Q. Helcaraxë loc. “Grinding Ice”
The ice-filled strait between Araman and Middle-earth (S/80). Its name was translated in a speech by Angrod (S/129): “Wherefore should we that endured the Grinding Ice bear the name of kinslayers and traitors?” It is a compound of helca “icy, ice-cold” (SA/helca) and caraxë “jagged hedge of spikes” (Ety/KARAK).
Conceptual Development: This name first appeared as ᴱQ. Helkarakse in the earliest Lost Tales, though at this early stage it was glossed “Icefang” (LT1/167), and Christopher Tolkien suggested its second element might be aksa¹ “waterfall” (LT1A/Helkaraksë). In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, the translation of ᴹQ. Helkarakse was changed to “Grinding Ice” (SM/95, LR/125). The name also appeared in this form in The Etymologies (Ety/KARAK), where the derivation noted above is found. It was changed to Helcaraxë (Helkaraxë) in Silmarillion revisions from the 1950s-60s after Tolkien changed the orthographic representation of Quenya to be more like Latin (MR/194).
References ✧ LBI; LotRI/Narrow Ice; LT2I; MR/194; MRI/Helkaraxë; PMI/Helkaraxë; S/134; SA/carak, khelek; SI/Grinding Ice, Helcaraxë; SMI/Helkaraksë; UTI; WJI/Helkaraxë
Glosses
Variations
Elements
| helca | “icy, ice-cold” | ✧ S/134 (#helca); SA/khelek (helka) | |
| #caraxë | “*jagged hedge of spikes” | ✧ S/134 (#caraxë) | |
| √KARAK | “*sharp fang, spike, tooth” | ✧ SA/carak (carak-) | |
ᴹQ. Helkarakse loc. “Grinding Ice”
References ✧ Ety/KARAK; LR/125; LRI/Helkaraksë; MR/194; MRI/Helkaraxë; SM/95; SMI/Helkaraksë; WJI/Helkaraxë
Glosses
Changes
Elements
| helka | “ice-cold” | ||
| karakse | “jagged hedge of spikes” | ✧ Ety/KARAK | |
| ᴹ√KHEL | “freeze” | ✧ Ety/KARAK | |
Cognates
ᴱQ. Helkarakse loc. “Icefang”
References ✧ LT1/167; LT1A/Helkaraksë; LT1I/Helkaraksë
Glosses
Elements
| Helkar | ✧ LT1A/Helkaraksë | |
| aksa¹ | “waterfall” | ✧ LT1A/Helkaraksë |