Why not Taragorn?

[Fredrik Felagund]

Hello.

New member with a question.

The name of all the kings of Arnor (or actually Arthedain), from Argeleb I (ruling from TA1349) onwards, and all the chieftains of the Dunedain, starts with "Ar". Also, "Arthedain" and "Arnor" starts with "Ar".
The word, in both Adûnaic and Sindarin, for "king" (or is it ruler?) is "Ar" (Ar-Pharazôn, Ar-Zimrathon...), but Quenya is "Tar" (Tar-Ancalimë, Tar-Surion...).

It seems unlikely that 25 consecutive rulers, for 2000 years, all has the prefix "Ar", that just happens to mean "King" to their name just by coincidence.

Still, it seems likely that Adûnaic (and therefore "Ar") had gone out of fashion with the Kings men, Pharazôn and his ambitions and the slightly bothersome downfall.

I am aware that Adûnaic evolved into Westron, a language for the commoners, but why do the descendants of the north kingdom, in close contact with Elrond, and at least Aragorn with a demonstrated knowledge of Quenya (in the houses of healing), use the Sindarin prefix "Ar", instead of Quenya "Tar"? Is it to show that they are loosing their heritage and becoming more of middle men? The coincidence that Adûnaic and Sindarin shares the same word ("Ar") goes some way to explaining it and I am aware of the distinction of "Aragorn" and "Ar-Agorn", but it seems to me that the association with Ar-Pharazôn is one I would have wanted to escape, as king.
Aragorn himself ascended as Elessar, a name in Quenya, probably signifying "a return to the good old ways".

Or, in short, why is he not named "Taragorn"?

/ Best regards, Fredrik

 

[Elbereth Vala Varda]

Ask Arathorn II or Gilraen, I guess...

 

[Starbrow]

The kings of Arthedain started beginning their names with Ar- to show that they had rulership over all of Arnor once the kingdoms of Cardolan and Rhudaur ended.

 

[Vardarianna]

Hello.

New member with a question.

The name of all the kings of Arnor (or actually Arthedain), from Argeleb I (ruling from TA1349) onwards, and all the chieftains of the Dunedain, starts with "Ar". Also, "Arthedain" and "Arnor" starts with "Ar".
The word, in both Adûnaic and Sindarin, for "king" (or is it ruler?) is "Ar" (Ar-Pharazôn, Ar-Zimrathon...), but Quenya is "Tar" (Tar-Ancalimë, Tar-Surion...).

It seems unlikely that 25 consecutive rulers, for 2000 years, all has the prefix "Ar", that just happens to mean "King" to their name just by coincidence.

Still, it seems likely that Adûnaic (and therefore "Ar") had gone out of fashion with the Kings men, Pharazôn and his ambitions and the slightly bothersome downfall.

I am aware that Adûnaic evolved into Westron, a language for the commoners, but why do the descendants of the north kingdom, in close contact with Elrond, and at least Aragorn with a demonstrated knowledge of Quenya (in the houses of healing), use the Sindarin prefix "Ar", instead of Quenya "Tar"? Is it to show that they are loosing their heritage and becoming more of middle men? The coincidence that Adûnaic and Sindarin shares the same word ("Ar") goes some way to explaining it and I am aware of the distinction of "Aragorn" and "Ar-Agorn", but it seems to me that the association with Ar-Pharazôn is one I would have wanted to escape, as king.
Aragorn himself ascended as Elessar, a name in Quenya, probably signifying "a return to the good old ways".

Or, in short, why is he not named "Taragorn"?

/ Best regards, Fredrik

A very interesting one post Fredrik Felagund! I am curious about that 'Tar'/'Ar' prefixing and am thinking of using 'Tar' in my 4th age fan-fic.
But I am also curious where it is specified or mentioned that Adûnaic evolved into Westron? Anyone know?

 

[Amalcarin]

Considering that the names of the Kings of Arthedain were in Sindarin, it would be more unusual if they did include a Quenya prefix. As for the traditional use of the prefix ar(a)- in those names, it does not really have anything to do with the use of Adûnaic in Middle-earth – the similarity exists only because the Adûnaic word meaning “king” was borrowed from Elvish, presumably Sindarin, long ago. (By the way, at least in the Etymologies there existed a Noldorin [pre-Sindarin] form âr beside aran of the same meaning, and based on what we know of Sindarin historical phonology the former must have been the regular reflex of the Common Eldarin *aran with the loss of the primitive final n and the latter a reformation by analogy with the plural, like in the case of Sindarin êl from *elen, plural elin from *elenī, reformed singular elen.) Here is what Tolkien said about those names in letter no. 347:

The names in the line of Arthedain are peculiar in several ways; and several, though S. in form, are not readily interpretable. But it would need more historical records and linguistic records of S. than exist (sc. than I have found time or need to invent!) to explain them. The system by which all the names from Malvegil onwards are trisyllabic, and have only one ‘significant’ element (ara being used where the final element was of one syllable; but ar in other cases) is peculiar to this line of names. The ara is prob. derived from cases where aran ‘king’ lost its n phonetically (as Arathorn), ara- then being used in other cases.

But I am also curious where it is specified or mentioned that Adûnaic evolved into Westron? Anyone know?

For example in the essay Of Dwarves and Men published in The Peoples of Middle-earth.