Species names for Middle-earth

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Middle-earth has quite a lot of separate more-or-less sentient species wandering about. Tolkien calls them "races", which reflects the vocabulary of his era, and which sadly has both (a) been copied mindlessly by writers of fantasy and (b) led to a lot of cross-contamination of discussion by internal US politics of no relevance to the rest of the world. I call them species, because that is what I think that they are. And therefore they require proper species names. Here are my suggestions, for your amusement. clodia_metelli has graciously given comments and assistance with correct grammatical forms. All errors are mine.

I propose the following:

Hominids:

Dwarves - Homo auleii, from their maker, the Vala Aule. This form is the common one in scientific nomenclature, which has at most a tenuous relationship to correct Latin grammar (when a species can legitimately be named Han solo you know that you are on shaky linguistic ground).
Elves - Homo stellatus
Hobbits - Homo hobbitus
Numenoreans - Homo sapiens numenorensis X - I regard them as essentially a sub-species of regular Homo sapiens, what with the extended lifespan, psychic powers etc.
Orcs - Homo orcusX - includes uruk-hai
Goblins - Homo orcus subterraneusX

- for Numenoreans, orcs and goblins, the 'X' is stolen from botanical nomenclature and indicates that they are artificial or hybridised species/sub-species. I draw the line at calling them cultivars, though basically that's what they are. I don't want to give the impression that you could order them from seed catalogues.

Non-hominids:

Trolls - Lapis horribilis
Ents - Pastor nemoris
Dragons (winged) - Draco rapax
Dragons (wingless): Draco ambulans
Wargs - Canis atrox
The Watcher in the Water: Multibrachium vigilans
Sentient eagles: Aquila titanica
Sentient Mirkwood spiders: Aranea largiloqua
Fell-beasts - Ala saurontis

The famous sentient willows of the Withywindle valley would of course be Salix sapiens. This form can be used for any other variety of sapient tree.

I am not counting Balrogs or Wizards, because they are embodied Maiar. Also there were only five of each and there is no indication that any of them ever reproduced.

Elves and Men I count as separate species that can on very rare occasions interbreed successfully (i.e. with fertile hybrids). While Tolkien did say in his letters that they are the same species, their main point of difference (the immortality, which separates Elves not only from Men but from every other living thing) arises from a non-biological cause, the difference in their spirits, which is a function of the dualistic nature of Tolkien's universe.

Comments

[wood-elf.livejournal.com]

This is greatly pleasing.

Also I want to order an orc from a seed catalogue. Have heard that they're a rampaging non native species, though, so maybe I'll confine it to a pot.

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Yes, they're definitely the sort of thing that requires pruning with a machete. And I suspect that the sub-species subterraneus would be susceptible to mildew, fungal infestations and possibly thrips.

Numenoreans could be pretty rampant too, in the right circumstances, when the leading shoot goes the wrong way. Though you notice that whoever did the original genetic modification on them (presumably Yavanna), was careful to make sure that they breed true only with each other. So while they stayed at home they would be fine, but if they escaped the island and started spreading uncontrollably, out-crossing would rapidly result in the loss of their special characteristics, as indeed occurred.

[just-jenni.livejournal.com]

This is brilliant. ;)

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[clodia-metelli.livejournal.com]

You know, I should have thanked you for the impulse to go and look up Greek loanwords. Even though you didn't use it, it was an interesting trip through my grammar books for me. I enjoyed it. Cheers!

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had totally forgotten about gender, which is daft since I am at least passingly familiar with two Romance languages.

[zdenka]

I like it!

[forochel.livejournal.com]

(your icon is kind of brilliant)

[zdenka]

Thanks! There are a lot of cool icons in the comments to this entry, I think.

[dreamflower]

What fun! I love those names!

(Be cool if someone who knew how could translate the Latin to Quenya, and use them in a story!)

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Since Quenya is the Elven Latin anyway, you can treat these as translations of the Quenya names.

[moetushie]

Very nice!

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[tehta.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I now have all sorts of odd thoughts re: who would have started this nomenclature (I am leaning towards the idea that the Elves would -- as with writing -- have at least two competing systems, one out of Valinor and one out of Doriath) and how the names were agreed upon.

I also feel like Feanor's odd death might be explained, at last: he was distracted when fighting those Balrogs, because they were new to him and so he was hoping to capture a specimen to examine (and name after himself, like you do.) You know he'd want to do that.


PS.
A less serious person might also add that both the Elves and the Men in certain popular stories should be named homo erectus. Actually one could write a horrible epistolary vignette where Finrod describes how he found Men and gives them that name.
Hope this hasn't ruined your post

[forochel.livejournal.com]

re:your postscript

A+

XDDD

[zdenka]

he was distracted when fighting those Balrogs, because they were new to him and so he was hoping to capture a specimen to examine (and name after himself, like you do.) You know he'd want to do that.

*grin* He totally would.

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Since Quenya was supposed to be the Elven-Latin, you can treat these as Quenya, with Sindarin and various Avari languages for the vernacular names.

I concur with your suggestion about Feanor. It seems entirely likely.

[forochel.livejournal.com]

lololol this is so neat!

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Glad you liked it!

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Since that is what "Eldar" means, it seemed appropriate.

[kenazfiction.livejournal.com]

genius! :D

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thank you! One has these moments of inspiration.

[zedille.livejournal.com]

These are fantastic! I loved how you Latinified (or at least pseudo-latinified) the names, and your comments about a biological view of the relations between species were priceless!

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Those names are at least as respectable as large numbers of genuine scientific names, and a lot more respectable than most. Google "Tolkien" with "scientific names" and you will see.