S. Maedhros m. “*Shapely and Red-haired”

S. Maedhros, m. “*Shapely and Red-haired”

Eldest son of Fëanor (S/60). His name is an adaption of elements from both his mother-name Q. Maitimo “Well-shaped One” and his nickname Q. Russandol “Copper-top”: S. maed¹ “shapely” and S. ross² “red-haired” (PM/366). As such, his name was more properly spelled Maedros (PM/352).

Conceptual Development: When he first appeared in the earliest Lost Tales, this character’s name was G. Maidros (LT2/241), a name that earlier in the tales was used for the grandfather of Fëanor (LT1/146). This form continued to be used in the Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s (SM/88, LR/223), but in The Etymologies, Tolkien said it was an anglicanization of proper Noldorin Maidhros “Pale-glitter” (Ety/MAD), which also appeared in The Etymologies as N. Maedhros (Ety/RUS).

The form Maidhros continued to appear in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s (WJ/115), but for the most part earlier Maidros was revised to Maedhros (MR/177), the form Christopher Tolkien adopted for the published version of The Silmarillion: see N. [ai] revised to [ae]. Tolkien constructed the derivation given above in The Shibboleth of Fëanor, where he actually used the form Maedros (PM/352, 366). Later still he considered revising the name to Maedron (PM/372, note #2), but this change was not carried out in the texts.

References ✧ LR/301; LRI/Maidros; LT1I; MRI/Maidros; PM/352, 366, 372; PMI/Maedros; SI; SMI/Maidros; UTI; VT41/10; WJ/115; WJI/Maidros

Variations

Related

Changes

Elements

maed¹ “shapely” ✧ PM/366; VT41/10
ross² “red-haired, copper-coloured” ✧ PM/366; VT41/10

N. Maidhros m. “Pale-glitter”

See S. Maedhros for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/MAD, MAƷ|MAG, RUS; EtyAC/MAƷ; LR/301; LRI/Maidros; MRI/Maidros; PMI/Maedros; SMI/Maidros; WJ/115; WJI/Maidros

Glosses

Variations

Related

Changes

Elements

maidh “pale, fallow, fawn [light yellowish tan colour]” ✧ Ety/MAD (maið); EtyAC/MAƷ (maið); EtyAC/MAƷ (meið)
rhoss² “polished metal” soft-mutation ✧ Ety/RUS (†rhoss)
ᴹ√RUS “flash, glitter of metal” ✧ Ety/MAD
ᴹ√MAD “*pale (yellow)” ✧ Ety/RUS

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

ON. Maenros > Maedhros [maenros] > [maeðros] ✧ Ety/MAƷ|MAG

ᴱN. Maidros m.

Reference ✧ LBI/Maidros


G. Maidros m.

References ✧ LT1I; LT2I