S. Belegaer loc. “Great Sea”
Name of the “Great Sea” lying between Middle-earth and Valinor (S/37). This name is a compound of beleg “mighty” and gae(a)r “sea” (SA/beleg, gaer; PM/363).
Conceptual Development: In Silmarillion drafts from the 1930s, this name first appeared as N. Belegar (LR/14), soon revised to Belegaer (LR/19). In The Etymologies, it appeared as Belegoer (Ety/ÁLAT, AY, BEL), a reflection of Tolkien’s uncertainty on whether the diphthong [ai] became [oe] or [ae]. In the later Silmarillion revisions from the 1930s, he used Belegaer consistently following the revision of [oe] to [ae].
References ✧ PE17/149; PM/363; PMI; S/37, 238; SA/beleg, ëar, gaer; SI; SMI/Belegar; UTI
Glosses
Elements
| beleg | “great, mighty; large, big” | ✧ SA/beleg | |
| gaear | “sea” | ✧ PM/363; SA/ëar (gaer); SA/gaer (gaer) | |
| √GAY(AR) | “awe, dread; astound, make aghast; sea” | ✧ PE17/149 (GAYA) | |
N. Belegoer loc. “Great Sea”
References ✧ Ety/ÁLAT, AY, BEL; LR/14, 19; LRI/Belegar; SMI/Belegar
Glosses
Variations
Changes
Elements
| beleg | “great, large” | ✧ Ety/BEL | |
| oer | “sea” | ✧ Ety/AY | |
| ᴹ√AY(AR) | “sea” | ✧ Ety/BEL (AY) | |
Cognates