Author
Notes: This section has a slightly more literal translation, information on the
mutations and a few miscellaneous notes. At the end are the sources I used in
the translation.
Disclaimer: The names of the Valar belong to Tolkien. The ceremony is
traditional Celtic with changes made by me to fit into Tolkien's mythology.
Grammatical Notes
- We call Manwë, Lord of the Breath of Arda. Listen to this oath.
Estam Vanwë, Aran e-Thûl Gardh. Lasto nan-gwaedh hen.
- Vanwë
- lenited form of Manwë
e-Thûl - mixed mutation of en Thûl
nan-gwaedh hen - (lit. 'the oath this'), hen is the lenited form
of sen.
- We call Varda, Lady of the Stars. Listen to this oath.
Estam Varda, Rîs en Elin. Lasto nan-gwaedh hen.
- We call Ulmo, Lord of the Waters. Listen to this oath.
Estam Ulmo, Aran en-Nîn. Lasto nan-gwaedh hen.
- We call upon Yavanna, Queen of the Earth. Listen to this oath.
Estam Yavanna, Rîs e-Cae. Lasto nan-gwaedh hen.
- Cae
- This should be Gae - see note at the end of the first
chapter.
- As seed and root, as bud and stem,
Be eredh a holch, be duiw a delch,
- holch
- lenited form of solch
duiw - lenited form of tuiw
delch - lenited form of telch
- as leaf and flower, as star-fading and star-opening, as life and as love,
be lass a loth, be vinuial a aduial, be guil a be vîl,
- vinuial
- lenited form of minuial
guil - lenited form of cuil
vîl - lenited form of mîl
- in the sight of Eru, thee I bring to my hand, my heart and my soul,
ned i gened Eru, le tegin na gamen, 'uren a faeren.
- gened
- lenited form of cened
le - Quenya 'thee', but used in Sindarin (ref. LOTR, 'A Elbereth
Gilthoniel', p 231, pub. Houghton Mifflin)
gamen - lenited form of camen
'uren - lenited form of guren
- And death shall not cleave us,
A gûr law ristatha ven,
- ven
- lenited form of men
- as in Aman again we shall meet,
be ned Aman ad geveditham,
- and know, and have remembrance and desire.
a istatham, a geritham rîn a anírad.
- anírad
- gerund form of the verb aníro (lit. 'desiring')
- I give you this ring as an oath of my love of you.
Annan le i gorma hen be 'west o mîlen le
- i gorma hen
- lit. 'the ring this'. gorma is the lenited form
of corma (Quenya), and hen is the lenited form of sen.
'west - lenited form of gwest
- May the ring tell always
Narn i gorma aen ui
- of my eternal love.
o mîlen uireb.
- My loving bride / bridegroom, to thee I bind myself.
Dineth / Daer vilui nîn, al le gwedhin im.
- vilui
- lenited form of milui
al le - nasal mutation of an le
- With this ring, I give thee my heart, my body and the breath of my soul.
Ah i gorma hen, annan le 'uren, thrawen a i thûl faeren.
- i gorma hen
- (lit. 'the ring this'), gorma is the lenited
form of corma, hen is the lenited form of sen.
'uren - lenited form of guren
thrawen - lenited form of rhawen
- O Valar, make firm this union between Children of Eru.
A Valar! Tangado i erthad hen im Hîn Eru.
- i erthad hen
- (lit. 'the union this'), hen is the lenited
form of sen.
- Watch over them, lead them and protect them. Your blessings give to their
household
Tiro den, togo den a berio den. 'Alu lîn anno a cherth dîn
- den
- lenited form of ten
'Alu - lenited form of Galu (as the direct object of 'give')
a cherth - nasal mutation of an herth
dîn - lenited form of tîn
- and to the children born of their union.
a nan-hîn ennin o erthad dîn.
Sources
Some of these sources contradict one another, so I've done my best to figure out
what seems most correct.
Ryszard Derdzinski, Summary of the Sindarin Grammar:
www.elvish.org/gwaith/language.htm
Helge Fauskanger, Sindarin - The Noble Tongue: move.to/ardalambion
Helge Fauskanger, Suggested Conjugation of all known or inferred Sindarin
verbs: move.to/ardalambion
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lost Road, 'Etymologies', pub. Ballantine/Del Rey
Didier Willis, Hiswelókë, The Sindarin Dictionary Project:
www.geocities.com/almacq.geo/sindar/index.html