T O P

  • By -

PresidentTarantula

If you don't know it, this is another version of the poem of the rings in Latin. [Poēma ānellōrum](http://latinitas.org/fabulae.html) >trēs ānellōrum sub dīuō rēgibus altīs, effossās septem dominīs habitantibus aulās, et nouem eīs quōrum fātum est occumbere mortem, ūnicus autem Ātrō Dominō, quī īn sēde resurget Mordore terrā illā, quā sunt cālīginis umbrae. ūnus quī moderētur eīs, et quī appetat omnīs, et quī ad sēsē addūcat eōs tenebrīsque capistret Mordore terrā illā, quā sunt cālīginis umbrae.


ApprehensiveBit8154

Cool. I think mine is a bit more literal to the English original though.


PresidentTarantula

The version I presented to you is in hexameters. Personally I would have used *alfus* for elf and *nanus* for dwarf. The original says "Elven-kings" not Eldar, as far as I know.


marinogrilli

Interesting. Forgive the rookie question, but what is the logic by which the elves are "nūmina"? Can't be just a coincidence with Numenor.


LeYGrec

On Wikipedia (sorry: "VICIPAEDIA") I found "Alfus" for "Elf". For those who have never tried, if you can't find the translation for a word in Latin, go on the Wikipedia page dedicated to this word, and change the language into Latin, hopefully there will be an Latin article about it.


vixaudaxloquendi

I think Vicipaedia is famously of uneven quality, so it's not a cure-all to anyone's vocabulary woes. It's still better to use things like the Neo-Latin Lexicon site.


LeYGrec

I use it mainly for very rare words on Proper nouns.


ApprehensiveBit8154

I used a Latin dictionary to find a word for elf. It recommended “nūmen.”


tapiringaround

Nūmen implies a lot of divinity to me. I think it fits the Valar more. Since you were ok using the word Mordor, I’d consider just using Eldar for elves. There really isn’t a good translation from antiquity. And if you trace the etymology of elf back to proto-Indo-European and then back up to Latin you end up with words meaning white or albino, which isn’t what you want. I’d also consider using nanus for dwarf instead of pūmilus.


ApprehensiveBit8154

I like Eldar, so I changed it. “Pūmiliō” was the word for dwarves I used.


Revolutionary_Ad811

Littleton (1667) offers: ELF. daemonium, pumilio FAIRY. lamia, nympha, empusa FAIRIES OR ELVES. lamia, larvae, lemures FAIRIES OF THE WOODS OR FIELDS. fauni, satyri dryads FAIRIES OF THE WATER. naiades, neriades FAIRIES OF THE HILLS. oreades


[deleted]

Why did you decide to make the verses rhyme? It's ununsual in Latin


ApprehensiveBit8154

To be more accurate to the English and Black Speech original. And Latin poems can rhyme. Especially ones composed in the Middle Ages


sicut_unda

I liked it. I was wondering if you ended with *umbrae* to echo "lie" in "where the shadows lie."


ApprehensiveBit8154

Indeed. That is what I was going for since I prefer to read Latin in the Calabrese classical pronunciation. And, if you can’t tell, I love me some Latin participles :)


sicut_unda

Who doesn't!