S. Sirion loc. “Great River”

S. Sirion, loc. “Great River”

The Great River of Beleriand (S/120), a combination of sîr “river” and the adjective iaun “wide”, reduced to its suffixal form -ion² also seen in the names of lands (PE17/42).

Conceptual Development: This river was named G. Sirion in the earliest Lost Tales (LT1/238) and was explained as an archaic word for “river” in the Gnomish Lexicon (GL/67). The name N. Sirion appeared in The Etymologies from the 1930s as an elaboration of N. sîr (Ety/SIR). The derivation given above appeared in Tolkien’s Words, Phrases and Passages from the Lord of the Rings from the late 1950s or early 1960s (PE17/42). In an early name list its Qenya equivalent was given as ᴱQ. Sirion as well (PE13/102).

References ✧ MRI; PE17/42; PMI; SA/sîr; SI; UTI; WJI

Glosses

Elements

sîr “river, stream” ✧ SA/sîr
iaun “wide, extensive, large, roomy, vast, huge”
-ion² “-region, -land” ✧ PE17/42; PE17/42

Element In

Derivations

Phonetic Developments

siriānā > Sirion [siriānā] > [siriāna] > [siriǭna] > [siriauna] > [siriaun] > [sirion] ✧ PE17/42

N. Sirion loc.

See S. Sirion for discussion.

References ✧ Ety/SIR; LR/407; LRI; PE22/41; RSI; SMI; TII

Variations

Inflections

hirion soft-mutation; s-mutation ✧ LR/407

Elements

sîr “river” ✧ Ety/SIR

Element In


ᴱN. Sirion loc.

See S. Sirion for discussion.

References ✧ LBI; MC/217

Element In


G. Nen Sir loc.

Reference ✧ PE13/102

Related

Elements

nen(n) “water; river”
sîr “river”

G. Sirion loc. “†river”

See S. Sirion for discussion.

References ✧ GL/67; LT1A/Sirion; LT1I; LT2I; PE13/102

Glosses

Related

Elements

sîr “river” ✧ GL/67; LT1A/Sirion

Cognates