Q. mahalma n. “throne” (Category: Chair)
A noun for “throne” in the phrase nai tiruvantes i hárar mahalmassen mi Númen “in the keeping of those who sit upon thrones of the West” (UT/305, 317). In the Quendi and Eldar essay of 1959-60, Tolkien said that mahalma was derived from Valarin maχallām of the same meaning and was “properly one of the seats of the Valar” (WJ/399). As such, this word is unlikely to be used for an ordinary “throne”, which instead would be tarhanwa.
References ✧ UT/305, 317; WJ/399
Glosses
Variations
Inflections
| mahalmassen | locative plural | “on thrones” | ✧ UT/305 |
| mahalmassen | locative plural | ✧ UT/317 | |
| mahalmar | plural | “thrones” | ✧ UT/305 |
Element In
Derivations
Phonetic Developments
| Val. maχallām > mahalma | [maxalma] > [mahalma] | ✧ WJ/399 |