N. Galadhrien f. “Tree-lady”

N. Galadhrien, f. “Tree-lady”

An early name for S. Galadriel appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s as a combination of galadh “tree” and the lenited form of rhien “lady” (TI/249). There were also (rejected) variants Rhien and Galdri(e)n.

Conceptual Development: Tolkien soon changed her name to Galadriel (TI/246), but it likely that at this early stage, her name still included galadh “tree”, since Tolkien often represented [ð] with “d” instead of “dh” in Lord of the Rings drafts: compare N. Caradras with S. Caradhras. The derivation of Galadriel’s name from S. galad “light” is probably a later innovation.

References ✧ TI/249; TII/Galadriel

Glosses

Variations

Changes

Elements

galadh “tree” ✧ TI/249 (Galað)
rhien “(crowned) lady” ✧ TI/249