The Encyclopedia of Arda - Rúmil (original) (raw)

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random
Dates Lived during the Years of the Trees; presumably still extant1 Race Elves Division Noldor Culture Elves of Valinor Settlements Tirion Pronunciation roo'mil Meaning Probably derived from a root word meaning 'secret'2 Indexes: Alphabetical: R Elves About this entry: Updated 15 May 2011 Updates planned: 1 The legendary inventor of writing An Elven loremaster, the inventor of written letters. His invention was later bettered by Fëanor, but Rúmil remains famous as the originator of writing. Notes 1 We have little biographical information about Rúmil. What there is belongs to an older tradition, and represents opposing narrative structures. At one point it's suggested that he joined the rebellion of the Noldor, returned to Middle-earth, and was captured by Morgoth before ultimately escaping and later returning into the West. Later versions deny this, implying that he was one of the Noldor who chose to remain in Aman. Both versions of Rúmil's story date to an early phase of Tolkien's work, and it's unclear whether either was intended to stand in the later Silmarillion. 2 The derivation of the name Rúmil is not fully explained, but in his linguistic appendix to The Book of Lost Tales (in volume I of The History of Middle-earth), Christopher Tolkien speculates on a connection to the root rûm, 'secret' or 'mystery' or its derivative rui, 'whisper'. If this speculation is correct, then it fits well with Rúmil's identity as the inventor of writing. In Old English the word rune meant 'secret, mystery', and its Germanic forerunner runa could be interpreted as 'whisper'. Though Rúmil devised the Elvish script rather than runes, the etymological connection to ancient writing systems nonetheless seems too close to be coincidental. See also... Elf-letters, Rúmil of Lórien, Silmarillion, Tîw Indexes: Alphabetical: R Elves About this entry: Updated 15 May 2011 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2000-2001, 2011. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus is the complete personality profile package, with modules for job matching, relationships, teams and more.

The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien

ALPHABETICAL RACES PLACES MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCE INTERACTIVE

SHARE User guide Latest entries FAQ and e-mail Disclaimer and bibliography Awards Old and rare words Lexicon of names Excyclopedia of Arda Movie-goer's Guides: • The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers • The Return of the King The Hobbit Viewer's Companions: • An Unexpected Journey • The Desolation of Smaug • The Battle of the Five Armies Tolkien links Book news Latest Chronicle Calendar Old and rare words Lexicon of names Links Random

Dates Lived during the Years of the Trees; presumably still extant1 Race Elves Division Noldor Culture Elves of Valinor Settlements Tirion Pronunciation roo'mil Meaning Probably derived from a root word meaning 'secret'2 Indexes: Alphabetical: R Elves About this entry: Updated 15 May 2011 Updates planned: 1 The legendary inventor of writing An Elven loremaster, the inventor of written letters. His invention was later bettered by Fëanor, but Rúmil remains famous as the originator of writing. Notes 1 We have little biographical information about Rúmil. What there is belongs to an older tradition, and represents opposing narrative structures. At one point it's suggested that he joined the rebellion of the Noldor, returned to Middle-earth, and was captured by Morgoth before ultimately escaping and later returning into the West. Later versions deny this, implying that he was one of the Noldor who chose to remain in Aman. Both versions of Rúmil's story date to an early phase of Tolkien's work, and it's unclear whether either was intended to stand in the later Silmarillion. 2 The derivation of the name Rúmil is not fully explained, but in his linguistic appendix to The Book of Lost Tales (in volume I of The History of Middle-earth), Christopher Tolkien speculates on a connection to the root rûm, 'secret' or 'mystery' or its derivative rui, 'whisper'. If this speculation is correct, then it fits well with Rúmil's identity as the inventor of writing. In Old English the word rune meant 'secret, mystery', and its Germanic forerunner runa could be interpreted as 'whisper'. Though Rúmil devised the Elvish script rather than runes, the etymological connection to ancient writing systems nonetheless seems too close to be coincidental. See also... Elf-letters, Rúmil of Lórien, Silmarillion, Tîw Indexes: Alphabetical: R Elves About this entry: Updated 15 May 2011 Updates planned: 1 For acknowledgements and references, see the Disclaimer & Bibliography page. Original content © copyright Mark Fisher 2000-2001, 2011. All rights reserved. For conditions of reuse, see the Site FAQ. Website services kindly sponsored by Discus from Axiom Software Ltd.Discus is the complete personality profile package, with modules for job matching, relationships, teams and more.