Elvish Word for King — Aran in Quenya and Sindarin

Quick Answer: The Elvish word for king is aran — the same word in Quenya and Sindarin. Quenya ingaran is high-king. Queen is tári in Quenya and bereth in Sindarin. The royal root also appears in Aragorn and in Arnor, the "Royal Land."

Kings and kingship run through all of Tolkien's history: the High Kings of the Noldor, the island kings of Númenor, and the return of the king in Gondor. This guide goes deeper on that one word — its forms in each dialect, the queen and lord words beside it, the names that contain it, the vocabulary of crowns, thrones and realms, how aran looks in Tengwar, and what to watch for if you want it as a tattoo or a name. For the broader context of rank and battle, see Elvish words for warrior and strength.

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The Core Words

An asterisk marks a gloss that the Eldamo lexicon inferred rather than one Tolkien wrote: arnad is attested as a form, but the meaning "kingdom" is Eldamo's deduction, and the same goes for aranya "royal." Aranië is also a form Eldamo reconstructed from inflected attestations. Treat all three as well-founded interpretations, not as Tolkien's own definitions.

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Aran in Quenya

Pronunciation: AH-ran, stress on the first syllable, tapped r.

In Quenya aran simply means king. Around it sits a small royal vocabulary:

• ingaran — high-king, the title of the supreme king of a people.
• aranië — kingdom; Quenya also has túrindië and túrinasta, both glossed "kingdom" only by inference.
• arandur — a minister or steward, literally "king's servant" (Unfinished Tales, Letters). It is the Quenya title behind the Stewards of Gondor.
• arandil — "king's friend," a royalist (Letters).
• aráto — champion, eminent man, noble, lord, king (The Silmarillion, PE17).

Tári — queen

The Quenya queen is tári (PM, PE17). Its most beautiful attestation is the title Elentári, "Star-queen," given to Varda in Galadriel's lament Namárië in The Lord of the Rings. For more on Varda and the stars, see Elvish words for star, night and sky.

The Tar- kings of Númenór

LOTR Appendix A lists the rulers of Númenor, most of whom took Quenya royal names beginning with Tar- — Elros himself reigned as Tar-Minyatur. Our vocabulary database glosses the Quenya word tar as an honorific, roughly "sir" or "madam" (PE17). Later kings, turning against the Elves, took names in Adûnaic instead; our guide to Adûnaic, the lost language of Númenor tells that story.

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Aran in Sindarin

In Sindarin aran has a wider meaning. Eldamo glosses it "king, lord, chief, (lit.) high or noble person" (The Silmarillion, Etymologies). It covers more than crowned monarchs: it is the word for a ruler or chief in general.

• Arnor — the northern kingdom of the Dúnedain, glossed "Royal Land" (The Silmarillion, Letters, PE17).
• Aragorn — our vocabulary database notes that his name contains this royal root. The full meaning of the name, and of Estel, Elessar and Telcontar, is in Aragorn's four Elvish names.
• hîr — lord, master (LOTR), seen in names such as Hirgon and Barahir; the feminine is hiril, lady.

Bereth — queen

The Sindarin queen is bereth, glossed "queen, spouse" (The Road Goes Ever On, Etymologies). The best-known example is Varda's Sindarin title in the hymn to Elbereth: Elbereth combines el, star, with bereth, so she is the Star-queen in both languages.

Be careful with rían. It is often offered online as "queen," but it is a personal name, usually explained as "crowned gift," not the common noun.

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Lords and ladies

Not every Elvish ruler is a king. Quenya heru is lord or master; with the ending -nya, "my," it gives herunya, "my lord," which our database also glosses as "my husband." The Quenya lady is heri, and Eldamo lists hérincë, "little lady," with an inferred gloss. Quenya cundo is a lord in the sense of guardian, and túrin is glossed simply "lord." In Sindarin, tûr is master, seen as an element in names, and hiril is lady. These words sit one step below aran: you would use them for a nobleman, a householder or a respected elder, not for the wearer of a crown.

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Lord, King or Chief?

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Writing Aran in Tengwar

Aran is short and regular, so it is a good first word to try in Tengwar: two consonant letters carrying the vowels as tehtar in the usual modes. The exact placement of the vowel marks differs between the Quenya and Sindarin conventions. The quickest way to see a reliable spelling is our Tengwar name tool; if you plan to engrave or tattoo it, check the output against a second source.

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Tattoo and Naming Notes

• Aran is the same in both languages, which makes it one of the few words where you don't have to choose a dialect.
• Don't use rían for "queen." Use tári (Quenya) or bereth (Sindarin).
• For a name, the attested royal names are the safest: Anárion, Elendil, or a Tar- name from Appendix A. Inventing a new "Tar-" name is Neo-Elvish and should be labelled that way.
• Sentences are not attested. "Long live the king" or "my king forever" are not in Tolkien. If you build one, label it (Neo). Our translator shows which parts are attested.

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People Also Ask

What is the Elvish word for king? King is aran in both Quenya and Sindarin. In Sindarin the word is broader: Eldamo glosses it king, lord, chief, literally a high or noble person. Quenya ingaran means high-king.

What is the Elvish word for queen? Queen is tári in Quenya and bereth in Sindarin; bereth can also mean spouse. Rían is sometimes offered as queen online, but it is a personal name meaning crowned gift, not the common noun.

Does Aragorn contain the word for king? Yes, Aragorn contains the same royal root as aran. The rest of the name is discussed in our guide to Aragorn's Elvish names. Arnor, the northern kingdom, is glossed Royal Land.

What does Tar- mean in Númenórean names? Many Númenórean rulers took Quenya names beginning with Tar-, such as Tar-Minyatur, the royal name of Elros (LOTR Appendix A). Our vocabulary database glosses the Quenya word tar as an honorific, roughly sir or madam.

Related Reading

• Aragorn's Four Elvish Names and Andúril — Complete Guide
• Elvish Words for Warrior and Strength (Quenya & Sindarin)
• Adûnaic: The Lost Language of Númenor
• Elvish Words for Star, Night, and Sky — Sindarin & Quenya
• Elvish Words for Home, Land and Dwelling: A Vocabulary Guide
• Elvish Word for Sun — Anar in Quenya, Anor in Sindarin
• Elvish Names for Men and Boys — How Tolkien Actually Built Them
• Elvish Word for Silver and Gold — Celeb, Telpë, Mal and Malta

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