The main Encyclopedia of Arda restricts itself, as far as possible, to the names of people, places and events from Tolkien's 'canon', or at least those that fit into the world described The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's output was immense, though, and especially in his early work he created a huge number of characters and ideas that were later abandoned.
We know from our e-mail that many visitors are looking for more information about these 'lost' names, but they tend not to fit easily into Tolkien's complete world, and it would be hopelessly confusing to insert them into the main Encyclopedia. So, we've created this 'Excyclopedia', listing some of the most commonly requested subjects from outside the main canon.
As well as those names created by Tolkien himself, we've listed some of those from outside sources, too. So, you'll find that the list also contains a selection of names created for movies and games, or even a few coined by fans. Names in the list that don't come from Tolkien's own writings are marked with an asterisk. It goes without saying that this small compilation is by no means comprehensive. It's simply intended to discuss some of the more commonly mentioned names from outside the main canon of Tolkien's work.
Adûnaphel*
The name of one of the Ringwraiths, Adûnaphel the Quiet was said to have been one of the three Nazgûl who were of Númenórean origin (and indeed her name is Adûnaic in form, probably meaning something like 'West-daughter'). However, Tolkien himself only named one of the Nazgûl: Khamûl. The names of the other eight, including 'Adûnaphel', were created for a role-playing game. For more information, see ' What were the names of the nine Nazgûl?' in the FAQ.
Ælfwinë
A character of crucial importance during the early phases of Tolkien's stories, Ælfwinë (at first known as Eriol) was a mariner from England who found the Straight Road and travelled to Tol Eressëa, where he was told the history of the Elder Days. Ælfwinë was the original source, then, for the stories that made up The Silmarillion. By the time the The Lord of the Rings came to be written, however, the function of story-collector was taken over by Bilbo Baggins, and Ælfwinë's dramatic role became redundant. The name 'Ælfwinë' means ' Elf-friend', and it survived in a slightly different form into The Lord of the Rings as the name of Éomer's son and heir: Elfwine.
Ambar
An Elvish name for the Earth, sometimes also seen in the form Imbar. It was said to have been used casually as meaning the same thing as Arda, but properly Ambar referred only to the habitable part of Arda. The exact nature of this relationship developed over time: in one late text, for instance, ' Arda' is the Solar System, while 'Ambar' is the planet Earth. The word survives in the Lord of the Rings, where Aragorn uses the terms Ambar-metta at his coronation to mean 'the end of the World'.
Andreth
A wise-woman and prophetess of the House of Bëor who lived during the First Age. Though mortal, she loved the Elf Aegnor, and also had a deep friendship with Aegnor's brother Finrod. She is best known for her part in the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, the 'Debate of Finrod and Andreth', in which the two friends discuss profound metaphysical and philosophical matters. Andreth was also known for foretelling the reappearance of Túrin during the Last Battle at the end of the World. Despite all these achievements, Andreth makes no appearance in the Silmarillion proper.
Argon
The third son of Fingolfin, who would have been the younger brother of Fingon and Turgon. He emerged very late in Tolkien's work, and his story was never developed in any detail; all we know for sure is that he was killed soon after the Noldor left Valinor. Tolkien experimented with various possible deaths for Argon, but it seems he was ultimately lost in battle with Orcs, shortly after the host of Fingolfin entered Middle-earth.
Aruman*
In Ralph Bakshi's animated version of The Lord of the Rings from 1978, Saruman is sometimes referred to (on an apparently random basis) as 'Aruman'. Nobody has ever produced a completely rational explanation for this - it seems likely that the film-makers thought the similar names ' Saruman' and ' Sauron' might confuse audiences, but that doesn't explain why the Wizard is also referred to by his true name ' Saruman' within the film.
Belen
Bëor the Old had two sons. The elder of these was was Baran, and from him the great heroes of the House of Bëor were descended, including Barahir and Beren. Bëor's younger son left less of a mark on history, to the extent that he is not even named in the published Silmarillion. He does appear in other accounts, though, where he is named as Belen. Belen's line was a little less illustrious than his brother's: his most famous descendant was his great-great-granddaughter Emeldir, who became the wife of Baran's descendant Barahir.
Bingo Bolger-Baggins
In the earliest drafts of the the work that would become The Fellowship of the Ring, the Ring-bearer was not Frodo, but Bingo Bolger-Baggins (also known simply as Bingo Baggins). He survived in the early forms of the story as far as Rivendell, and though Tolkien came to dislike the name, he was reluctant to change it. In the end, though, Bingo was renamed Frodo (actually a name that already emerged as belonging to one of Bingo's companions). Bingo Baggins himself didn't disappear altogether from The Lord of the Rings: the name was transferred to one of Bilbo's uncles, but its status dwindled from the original hero of the story to a single mention in the Appendices.
Dark Land
A large elongated continent that appears on a single sketch-map of Arda, associated with the work known as the Ambarkanta, The Shape of the World, which belongs to an early stage of the development Tolkien's tales. Also labelled 'South Land', the Dark Land lies far to the south of the parts of Middle-earth known in any detail, and is separated from them by a sea known as the East Sea. It is never referred to again in any text.
Dwar*
A name for one of the Nazgûl, said to have originated as a conquering warrior-mage who ruled his people as a tyrant, and was seduced by Sauron through one of the Nine Rings. Like most of the names of the Nine Ringwraiths, 'Dwar' does not come from Tolkien himself, but is an invention deriving from a game based on his works. For more information, see ' What were the names of the nine Nazgûl?' in the FAQ.
Elboron
According to The Lord of the Rings, Faramir and Éowyn had a grandson named Barahir, so we can be sure they had at least one child. In the drafts for the Appendices, that child is named as 'Elboron', who would have been heir to the Stewardship of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien. However, Elboron did not survive into the final version of the text, and it's therefore unclear whether Tolkien meant his name to stand.
Eriol
See Ælfwinë
Er-Mûrazor*
See Mûrazor
Figwit*
An Elf of Rivendell, played by actor Bret McKenzie in a non-speaking role in the movie The Fellowship of the Ring. He appears only fleetingly on the screen, but was nevertheless picked out by fans and given the name Figwit (apparently an acronym from ' Frodo Is Great - Who Is That?'). On the strength of this fan response, Figwit reappears in the movie version of The Return of the King: he is the Elf leading Arwen's escort on her journey to the Grey Havens.
Fionwë
In The Lost Tales, the earliest phase of Tolkien's work, the Valar have children (an idea that was later completely abandoned). Fionwë was one of these - he was no less a character, indeed, than the son of Manwë and Varda. In a sense, Fionwë survived into The Silmarillion. He was the forerunner of Eönwë, and - transformed into a Maia - he became Manwë's herald rather than his son.
Gnomes
A word used in much of Tolkien's early work to refer to the people otherwise known as the Noldor or Deep Elves. It was originally chosen on etymologicial grounds (the name related to the Greek gnome, meaning 'thought, intelligence', and so was well suited to this division of the Elves). However, it was eventually abandoned due to its more common associations with small, earth-dwelling creatures, and never appears in any remotely canonical work.
Gwendelin
One of a long series of names belonging to a character dating back to the inception of Tolkien's tales. The evolution of this name is typical of the complex creative process that Tolkien applied to his characters, especially those dating back to the beginnings of his stories. In the Lost Tales, she started out as Tindriel, but was soon renamed Wendelin, which in turn developed into Gwendelin. From there, a multitude of different experimental forms appeared: Gwendeling, Gwedheling, Gwedhiling, Gwenniel and Gwenethlin. All of these variations was superseded in turn: in the later versions of the Silmarillion, this character has evolved into her final form: Melian the Maia, Queen of Doriath.
Hadhafang*
The sword used by Arwen in Peter Jackson's movies. The name Hadhafang apparently means 'Throng-cleaver' (presumably from the same root-words as the established name Sangahyando, which as the same meaning) and the sword itself was said to have belonged at one time belonged to Idril Celebrindal, the daughter of Turgon. However, this entire history seems to belong purely to the movies, or to their attendant marketing: Tolkien himself never mentions either Idril or Arwen possessing a sword of any kind, let alone one famous enough to bear its own name.
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Imbar
See Ambar
Indûr Dawndeath*
Another of the invented names for the eight Nazgûl left unnamed by Tolkien. Indûr was said to have been a nobleman of an eastern nation, who used the Ring Sauron gave him to gain power in his native lands before he fell fully under the Dark Lord's domination. For more information, see ' What were the names of the nine Nazgûl?' in the FAQ.
Legolas of Gondolin
The Legolas of the Fellowship of the Ring, of course, is a well established character in The Lord of the Rings, but he was prefigured long before by another Legolas altogether. This earlier character appears in The Lost Tales, written many years before The Lord of the Rings, where his sharp eyes help the Elves of Gondolin escape its destruction, after which he found his way across the Sea to Tol Eressëa. After The Lost Tales, this Legolas disappears from all further retellings of the same story. At this point, the character seems to have been abandoned by Tolkien until his name re-emerged for (apparently) a quite different individual, Legolas the son of Thranduil and companion of Frodo.
Linwë Tinto
See Tinwë Linto.
Lurtz*
A powerful Orc, probably intended as an Uruk, introduced in Peter Jackson's movie of The Fellowship of the Ring. He led Saruman's Orcs from Isengard to capture Hobbits, and was slain in the attempt. No comparable character exists in Tolkien's original book, but the name 'Lurtz' is possibly inspired by Lugbúrz, the Orcs' name for Sauron's Dark Tower.
Meássë
Originally one of the Valar, a spear-bearing warrior who dwelt in iron halls in Valinor with her brother Makar. Makar and Meássë were dark and chaotic Powers, with more in common with Melkor than their fellow Valar, and the warlike brother and sister quickly passed out of Tolkien's legendarium after its first phase.
Morinehtar
According to a very late note, Morinehtar was one of two Wizards who travelled to Middle-earth in the Second Age. Morinehtar's name means 'darkness-slayer', and with his companion Rómestámo he passed into the east of Middle-earth long before Gandalf and the other more familiar Wizards landed there. The story of Morinehtar and Rómestámo does not sit entirely happily with the account of the Wizards in The Lord of the Rings, nor with other accounts that name the other two Wizards as Alatar and Pallando. Nonetheless, it is possible that Morinehtar might have found his way into the canonical tradition if Tolkien had had the chance to expand his story.
Rómestámo
A Wizard, also called Rómestar and Rómenstar, though all variations of his name seem to mean 'east-helper'. He was sent, along with Morinehtar, to Middle-earth in the Second Age to lend aid to those Men who rebelled against Sauron's rule. Rómestámo's story appears only among certain late notes, and is difficult to reconcile with material in The Lord of the Rings.
Tal-Elmar
The hero of an unfinished story set in the wilds of Middle-earth during the Dark Years of the Second Age. Tal-Elmar was captured as a child, and raised among a clan of warlike Wild Men who lived in a settlement near the coast. When a fleet of Númenórean vessels anchored off the shore, the fearful tribe sent Tal-Elmar to investigate, but the Númenóreans greeted him as a long-lost kinsman. At that point the story breaks off, and no more is told of Tal-Elmar's mysterious origins or his fate.
Tevildo
Named the Prince of Cats, Tevildo was a huge black cat in the service of Melkor in the very early Tale of Tinúviel (in The Book of Lost Tales 2). In that original version of the story of Beren and Lúthien, it was Tevildo who took Beren prisoner, but was later defeated by Huan the Hound of Valinor (a natural nemesis for a Prince of Cats). In later versions of the tale, Tevildo vanished and his place was taken by Sauron, but the original combat with Huan the hound remained a vital part of the story.
Tinwë Linto
In the Lost Tales, one of various names given to an Elf-lord who was lost from the Great Journey, and remained in Middle-earth. His name was originally Linwë Tinto, and he was also known as Tinwelint, and many other variations besides. Originally Lord of the Elves of Hísilómë, Tinwë's story changed radically over the years, and eventually he evolved into the character known as Elu Thingol.
Tindriel
See Gwendelin
Tinwelint
See Tinwë Linto.
Trotter
In the earliest versions of the story that would become The Fellowship of the Ring, the Hobbits arrived in Bree to find, not Strider, but Trotter. In those original drafts, Aragorn of the Dúnedain had not yet emerged, and instead Trotter is a venturesome Hobbit who left the Shire to explore the World. The are several different versions of the Trotter story, including one peculiar variation in which he has a pair of wooden feet. As work progressed on the text, the wandering Hobbit Trotter was gradually transformed into the Dúnadan Aragorn.
Uin
An immeasurably vast and ancient whale that dwelt in the depths of the sea. In the earliest versions of Tolkien's legends, it was Uin (at Ulmo's command) who drew the island of Tol Eressëa across the Great Sea, and so brought the Eldar to Valinor.
Ulmonan
Ulmo's great sea-halls that lay in the distant west of the World, far beneath the Outer Ocean. It was from these halls, so deep beneath the sea that even the other Valar had never seen them, that Ulmo extended his power into the seas, rivers and streams of the World. The halls of Ulmonan are never mentioned outside the Lost Tales, but in the published Silmarillion Ulmo is still said to dwell apart from the other Valar, and so at least the concept of Ulmonan, if not the halls themselves, survived into the final phase of Tolkien's tales.
Wendelin
See Gwendelin
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