Wednesday, April 14, 2004

About that Sindarin Paschal greeting

If you've checked out the Onion Dome this week, you've seen the Elvish Paschal greeting: "Si Cuielen na i hiro o coi!" and the response "Ele, Si Cuielan!"

My friend Barbara researched it for me, and her background information didn't fit the Onion Dome piece, but it's much too good to waste.

She used Ruth S. Noel's Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Here is the greeting and two alternate responses with the literal meaning.

Si Cuielen na i hiro o coi! (Now living again is the Lord of life)
Ele, Si Cuielan na i hiro coi! (Behold, Now living . . . .)

or

Si Cuielen na i hiro o coi!
Ele, Si Cuielan!

FYI: The words are Sindarin Dialect, Sindarin Syntax

i hiro = The Lord
o coi = of life
na = is
cui- = to live
iel = forms the participle
en- = again

Ele = Behold (This is significant because it is the first spoken word of the Elves)

So the translation would be "The Lord of Life is now living again"
"Behold, Now living again!"

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