4.11 Body
- Q. hroa n. “body, bodily form, ⚠️flesh; physical matter”
- A word for “body” widely used in a variety of documents from 1958-59, derived from primitive ✶srawā based on the root √SRAW (MR/350). This word and derivation was mentioned again in notes from 1968 (VT47/35). In one place Tolkien used hroa metaphorically for the “the ‘flesh’ or physical matter of Arda” (MR/399), but as noted by Christopher Tolkien, Tolkien elsewhere used {orma >>} erma for “physical matter” (MR 406 note #2).
Conceptual Development: In early 1958 versions of the documents mentioned above, Tolkien used hrondo for “body”, a term he introduced in Quenya Notes (QN) from 1957 as a derivative of √SRON (PE17/183). But in the typescript version of Laws and Customs of the Eldar from 1958, he generally struck through hrondo and replaced it with hröa (MR/209, 217), which is the form he stuck with thereafter.
- ᴱQ. pulko n. “body, trunk, bole of tree”
- The word ᴱQ. pulko “body, trunk, bole of tree” appeared in the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s derived from the early root ᴱ√PULU “swell” (QL/75). The form ᴱQ. pulka appeared in the contemporaneous Gnomish Lexicon as a cognate of G. baul “body, trunk” (GL/22).
Neo-Quenya: I think this word is worth retaining as ᴺQ. pulco for purposes of Neo-Quenya, but when applied to humans I would use it more with the sense “*torso” (the main portion of the body) as opposed to the entire body, which would be Q. hroa.
- G. baul n. “body, trunk”
- The word G. baul “body, trunk” appeared in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s as a cognate of ᴱQ. pulka (GL/22), while ᴱQ. pulko “body, trunk, bole of tree” appeared in the contemporaneous Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s under the early root ᴱ√PULU “swell” (QL/75).
Neo-Sindarin: I would adapt this word as ᴺS. polch for closer alignment with its (Neo) Quenya form. When applied to humans I would use it more with the sense “*torso” (the main portion of the body) as opposed to the entire body, which would be S. rhond.
- S. rhond n. “body”
- A Sindarin word for “body”, cognate of Q. hrondo, appearing as rhonn in Quenya Notes from 1957 (QN: PE17/183) and as rhond or rhonn in notes concerning spirit, also probably from 1957 (NM/237). In the former document, it was derived from the root √SRON, a variant of √RON “solid, tangible, firm” (PE17/183).
Neo-Sindarin: Its Quenya cognate hrondo was replaced by Q. hroa < ✶srawā in notes from 1958-59 (MR/209, 350). However, the Sindarin equivalent of hroa was rhaw, a word that also meant “flesh” along with many other (Neo) Sindarin meanings such as “wild” and “lion”. As such, I would retain rhond as “body” for purposes of Neo-Sindarin; the continued viability of the root √RON is indicated by other words like S. Grond.
4.12 Skin, Hide
- ᴹQ. helma n. “skin, fell, *hide”
- A noun in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “skin, fell” derived from the root ᴹ√SKEL (Ety/SKEL). It replaced ᴹQ. halma which was derived from the original form of the root {ᴹ√SKAL >>} ᴹ√SKEL (EtyAC/SKEL). Here “fell” is used in its archaic English sense of “an animal’s skin including its hair”, hence “*hide”.
- ᴹQ. †psára n. “peel”
- A noun for “peel” appearing in notes on The Feanorian Alphabet from the 1940s (PE22/51). It is likely related to the verb ᴹQ. psar- “rub” (PE18/94; PE22/119). The rare initial combination ps- survived up until Classical Quenya, and probably retained this form in tengwar spelling, but was likely pronounced upsára in Tarquesta (PE19/36, 79).
- S. flâd n. “skin”
- A word for “skin” (or possibly “bark”) appearing only in the name S. Fladrif “Skinbark” (LotR/474).
4.13 Flesh
- Q. hrávë n. “flesh”
- A word for “flesh” appearing in documents from 1959, derived from primitive ✶srāwe based on the root √SRAW (MR/349-350).
Conceptual Development: In the Qenya Lexicon of the 1910s, Tolkien had ᴱQ. hara or haranda “flesh-meat” (QL/39), also mentioned as hara(nda) “fleshmeat” in the Poetic and Mythological Words of Eldarissa (PME/39). These early forms might have been a precursor to later hrávë. Another potential precursor is ᴱQ. sarko (sarku-) “flesh, living flesh, body” from the early root ᴱ√SṚKṚ “fat” (QL/86).
- S. rhaw n. “flesh, ⚠️body”
- A Sindarin word appearing in documents from 1959, a melding of primitive ✶srawā “body” and ✶srāwe “flesh”, both based on the root √SRAW (MR/349-350). It reappeared in notes from 1968 with just the gloss “flesh” as a derivative for primitive srā (VT47/12).
Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I would only use rhaw for “flesh” (of a living body), and would retain the 1957 word S. rhond for “body”; see that entry for discussion.