N. Erion m. “Eldest”
Earlier form of S. Iarwain appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, translated “Eldest” and appearing beside N. Iaur (TI/125). It might be a superlative form of iaur “old”; in the Early Noldorin Grammar, the similar suffix -iant was used for the superlative (PE13/125). If the suffix -ion was a Noldorin superlative suffix, perhaps the initial [e] developed due to Noldorin i-affection.
References ✧ TI/125, 158; TII/Tom Bombadil
Glosses
Elements
iaur | “ancient, old(en)” | superlative | |
Iaur | “Eldest” | ✧ TI/125 |