N. Galadhrien f. “Tree-lady”
An early name for S. Galadriel appearing in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s as a combination of galadh “tree” and the lenited form of rhien “lady” (TI/249). There were also (rejected) variants Rhien and Galdri(e)n.
Conceptual Development: Tolkien soon changed her name to Galadriel (TI/246), but it likely that at this early stage, her name still included galadh “tree”, since Tolkien often represented [ð] with “d” instead of “dh” in Lord of the Rings drafts: compare N. Caradras with S. Caradhras. The derivation of Galadriel’s name from S. galad “light” is probably a later innovation.
References ✧ TI/249; TII/Galadriel
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Elements
galadh | “tree” | ✧ TI/249 (Galað) |
rhien | “(crowned) lady” | ✧ TI/249 |