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Help with memorial tattoo

Lostinthewoods

New Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2022
Messages
7
Hello community,

I really need your help with something important. I recently lost a dear friend of mine, and I really want to get a tattoo to remember and honor him by. He was a huge fan of lotr, and had an immense knowledge of the lotr universe. After a lot of thought I concluded that getting a tattoo in tengwar would be perfect. However, I’m scared that my attempts of finding the correct translation will leave me branded with the wrong word. I therefore humbly ask your help. I’m torn between the word «farewell» and his name. His name was Håvard (or Haavard if that is easier). His name means «tall guardian» or «protector». I read in a different thread that it is important to know the origin of the name. Is there perhaps someone here who could help me translating this? It would mean the world, and I would be forever grateful.
Humble thanks.
 
Last edited:
Alatulie gwain mellon nin,

Very sorry for your loss. May White Shores embrace him. If you are using your friend's actual name, a rather kind and very personal gesture, I would use Tengwar script, and just get a transcription. I would be more than happy to help you translate it-- as I have knowledge on these languages. Tell me what direction you want to go with; his name, or a word, or what his name means. Once you tell me I can either transcribe or translate it, or both. But if you want to go the direction of translation; Quenya or Sindarin, or I suppose even Telerin or Valarin, but the two most common are Quenya and Sindarin.
 
Sorry for your loss, nai hiruváse alassea han Ea. We know from Tolkien that ‘farewell’ is Namárie, written like this:
1662043518408.png

For the name of your friend I would translate either Hallavaryar or Tarvaryar, both ‘tall protector’.
1662043400375.png
 
Alatulie gwain mellon nin,

Very sorry for your loss. May White Shores embrace him. If you are using your friend's actual name, a rather kind and very personal gesture, I would use Tengwar script, and just get a transcription. I would be more than happy to help you translate it-- as I have knowledge on these languages. Tell me what direction you want to go with; his name, or a word, or what his name means. Once you tell me I can either transcribe or translate it, or both. But if you want to go the direction of translation; Quenya or Sindarin, or I suppose even Telerin or Valarin, but the two most common are Quenya and Sindarin.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I have decided to use his name. From my research I found that Quenya is more like the latin version of Elvish? And Sindarin is the language more commonly spoken, also by Elrond, Galadriel and Legolas? My late friend loved being formal and going all the way if he bothered doing something, so perhaps Quenya would be the most appropriate? I have tried to find translations for both. I truly appreciate your help! And thank you for such a quick response.

Sorry for your loss, nai hiruváse alassea han Ea. We know from Tolkien that ‘farewell’ is Namárie, written like this:
View attachment 15436
For the name of your friend I would translate either Hallavaryar or Tarvaryar, both ‘tall protector’.
View attachment 15433
Wow, thank you so much for your help, and quick response. It means alot, truly. Annon allen!
 
Well, Quenya is the laguage we have an attested word for ‘farewell’ for, that’s why I picked it above; for Sindarin we would need to construct a neologism. I’m reasonably certain that the forms for ‘Tall protector’ do work in at least one conception during Tolkien’s life, but Hārvard (with a long a, not å though) could be written like this:
1662044372878.png
 
This is totally accurate. Sorry for your loss, again.
Thanks again!🙏🏻

Well, Quenya is the laguage we have an attested word for ‘farewell’ for, that’s why I picked it above; for Sindarin we would need to construct a neologism. I’m reasonably certain that the forms for ‘Tall protector’ do work in at least one conception during Tolkien’s life, but Hārvard (with a long a, not å though) could be written like this:
View attachment 15441
Thank you so much! It’s beautiful! I’ll go with this one.
 
Well, Quenya is the laguage we have an attested word for ‘farewell’ for, that’s why I picked it above; for Sindarin we would need to construct a neologism. I’m reasonably certain that the forms for ‘Tall protector’ do work in at least one conception during Tolkien’s life, but Hārvard (with a long a, not å though) could be written like this:
View attachment 15441
Hello again,
I just wanted to double check that this is written in Quenya and not Sindarin? I lifted my plans to our fellow friends, and they swore he would turn in his grave if it was not written in the most «formal» way, ha ha. Sorry to be a bother, and truly appreciate the help!
 
It’s written in the Classical Mode, the language is Quenya/High-Elvish, the language Galadriel uses in her Farewell-poem to the fellowship. It’s not the day-to-day language to anyone at the time of LotR, Tolkien described it as “Elf-Latin”, but in the First Age it was spoken by the Ñoldor (and in a different dialect by the Vanyar).
 
It’s written in the Classical Mode, the language is Quenya/High-Elvish, the language Galadriel uses in her Farewell-poem to the fellowship. It’s not the day-to-day language to anyone at the time of LotR, Tolkien described it as “Elf-Latin”, but in the First Age it was spoken by the Ñoldor (and in a different dialect by the Vanyar).
Thank you so much again. It means the world, really. Really grateful that there are so many helpful people in this community🙏🏻
 

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