah's son Ham, paralleling Semitic and Japhetic.It was formerly used for grouping the non-Semitic Afroasiatic languages , but since, unlike the Semitic branch, these have not been shown to form a phylogenetic unity, the term...
", an ancient class of demons "with red-hot eyes that emitted sparks and faces black as soot", English equivalent of the Norse fire giants ruled by Surtr
Surtr
In Norse mythology, Surtr or Surt is an eldjötunn. Surtr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
,
that had been forgotten even before the composition of Exodus.