Valarin is arguably the most mysterious of the languages that help define the world of Tolkien’s Legendarium. We don’t know nearly as much about it as we do the main Elvish Languages. And the first question often is was some real world Language the inspiration? Quenya’s starting point was Finnish, Sindarin’s was Welsh and the Language of the Rohirrim is meant to be imaginable as an ancestor of Old English. With Valarin however no one is certain which, if any, real world language we should look to.
Valarin is the native tongue of the Ainur, a group further subdivided between Valar and Maiar, beings that are essentially what Judeo-Christian religions call Angels. Angel comes from the Greek Angelos used to translate the Hebrew Malak both words mean Messenger because serving as God’s messengers to humans is the function they are usually serving when they show up in The Bible but it's perhaps not what these beings would call themselves, nor is it the only term they’re ever called in The Bible. Likewise Vala and Maia are Quenya names given to these beings by the Elves.
The assumption has long existed among many theologians that the Language of the Angels would have to be Hebrew or something very similar, after all the only two named Angels in Scripture have Hebrew names even when mentioned in the Greek books. Today it may mainly be certain fringe sects of American Evangelical Fundamentalism most likely to make a big deal out of if that is the case or not, but it is historically not unique to them. John Dee devised Enochian as a hypothetical Angelic Language basing it on Hebrew. And I’m sure there have been Catholics (Tolkien’s denomination) who have agreed.
What little we know about Valarin in Tolkien’s Legendarium is in-universe filtered through the perspective of the Elves. I imagine that even in Valinor communication between the Elves and Ainur usually involved the Ainur speaking Elvish rather than the other way around. Nonetheless the Elves were exposed to some Valarin words and some Quenya words are said to be Valarin loan words. However I really think we should not rule out that the Elves may have often misheard, mispronounced and misunderstood the meanings of the Valarin words that entered their vocabulary. Plus some of it comes in-universe from people no longer in Valinor speculating ages later.
Consider how the known real world history of Hebrew names being transliterated into European languages by Christians includes such end results as Moshe becoming Moses, Slomoh becoming Solomon, Yeshua became Jesus and the four letter name YHWH having such varied interpretations as Yahweh and Jehovah (I personally view Yahuah as the correct pronunciation).
The first Valarin word I want to discuss is the name of Orome’s horse Nahar, now the Roman spelling of the Valarin original form is presented as Næχærra (the apparent X there is actually Chi a symbol for the -ch sound) but presenting the casual form as Nahar makes a possible Hebrew basis obvious. Nahar resembles two Hebrew words due to there being two Hebrew letters that can become an H in English. One is the Hebrew word for River but the other means the KJV translated "Nostrils: or "Snorting" and in it the letter used for H letter that is also the Hebrew letter for -ch, and in both Job 39:19-20 and Jeremiah 8:16 it is associated with the sound a Horse makes.
The next Valarin word I want to discuss is machanaz (machanumaz being the plural) which is said to mean Authorities and is the root of a term for the Aratar the Eight highest ranked of the Valar. The Hebrew word I think this could come from is machaneh which means company or camp or host and is used in Genesis 32:2 to refer to “God’s host”. Also look at the -um being added to make it plural, that could come from Elves missing -im which is the most common Hebrew suffix to convey plurality.
Aman the Blessed Land the name of the Continent on which Valinor resides is a name Tolkien originally presented as coming from a Quenya name meaning Good but he later decided it was Valarin in origin. Aman is also a Hebrew word that in the KJV is translated things like Assurance, Believed, Faithful, Nursed, Steadfast, Trusted and Trusty.
Ainu comes from the Valarin word Ayanuz. As a Quenya word Ainu means Holy One but that could be a meaning the Elves gave the name because they viewed the Aniur as Holy, or they named the concept of Holiness after these semi divine beings they interacted with. Ayanuz could come from the Hebrew word Ayin meaning Eye (and it’s the name of the Hebrew letter this word begins with) or ayam which means Mighty and began with the same letter. There is a good real world Proto Indo-European etymology for Aina the Quenya word for Holy, it might be the Elves connected this name to a phonetically similar word.
Honeyed Wine is the meaning of mirubhoze. One Hebrew word for Wine is tiryowsh and the Hebrew word for Honey is dbash. Now this is more of a stretch then my prior examples but I still consider it plausible, perhaps as a Mondogreen form listening to a Valarin song.
Even the name of Arda is said to be Valarin in origin. That name is related to many Indo-European words for Earth including Earth itself but and the Afrikaans Aarde. But plenty of Semitic words for Earth happen to seem phonetically similar like the Hebrew Erets and the Arabic ‘ard. However the stated Valarin name for Arda is Aþāraphelūn which is supposed to mean “appointed dwelling”. Palon/Pelon is a Hebrew word from the root Palah meaning separate. The Athara part could come from atar/atarah which means compass or crown conveying the idea of a circle.
Before I discuss any more confirmed Valarin words or names, I want to speculate on a few names designated Quenya but that could have involved Valarin loanwords that Tolkien never explicitly told us were.
Melkor is the name that is often referred to as the original name of the Legendarium’s Satan figure before he was given the obviously derogatory name Morgoth. But Melkor is presented as a Quenya name that even it may not have been his original name, Melkor is said to mean “he who rises in might”. In some Tolkien YouTube videos I’ve noticed when people quote older abandoned versions of the tales Melkor is often more simply Melko. On Tolkien Gateway other early forms of the name are listed as Belcha, Melegor and Meleko and the meaning is simply “The Mighty One”. I can’t help but see a connection to the Hebrew word for King which is Melek and how the first King in The Bible is Nimrod the Mighty Hunter.
The word Melek is associated with Satan first and foremost in Ezekiel 29 starting in verse 11 where the Melek of Tyre is a Cherub in contrast to the mere human Nagyim of Tyre in the prior verses. I believe this passage is in part identifying Satan with Melqart/Melkart the Patron deity of Tyre who’s name is interpreted as meaning “King of the City”. He’s also the “King of Babylon” in Isaiah 14 who desires to place his throne above the Most High, to “Rise in Might”.
However the deity name Moloch is also just Melek with different vowel indicators and some scholars think those different vowel indicators came later and originally every reference to Moloch/Milcom was just the Hebrew word for King/Kings. Moloch references include most of the Human Sacrifice documented in the Hebrew Bible which is why he’s sometimes viewed as the most Evil pagan god The Scripture references even more so than Baal. But it’s also possible if Moloch was a distinct deity name at all it was just the Ammonite name for Hadad who the Canaanites called Baal and the Moabites called Chemosh.
The conception of Satan that Morgoth is based on isn’t actually Biblical, it’s founded upon layers of Extra-Biblical Fan Fiction culminating in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Now many today don’t know this but John Milton was actually a political radical of his time who argued in his nonfiction writings that the very concept of having a King other than God Himself is Idolatry. Satan in Paradise Lost is a manifestation of that idea, the first and ultimate False King. So a post Milton depiction of Satan being basically named King kind of fits.
The characterization of Melkor/Morgoth in the various First Age stories is that he begins mostly motivated by a desire to Dominate to Control to Rule. In other words to be the God-King of Arda.
Of the two main names used for The Monotheistic God of Tolkien’s Legendarium, Iluvatar is the most straightforward having its real world etymology firmly in Quenya’s Finnish roots. Eru however is very mysterious and I was indeed shocked to learn it’s NOT one of the names officially confirmed to be Valarin, it sure doesn’t seem even close to Finnish, Yksi is the Finnish word for One. Speaking of Eru meaning The One, I personally want that to actually be an Elvish mistake. In my opinion it is bad form for a Trinitarian to give God a name that mean The One and flat out heretical to name Him “He that is Alone”, calling your theological First Principal by such titles is an influence of Pythagoreanism and Platonism calling it The Monad. The New Testament and Early Christians preferred Eis Theos and Mia Theos to Mono Theos. Eis and Mias like the Hebrew Eched means one as in United or Unified not an Absolute Only One.
The phenomena of the sound represented by the letter L being mispronounced as an R is NOT in fact unique to Japanese or other East Asian Languages. Back in my youth long before I got into any of the Weeb stuff I’m into now I always misheard the L in the middle of the word Colonel as an R, consistently no matter who said it, at first I was unable to recognize it in print because I’d heard it that way so consistently.
I’m bringing this up because coincidentally El the Hebrew word for God is one of a few Gaijin words that the Japanese tend to pronounce Eru, others include the Spanish definite article and the English name of the letter L. Most times I’ve seen or heard Eru in Japanese media it’s been the Spanish reference like the title of the Anime El Cazador de la Bruja (The Hunter of The Witch) the first part of which gets pronounced Eru Kazado. However there is a Visual Novel called You and Me and Her: A Love Story where a Cat is named Eru and the credits say Eru has the same voice actor as God.
So what I’m getting at is maybe Eru came from some Elf mishearing or mispronouncing El under the right circumstances. Or a shortening of a mishearing or mispronouncing of Elah or Eloah or Elohim.
Yavanna seems to be the first of the Valar (going through them in Valaquenta order) whose name isn’t said to be Valarin in origin. Yet I can’t help but notice how much it looks like a feminine form of Yavan, the Hebrew name for Greece. The Strongs says the name is related to Yayin, another Hebrew word for Wine which fits the Fruit connection of Yavanna’s name. I’m trying to think of reasons that it would culturally or religiously make sense to fan theorize that Primitive Greece descended from particular followers of Yavanna, I suppose the standard practices of Interpretatio graeca would identify Yavanna with Gaia, Cybele or Magna Mater, but even that feels like a bit of a stretch. [Update February 9th: I've looked into some theories about Dione and Dodona and now think she may work.]
There are other names that look instantly Hebrew when I look at them even though I can’t imagine how the name could be Valarin in origin, like how Gilgalad reminds me of Gilgal and Beor is the name of the father of the first King of the Edomites in Genesis 36. Any other writer of European style Fantasy I’d just chalk it up to how Biblical Names entered our vocabulary and this writer didn’t think about where they came from. But Tolkien was specifically a Linguist first and foremost. If he knowingly put Hebrew names in there he did so for a reason.
I’m going to cover some more confirmed Valarin in origin words now, but I’m growing less certain how to make them fit my Valarin=Hebrew hypothesis, everything above is the foundation of it.
The name of Varda comes from the Quenya root Barada which means Subline, Exalted or Lofty and is said to be a Valarin loan word. Baalath is a Hebrew name derived from Baalah meaning Mistress or Lady.
Manawenuz as the Valarin name of Manwe I can’t help but jump to connecting to Manehem a Hebrew name that means Comforter and thus possibly the Hebrew concept behind the Paraclete of John and 1 John and is also a name a number of Jewish traditions have given to Messiah Ben David. Now fully identifying Manwe with either Jesus or The Holy Spirit would be a type of Arianism which I don’t believe Tolkien was going for, the Finrod ap Andreth established that Eru himself will incarnate as a Human to bring about the final healing of Arda. But you can still argue Manwe is typologically stewarding the Seat of Authority destined for the future Incarnate Eru.
Ulluboz as the proposed root of Ulmo I speculate could come from Alluwph a Hebrew word that is sometimes translated Captain.
Aule’s name is said to come from Valarin Aȝūlēz. Ayal is a Hebrew word meaning strength.
Nessa’s name is suggested to be Valarin according to Pengolodh. There are two Hebrew words I considered since Hebrew has two letters for S. The shin one would be Nasa which means to carry or bear something, and the Samek one would be Nacah which means Adventure, Prove or Try.
Aromez as the origin of Orome could be related to Arumah a Hebrew name derived from the root rumah which means height. Or form ‘orem which means craftiness.
Atharaigas as a name for The Sun could have its roots first in again atar/atarah meaning compass/crown/circle and Ygiya meaning Labor or Work.
Osse’s name could be related to Hosea, a Hebrew name that means deliverer.
Ezellochar could come from Ezel meaning departure and achar meaning next. How that’s a fitting name for the location of the two trees I’m unsure.
Machananaskad likely begins with machaneh again since it is a name for the meeting place of the Aratar. The next part could be nashaq which means armed.
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