# Love in the Elven culture



## ZornMuffin (Sep 19, 2022)

Hello, 

I was wondering what "I love you" in the Elvish language means, furthermore, I wanted to know more about love in the elven culture. How do they love, etc? Also, are there books about that topic? Lastly, I wanted to ask if anyone knows if there is a phrase, word, or name you call someone in the Elven language that is more than simply "I love you" something that signifies eternal love.



Thank you, everyone, in advance!!!


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## ZehnWaters (Sep 19, 2022)

ZornMuffin said:


> Hello,
> 
> I was wondering what "I love you" in the Elvish language means, furthermore, I wanted to know more about love in the elven culture. How do they love, etc? Also, are there books about that topic? Lastly, I wanted to ask if anyone knows if there is a phrase, word, or name you call someone in the Elven language that is more than simply "I love you" something that signifies eternal love.
> 
> ...


The Peoples of Middle-Earth and The Nature of Middle-Earth cover some of this.


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Sep 19, 2022)

ZornMuffin said:


> Hello,
> 
> I was wondering what "I love you" in the Elvish language means, furthermore, I wanted to know more about love in the elven culture. How do they love, etc? Also, are there books about that topic? Lastly, I wanted to ask if anyone knows if there is a phrase, word, or name you call someone in the Elven language that is more than simply "I love you" something that signifies eternal love.
> 
> ...


"I love you" I believe would be "Nin veleth ci". Love is a very deep and pronounced emotion within Elvish culture, often mingled with sorrow. For Elves, love is a deeply intimate sharing of one another in any relationship whether marital or simply a bond of intense friendship. Allies are not lightly made, and bonds not loosely broken. Elves have a very deeply spiritual look at all of existence, and see all that is made as a gift from Illuvatar, and love and praise him for the goods he has blessed them with. They hold deeply real and intimate beliefs. They see love, as I have noticed, as an involuntary beginning, blossoming forth from something deeper than the mind, but very real and personal. As that love grows, they develop a deeper _veleth. _Something that is a choice, a commitment. Elves are loyal and faithful because of this, because they do not lightly break the bonds of commitment and any relationship is deeper than just surface level if indeed it lasts.

A word; hmm... It must be the prefix: _mel _from which nearly every Elvish word associated with love in the Quenya language stems. (To me, Quenya is the truer form of Elvish being from of Old and containing within it greater tradition.)

To Elves, I think very frequently love is eternal, and that is of any sort. If you look deeply through Tolkien's works, you will find countless times that the love of friendship, the love shared between two Elves drives them to risk their lives, and in many consequential cases, lose them.

The resources spoken about from Zehnwaters would be helpful for these studies I believe also, as is the Tale of Beren and Luthien. If you haven't read it, or even if you have, I suggest taking a look at it deeply, perceiving the love in Beren and Luthien, as I think it is one of the greatest Elven tales.


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## Elthir (Sep 19, 2022)

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> The resources spoken about from Elthir would be helpful for these studies I believe also, as is the Tale of Beren and Luthien.



Not me but *Zehn Waters*. I just got here!


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Sep 19, 2022)

Elthir said:


> Not me but *Zehn Waters*. I just got here!


Good correction! Perhaps I should fix that...


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## ZornMuffin (Sep 19, 2022)

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> "I love you" I believe would be "Nin veleth ci". Love is a very deep and pronounced emotion within Elvish culture, often mingled with sorrow. For Elves, love is a deeply intimate sharing of one another in any relationship whether marital or simply a bond of intense friendship. Allies are not lightly made, and bonds not loosely broken. Elves have a very deeply spiritual look at all of existence, and see all that is made as a gift from Illuvatar, and love and praise him for the goods he has blessed them with. They hold deeply real and intimate beliefs. They see love, as I have noticed, as an involuntary beginning, blossoming forth from something deeper than the mind, but very real and personal. As that love grows, they develop a deeper _veleth. _Something that is a choice, a commitment. Elves are loyal and faithful because of this, because they do not lightly break the bonds of commitment and any relationship is deeper than just surface level if indeed it lasts.
> 
> A word; hmm... It must be the prefix: _mel _from which nearly every Elvish word associated with love in the Quenya language stems. (To me, Quenya is the truer form of Elvish being from of Old and containing within it greater tradition.)
> 
> ...


Thank You very much for that amazing contribution! I will definitely take a closer look.


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## Ent (Sep 19, 2022)

ZornMuffin said:


> love in the elven culture



Wonderful subject. When you get this all studied up, maybe somehow you can develop a Wiki contribution regarding it... 
It would probably fit under the "Races, Peoples and Languages" category in some fashion. Or as a subtopic added to one of the Wiki entries already in place.


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## ZornMuffin (Sep 19, 2022)

Well-aged Enting said:


> Wonderful subject. When you get this all studied up, maybe somehow you can develop a Wiki contribution regarding it...
> It would probably fit under the "Races, Peoples and Languages" category in some fashion. Or as a subtopic added to one of the Wiki entries already in place.


Thank You for that wonderful idea, I will definitely do that when I gathered enough knowledge


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Sep 19, 2022)

You should! It is really a topic that is under-rated. 

It would be worth some definite discussion and research to put something together.


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## Gilruin (Sep 30, 2022)

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> "I love you" I believe would be "Nin veleth ci".


No? "meleth" is an abstract noun, using it as a verb is completely unattested and rather improbable to be possible. The verb is "mel-/mela-", so the 1sg present form is "melin/melon" hence the whole sentence is something like "melin/melon gin".
Somewhere in NoMe is said that the Elvish proverb is actually "I have met love" (potentially something like Q "ómennen melme", S "govennen veleth"), but I can't find the page right now.


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## Elbereth Vala Varda (Sep 30, 2022)

Ah, yes I see that I may have been a bit astray on the conjugation. Thank you for letting me know. I think that it is in there too, I just can't put a pin on it's clear definition....


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