tarkil
tarkil is a Quenya word, used in the Common Tongue as a name for a Man of Númenórean descent.[1][2][3]
The Orcs corrupted the word, and used tark as an insulting term for a Gondorian.[1][2][4]
The spelling Tarcil is used for the name of the sixth King of Arnor.[5]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
In the Etymologies, tark derives from Primitive Quendian tāra-khil (roots TUR and KHIL).[6][note 1] It has been suggested that tarkil means "literally 'high follower' ([since] the Elves referred to Men as followers because they were the Afterborn Children of Ilúvatar)".[5][note 2]
Other versions of the legendarium[edit | edit source]
In The Lord of the Rings, the word appears only in a footnote (added in the Allen & Unwin second edition, 1966) in Appendix F. However, at one time it was destined for more prominence: in the early drafts of the work, Aragorn himself is known as "the Tarkil", but this was changed to "the Dúnadan" in the published text.[2][7]
Notes
- ↑ tarkil as related to the root KHIL also appears in a later manuscript, cf. J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 101.
- ↑ Cf. TUR for the connection to "high" and KHIL for the connection to "follower".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. 603
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, "Words, Phrases and Passages in Various Tongues in The Lord of the Rings", in Parma Eldalamberon XVII (edited by Christopher Gilson), p. 101
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix F, "The Languages and Peoples of the Third Age", "Of Other Races", fifth paragraph, p. 1131
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tarkil at The Encyclopedia of Arda (accessed 14 May 2011)
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Lost Road and Other Writings, Part Three: "The Etymologies", pp. 364, 395
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien (ed.), The Treason of Isengard, p. 8