Lesson 33: Comparatives & Superlatives

Introduction

Expressing comparison — "taller than," "the most beautiful," "older than all others" — is fundamental to any language. Tolkien left fewer explicit comparative and superlative forms in his Sindarin texts than in most other areas of the grammar. What we have comes from scattered examples, the Noldorin period of his language invention, and careful scholarly reconstruction. This lesson presents everything solidly attested, honestly distinguishes reconstruction from attestation, and gives practical tools for expressing degree in Neo-Sindarin.

1. The Challenge of Sindarin Comparison

In his published works, Tolkien gives us several specific superlative words — particular forms he coined for particular meanings — but does not explicitly describe a general comparative or superlative grammar. Scholars have reconstructed the system by:

Analyzing attested comparative/superlative words and reverse-engineering the morphology
Drawing on Noldorin (Tolkien's earlier version of Sindarin, where more grammar survives)
Drawing on Quenya comparative structures (Tolkien's other major Elvish language, where more is attested)

We will be explicit at every step about which category each form falls into.

2. The Superlative Prefix an-

Evidence from Noldorin

In Tolkien's Noldorin period (1930s), he explicitly noted an an- prefix for superlative, meaning "most, very (much), exceedingly." Noldorin is the direct predecessor of Sindarin, and most Noldorin grammatical features carry over.

The Noldorin superlative:

an- + adjective → "most [adjective]"
an- + maer (good) → annaer (best, most good) — Noldorin attested in the Etymologies
an- + veleg (great) → anveleg ᴺN./ᴺS. (mightiest, greatest)

In Sindarin proper, the prefix an- is attested in several adverbial and intensifying uses, though not always in clearly superlative adjective formations.

The an- Prefix in Sindarin Adverbs

The prefix an- appears in attested Sindarin in:

anann = "long, for a long time, at length" — fully attested in Tolkien's texts (appears in I·Sûl Dûr and other contexts)
- Here an- may function as an intensifier on and (long) → anand → contracted anann
- Or an- + ann (long) → anann
anglenna- = "to approach" (draw near): an- + lenna (to go, travel) → "to go very near" — the intensifying an- as prefix on a verb

Reconstructed Sindarin Superlative with an-

Based on Noldorin evidence, Neo-Sindarin scholars reconstruct:

Adjective	Meaning	Superlative ᴺS.	Meaning
maer	good	annaer	best
beleg	great, mighty	anveleg	mightiest
bain	beautiful	anwain	most beautiful
vaer	good, fair	anvaer	finest
caer	huge	anchaer	most vast
morn	dark	anorn ᴺS.	darkest

Note: an- triggers soft mutation on the following adjective if it begins with a mutable consonant:

an- + bain → an-wain (b → v? or b → w? Soft mutation: b → v, but here anwain may be a different analysis)
More precisely: an- + calen (green) → angalen or ancalen? The c after an- may or may not mutate.

This is an area of genuine scholarly uncertainty. Mark all an- superlative formations as ᴺS. unless the specific form is from Tolkien's Noldorin.

3. Iarwain — The Famous Superlative of iaur

Tom Bombadil's Name

The Sindarin name for Tom Bombadil is Iarwain Ben-adar — "Oldest and Fatherless" (iarwain = oldest; ben-adar = without father, fatherless).

Iarwain is the superlative form of iaur (old), and it is fully attested in Tolkien's writings. This gives us crucial evidence about how Sindarin forms superlatives.

Analysis of iarwain

Breaking down iarwain:

iaur = old (the basic adjective)
-wain = an ending that transforms iaur into its superlative

But -wain is also the Sindarin word for "young, fresh, new" — creating an apparent paradox: iaur (old) + wain (young) = "oldest"?

Tolkien's intended meaning for the compound: "old-young" — a paradoxical kenning for a being who is simultaneously the oldest (most ancient) and yet somehow still fresh, still present, outside the normal aging of time. Tom Bombadil exists outside Time itself; to him, the entire ages of the world are both ancient history and immediate present.

This is a kenning (a poetic compound name) rather than a transparent superlative construction. Iarwain does not straightforwardly teach us "here is how to form superlatives from adjectives."

What iarwain Does Tell Us

Adjective compounding is a valid way to intensify meaning in Sindarin
Paradoxical compounds carry deep semantic weight in Elvish naming traditions
The form shows that iaur (old) can take a following element to express "most old" — even if that element (-wain) adds a further nuance of paradox

4. Einior — Elder, Most Senior

The Form

Einior is attested (or very closely attested from Tolkien's notes) as meaning "eldest, most senior" — the comparative/superlative of iaur (old) in the context of seniority among Elves.

Analysis

The relationship between iaur and einior:

iaur = old (basic form, root YAR)
einior = elder; the form shows i-affection/vowel change from the root: ia- → ei- under some transformation
The suffix -ior may be a comparative suffix (meaning "more X") acting on the iaur root

Alternatively, einior may come from an older form:

Primitive yāra (old) → various changes → in one pathway gives iaur (adj.)
In another pathway, with a different suffix, gives einior (comparative)

In use: Tolkien's notes describe einior as the word used among Elves for the most senior or eldest of a group. If five Elves meet, the eldest would be addressed with particular deference, and the word einior describes that person's status.

Summary: Superlative of iaur

Form	Meaning	Notes
iaur	old	basic adjective — attested
einior	elder, most senior among Elves	closely attested in Tolkien's notes
iarwain	"oldest and fatherless"	kenning; title of Tom Bombadil — attested

5. Comparative Constructions in Neo-Sindarin

"More X than Y" — ᴺS. Reconstruction

For expressing "X is more [adjective] than Y," Neo-Sindarin scholars have proposed several constructions based on available evidence. None is definitively attested as a complete pattern; they are reconstructions. Use them but mark them as ᴺS.

Construction 1: Using erin (upon/over)

X nâ [adj.] erin Y ᴺS. — "X is [more adj.] than Y"

Literally: "X is [adj.] over Y" (Y is the thing being exceeded)

Example:

I aran nâ beleg erin i marchon ᴺS. — "The king is greater than the knight"

Construction 2: Using the an- superlative + context

In a sentence where comparison is implied:

I aran nâ anveleg. ᴺS. — "The king is mightiest [among them]."

Construction 3: Using sui (like, as) for equality

sui = "like, as" — attested as a comparison particle in Tolkien's Sindarin:

X nâ [adj.] sui Y — "X is as [adj.] as Y"

I edhel nâ faer sui i 'waew. ᴺS. — "The elf is as swift as the wind."

This form (equality comparison) may actually be the more natural Sindarin expression, with inequality left to context.

"Less X than Y"

ᴺS. reconstruction:

X nâ [adj.] ú [adj.] sui Y — "X is [adj.] but not as [adj.] as Y" (circumlocution)
Or use ú- (negative prefix): X nâ ú-[adj.] sui Y — "X is not as [adj.] as Y"

6. Degree Adverbs in Sindarin

Rather than comparative adjective morphology, Sindarin may more naturally use adverbs of degree to express intensification:

Attested Degree Expressions

Form	Meaning	Attestation
anann	at length, for a long time	attested
palan-	far and wide, to a great distance	attested (palan-díriel, far-gazing)
ú-	not, un- (negation, reducing degree)	attested
an-	intensifying prefix (very, most)	attested as prefix; superlative use ᴺS.

ᴺS. Degree Adverbs

Form ᴺS.	Meaning	Basis
forn	very (intensifier)	ᴺS. from Noldorin forn "very, much"
ed	greatly, out (intensifier)	from ed- (out, forth) used as intensifier
mín	most, first	from min (one, first) in ᴺS.

Using Degree Adverbs in Practice

Instead of saying "the tallest" (superlative adjective), an Elvish speaker might say:

I aran — tâl anann! ᴺS. — "The king — very tall!" (using anann as general intensifier)
I aran nâ tâl an·forn ᴺS. — "The king is very very tall" (reduplication for emphasis)

7. The Paradox of -wain as Both "Young" and "Superlative"

This deserves deeper exploration because it reveals something important about Tolkien's linguistic philosophy.

wain / gwain — Young, New, Fresh

The word gwain (adjective: young, new, fresh) is related to:

gwanur (twin, sibling — those born together, "new" at the same time)
gweneth (virginity, freshness — the state of being new)
Minhiriath — not directly, but the "new" sense appears in many Sindarin roots

The Paradox Resolved

In Tolkien's cosmology, Tom Bombadil is the Eldest — he was present before the Valar shaped the world. But he is also described as perpetually fresh, not aged in the way of mortals or even Elves. He is:

iaur — in the sense of "most ancient, most old in terms of time"
wain — in the sense of "eternally fresh, not worn or diminished by age"

The compound iarwain holds both truths simultaneously. This is a kenning — a compressed poetic image holding paradox — which is a characteristic technique of Old English and Norse poetry that Tolkien deeply loved and incorporated into his invented languages.

Lesson for Neo-Sindarin Composers

When creating Sindarin names or expressions for profound concepts, Tolkien's practice shows:

Kenning compounds can carry paradoxical or deep meanings
Superlatives do not always need explicit grammatical morphology; they can be conveyed by context, adverbs, or poetic compounds
The richest Sindarin expressions compress multiple meanings — this is a goal, not a problem

8. Comparative Adjective Forms: Noldorin Evidence

From Tolkien's Etymologies (Noldorin forms that inform Sindarin reconstruction):

Noldorin	Meaning	Sindarin Equivalent
annaer	best (superlative of maer)	annaer ᴺS. (same form)
anfang	"very long"	—
arphent	"nobler"	ᴺS. arphent

The Noldorin evidence supports an- as a superlative/intensifying prefix, but specific comparative (more X than Y) morphology in Noldorin also used -ui suffixes in some contexts.

9. Practical Comparison Sentences

All ᴺS. where not specifically noted:

1. Simple superlative with an-: Galadriel nâ angalad. ᴺS. "Galadriel is most radiant." (an- + calad → angalad with soft mutation of c → no change needed here)

2. Comparison of equality: I galadh nâ faer sui i·'waew. ᴺS. "The tree is as swift as the wind." (Note: trees are not swift; use your own subject!)

I Edhel nâ calen sui i·eryn. ᴺS. "The Elf is as green as the forest." (meaning: as at home in the forest as the forest itself)

3. Comparison with erin (over/above): Aragorn nâ beltho erin i yrch. ᴺS. "Aragorn is stronger than the orcs."

4. The eldest among a group: Círdan nâ einior i·Edhellim. ᴺS. "Círdan is the eldest of the Elves." (einior used as superlative: "most senior")

5. Intensifying adverb: I Orod Belegaer nâ beleg anann. ᴺS. "The Mountain [by] the Great Sea is very great indeed."

6. Equality negated: I·marchon nâ ú-anveleg sui i·aran. ᴺS. "The knight is not as mighty as the king."

10. Summary: What We Know for Certain

Form	Status	Meaning
iarwain	Attested	"Oldest" (title of Tom Bombadil)
einior	Closely attested	"Elder, most senior"
anann	Attested	"For a long time" (degree adverb)
palan- (intensifier)	Attested	"Far and wide"
sui (as, like)	Attested	Comparison of equality
an- superlative	ᴺS. (Noldorin base)	"Most X"
-erin comparative	ᴺS.	"More X than"
Degree adverbs forn, etc.	ᴺS.	Intensifiers

The honest conclusion: Tolkien's Sindarin expresses comparison more through lexical and contextual means (specific superlative words, degree adverbs, context) than through a regular grammatical comparative/superlative morphology. For most needs, einior (eldest), iarwain (most ancient), an- prefix, and sui (as) will cover the common cases.

Next: Lesson 34 — Abstract Nouns: The -as Suffix