Sindarin Vocabulary: Time
Sindarin words for time: days, seasons, months, years, and the Elvish calendar (Kings' Reckoning and the Stewards' Reckoning).
Basic Time Words
| Sindarin | Plural | Period | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| aur | oer | S. | day (daylight, daytime) |
| fuin | S. | night, darkness | |
| dû | S. | night (poetic) | |
| minuial | S. | morning twilight, dawn (lit. "time of opening") | |
| aduial | S. | evening twilight, dusk (lit. "time of closing") | |
| undome | S. | starlit twilight | |
| tîn | N. | sparkle (of stars at twilight) | |
| lómë | S. | night (poetic, from an older layer) | |
| erin | N. | on the day of | |
| pen | S. | without (temporal use in some phrases) | |
| sí | S. | now, here | |
| si | S. | now (temporal adverb) |
Seasons (Elvish Calendar Terms)
The Elves used a calendar different from Men's — their year was divided into seasons that do not exactly map to modern seasons.
| Sindarin | Period | English/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ethuil | S. | Spring (Stirring) |
| Laer | S. | Summer |
| Iavas | S. | Autumn, Harvest |
| Firith | S. | Fading (early autumn) |
| Rhîw | S. | Winter |
| Echuir | S. | Stirring (late winter/early spring) |
| Gwirith | S. | April equivalent (Month of the Fourth Season) |
The Elvish Calendar: Kings' Reckoning Months
The Elves and the Men of Númenor used a calendar with twelve months. Sindarin names for the months:
| Month | Sindarin Name | Approximate Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narwain | January |
| 2 | Nínui | February |
| 3 | Gwaeron | March |
| 4 | Gwirith | April |
| 5 | Lothron | May |
| 6 | Nórui | June |
| 7 | Cerveth | July |
| 8 | Urui | August |
| 9 | Ivanneth | September |
| 10 | Narbeleth | October |
| 11 | Hithui | November |
| 12 | Girithron | December |
These month names appear in Tolkien's appendices. Many are Sindarin in form:
- Narwain = nár (fire) + gwain (new) = "New Fire" (January)
- Nínui = "Watery" (February — rainy month)
- Gwirith = "Freshness" (April — connected to gwir = vigour?)
- Hithui = "Misty" (November — from hith = mist)
Days of the Week (Elvish Calendar)
The Elvish week (enquië) had 6 days. Sindarin names:
| Day | Sindarin | Named After |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orgilion | Stars |
| 2 | Oranor | Sun |
| 3 | Orithil | Moon |
| 4 | Orgaladhad | Two Trees of Valinor |
| 5 | Ormenel | Heavens |
| 6 | Orbelain / Rodyn | Valar (the Powers) |
Note: Men later adopted a 7-day week; the Elvish 6-day week was used in the Elder Days.
Time Expressions
| Sindarin | Period | English |
|---|---|---|
| a vanwa ná | S. | it is gone (past) |
| sí | S. | now |
| nef aear | S. | on this side of the sea (in this age) |
| palan | S. | far and wide (distance + time) |
| erin dolothen Ethuil | S. | on the eighth day of Spring |
| yn | N./S. | year |
| loa | S./Q. | year (Elvish term, more poetic) |
Elvish Age Names
The Elves counted time in Ages (yéni):
| Sindarin | Quenya | English |
|---|---|---|
| Cuiviénen (not Sindarin — Quenya) | Waters of Awakening (before ages) | |
| Periain Eldalie (approx.) | First Age (age of Elves in Middle-earth) | |
| I·Channas Sauron | Age of Sauron's dominion (Second Age) | |
| I·Vedui Hannas | Last Age (Third Age, approximate) |
The formal age system uses Quenya terms in most of Tolkien's writings.
Elvish Concept of Time
The Elves experience time differently from mortals:
- They are immortal (barring violence or grief) — their relationship to "time passing" is one of accumulation, not loss
- The word naur can mean both "fire" and (in some forms) the idea of continuity/eternal flame
- Estel (hope) is specifically the hope that time will bring what is promised — Aragorn's childhood name reflects this
- The Elvish lament a vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa ("it is gone, gone from the East") from Galadriel's poem shows their mournful awareness of time's passage despite (or because of) immortality