S. Lothlórien loc. “Dreamflower, (lit.) Lórien of the Blossom”

S. Lothlórien, loc. “Dreamflower, (lit.) Lórien of the Blossom”

The full name of Lórien, loosely translated by Treebeard as “Dreamflower” (LotR/467), more accurately “Lórien of the Blossom” (RC/300). This name is a combination of loth “flower” with its shorter name Lórien (SA/loth, PE17/48). The translation “Dreamflower” alluded to the Quenya name that inspired it: Q. Lórien “*Dream Lands” (PE17/48).

Conceptual Development: This name was already N. Lothlórien when it first appeared in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s (TI/218). In his Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s, Tolkien indicated that the pure Sindarin form of the name would have been Lothlewerian(d), plural Lothlewerien(d), if it were derived from the sense “gold” as its Nandorin name Lórinand and it would have been Lothlýrian, plural Lothlúrien, if it were derived from the sense “dream” as the Quenya name Lórien (PE17/48).

References ✧ LotR/467; LotRI; LRI; NM/351; PE17/48; PMI; RC/300; RSI; SA/loth; SI/Lórien², Lothlórien; UT/253; UTI; WJI

Glosses

Variations

Related

Inflections

Lothlewerien(d) plural ✧ PE17/48
Lothlúrien plural ✧ PE17/48

Elements

loth “flower, single blossom; inflorescence, head of small flowers” ✧ PE17/48; SA/loth; SI/Lórien²; UTI/Lothlórien
Lórien “*Golden Lands” ✧ NM/350; SI/Lórien²; UT/253; UTI/Lothlórien
glawar “gold (light or colour)” ✧ PE17/48

N. Lothlórien loc.

See S. Lothlórien for discussion.

References ✧ SDI1/Lothlórien; TII; WRI

Elements

lhoth “flower(s)”
Lem. Lórien