A few questions about Middle Earth (knights, titles and names)

Good day to you all. I am new to this message board, and have a few questions I hope to have answered.

1. Is being a "Knight of Gondor" a very prestigious title, or are all soldiers of Gondor referred to as knights? Also, if it is a prestigious title, are there knighting ceremonies for those entering knighthood?

2. Are all the titles of nobility we use in our world also used in Middle Earth? I've heard of kings, princes and earls, but are there dukes, counts, barons, or even sirs? Do you earn the title "sir" when becoming a Knight of Gondor?

3. Would the character names "Albrecht" or "Adhemar" fit into Middle Earth? Could they be names of Rohirrim or Gondoran (sp?) characters?

That would be all. Thank you. :-)

[Elianna]

"Knight of Gondor" may just be a term coined for the movies, don't hold me to that though, I'm not sure. There are certainly Guards of the Citadel, which is a pristegous (sp?) rank of solider, and probably has some pomp to the ceremony of entry.

As for lords: just for clearification, for all those at this topic, the order of nobles is: king, prince, duke, marquess, earl (count is equivalent), viscount (like vice-count), baron, baronet, and knight. Baronets and knights are both called "Sir". I'm sure the Kings and Stewards needed help governing all of Gondor's provinces. We're talking about roughly eight states across 700 miles of mostly wild country. Gondor probably had all of these various nobles.

And about the names: If they're Rohirric, they would mean something in Old English. The best I can get for Albrecht is "sudden fire" and that's "bracen" not "brecht". I don't think "cht" ever occurs in Old English. Adhemar, best I can get it, would mean "oath about honor". But I doubt we have many scholars of Old English here at the 'Downs, so they'd be okay Rohan names I guess. If they're Gondor names, they would most likely mean something in Sindarin. Adhemar could be some really messed up version of Edhel-mar (elf-home), but I can't figure anything for Albrecht. If you make them Gondorian names, there's always the loop hole that they're in some language spoken in Gondor before the Numenoreans came (Erech is an example of these words).

Thanks for your help and your keen insight, Elianna. I appreciate it. :-)

If you are using any resources, would you mind revealing them? If there's a website with translations and the meaning of the names of Middle Earth, it would be of great help to me. :-)

[Elianna]

I used "The Langauges of Tolkien's Middle-earth" by Ruth S. Noel for the Elvish, and this for the Old English. Don't know if that link will work.....

Haha! It does!

Thanks again, that will be of great help to me in the future. :-)

I have another question if you don't mind. "Izeleth" has always been my elven name in AD&D, but would it be viable in Middle-Earth at all?

Also, do you perhaps know of a website dealing with elven names?

[Kransha]

Welcome, Albrecht. This site, were we all go in death, has a respectable generator of Elven, Halfling, Orc, Adunaic, and Dwarven names for your use.

Actually, Elianna, I believe that very few of those titles were used. The race with the most titles are the Hobbits themselves (Warden of the Undertowers, Thane of the Shire, Shirriff of Bywater, Master of Buckland, etc). The only 'knights' per se, in Middle-Earth, were the Knights of Dol Amroth, those who rescued Faramir at Pelennor (personal movie gripe). Dukes and Counts are unrecorded in Tolkein. I think the only titles are King, Steward, and Lord. Gondor has various fiefs (Lebennin, Lossarnach) but they are not really ruled by noble titled folk, if I remember correctly. Also, all of those titles are specific. There are no baronies, counties, earldoms, duchies, or other in Gondor, only 'dem fiefs.

Thank you for that update, Kransha. :-)

The name generator at this site works fine, but I'd spend an awful lot of time trying to find a name to my liking when it only generates one at a time. I was hoping someone would know of a generator generating several random elven names at once?

I also have another question regarding elven names. Don't they have any kind of surnames at all? I haven't noticed, but do they introduce themselves as "xxxxxx, son/daughter of xxxx" like the men and dwarves do?

Would the name "Izeléth" work for an elf of Middle-Earth, and would you consider it to be a male, female or andrygonous (ehm I know that was *not* spelled correctly) name?

[Kransha]

I suggest you attempt to locate a translator of Sindarin (not The Grey Company, though. Their Elvish is fake). Then, just type in words you want your name to mean. Hobbits are the only race with real surnames, though some elves have the equivalent of that: Arwen Undomiel, Elrond Peredhil (sp.?). For dwarves, their names are in Khuzdul, which no man or elf knows, so the names given them are not their real names: Thorin Oakenshield. The 'son of' thing is used commonly, just as an additional, I suppose. Correct me if I'm wrong here, people, I'm not entirely sure. Some Rohirrim had last names: Eomer Eadig for example, but I know of no others. Same with the Gondorians, Orcs, etc...I'm shooting in the dark on this.

[Elianna]

I've always thought that names like Arwen Undomiel and Elrond Peredhil were just two names, not a real surname. Same with Éomer Eadig and Fréaláf Hildeson. Otherwise wouldn't she be Arwen Peredhil? The Men of Bree have last names too. And Aragorn took a "family name" when he took the crown: Telcontar (Strider in Quenya).

Izeléth looks more like Adûndiac (the langauge of Numenore) than Elvish. Z's are very rare in Elvish, but I think pretty common in Adûniac. If it were Elvish, I'd say it's a girl name because of the 'eth', I think that's a feminine ending. I could quite easily be wrong on that.

So if there are only fiefs in Gondor, then there are a lot of 'vassals' for varying noblity.