LotR -- Book 2 - Chapter 03 - The Ring goes South - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Aiwendil · 06-04-2006, 09:54 AM

There's a note in HoMe X where Tolkien seems to equate several of the Elvish star-names with planets:

Karnil = Mars
Lumbar = Saturn
Alkarinque = Jupiter
Elemmire = Mercury
Nenar = Uranus
Luinil = Neptune

But Christopher surmises that these cannot have been meant seriously, since Nenar and Luinil, which are supposed to be "great lights in the region of Ilmen" would then refer to the very faint Uranus and Neptune - the latter of which is not even visible without the aid of a telescope. His conclusion is that Karnil and Alkarinque were indeed meant to be Mars and Jupiter but that the other equations represent nothing more than a whimsical extension of the idea by his father.

It's interesting that there's no indication that the planets were distinguished from the fixed stars - with the conspicuous exception of Earendil (Venus), whose wandering was given a substantial aetiology.

06-04-2006, 09:54 AM	#24
Aiwendil Late Istar Join Date: Mar 2001 Posts: 2,224	There's a note in HoMe X where Tolkien seems to equate several of the Elvish star-names with planets: Karnil = Mars Lumbar = Saturn Alkarinque = Jupiter Elemmire = Mercury Nenar = Uranus Luinil = Neptune But Christopher surmises that these cannot have been meant seriously, since Nenar and Luinil, which are supposed to be "great lights in the region of Ilmen" would then refer to the very faint Uranus and Neptune - the latter of which is not even visible without the aid of a telescope. His conclusion is that Karnil and Alkarinque were indeed meant to be Mars and Jupiter but that the other equations represent nothing more than a whimsical extension of the idea by his father. It's interesting that there's no indication that the planets were distinguished from the fixed stars - with the conspicuous exception of Earendil (Venus), whose wandering was given a substantial aetiology.