230 From a letter to Rhona Beare

[Answering various questions about The Lord of the Rings.]

8 June 1961

With regard to Aragorn's boast, I think he was reckoning his ancestry through the paternal line for this purpose; but in any case I imagine that Númenóreans, before their knowledge dwindled, knew more about heredity than other people. To this of course they refer by the common symbol of blood. They recognized the fact that in spite of intermarriages, some characteristics would appear in pure form in later generations. Aragorn's own longevity was a case in point. Gandalf I think refers to the curious fact that even in the much less well preserved house of the stewards Denethor had come out as almost purely Númenórean.

Vol. II, p. 70. Treebeard was not using Entish sounds on this occasion, but using ancient Elvish words mixed up and run together in Entish fashion. The elements are laure, gold, not the metal but the colour, what we should call golden light; ndor, nor, land, country; lin, lind-, a musical sound; malina, yellow; orne, tree; lor, dream; nan, nand-, valley. So that roughly he means: 'The valley where the trees in a golden light sing musically, a land of music and dreams ; there are yellow trees there, it is a tree-yellow land.' The same applies to the last line on that page, where the elements are taure, forest; tumba, deep valley; mor, darkness; lóme, night.

Mae govannen means 'well met.'

Treebeard's greeting to Celeborn and Galadriel meant 'O beautiful ones, parents of beautiful children.'

The song of praise in Vol. III, p. 231 is not really a song but is represented by a few phrases taken from the languages heard, in which English represents the common speech. The second, fourth and sixth lines are Sindarin or Grey Elvish. The seventh and ninth are High Elvish. Line 2 means 'May the Halflings live long, glory to the Halflings.' The fourth line means 'Frodo and Sam, princes of the west, glorify (them)', the sixth, 'glorify (them)'. The seventh line means 'Bless them, bless them, long we will praise them.' The ninth line means 'The Ring bearers, bless (or praise) them to the height.'